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

Words: Michael • Posted pre-2010

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Get Outta Town Records (Charles Chaussinand)

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

  1. Cruel Hand - Prying Eyes
  2. Static Radio - An Evening of Bad Decisions
  3. Paint it Black - New Lexicon
  4. Defeater - Travels
  5. Wait in Vain - Seasons

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?

I realize I'm a little behind on this band and I am sure everyone else has been listening to them for years, but earlier this year I discovered Another Breath. My old band played with them and I was impressed, but didn't listen to the records I had purchased too much. When I moved my label office, I re-discovered the discs and can't stop playing them. Their music is so cleverly written and they have all the elements of a hardcore band that I like.

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

In large part, this year will be the year that I got to pursue music much more than ever before. Extensive touring schedules and filling in for different bands has taken me all over. If we're speaking in terms of what I've been listening to over the year, I really like the resurgence of melodic bands.

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.

Since I run a label, I still support bands and labels by purchasing everything I listen to. That being said, any way kids will buy music I hope is going to stay around a while. I wish kids bought CDs, but purchasing anything that helps sustain a band or label I appreciate. I think that as music continues to move digitally that there will be a desire for tangible music mediums so kids can buy an album, feel the excitement of going home and putting it on for the first time to hear the band. Digital means just don't have the same feeling behind them, which, I think, is a big part of getting a new record.

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

This year took me to my first "real" recording studio experience with Jim Siegel at The Outpost. I went to school for audio engineering and have been playing in bands for ten years, so getting to be on the musician side of things in a studio like that with an engineer I respect so much was really a good feeling.

What can we look forward to from you in 2009?

I am going to have a busy year coming up. As far as the label, I will be releasing the CD version of the Kid Dynamite tribute alongside Black Numbers Records who is doing the vinyl, releasing the Paint it Black "Demo" on vinyl, Offsides/Wait in Vain "Split" and a Violent Children "Discography" are all in the works right now. Musically, I will be working on the Offsides split, an Offsides LP, a new demo with Porcell on vocals, new DEA EP, and another No Harm Done LP and hopefully a few other things. I am also going to try and write a book over the course of the year. It is something I've wanted to work on for a while.

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

I am really looking forward to the Offsides/Wait in Vain split. The new Shook Ones album will be incredible and Death is Not Glamorous has a new LP coming out that I am really stoked on.

Homepage: http://www.getouttatownrecords.com

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