Release of the Day: Exploding Hearts - Guitar Romantic

Here's the story in a nutshell. On July 20, 2003, three out of the four band members of Portland band the Exploding Hearts died in a tragic car accident after releasing one full-length album on Dirtnap Records. The band had been making waves by their energetic live shows and getting press with many independent punk magazines and other outlets. Their debut LP Guitar Romantic had been a tour de force and people were curious to see where the band would go. Unfortunately, we never found out.

The Exploding Hearts combined the best of 1970s power pop with a punk rock ethos. Lyrically, the band dealt with whimsy, often combining punk rock staples like sniffing glue, girl trouble, the search for modern kicks, and self-harm, all in a major key. Like most power pop, these songs could lodge themselves in the deepest recesses of a mind for days. "I'm a Pretender" was the standout with an anthemic chorus declaring "I'm a pretender in the game of love/ Need somebody help me shatter my heart." Yeah, it's for comedy, but it has a creepy echo in the wake of the accident. This self-deprecating humor ambles throughout the album. It's a group of guys who can't seem to get out of their own way, but at least they're up front about it.

Here's a link to the full album!

Big Eyes

Happy Saturday everyone,

About a month ago, I picked up the newest edition of Razorcake, probably my favorite zine. For those who don't know, Razorcake is an absolutely incredible compilation of goings-on, interviews, columns (not strictly limited to music), reviews, and comics (Ben Snakepit is a regular comic contributor). I couldn't tell you how many amazing bands have been featured in it. I bought LPs from each of the bands featured with interviews in the last month (big eyes, wreck of the zephyr, and lenguas largas). Each band was radically different from the others, especially in terms of ideology and ethos of their music and I could talk about each one, but today, I'm writing about the band Big Eyes.

Big Eyes are a powerpop/punk band out of Seattle, Washington who are about to embark on a ludicrously long and dense tour throughout the United States, including stops in Chicago and Asheville. They have a raucous intensity backed by impeccably catchy song structures.

The band consists of three people - 2 New Jersey Natives and A Reno-ite. Kate Eldridge plays guitar and sings. Chris Costalupes is on the bass. And C.J. Frederick is on the drums.

They have a few releases so far - a great first LP called "Hard Life" and a 7-inch. They also have 2 split 7"s. One with the Mean Jeans that will be on Dirtnap Records and one will be with Audacity on Volar Records. They are sure to be two of the year's great singles, especially since those line ups are stacked! I will definitely be ready 2 rip (you can check out my interview with Mean Jeans HERE).

They have also recently put up a mail-order page on their website, which can be found HERE and includes tour dates as well as links to streams of their albums, which are absolutely definitely worth the listen.

You can also check out the band on FACEBOOK

Hopefully, Chicagoans will be able to check them out at the Subterranean.

Happy Saturday listening!

JRey

Interview with Billy Jeans of the Mean Jeans

The Cover of Mean Jeans' Newest LP

Mean Jeans are a band from Portland, OR that plays a punk-tinged brand of garage rock n' roll. They recently released a new album on Dirtnap Records called On Mars. The album art looks about like the band sounds. One part mars. One part jagermeister. And then there are some dudes inside the bottle that has actually become a spaceship. Plot twist. On Mars is completely solid - it's a garage record, so naturally it has 13 songs over about forty minutes and each song is a blast, which isn't to say that the lyrics are all positive - if you look to the interview, Billy Jeans (frontman/guitarist) of the Mean Jeans talks a bit about the record and its subject matter. He mentions going forward from their first record and from where the band comes.

From what I've heard, the band rips it live. They recently played Chicago at a show that I could not attend, but heard was very good. THIS is an example of the raucous shows that they play live. I would highly recommend checking out their records, which you can find HERE. To learn more about the band, you can check them out on FACEBOOK or see where they played HERE

Here's the interview:

Jordan: So how mean would you say your Jeans are on a scale from 1 to Mean Joe Green?

Billy Jeans: 69. I have no idea how to answer this question, but I've been asked it 20 times!

J: What was the basis behind your name?

BJ: It was spray painted on my parents house by Jr. Jeans' bitter ex girlfriend. We stuck with the name cuz it had already built a reputation for itself, spray painted all over the suburbs of Washington, DC. 

J: Who all is in the band and what are your roles?  Does one person write most of the songs or is it collaborative?

Mean Jeans at a Show

BJ: Billy Jeans on guitar/voz, Jeans Wilder on Drums/vox and Jr. Jeans on bass.  I write most of the songs, Jeans Wilder writes some, and we put it all together… together. In leather. Whatever. 

J: What do you all do when you aren't playing or recording?

BJ: I like to draw, collect records, swim in rivers, eat mexican food, see bands play portland and experiment with drugs and alcohol. 

J: How did you all originally get connected with Dirtnap?  Did you have releases before your first LP?

BJ:  We recorded some songs on my ex girlfriends laptop, using no microphones, just placing the computer in the corner of the room and hitting record on Garageband.  We posted those on Myspace and were contacted by Rehab Records who wound up releasing them as our first seven inch, the Stoned 2 The Bone 7".  Ken from Dirtnap saw us play and one time when I was buying records at his shop he said he wanted to do a record.  So we did our second single with him, the License 2 Chill 7", and next did the LP. I think.

J: How was the process recording your first album?  Has it changed much or do you have a routine down?

Mean Jeans with some goo or something

BJ:  We just showed up at this gross house where a friends band had recorded and played every song we had.  There was very little effort involved. Since that first record, we've recorded with several people, in different places.  Our 2nd LP was actually recorded at that same shitty house but with completely different people who rented that same space.  So we've spent a lot of time drinking and getting covered in mildew on the corner of NE 17th and Ainsworth in Portland.  To be completely honest, I am not satisfied with any of the recordings and am still looking for more options.  Or maybe I just need to accept that we are a shitty band. 

J: What was the writing and recording of the new album "Mean Jeans - On Mars?"  Would you say that you wrote with a theme in mind?

BJ:  If anything was predetermined, it was that we didn't want to just make the same record again as Are You Serious?.  Cuz that would be really easy. So we tried to flip the script, and go a little popper.  I don't spend much time at all listening to music made after 1990, and not much of the fast punk / pop punk that's come out of the past 20 years.  We were listening to more 70s and 80s pop like Rick Springfield, ELO, Dwight Twilley, the corny shit.  Not to say On Mars sounds like any of those bands, but we wanted to give it more than just 3 power chords, a verse and a chorus.  So it is what it is.  

Thematically, the album talks about flying to mars to get away from our lives, creepy slugs, self-loathing, day to day disappointment, and of course partying. 

J: How has touring your new album been?  Have you seen an increase in crowd-size?

Another Bit of Mean Jeans Art

BJ: Yea we just did a US / Canada tour and it was the best one we've done yet.  I had a great time and more people were at the shows, which is always nice when you are playing a city you've never played or been to. 

J: Do you all play in other bands or have other projects?

BJ: Jr. Jeans plays in a punk band called Freedom Club.  Well it sounds punk to me I don;t know what other people think it sounds like. Jr. and Jeans Wilder did a US tour as bass and drums for Peach Kelli Pop.  At the beginning of August we are playing as the Groovie Ghoulies with Kepi Ghoulie. I am stoked.  We all play in another group called Junior Membah as well.  You'll have to see it to get it. 

J: Do you all have any plans for the future in terms of the band (I know you just finished a full-length album)?

BJ:  See what we can get away with before we're old. Skate the line of total implosion until it happens. Terrorize the world. 

J: What other music are you guys listening to or excited for in the future?

BJ: New bands I am digging: Big Eyes, Dancer, Bi-Marks, Audacity

Interview with Ken Dirtnap from Dirtnap Records

Dirtnap Logo

I cannot believe how much good music comes out of Dirtnap records. My first experience with the label was with the Exploding Hearts' "Guitar Romantic," a great powerpop record that never spawned another due to death in the band. From there, I checked out a bunch of Mark Ryan's work, like Marked Men and Mind Spiders, both punk bands that draw from separate sources - though both rooted in pop sensibility, the Mind Spiders seem to have a bit more nervous energy and a vocalist not unlike Jay Reatard. Dirtnap Records seems to put out records constantly, too. Just recently, they released a new Mind Spiders LP, a Mean Jeans LP, and Guantanamo Baywatch's debut LP, which are all bound to be favorites of 2012.

Simply put, I don't know how they do it. Great bands flock to this label and then tour A LOT. I have been incredibly happy with what they've done so far and am really looking forward to White Wires' forthcoming album WWIII, which is due in July. They don't seem to be slowing down any time soon, as is apparent in the following interview, which is a great thing for lovers of rock n' roll.

You can learn more about them from their website HERE and order albums at very cheap prices HERE

When I got in contact with Ken, he was great - he gave me very detailed answers that ended up getting me even more excited about the labels future as well as the music that I love.

Here's what happened:

Jordan: How and when did you start Dirtnap records?  Did anything or anyone

inspire you to start a record label?

Ken: I started it in late 1999 as an extension of Dirtnap Radio, this internet radio show I was doing at the time. I've always been real fascinated with record labels and drew direct inspiration from a lot of the local Northwest ones at the time, Kill Rock Stars, K, Sub Pop, but especially Empty. Blake & Meghan at Empty helped me out a lot in the early days.........

Jordan: Were you involved in the music business before you started running

the record label?

Ken: Yeah, I worked at Rhetoric (label and distribution) in the 90s, and when I started Dirtnap, I was working at Mordam distribution. Got laid off from Mordam in late 2002, and even though I did not think so at the time, it wound up being one of the best things to ever happen to me, since I have not had a full time job since. If they hadn't laid me off, though, I'd probably still be working there! (well, except for the fact that they don't exist anymore, but you know what I mean!)

Jordan: Would you say that you have a few staple bands that allowed you to

cement running a business (i.e. not go completely broke)?

Ken: Oh yeah, for sure. We can afford to lose money on some bands/releases, since we make a fair amount of money on other bands/releases! Also, these days we definitely aim to get bands that are going to be stable and around for awhile, and will be able to give us multiple releases. For example, we just put out the 11th release with Mark Ryan (Mind Spiders, Marked Men, High Tension Wires) on it, with the 12th on the way and the 13th in the works!

That is one way in which the label today is going much better than in years past. For awhile there it seemed like every time we put out a record the band in question would either immediately break up, or sign to a bigger label. (Hell, even the Marked Men left us briefly for Swami, although they later saw the error in their ways and came back!) We did just lose (with no hard feelings whatsoever) the River City Tanlines to another label, but other than that, it's been awhile since that's happened!

Jordan: How do you run the business?  Do you try to release one record at a

time or do you have a big schedule?

Ken: We definitely do not release one record at a time, we have a big schedule. A BIG schedule.  An absurdly big schedule. At any given time we have at least 10 or so releases in the pipeline, I am usually thinking about a year out when it comes to scheduling. (I think I currently know what the next 12 or 13 releases are going to be)

Obviously I like to work this way or I wouldn't do it, but it does have some drawbacks in that you lose a certain amount of flexibility. Like sometimes you get an opportunity to release a great record, but there's just no way to fit it into the picture cause you're scheduled a year in advance. Occasionally, though, we get offered SUCH a good record that I have no choice but to MAKE room in the schedule, which happened recently when this band called Legendary Wings sent in their demo and totally blew my mind.

Jordan: Is there a way to characterize the music that you release on Dirtnap

Records?  There certainly seems to be a rock n' roll root, but, beyond

that, is there a trend in bands whose records you release?

Ken: I don't know. There is a certain continuity that I am looking for in a release, like not only how good the record will stand up on it's own, but how well it's going to fit into the bigger picture of the label as a whole. I consider Dirtnap a punk rock label, but that is delving about as deeply into the hair-splitting sub genre game as I care to. Like we tend to release stuff with a pop element to it, but I definitely don't consider Dirtnap to be a pop punk label. We tend to release stuff that is firmly rooted in the continuum of rock n' roll, but I definitely don't consider Dirtnap to be a "garage punk" or "power pop" label. Just call it a punk label, and I think that's close enough.

Jordan: Did any musicians or artists influence the kind of music that you prefer to release on your label?

Ken: Well, sure, too many to list, really. It is kinda funny, though, in that a lot of older bands (especially more obscure power pop stuff) that our bands get compared to in reviews, I had never really heard until our bands started getting compared to them in reviews!

Jordan: What is the relationship between Dirtnap and Green Noise Records?  Is

Green Noise the mailorder/distribution aspect of the label?  Do you run both of them?

Ken: Green Noise is a record store. It's been around in one location or another since 1989. In late 2004, I was casting about for ideas on how to make more money that did not involve going out and getting a job. I knew the people who owned the store at the time, and started talking with them about taking it over. From the time I first heard it was for sale till the time I dropped everything in my life and moved from Seattle to Portland happened extremely quickly, like a matter or weeks. Have never regretted it, when I was a teenager my two dream jobs in life were to either run a record label or work at a record store, and although it took me 20 years, now I get to do both.

Jordan: Do you get involved with any aspect of touring?

Ken: Not really. We do try to offer bands who are willing to tour a limited amount of support to do so (like we have our publicist work on promoting the tour, getting posters made, advancing bands a little money/records, etc etc) but we don't directly book the tours.

Jordan: Are you involved in any bands yourself?

Ken: Nope! I am thoroughly talentless!

Jordan: How have the last couple months been with the mind spiders/mean

jeans/guantanamo baywatch releases?

Ken: Great! Really seems like things are firing on all cylinders at the moment!

Jordan: Any other releases you all have coming up that you're especially excited about?

Ken: Yes, a ton! July will bring a new Red Dons 7". We had talked with them about doing a single since literally the start of the band. (maybe even before the played a show, I don't remember.) Took awhile, but it was worth it, I honestly think the A side is the best song they've ever written.

Also in July is the 3rd White Wires LP, they are one of my very favorite bands, and this is their best album yet.

Late August will bring a split 10" between Something Fierce and Occult Detective Club. Something Fierce is definitely one of the top bands on Dirtnap @ the moment, and even though we've never actually released anything by Occult Detective Club, we've been following them since their start, and sound-wise they fit right in on the label.

Later in the fall we are going to simultaneously release new 7"s by Mind Spiders (Mark from the Marked Men's current band) and The Novice (Jeff from the Marked Men/Potential John's current band in Japan), with more Novice and Potential Johns stuff to come.

After that will be the debut LP from Legendary Wings, which I am really excited about! Kinda sounds like a "Dirtnap band", but is very unmistakably midwest! Kind of refreshing to NOT be releasing a band from Texas, Canada, or Portland for a change!

We are also doing a line of cassettes as split releases with other labels. Burger/Dirtnap  will be releasing Mean Jeans On Mars and the Guantanamo Baywatch albums on cassette, and Dirt Cult/Dirtnap will be reissuing all 4 Marked Men albums on tape. Not really my favorite format, to be honest, but hey, the public demands it!

In addition to all that, we also have several existing Dirtnap bands making noise about recording new albums for 2013 (The Estranged, Something Fierce, Mean Jeans, Bad Sports, Mind Spiders, off the top of my head) so it does not look like things are slowing down any time soon!