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

Mike Huguenor

One Question Interviews / What's That Noise? • July 8, 2025

Mike Huguenor Tell us about the primary guitars you used making Surfing the Web with the Alien? Read more

Scene Point Blank's Favorites: The Year So Far (July 2025)

Music • July 6, 2025

We're halfway through the year: when did that happen?! Luckily for you, SPB is on hand to share the music we've enjoyed most in 2025 thus far. Read on to hear about the records that have made our top list for this year as it stands, and also some bonus … Read more

Shane Herrell: A Tribute

Music • July 6, 2025

Shane Herrell: Rest In Power(pop) (1980-2025) The Rocker I try to live my life with as few regrets as possible. Sadly I never got the chance to hear my friend Shane Herrell karaoke Thin Lizzy’s "The Rocker." As a singing bass player we don’t have enough heroes. It might just … Read more

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

More from this section

Scene Point Blank's Favorites: The Year So Far (July 2025)

Music • July 6, 2025

We're halfway through the year: when did that happen?! Luckily for you, SPB is on hand to share the music we've enjoyed most in 2025 thus far. Read on to hear about the records that have made our top list for this year as it stands, and also some bonus … Read more

Shane Herrell: A Tribute

Music • July 6, 2025

Shane Herrell: Rest In Power(pop) (1980-2025) The Rocker I try to live my life with as few regrets as possible. Sadly I never got the chance to hear my friend Shane Herrell karaoke Thin Lizzy’s "The Rocker." As a singing bass player we don’t have enough heroes. It might just … Read more

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