Heaven Records - Sound In The Signals Interview
I recently had the opportunity to interview Dan of Heaven Records. We discussed his current role in bands, how he decided to start a new record label, their upcoming first release and the importance of physical releases, the label’s upcoming launch show, and more. Check it out below.
First, thanks for the interview.
Thank you for having me.
You recently announced your new label. Can you tell me your background in music and what made you want to start a label?
I grew up playing guitar and drums for my church and was into all types of punk and heavy music since I was a kid. I eventually found hardcore in middle school and have since played in a handful of bands. Currently I sing for Private Mind and drum for High Reach. Starting a label didn’t really cross my mind until quite literally a month before I launched Heaven.
How did you come up with the name for the label and what’s the meaning behind it?
I had an idea for a song that I titled “Heaven”. It’s about people who find hardcore and use it as a way to seek others who encourage their toxic or shitty behaviors, intentional or not. Obviously no one in this world is perfect, so in the song I try to convey giving everyone a chance and holding others accountable when necessary.
I was thinking of the idea of a Church and how in my opinion it’s not just a building or the housing of people who practice religion, but rather the people themselves. And it’s important to know that at least for my religion, it’s expected of you not to be perfect. It’s for broken people who need healing, and this idea kinda just resonated with me and what I’ve experienced in hardcore. I guess I wanted to have the name be religious themed, and “Heaven Records” just sounded cooler than “Church Records”.
At this point, do you have a plan for your first upcoming releases? If so, what can you tell us so far?
Our very first release is going to be a split between two new bands, both of which I play in featuring members of both of my current bands.
Do you plan on releasing any physical media such as cassettes, vinyl, or CDs? How important do you think physical releases are currently?
Yeah, definitely cassettes and CDs. Vinyl maybe, I don’t really know how that shit works to be completely honest. But physicals are very important currently in my opinion especially in hardcore. We’re not rockstars, we work jobs and shit. So to work hard on your music and put a lot of resources into a tangible item that people buy is way more rewarding than some numbers on streaming services that don’t mean shit other than the amount of people who have clicked on your song and maybe listened to the whole thing.
You also recently announced a show in March. It will be a debut show for a couple of new bands. How did the show come together?
To refer back to me only half-knowing what I’m doing, I basically just wanted to book a show to launch the label and the two new bands simultaneously because I thought it’d be a fun idea. I’m kinda just teaching myself how to run all of this while juggling a full time job and still playing shows and writing for my other bands.
Autoignition and Torrent from upstate NY were planning a run and wanted to stop on the island so I helped them out with this show and thought it would be a perfect opportunity to launch. Torrent unfortunately could no longer make it, but shout out to them they’re dope. The rest of the bill is just bands I really dig. Pink Mist, Ten Years Out, Deadshot. All of which are based on Long Island, consisting of people who are mostly younger than me, cooler than me, and way better at music than me.
Is the plan for the label to continue hosting some shows as well as releases?
Yes, I want to keep booking shows mostly just to see bands I fuck with, play with bands I fuck with, and maybe help out some bands that have been slighted by other bookers or bands because they might not be cool enough/draw enough. Not to say that happens a lot, but there are definitely bands that need some light shed on them.
The original goal for this label was to just release my own two bands. We got friends from all over the north east and east coast who fuck with my melodic sounding bands, but might not always want to play a mixed bill. And having these two new acts who are more explicitly “hardcore” would give out of state bands another local act or two who could support their shows if they wanted. Which at the end of the day, hardcore is all about supporting each other.
Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions. Do you have anything else that you would like to add?
Thanks again for having me. If you’ve read this far, come out to the show and hang out with us. Give us a follow on instagram @ heavenhardcore to keep updated. Keep going to shows and supporting your scene. - Dan, Heaven Records
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