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

Words: Michael • Posted pre-2010

LINKS TO ALL THE PAGES

Only Thunder/Suburban Home Records (Andy Thomas)

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

  1. Jessica Lea Mayfield - With Blasphemy So Heartfelt
  2. Torche - Meanderthal
  3. Dillinger Four - CIVIL WAR
  4. Cheap Girls - Find Me a Drink Home
  5. Able Baker Fox - Voices

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?

Discovering Cheap Girls was really great for me. It was refreshing to hear people writing basic power pop that still had a distinctive sound to it. I liked how they also seem to be boozy, sad gentlemen like myself. I guess they were significant as they allowed me to relish in my sadness and boozieness.

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

2008 was a great year musically for me. Working at Suburban Home/Vinyl Collective and seeing people's enthusiasm for music reach near fanaticism is something I haven't seen in years. Other highlights included The Fest 7, seeing three Suburban Home artists on the indie Billboard charts and playing in a band (Only Thunder) with some of my best friends in the world. 2008? No. 2000GREAT!

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 hope it is here to stay. There is a certain mystique to vinyl that just can't be replaced with an mp3 download off a computer. I'm sure enthusiasm will wane a tad at some point, but I think the diehard collectors will always appreciate vinyl. Also, vinyl smells better.

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

Opening for Hot Water Music at the Gothic in Denver!

What can we look forward to from you in 2009?

I will either write my first book or watch copious amounts of Internet porn. There's just not enough time to do both. Only Thunder will also be touring and coming to a town near you.

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

Austin Lucas - Somebody Loves You, Rival Schools, and Against Me!

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

Related features

Unseemlier

One Question Interviews • June 27, 2025

Mike Assatly (Unseemlier - guitar/vocals) SPB: Do you have a preferred model of van for touring? Assatly: Chevy G-20 Gladiator! It was my first van, I got it from my uncle with 115,000 on it. He got rid of it for a new van because it was "old" and would … Read more

Dollar Store

One Question Interviews • June 26, 2025

Dave Slaverave (Dollar Store - bass) SPB: This band hits a lot of styles, all kind of overlapping at the same time. How hard was it to find “your sound” when bringing these influences together? Slaverave: Not very hard at all actually. We're all old-ass adults who've soaked in a … Read more

Golden Shitters

One Question Interviews • June 25, 2025

Matt (Golden Shitters) How nervous were you the first time you played a show? My first show was around 2002. I was 15 years old and it was a basement house party in my hometown of Welland, Ontario. I’d just proved myself to my high school buddies by singing The … Read more

Arms Aloft

Interviews • June 23, 2025

Remember Election Day 2024? Maybe you shouldn't. Maybe you've blocked it out. That's fair, but there was one pleasant surprise that day: a new EP from Wisconsin's Arms Aloft. It took a while to claw out of the darkness in November, then Year End 2024 coverage took over the Scene … Read more

Small Steps

One Question Interviews • June 12, 2025

Jeremiah (Small Steps - guitar/vocals) SPB: What song has the best use of whistling? Jeremiah: I feel like the easy answer would be the Bobby McFerrin song "Don't Worry Be Happy". Which is catchy as all get out, but we prefer the road less traveled here in Small Steps. For … Read more

More from this section

Caterwaul 2025

Music • May 13, 2025

Each year in late May, the 4-day party and noise-rock festival Caterwaul takes over multiple venues in Minneapolis. It’s a stacked lineup this year, to put it mildly, with each night’s headliners FACS, Young Widows, Naw, Pissed Jeans, and Uniform -- and that’s leaving a ton of other great bands … Read more

Guest List: Steven Fairweather (Gob) – The Gateway And The Getaway

Music / The Set List • May 13, 2025

Steven Fairweather is a Canadian musician, radio show host, and comic book writer. He is best known as the bassist of the punk band Gob and the founder of Stranger Radio, an independent online radio station. -- Before the internet, before streaming, before Shazam could tell you what was playing … Read more

2024: A Year In Review

Music / Year End 2024 • January 13, 2025

It's a new year – hooray. And things are off to a fine start, too. If the thought of corrupt governments, AI domination, unmoderated social networks and endless war is causing you to retreat into the past, we don't blame you. In fact, we encourage it! Our writers have summed … Read more