Interview with Daniel Lupton from Sorry State Records

Sorry State Records Logo

Sorry State Records is one of the premier punk rock labels in the country at this point, though it seems to have miraculously been started simply in the right place at the right time.  Daniel Lupton, the brains behind SSR, believes that he released his first 7" in 2004 and has since released about fifty records.  The bands at Sorry State are largely punk-rock based but vary from there a lot.  Some of the best known bands from there are Double Negative (Raleigh Punk Royalty), Libyans (a poetically-sound hardcore band from Boston) and Whatever Brains (one the triangle areas staples in new music).  And these bands are all completely different.  Listening to Whatever Brains is kind of like being in that weird tunnel in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory if the chocolate were all LSD.  The members of Double Negative have been floating around in hardcore bands for a long time and have a straight up balls-to-the-wall punk rock show that is transcendent. I've never seen Libyans live, but they're more melodic, crafting punk songs shouted by a wonderful frontwoman.  The only thing these bands have in common is that they're released on Sorry State Records.

Double Negative Logo

Recently, Sorry State released 2 killer LPs (I mean, these suckers are glued to my turntable).  Joint Damage released their album "Strike Gently" earlier this year and Stripmines released "Crimes of Dispassion."  These are absolute modern classics.  They're both fun North Carolina bands that wax and wane to a unique emotional spectrum.  Fucking smart.  The Joint Damage LP has a bit of controversy following it, as a "Juggalo Rap" group was named the same thing and issued a cease and desist to the band.  It's ludicrous!  On the back of the Joint D/ album (they had to change their name), we understand the reason for this lawsuit.  "As a juggalo...I found it an anti-juggalo record" says one of the members of clown rap group Joint Damage.  That thing had me cracking up for days.  The LP comes with the letter of the cease and desist order.

The albums are also always really cheap and come in sweet packaging.  The Double Negative "Daydreamnation" LP is a shiny dude with lyric sheets and a sweet logo.  These records can be found all over the place from The Sorry State Website to local record shops like All Day Records and Bull City Records.

I was pretty curious about the record label and e-mailed Daniel Lupton about it before we settled on a time we could talk about his vision and record label.  Daniel had a lot of good things to say about his view on punk rock, the triangle area, and the creative process in music and music marketing.

Jordan:  So, Daniel, when did you end up starting Sorry State Records and how did you know that you wanted to release punk music?

Daniel Behind Ketchup, Milk, and Water

Daniel:  I think the label started in 2004.  A lot of people have asked me that lately and I’ve been meaning to check, but that’s my best guess.  As far as punk music goes, it’s kind of the only music I’ve been super interested in.  I like plenty kinds of music, but most of my favorite music ever comes back to punk.  I’ve been both influenced by officially punk bands or bands that have the punk ethos.  It’s really the world I know from going to shows, making friends, and being part of the scene.

Jordan:  Which bands in particular have formed your opinion on punk?

Daniel:  The band from when I was a kid was Minor Threat more than anything.  I think I got the CD with all of their stuff on it when I was around fourteen years old.  It was one of the first punk albums I got and it blew my mind.  I was straight edge for years and years pretty much because of that record.  So much about it.  And as I started reading about it, the whole Dischord attitude of being fair to bands and the punk scene being big, productive, and revolutionary, rather than something  to consume or being the stereotypical nihilistic punk.  I was an art kid and that whole ethos was immediately attractive to me.

Jordan:  So what would you say Punk’s role is now in terms of the spectrum of bands with positive qualities or, like you said, the more nihilistic version?

Daniel:  There’s always bands with different people and I definitely have a healthy appreciation for the more nihilistic end of it; bands like Black Flag and the Germs that are darker and scarier, and there are still people who push that angle and there are still people who push the positive and productive angle.  I think there’s room for both and punk has that dynamic where the two poles play off of each other and I think that’s why it’s remained vital.  Either of those takes would get stale on their own if they were left to just grow, but there’s always the push and pull between those two founding tenants of punk.

Jordan:  So, in the case of Sorry State Records, do you find that you release one version of punk music more than the other?

Libyans -  A Common Place (Cover)

Daniel:  No, I think my tastes are pretty wide and the label is often a reflection of what I like and am interested in so there are bands like Shards who are this drug-fueled, nihilistic mess, really.  Then there are bands like Libyans who are composed, poetic, and thoughtful in a way that I think a lot of people don’t associate with punk.  Frankly, either of those things can catch my ear and I think as long as I’m putting out records, I’ll be pulling from everything that punk is, and punk is really just about anything when you get down to it.

Jordan:  Are most of the bands whose records Sorry State puts out from North Carolina?

Daniel:  I don’t know what the percentage is, but it’s close to half and half at this point.  I think I’m kind of the default punk label if you’re in North Carolina.  A lot of bands will send me a demo.  This comes from a lot of different experiences, like touring with my own band, getting to know people, even from all over the world.  A couple of our bands are from Sweden.  We have one band from Japan. But I like that punk is fiercely local.  There’s a lot of hometown pride and I’m incredibly proud of what we have in North Carolina, but I want to also use this global connection.  Basically, any moderately sized city in the world, I can have loads of fun and someone to hang out with and drink a beer with.  I think all of those things are great.

Jordan:  The Whatever Brains in particular seem like a totally different band than the typical punk-sound.  How did you get connected with those guys?

Daniel:  Actually, I wanted to put out their first record.  They started playing shows and I immediately loved them.  I basically said if they ever wanted, then the door was open: if you need anything, I’ll do it.  I put out the Crossed Eyes’ 7”, which has members of Whatever Brains, which was garage, but I think at the beginning, I think at first they thought they would get labeled as a hardcore band, not that anyone who listens to five seconds of their music would ever do such a thing, but they didn’t want to go that standard route.  I don’t know what changed but, if I remember correctly, their fourth 7” was coming out and their label was needing some money and very last minute, they proposed doing this release and I basically helped pay their pressing plant and they slapped my logo on the back of the record and sent me a couple hundred copies.  That went really well.  I don’t know if that got rid of the band’s reservations, but now they record something and send it to me.  I’m on the band’s listserv and I get the demos when they send it right out.  I just loved that band from minute one.

Daniel:   I think a lot of the retro-hardcore scene has lost a lot of its energy in the past couple years and I was definitely caught up with that, and I was in a band called Cross Laws and our goal was to make music like it was 1982 and we never heard a record after that.  I think that puts you in a corner and after a couple years of that, we got bored.  I think that a lot of people start like that and get better at their instruments and decide they want to write a song instead of an explosion and it’s a natural progression.  I think when you look at the history of punk, there are times when everyone coalesces around the same idea, like the ’77 punk scene in Britain or the early 80’s hardcore scene.  There are times when there’s an excitement around a certain idea, and then there are times when people start to value creativity and artistic ambition, rather than fulfilling a template, like post-punk or the 90’s hardcore scene, and I think it’s a natural dynamic when you go through a cycle.  I really love them both.  I like feeling like I’m part of something that everyone’s on board with.  But I’m also an art person at heart and I love to see people being ambitious aesthetically.  I like that too and I’m glad I have a label that can handle those changes and I’m excited about the bands we  have and what they sound like.

Jordan:  Have you always been located in the triangle area while you’ve had this label?

Daniel:  Yeah.  I grew up in Virginia and went to college in Richmond and moved early to Chapel Hill in 2002.  I started the label around 2004.  I remember sending off the order for the first 7” in my apartment and getting the record in the mail shortly after I knew how.  It’s been a North Carolina thing from the beginning.  And that was part of the name too.  The first 7” I put out was by this band Direct Control and they were based in Richmond, but all three were from North Carolina.  And it seemed like we were all saying “Hey, we’re all from the same Sorry State.”  There wasn’t a lot going on at the time, so it was a little bit of a pun.  Now it’s not like that at all.  There’s tons going on.

Jordan:  What has the expansion of the label been like?

Daniel:  It’s been really organic.  I put out a record, then sold those records, then the money came back and then I put out another record.  It goes on and on.  There have been times when I’ve got a little ahead of myself.  Last summer I put out, I think, four LP’s and 2 7”s at once, which was completely obscene.  I didn’t really have the money and found some way to scrape it all together somehow.  But there have been times when I’ve had to push further to expand a bit more, but really it’s been totally organic.  Since I’ve made the label into a proper business and registered with the state and started paying taxes, I’ve been reading about business a bit and it seems like I’ve actually done it in a smart way.  Measured growth and not doing more than I should at any given time.

Jordan:  So how does the distribution fit into the whole scheme of everything?  Do you only distribute your own records?

Brain Flannel Live

Daniel:  I have hundreds of hundreds of records that I carry.  That end of things kind of supports the label.  If you just did a label and didn’t also distribute other records or trade with other labels, it would be really hard to make that financially viable.  It’s cash-intensive.  You press a record for 500 copies and send out 300 or 400 copies to distributors and that money doesn’t come back, at the very least, for months and months and months.  So distributing records and trading in small quantities with labels keeps money flowing through the bank account and it actually is kind of profitable, whereas just releasing records is, at best, a break-even proposition and usually not even that.  It’s also cool just having a ton of packages sitting on my porch every day when I get home and I’m able to see what’s happening with new music.  If I’m curious about a band, it isn’t like I’m spending $15 to order that LP; instead, I’m just thinking that I’ll order 5 copies from the label and listen to a copy.  If I like it, I may take it and if not, I’ll just sell all 5.

Jordan:  Yeah, today, when I was getting done with my day, I had Maximum Rock N Roll sitting on my porch and it was a godsend.  I just needed it.

Daniel:  Yeah, I got mine yesterday and definitely just sat on the porch and read it (laughs)

Jordan:  Exactly!  So, something that I’ve been cracking up about a lot recently has been the Joint Damage thing with the lawsuit.  Can you talk about that at all or is that something you’d rather brush under the rug?

Joint Damage - Strike Gently

Daniel:  It’s just sort of a bummer.  This band who, from everything I can see, thought of the cease and desist order seems to have the emotional intelligence of a three-year-old and whenever he comments on my facebook page or the label’s, I just think that he’s just making himself look like a complete idiot, and I never say anything because the person’s doing a just fine job of making himself look (pause) stupid.  Really, I just want the whole thing to go away.  It sucks because they threatened me with a lawsuit and I don’t even have the money to fight a lawsuit.  That’s the thing.  When someone does this to you, it’s going to be thousands of dollars right away.  If they win the case or not.  Just the threat of it is enough.  I had a lot of sleepless nights and grinding of teeth, but I haven’t heard anything about it for a while.  We changed the band name and did what we needed to do so hopefully people don’t keep harassing that band on their facebook page and people will forget about it.

Jordan:  Do you find that you have to stick your name out for your bands a lot of the time or does stuff like this just not really happen?

Daniel:  I know at least one person well from pretty much every band on the label and if there is ever someone in a band that I don’t want to work with, I just won’t put out a record for them.  Stuff like the Joint Damage situation doesn’t really happen and even this wasn’t Joint Damage’s fault.  Who looks up to see if someone has a band with the same name?  Who cares?  There are probably 15 bands named Double Negative and 10 named Shards.  When I first got the letter and called the guys in Joint Damage and said “I wish I could be totally punk with this and say ‘Fuck you,’ and fight this, but I can’t afford it.  I don’t have time and I can’t hire a lawyer”  Fortunately, I’ve never been in this kind of situation and hopefully they don’t come around very often because it wasn’t fun.

Jordan:  Do a lot of bands on your label have a lot of crossover in terms of people being in multiple bands either on your label or elsewhere?

Daniel:  Yeah, it’s a bit of both.  It’s a natural cycle of bands at one sense.  I know the same thing happened with Crossed Eyes morphing into Whatever Brains.  My old band Cross Laws turned into Devour and now we’re not playing anymore and we’re all in different bands.  Really, I’ve put out around 50 records at this point and it seems like it’s been permutations of about a dozen or fifteen people, especially if you look at the North Carolina people.  These are the people who are on the same wavelength and it seems like we’ve almost grown up together or at least have the same reference points. They just do what they’re trying to do and I respect that.  I’m happy to just stick with this and the people I have and know what I’m getting from a personal angle in terms of commitment and morality even.  I know they’re ambitious and know that they’re going to blow my mind every time.  Seems like I’ve just developed a bunch of great relationships and I’m really lucky.

Double Negative's Scott Having Fun With His Friends

Jordan:  Does live music affect your business at all?  What are the effects of a band on your label wanting to do more shows?

Daniel:  I don’t ask bands to do anything.  In terms of live shows, it can make a difference.  If I know that a band is going to do a lot of touring, I know that the band is going to help get the word out about their record and I know that I need more copies.  At the same time, for instance, Joint Damage plays Charlotte, Raleigh and Atlanta and I think that’s probably all the three cities they’ve played and it’s probably not going to change.  It affects me in the sense that I only press 300 records with a pretty high wholesale price and I’ve almost sold all of them already.  Some bands love to tour, but some bands don’t.  It may affect how many records I press or whether I am into doing super deluxe packaging, but I don’t really care (laughs).  Bands can tour or not, but I still get to see bands that are close by, so that’s what I really care about.

Jordan:  Can you say anything about releases for Record Store Day?

Whatever Brains LP 2 Cover

Daniel:  This year was my first one.  It’s a limited Whatever Brains record.  I had the idea to do it about six weeks ago or something and quickly e-mailed the pressing plant to see if I could get the records on time.  They’re showing up tomorrow (April 17, 2012) and Record Store Day is Saturday.  I just got it in the nick of time.  I e-mailed the Whatever Brains and they recorded the song that night.  Then they had some odds and ends and outtakes that they used for the rest of the EP.  It’s a cool thing to do.  For the first six or seven years of the label existence, there was no local attention.  The tightknit hardcore scene bought our records but no record stores sold my stuff.  SchoolKids never took my stuff.  CD Alley didn’t.  Chaz of Bull City Records was the only person who was super supportive from Day 1.  Besides that, people didn’t care.  But then Bryan C. Reed started writing for the Independent and wrote about Sorry State releases and shows and I had this big show two years ago when the Libyans came down from Boston and I did a big show for them.  The Independent wrote about that and there was a big crowd and I put out limited records and tote bags.  Then I did the Whatever Brains record and they’re such a big local band.  So Sorry State’s on the radar now and people have heard of the label.  It’s strange to meet people who aren’t a punk or local who have these records that we’ve put out. People will say “Oh, I have that Double Negative LP” or “I have that Whatever Brains LP.”  That’s super weird to me and I used to be distrustful and even scared about it, but since that happened, it allowed the label to get bigger.  All Day Records has been extremely supportive.  The Whatever Brains and Brain F≠ (Brain Flannel) have become local phenomena.  They’ve sold tons of those records and really personally recommended them to people.  I wanted to do something to say thanks.  So the Whatever Brains record is only available in North Carolina and Virginia record stores.  The idea was just to make local people excited and get out to the stores.  We’ll see how it goes.  I just hope the stores all sell them.

Jordan:  Yeah, I’ll definitely be picking that one up.  I got on the Sorry State train last year because Chaz basically played Double Negative and Libyans for me and they blew my mind and he was like “yeah, this is a local label.”

Daniel:  Awesome!  (Laughs) Yeah, Chaz is the best.

Jordan:  So what can we expect for the future of Sorry State?

Daniel:  I don’t know.  I’m just taking it one day at a time.  Right now I have a pretty solid roster of bands.  I basically put out a record and by the time I’m ready to put out a second record, the next band has recorded one for me, so I’m pretty settled in the cycle.  Next month I have Bukkake Boys, Double Negative, and the new Whatever Brains LP and after that a bunch of bands are starting to record like Manipulation are starting an LP, Dark Ages are starting on a new LP, and this one new band.  I keep telling myself I won’t put out something by a new band, but there’s this new band called Broken Prayer and they’re from Chicago and I’m putting out an LP from them and it’s just awesome.  It’s sort of like hardcore mixed with postpunk mixed with synths.  I don’t know if you’ve heard that Total Control yet?

Jordan:  I love that album!  (I’m actually interviewing them later)

Daniel:  Yeah, this sounds like Total Control mixed with early 80’s hardcore.  It would have a hard time picturing that in my mind what that means, but they’re doing it and it sounds original and exciting. So every day I’m just waiting and hoping they send me rough mixes, but they haven’t yet.  I’m going to keep putting out records and get better at selling them and not losing money, but, you know, I’m doing my best.  (Laughs)

Jordan:  Nice!  Any last words for the interview?

Daniel:  Yeah, I just want to say thanks.  Yeah, it’s awesome to have people doing stuff like this locally.  It gets me excited

Spider Bags/Terry Malts/Gross Ghost at The Pinhook 4/17

Spider Bags - Dan McGee Sports a Bandana

It's Tuesday night and you've seen everything on Netflix and don't feel like exercising (at least in the stereotypical way) and you're just plain old bored.  Fret (pronounced Fray, cause you're classy and French) not!  The Pinhook is offering wonderful Rock n Roll Goodies at 9 PM!  And the contents of these goodies are Spider Bags (but not drugs, you creep), Terry Malts, and Gross Ghost (interviewed HERE).  It's gonna be a rowdy rock n' roll show.


Spider Bags are basically triangle royalty at this point.  They've released two full-length albums, a slew of 7 "s, and are working on a third album.  Lately, they've been playing a lot of songs off of their upcoming album and it's a real rock n' roller.  These guys put on a great show with a lot of energy and a great amount of songs.  If you haven't seen them before, it's time that you did so now.  If you've seen them before, it's probably time you saw them again, or at least these other bands.

Terry Malts Hanging Out in Hats and Clothes

Terry Malts are garage punk in the best way.  They're coming all the way from California to play for you and only you, so you ought to support them.  The last time they came here, according to the Pinhook, they stage-dove a bunch and crowd-surfed and exuded general rowdiness.  Their music has that old-time pop sensibility that any fan of Ramone-influenced bass lines and fun melody will appreciate.  Their album "Killing Time" is fantastic and a must-listen for any fan of rock n' roll.

Mike and Tre from Gross Ghost

Finally Gross Ghost.  If you don't know 'em, dig 'em.  I just interviewed them last week and the link to the post is up in the first paragraph if you're too lazy to scroll down.  These guys play great garage rock with some psychedelia and punk in them too.  Their debut LP came out on Grip Tapes and I loved it.  It's going to be my first time seeing them live, so I'm very excited and you should be to!


Best of all, it's only a $7 show!  It's gonna be a lot of fun and a great way to spend an otherwise uneventful night.  Do yourself a favor and get hip!

The Logo of The Pinhook With Its Address in Mini Type

Greg Cartwright Interview (Plays Motorco April 19)

Greg Cartwright Doing The Rock N Roll

Greg Cartwright (AKA Greg Oblivian) has been playing music for a long time.  And it's good music.  Like.  Really really really good music.  Greg has been releasing music since the 80s and played in several bands in the Memphis Rock n' Roll scene, eventually making it to a national scale while playing with the Oblivians, a garage rock band that released several records on a bunch of labels like Sympathy for the Record Industry, In the Red, and Crypt Records.  Some of these records are harder to find, but they are well worth the effort to get your hips shaking and your mind happy (See: effects of Rock n' Roll.)

Recently, Greg has been releasing Records on In The Red as The Reigning Sound and The Parting Gifts.  These records are great as well.  Greg goes into some of the reasons why he created other bands than the Oblivians in his interview, but it's all really fun to listen to.

He moved to Asheville fairly recently and played a show with Last Year's Men at the Local 506 before appearing on a split 7" with them on behalf of Scion's strangely cool garage rock emphasis.  Greg will be producing the next Last Year's Men LP, which is bound to be swell.

Greg will be playing a show at Motorco Music Hall this Thursday with Mac McCaughan and The Mountain Goats to promote advocacy against the North Carolina Constitution Amendment One.  The cost is $20 for general admission and $100 for VIP.  It's a great cause and going to be a great concert so do yourselves a favor and purchase a ticket HERE!

I got to talk with Greg about his role in music in the past and today and about the show and amendment one, which has been a blessing.  He puts the reasons for defeating amendment one very clearly and with the most common sense possible.  It's been great hearing his view.

Here Goes!  Greg Cartwright!

Jordan: How did you get into the music business?

Greg:   always loved music as a kid and that led to collecting records, that led to playing in bands and then the next thing you know... I'm in the music business.

Jordan:  Which artists have influenced your music?

Greg:  All of them. Even the bad ones. Maybe the bad ones the most. They're the ones that help me decide what I don't want to sound like.

Jordan:  Do you listen to mostly rock n' roll stuff or does your taste go all over?

Greg:  I like all kinds of music. I get obsessed with things and bop around from decade to decade, all genres. Mostly older stuff. My stock answer used to be "GOOD MUSIC". It's still true. I don't care who, what, when or where. Alls I want to know is "is it good"? I don't listen to much current music unless I'm in a club, seeing and hearing it. Being in a band though, this exposure is quite frequent. So that's a good dose of current musical ideas. Keeps me from getting stale but limits how much I will unconciously take a melody or riff and later think it's my own. As a songwriter that's something I'm always mindful of. Sometimes to the degree of phobia.

Jordan:  What has the move between places like Memphis and Asheville been like?

Greg:  Like night and day.

Jordan:  Which bands have you been in and how do their styles of music link up?

Picture of an Oblivians' Album

Greg:  Painkillers, 68 Comeback, Casey Scott and The Creeps, Alluring Strange, Compulsive Gamblers, Oblivians, Deadly Snakes, Detroit Cobras, Greg Oblivian and the Tip Tops, Reigning Sound, The Parting Gifts... I'm sure I'm leaving something out but that's all I can think of at the moment. As for linking them stylistically, I don't think you can. Link them that is. Even within each band there are wildly shifting styles and ideas from album to album. The common factor is personal compatability. Personal dynamic between the players. It was good for all those bands. That's what kept me hangin' around.

Jordan:  What was it like playing in the Oblivians and how have the members changed what they're doing since? 

Greg:  I don't think anyone's changed fundamentally. Matured probablly, but what I'm always struck by is how little people change, and how I kinda' love that. We just recorded a new Oblivians record. First one in 16 years or so. And I knew that I could count on them when it came to the dynamic that we share as a band. that's a good feeling.

Jordan:  Do you have a particular band or time-frame of music writing that you are proud of?

Greg:  I think all of it will stand, for different reasons. Some because it's idiotic but exciting and some because it's mature and well made. My opinion of it doesn't matter much though. It's like asking me if I'm a good parent, only my kids could tell you with any meaningful perspective.

Jordan:  Do you find that you focus more on producing or making music nowadays?

Greg:  Ha, ha! I'm a scatter brain so it gave me a giggle to think about me focusing on something. Seriously, if it were'nt for my wife I would live in a lean-to in a field with a pile of records... in the rain. I love recording music, whether it's mine or somebody else's though, I love helping to make it happen and helping someone get their music sounding like they want it to. I'm always writting but production work is a nice break from messing with my own music.

Jordan:  Do you have your own studio to record, mix and produce?

Greg:  No, I just go where the band is.

Jordan:  I didn't get my hands on the split 7" with Reigning Sound and Last Year's men, but I got your Abdication 12", how was it working with Scion?

Greg:  It was actually quite pleasant.

Jordan:  I heard you're producing the new Last Year's Men LP, how's that going?

Greg:  It hasn't started yet, but they're a great band.

Jordan:  What projects are you working on in terms of your own music?

Greg:  Another Reigning Sound LP, maybe a new Parting Gifts record too.

Jordan:  How did you end up becoming a part of the Motorco Show with Mountain Goats & Mac against Amendment One?

Greg:  Mac contacted me about participating. I'm glad he did.

Jordan:  What can you say about your views on Amendment One and what people can do?

Greg:  There is absolutely no reason to make this piece of legislation a state constitutional ammendment. I guess if you're afraid of the inevitable evolution of American society, it makes sense to attempt something so assinine. But it will not deter the love that people have for one another. It will only reinforce to a large part of the population of NC that their state does not respect them as individuals nor will it afford them the rights that others enjoy.   

Jordan:  Who will be playing with you on your set during your performance?

Greg:  Likely just me.

Jordan:  What songs will you be playing at the show?  Primarily one band or solo stuff or what?

Greg:  Not sure yet. I'm pretty off the cuff. Donate $100 to the cause and I'll play whatever you want!

Jordan:  Anything else you'd like to say to those who are reading?

Greg:  Be good to each other.

Please consider going to the concert or at least voting against Amendment One on May 8th.  You can learn more about Amendment One and how bad it is for all families in North Carolina HERE!

Gross Ghost talks Gross Ghost

Serendipity is a great word and it applies a lot to the triangle area. The other day I was browsing the regulator and ran into Heather from Mount Moriah. Later that day, I ran into Duncan from Hammer No More The Fingers at All Day Records. And yesterday, as I was picking up the Gross Ghost LP from Bull City Records, I met Mike from Gross Ghost, which really weirded me out, but was pretty cool. When I got home and spun the record, I relly liked what I was hearing. It's rock n roll base, all right, but it's also got some folk and psychedelia in it. I spun it twice in a row. Then I emailed Mike to say how much I liked it and wondered if we could possibly do an interview. Turns out we could and did.

Gross Ghost's Brer Rabbit LP

These guys just released their first album "Brer Rabbit" on Grip Tapes and it's really awesome. They're playing the pin hook on Tuesday, April 17 with Terry Malts and Spider Bags, two really awesome bands. It's only $7 and is sure to be a great rock n roll night. You can check out the band's release Here


But Mike talks about the band a lot better than I ever could. So without further ado, Mike from Gross Ghost! 


Jordan: Who all is in Gross Ghost and what are their roles in the band? 


Mike: Gross Ghost is mainly Tre and myself on recordings.  Live, Tre is on bass and I play guitar and sing, and we've added Rob DiPatri on lead guitar and we alternate between two drummers, Chris Riddle and TJ Maiani, depending on who can play when needed.  From now on I imagine Tre or I will come to the guys with ideas and see where it goes from there in regards to future recordings.... 


Jordan: How did you all get to know each other? 


Mike: Tre used to come to house parties I threw when I lived in Raleigh...he was really young, like 19.  He would drink all my booze and stay over but he'd rummage around for food and stuff when everyone went to sleep.  I caught him doing this when the sun came up one time and that's how the name "gross ghost" came about. 


 Jordan: What do you all do when you aren't making or playing music? 


Mike: We all work a lot, bartending and waiting tables and stuff.  When we aren't playing shows, we like to check out other bands around the triangle, go thrift store shopping and eat lots of mexican food and hang out with our ladies and pets.  I really want to get back into skateboarding but I need to put the burritos down first. 


Jordan: What's the name Gross Ghost from? 


Mike: Check the story mentioned above!  That explains it all. 


Jordan: When did you all start the band and how did it get started? 


Mike: Tre and I lived together out near Garner for a year after we'd met, three to four years ago and we were bored as fuck.  I had been through a rough year and was drinking a lot and was really down on myself. Tre was there for me through it all and encouraged me to work on his demos with him and from there I started writing songs of my own again after what had been a long break.  At first we were just fucking around and making up little sketches for songs, not taking ourselves seriously.  Then we wrote some things we were really proud of and decided to take things more seriously.  That means we just dropped a lot of the screaming and noise in favor of melodies.  The screaming part was pretty cathartic though! 


Jordan: Would you say that the Triangle Area in terms of culture has impacted your music?  If so, how?


Mike: Yes and No.  Yes in the way that I get a lot of excitement out of what my friends are doing musically and the rich musical history the Triangle has with Merge and Cat's Cradle and other great venues and even now with stuff like Hopscotch Festival and all the musical benefits held to support the community.  It's easy to record here because there are affordable studios and so many talented friends to help you complete your vision.  Need a horn player, oh I know someone who lives right down the street!  Need to get a piano tuned?  Call my cousin, he'll charge you 20$!  No, in the way that when it comes to Gross Ghost's music, it's usually just something that comes from isolation or working stuff out on our own as opposed to outside influences.  It is nice to be able to share our songs with the people in this area when we have them ready though.  The response has impacted us in the way that we want to write the best songs possible because we know that people will hear them where we live. 


Jordan: How would you describe the music that you are making or trying to make? 


Mike: I want to explore how many stories and melodies I can get with a somewhat limited palette.  So far I've had garage, pop, dub and psychedlia as a template.  I'd like to stretch beyond that for future recordings.  I feel like that will have a lot to do with the guys in the band, what they want to add and also to whatever mood the song presents itself in.  At the same time, I'm not gonna change the style up just to do it.  Just trying to make music that we would want to listen to. 


Jordan: What kind of events, people, cultural phenomena, books, art, animals, bands, and music influences what your music becomes? 


Mike: Some of the songs on the record are me writing to my parents.  My father passed away and they'd lived pretty hard for a lot of years.  I felt like whether it was subconscious or not I needed to write about them.  Some of the songs are a complete reactionary response to that of wanting to write something fun and poppy just to give the record some levity.  Some are about being in your twenties, screwing up in relationships and jobs and all that. Tre and I devour books, movies and records but we never talk about what we are into.  We have really different tastes but agree on what counts. 


Jordan: How did you choose the name "Brer Rabbit" for your album? 


Mike: I just remember that Brer Rabbit was a character who could talk his way out of a jam.  I always liked that story and I liked the way it sounded....I feel like the album artwork is a nice compliment to the title as well...so it was kind of natural. 


Jordan:What links the music together on your first album "Brer Rabbit?" 


Mike: There are four new songs and eight culled from two of our previous free eps, which I'm guessing only thirty people heard! 


Jordan: What was the recording process of "Brer Rabbit" like? 


Mike: The bulk of the songs are recorded at Track & Field Recording studio, which is also a place where our friends live, so it was really easy and fun to make. 


Jordan: Who did you work with to record the album? 


Mike: Our good friend, Nick Petersen did the engineering and helped with some aesthetic choices during the sessions.  Track & Field is his place and he's recorded tons of amazing regional bands there, big and small.  Matt Park, Rob Deep, Chris Riddle and Stuart Edwards provided drums and other sounds. 


Jordan: What has it been like working with Grip Tapes in the process of making an album? 


Mike: Hank and Jon (of GripTapes) are friends first, so it's been a lot of hanging out and discussing before we ever did anything.  I think it's good that it took so long to come to fruition because there's been no question about what we wanted to do and how we've done it, in regards to what we wanted the record to look like and what we wanted to do to promote it.  We are only their third release so I feel like the ones before us gave them a handle on what they are doing.  They have a great roster of regional bands, so I'm really proud of them and it's great to be working on the record with my friends. 


Jordan: Have you all played live very often? 


Mike: Yeah...we've played about 30-40 shows.  We just cemented the live lineup in the past year so it's been more frequent as of late.  We've probably gone through 4-5 incarnations of the band!  I'm over it. Keeping it simple now.... 


Jordan: What are your favorite shows to play? 


Mike: Warehouses or any DIY thing that is run like a real club.  I have a lot of respect for that.  Playing bills with our friends is the best feeling and anywhere with a sound guy who isn't a dick is awesome. 




Jordan:  What can you say about the show with Terry Malts and Spider Bags at the Pinhook on April 17?


Mike: Spider Bags are one of my favorite bands, not just NC but anywhere. They killed it at the last show we played with them, I somehow got my hands on a recording of their set and it just confirms they are a great live band.  Terry Malts rules too.  Looking forward to seeing them in 3D. 


Jordan:  What is in the future for the band? 


Mike:  Some more records, more shows, more fun 


Jordan: What else are you psyched about for the year? 


 Mike: I don't know yet.  I go day by day. 


 Jordan : Any last words about music or life or animals or anything? 


 Mike: Buying our record helps you find your spirit animal.  I have a reliable source who says this is a fact.  Nah, I don't know....Life is Short.  Play Hard.

Typical Night at the Pinhook

Gross Ghost are playing with Terry Malts & Spider Bags at the Pinhook April 17: you can get your ticket at the door and learn about the show Here

Mountain Goats/Mac McCaughan/Greg Cartwright/Tara DeFrancisco @ Motorco Supporting Protect our Families

On April 6, Hopscotch sponsored a free concert with Real Estate, Twerps & Old Bricks at the Lincoln Theatre in order to get donations and raise awareness about North Carolina Constitutional Amendment One, an amendment that not only would prevent gay couples from marrying, but would also hurt families of all sorts.  The organization that got the money to use for more events to promote knowledge on North Carolina's Constitutional Amendment One, was The Coalition to Protect North Carolina Families, a non-profit organization against Amendment One.  You can learn more about the organization and the way that Amendment One negatively impacts all families Here.


On April 19, they will be at it again with a concert at Motorco Music Hall in Durham, North Carolina.  The Mountain Goats, Mac McCaughan, Greg Cartwright and Tara DeFrancisco will be playing.  The tickets are $20 and go towards The Coalition to Protect North Carolina Families' goal of defeating Amendment One.  Simply put, the money goes to lobbying against Amendment One and promoting events like these to reach out to other voters.  It's for a great cause, and I'm as apolitical as they come: in my opinion, it's a common sense issue - if two people love each other, it's simply wrong to keep them apart.  But this blog isn't for politics, it's for music.  The other great thing about the concert is the performers!  I cannot believe how fantastic this lineup is.

The Mountain Goats are native to the plains

The Mountain Goats have been around for a long time.  John Darnielle, singer-songwriter of the group, is typically thought of as one of the premiere lyricists in the world in music at this time.  His folk-based music is inspired by everything from contemporary Christian music, like the album "The Life of the World to Come," to folkier narratives, like in his album "Tallahassee."  John Darnielle is also a metal-head.  He writes in metal columns frequently and wrote the 33 1/3 book for Black Sabbath's "Master of Reality."  He's released hundreds of songs, none of which I would consider bad.  As he continues to write music, his arrangements have become more complex, but his music retains a great pop-sensibility.


Listen to their song "No Children" Here

Mac playing at Pitchfork Music Festival

Mac McCaughan not only runs Merge Records, but was the frontman and guitarist for Superchunk (that really really awesome indie-rock band from the 90s?)  His music comes from a refined power-pop and a great energy for the music he makes.  Seeing him live just makes you understand how much fun indie-rock is.  Mac looks like he's having a great time all the time.  Superchunk never put out a bad album.  Their newest. "Majesty Shredding" of 2010. is good as well and a great place to start for those who haven't listened to Superchunk.  Honestly, though, you can't go wrong with anything by this band.


Listen to the Superchunk song "Hyper Enough" Here

Greg Cartwright Playing his Git-Box

Greg Cartwright, or Greg Oblivian to you garage-heads, is based out of Asheville, North Carolina and has been in the garage-rock music scene since the 90s with his band The Oblivians.  But recently, he has recorded with The Reigning Sound, who played the Local 506 last year, and The Parting Gifts.  This guy is royalty and I've heard many well-respected people say that he is the best songwriter in Garage-rock now.  He is currently producing Last Year's Men's new album and continues to be a strong force in the garage and punk music scenes.

Tara not getting any service

Listen to The Reigning Sound's take on the classic song "Stormy Weather" Here


Tara DeFrancisco isn't a musician, or at least not that I know of, but is a great improv comedian who has worked at the famous iO (ImprovOlympics) and Second City of Chicago.  Pretty sweet.  She still works in Chicago, but also tours.  She's sure to have a great bunch of things to say for you stand-up-yuppies.


All in all, it's going to be a great evening with great entertainment for a great cause (and there's food trucks, so just get the ticket!"




You can buy your ticket Here

Real Estate/Twerps/Old Bricks @ Lincoln Theatre April 6, 2012

You've probably heard Real Estate's fabulous sophomore album "Days" by now.  It's a fantastic dream-pop gem that crosses the music genres of summer tied together by the mature song-writing skills of Martin Courtney IV.  They don't have any bad songs, plainly.  Everything they have made is good.  Their first album and their second are both great and I really don't know which one is better.  They're a Woodsist records band, if that's any indication of how good they are (that label is flawless).

Real Estate Hanging Out In Some Grass

Twerps get compared to them a bit.  They're one of the new Australian bands (mentioned by Royal Headache in an earlier post) that are getting more press in the U.S.  They have a bit of dream-pop and some garage in them.  Needless to say, they're good at music.


And then there's Old Bricks, a great North Carolina band that just moved here in 2010 from somewhere in the Northeast I want to say.  They put on a sweet show.  It's two guys that make music that sounds much more complete.  Andy made a stage appearance during the War on Drugs set last fall at King's.  Pretty sweet show with a sweet appearance.


These dudes are playing a free show at the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh sponsored by Hopscotch Music Festival (AKA the Indy Weekly) and "The Coalition to Protect North Carolina Families," an organization whose goal is to oppose amendment one of the North Carolina Constitution (doubtless, you've seen those blue posters around houses).  You can check out their website here: http://www.protectncfamilies.org/.  There are a lot of reasons to vote against it, the most publicized being that amendment one prevents gay marriage from being allowed in North Carolina, but even if you're not hip to that, there are other reasons to oppose the amendment (just check out the get informed button on the website!)  It's a great cause and you can donate to it at the door of the Lincoln Theatre.  It's not at all like the crooked politics of Invisible Children!   (Hahahaha.  Yeah, but Jason Russell sucks.)  But the money is going to awareness and lobbying and events like this, which is simply incredible.


But even if you're not down with the workings of bureaucracy, it's gonna be a nuts show!  You can learn more about it here:http://hopscotchmusicfest.com/news/post/hopscotch-presents-free-real-estate-show-april-6/




Free.  Doors open at 8.  Lincoln Theatre. Gather round friends and be Easy.  So easy.