Broken Rim Records - Sound In The Signals Interview
For anyone that isn’t familiar with your label can you tell me how you got started and what inspired you to start the label?
Kyle: Broken Rim officially started the winter of 2010, but it took me a few months to get my shit together. Our first release came out in August of 2010. I’ve been collecting records since middle school. It was pretty casual collecting at first, and then maybe 6-7 years ago when I got an iPod and CDs became pointless, I got way into collecting vinyl. The label sort of just fell into my lap. I was booking shows in Buffalo, NY, where I was living at the time, so I had made a bunch of friends in bands. A lot of them were on labels that weren’t interested in putting their albums out on vinyl. I made a few emails/calls and ending up licensing I Call Fives’ “Bad Advice” EP from No Sleep records and putting it out of a 12”.
I really like your logo and the name of the label. What inspired both of those?
A: In the summer of 2009 I was riding my bike to a Fireworks show when some guy in a car hit me. My bike went under his car and got all mangled up. It turned into this huge thing, he threaten to kill me, lawyers got involved, I ended up getting about 3 grand from his insurance company. All of a sudden I had this large sum of money all at once, so I decided to use it to put a record out. That’s where the logo and name come from.
What are some of the first vinyl albums you got that really got you interested in the thought of pressings vinyl releases?
I don’t know if I would say any specific albums “inspired” me to press vinyl, but just record collecting in general has always interested me. The larger artwork is was cooler than on a CD, or digital which lacks artwork all together. I’m into box sets, gatefold jackets, etched B-sides, any little extra that sets a record aside from the rest, which I think is pretty well represented with Broken Rim releases.
One of your newest releases is for the band Post Season. How did it work out for you to press the band’s EP? Do you see yourself working with the band more in the future?
I’ve known Jake Langley (who recently left the band) for years from booking Handguns’ first tours. When I heard he was started a new project I asked him to send me the songs. All 3 songs were awesome, so we agreed to put it out on a 7” on Broken Rim. As long as the band stays active and keeps touring I’d like to keep working with them.
You did a few different versions of the Post Season EP (in terms of variants and EP artwork). The Mighty Ducks special artwork I thought was really neat. Who came up with the ideas for the various artwork and which of the three covers is your personal favorite?
I like to do an alternative cover for a record release show, and test press cover for all my releases. I let the bands choose whatever they want. Usually the record release covers are some related artwork, and the test press covers are usually something goofy. Dan, the singer of Post Season, designed both the Mighty Ducks alt cover and the Star Wars test press cover. My favorite is the Star Wars cover with the 3 Stormtroopers doing the see no/speak no/hear no evil. I’m not really a big star wars fan, but it’s goofy and funny.
What all do you have coming up for the remainder of 2013?
We’re announcing our next release next week. I think a lot of people will be siked on that. There are a couple of new bands I’m talking to about possible releases this year, and a couple of projects from bands we’ve worked with before.
Everyone has been talking about the vinyl boom lately and how crazy vinyl collectors have gotten. Do you think the boom has affected your label in any way?
Yeah definitely. In both good and bad ways. Sales are up more than ever due to the growth of the label and bands involved, but also because more people collect vinyl. But the cost of production is also going up at the plants. The days of a five dollar 7” are coming to an end on small presses of 500 records. Some people get real butt sore about it, but there’s not much you can do. I have to pay more than I did 3 years ago, obviously I need to charge more.
What do you think some of the positive and negative effects of the vinyl boom have been as a vinyl enthusiast?
It’s way easier to buy vinyl now that it used to be. It’s pretty rare when a record I like comes out and doesn’t getting pressed, but 5-6 years ago that wasn’t the case and tons of records I liked were only getting released on CD. It’s KILLING my wallet haha. I’m trying to save up to buy a house and I keep blowing my money on preorders from various labels. I’m somewhat of a completist. I have every Crime In Stereo record, including all variants, alternative covers, test press’, etc. Which is really cool to me and like 5 other people, but most people would use the money I spent to buy a car or something with real value. I also have a hard time giving up on bands I once liked but no longer care about, or haven’t released anything worth listening to in years, yet I keep buying everything they put out. Like I said vinyl collecting is a real issue on the wallet.
I guess that about wraps it up. Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions do you have any closing comments you’d like to make?
Thanks for doing this interview with me. Check out our bandcamp page or youtube page to hear all of our releases for free. Support the bands on tour, and buy a record!
No comments: