THE VINYL FILE SPOTLIGHT How are things going as Asbestos Records territory?

It’s probably the best year we've ever had.

Yeah, you just did the O Pioneers/Bomb the Music Industry split and that seemed to be a big hit.

The first press sold out in three days and we sold out the second press before it got released and the third press is all at the distributors. We were kind of joking, I told Eric, "Eric, it's day two and we have 6 copies left."

Those bands have both really taken off this year.

I think those two guys are doing really, really well. They are both doing quality bands. But anything vinyl now is kind of ridiculous, how quick things are selling out. There are bands selling more on vinyl than on CD now. For the split we have sold four times as many on vinyl than on CD.

How did Asbestos get started?

Basically, I was like 16 when we started it. A friend of mine and I were like, "Hey we'll get some money together and get a compilation." We had Spring Heel Jack and Big D on it and that sold out pretty quickly, and went from there. We did a lot of stuff with local bands. Four or five years ago we took the plunge and stared working on bigger acts. The first was Tree Fort from Georgia who was notorious for their live act. They snuck on for Warped Tour and had a GG Allin kind of stage show. Then we met Jeff in Arrogant Sons of Bitches and once ASOB broke up we did a benefit 7" for a friend of ours and after that we thought, why now put out the Live or Die album. We didn't think it would sell, who is going to buy something that you are encouraged to take for free? We were surprised. A lot of kids in this area don't buy vinyl, we expected to lose money but we didn't. After that, it seemed almost easier to get kids to buy vinyl than it was to do CDs, so we thought if we are going to

What do you have in the pipeline right now?

The Pegasus XL record is coming out. That is Jeff from BTMI and Jeff from We vs. Shark's other band. There's a big band from Europe we are working with, Sonic Boom 6, we are releasing their album and doing a double LP as soon as we get the art finished. And we have a bunch of smaller bands and projects. WE have a split 7" series coming up. A couple of years ago I met this guy who runs a pit bull rescue who takes in abused dogs. In Connecticut you have a lot of people who use them as guard dogs. He sent me a listing for an older dog, he had been living outside as a guard dog. He is pretty much crippled and 10 years old. We took him and he is a wonderful part of the family. He is kind of a mess, his back legs are really stiff. But it's amazing that considering how abused he was, he is the sweetest dog. So we are going to raise some money and help pay for vets. We are still getting everything confirmed. Anti-Flag is getting involved, Ambitions from Bridge Nine is getting involved and a bunch of stuff that isn't finalized.

Right now we have a ton of projects lined up and it's just getting the money together. It's tough, even with vinyl being so popular, there is very little money in it. Anything we sell through distro we maybe make a buck on, and when you think of everything involved it's "Wow, it's a dollar." But Chris and I are into vinyl so it is more for the fun of it. We subsidize it by doing shows.

How do you manage to do that?

I have a nice little day job that keeps the bills paid. If Asbestos ever became work I don't think I would love it as much. I would have to push the records or I would not be able to eat. That's why smaller labels burn out.

Do you think that the rise in popularity in vinyl has had an effect on the success of record labels?

I think it has overall been a positive thing. I think that vinyl has contributed to the other side, like now with sites like Vinyl Collective, there are kids that will buy anything that is selling really quickly. Why is everyone into it? I think the bands are kind of confused about it.

Some of your records have come out with pretty interesting color variants. Is that something you have always wanted to do?

I have always been really into variants. I have a couple of bands where I try to collect the variants. Jeff, my wife and Chris, we have sat down and thought we should try this. It's neat to have. Some people complain that you are making people buy all the colors. Nobody is making anybody buy all the colors, but if you want to buy them, but them.

Tell me a little bit about your personal interest in records and record collecting.

Previously, I mainly just bought 7"s or things that weren't available on CD. I have a pretty ridiculous CD collection. I would pick up all the NOFX 7" releases or anything I could find by the Epitaph bands or local bands. Once I got my own place I started picking up random stuff.

In Connecticut, was there a local scene that was putting out records to help you get into it?

There really wasn't too much. The graphic designer for our label was in a band called Boiling Man. It was the real punk sort of sound, a lot of them had 7"s, but a lot of them were obscure bands that would have one 7" and disappear. It seems like a lot more bands are getting into it now, especially in Connecticut. Kids on our message board when we put out the first BTMI 7", these kids have been contacting us asking us who to go to get records pressed. You are seeing older kids getting into it too. I don't know if it is the hip thing for the moment, but it is cool. I would be that a lot of kids buying our stuff don't even own a record player. Maybe they'll go and buy one. I kind of hope it sticks around. I think it's a lot more tangible than MP3s or CDs.

I think it's really cool that a lot of old stuff is going to get re-released. I was excited to see the Isis box set, but God knows if I am going to be able to afford it. It's cool that some labels are going through their back catalogue and other labels are going back to things that were limited and re-release them, like Jane Doe. They made 50 cents on each of those and people are selling them for $200. Same with Jimmy Eat World and Jawbreaker. No Idea gets a lot of hell, but if you just want a copy of that rare Hot Water Music release, why should you have to pay $100 for it? A lot of younger bands are into it now.

Do you see your own label moving away from CDs?

We're still going to do CDs, the Sonic Boom 6 CD is going to come out, but CD sales are dead. Now at our shows, we'll sell CDs for $10. Kids are still buying them but it is definitely slowing down and distribution is dead. We have just stopped using brick and mortar. We've had a distro that we were happy with and they go and go under and take out stuff. We have gotten lucky with places like Vinyl Collective and No Idea where we don't even have to ask them, they just send us a cheque. The first cheque I got from Virgil, I was like "woah, I didn't have ask you for this."

Vinyl Collective seems to be doing really well.

It's a lot more specialized. I think places like Vinyl Collective sell so much because kids are there because they like vinyl. This is what they do. If he posts a blurb about something, people are at least going to check it out. I can throw stuff up and nobody is going to look at it, but we go through there and every time we have done anything, Virgil will say hey we just got this stuff in, you should check it out. You don't get that from bigger places.

THE PUNKNEWS.ORG VINYL FILE

Samo Media has a pretty worthwhile contest running. The 300th person to email contest@samomedia.com will win a run of 300 black 7" records for their band.

The second pressing for This Is Hell’s second album, Misfortunes has been announced. 550 red copies of the album will be made available in addition to the 331 yellow and 442 orange included in the first press.

Make Sound, the latest album from The Copyrights has been released on vinyl care of It’s Alive Records. 500 copies split evenly between green and black can be pre-ordered here.

No Use For A Name will be dropping their next album, Feel Good Album of the Year on vinyl on April 1. There are also rumors that the band’s 1995 album Leche Con Carne will be the next album to receive the re-release treatment from Fat Wreck Chords.

Teenage Bottlerocket is selling a limited one-sided live 12" on their current tour. The b-side features an etching of the band’s logo and it is available on a few colors.

Pre-orders for The Creative Process/Berlin by Richmond, Virginia’s Memorial. 100 black copies are available for pre-order and come with screened printed covers.

If you’ve got close to $100 burning a hole in your pocket, you can give it to me or perhaps consider picking up Portishead’s new album Third on vinyl. The limited edition 2xLP can be pre-orderd A href=http://www.portisheadshop.co.uk/store/page4.asp?suptype=&t=1&sub_type=1&prod_id=2&col=30>here. In addition to the album, an etched 12" single for ‘Machine Gun,’ a USB which features the album as well as five films and of course, a big box to hold it all.

No Idea is up to all kinds of delicious goods again. They just got covers in for the new Glass & Ashes LP and word is it looks pretty good. They’ve also posted details on some recent re-presses. Hot Water Music's Fuel For The Hate Game was recently done on pale swirly gray (/10), pale purple (/10), pale green (/75) and bright purple (/350). Young Livers' most recent, The New Drop Era was pressed on navy blue (/386) and sky blue (/114) and Coalesce’s Last Call for the Living got rep-pressed on purple (/3), navy blue (/22), green (/184), gray mix (/48), and with blank labels on gray mix (/102), green mix (/108) and purple mix (/34).

News north of the border is that The Constantines and Feist are putting their creative heads together to record a cover duet for an upcoming 7". They will be performing the Bee Gees’s ‘Islands in the Stream’ as made famous by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. The b-side will feature ‘Trans Canada’ from the Constantines’ forthcoming record Kensington Heights Deathwish Inc is now taking orders for the upcoming split 7" between Trap Them and Extreme Noise Terror which will feature one release from each band and is limited to 1,000 copies.

Academy Fight Song is now taking pre-orders for Rise or Die Trying by Four Year Strong. An exclusive version limited to 100 is available exclusively to mailorder from the store on yellow/clear "nuke" colored vinyl. Head on over to the webstore to order it and for a chance to win one of two test pressings of the album.

If you have anything you want to see posted in Vinyl File, get in touch with ben (at) punknews (dot) org.