Feature / Music
Pass The Mic: Record Labels and Artists on 2008

Words: Michael • Posted pre-2010

LINKS TO ALL THE PAGES

A Hope for Home (Matt Ellis)

What are your top five albums that were released in 2008?

  1. Thrice - The Alchemy Index (Earth and Air)
  2. Thursday/Envy - Split
  3. Sigur Rós - Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust
  4. Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs
  5. Underoath - Lost in the Sound of Separation

What band did you discover in 2008 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? What made them significant?

Envy. When I heard that one of my favorite bands of all time, Thursday, was doing a split with a Japanese Hardcore/Ambient band I knew I had to check them out. They can encapsulate the same emotion throughout a song that is fragile one minute and bombastic the next.

How will you remember 2008? (In terms of music)

I started listening to a lot older bands, so I spent a lot of time at the used section at my local store. But also great releases by my two favorite bands of all time.

Vinyl record sales saw a significant increase this year while hard copy sales continued to dwindle. Is this a return to the glory days for vinyl or just a phase? Explain.

I think there is always a niche for the aggressive music collector, whether its vinyl, rare tees, or b-side downloads from obscure websites. I think labels just realized those people would buy vinyl, so they made more.

What was the most memorable moment for you in 2008? (Can be in terms of anything)

Signing with Strike First Records. That, and crashing the van in a snowstorm.

What can we look forward to from you in 2009?

Our record drops on January 20th, and then hopefully lots of touring and shows!

What three records are you looking forward to most in 2009?

Thursday- Common Existence, The Chariot- Wars and Rumors of Wars, and It Prevails- Capture and Embrace.

Homepage: http:///www.myspace.com/ahopeforhome

Related features

School Drugs

One Question Interviews • October 20, 2026

Josh Jurk (School Drugs) SPB: What do you remember of your first show with School Drugs? Jurk: We opened our set with the intro to “Crazy Train.” I don't really know why, seemed like a good idea at the time. We'll reprise it at our last show when we're all … Read more

Little A

One Question Interviews • October 19, 2026

Little A SPB: Is there an album or concert that inspired you to start to playing your own music? Bryan – drums: It may be a standard answer for folks my age, but Nirvana's Nevermind album changed everything. The rawness and energy made me want to be in a band, … Read more

Fest 24: Artist Interviews

Interviews / Fest 24 • October 16, 2026

It's almost FEST time, and you know what that means: SPB has dived in to speak to a bunch of bands and artists playing this year's event. Some are FEST veterans with tips and highlights for newcomers, and others are FEST newbies with their own plans for the week. Read … Read more

FEST LIBS 24 & Fest Survey Findings

Music / Fest 24 • October 16, 2026

Are you ready for The Fest!? While we’re pretty sure you’re already counting down days until your trek to Gainesville, FL, we’ve got some Fest games for you to play, including a few samples from this year’s performers. Click here to play FEST LIBS -- like a fill-in-the-blanks word game … Read more

Demos You Want To Check #5

Music / New Kids On The Block • October 13, 2026

The musical landscape is ever changing. New genres are popping up, new hypes burst out of nowhere and die out and new bands present themselves to the world. How on earth are you expected to keep up, right? Well, it never hurts to help! So here we are, your humble … Read more

More from this section

FEST LIBS 24 & Fest Survey Findings

Music / Fest 24 • October 16, 2026

Are you ready for The Fest!? While we’re pretty sure you’re already counting down days until your trek to Gainesville, FL, we’ve got some Fest games for you to play, including a few samples from this year’s performers. Click here to play FEST LIBS -- like a fill-in-the-blanks word game … Read more

Demos You Want To Check #5

Music / New Kids On The Block • October 13, 2026

The musical landscape is ever changing. New genres are popping up, new hypes burst out of nowhere and die out and new bands present themselves to the world. How on earth are you expected to keep up, right? Well, it never hurts to help! So here we are, your humble … Read more

Anathema Editions

Music / History 101 • August 11, 2026

Did you know it’s been 10 years since Anathema Editions put out its first release? To make the moment, we reached out to founder Terence Hannum to share some label history. In keeping with our “History 101” concept, SPB asked for anecdotes about 4 of the label’s releases and then … Read more