Curtis Grimstead (Rorschach Records / Best Friends Day)
What are your top five albums that were released in 2011? (in order 1-5)
- Brain F# - Sleep Rough
- Young Widows - In and Out Youth and Lightness
- Pygmy Lush - Old Friends
- Mind Spiders - S/T
- The Men - Immaculada
What band did you discover in 2011 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? What made them significant?
Too many to name! I just started using Pandora at work this year and have discovered some awesome bands because of it. I really got heavily into the Dirty Three due to this. I had always liked them, but they kept coming up on one of my pandora stations, and between them and Mono they are my work jams.
How will you remember 2011 (in terms of music)?
For me this year was all about live music more than recorded music. I got to see Archers of Loaf, Shellac, PG 99, Zero Boys and Kid Dynamite in a 2 month period. If you have told me on January 1, 2011 that I would be seeing all those bands I probably would of thrown up in excitement.
What can we look forward to from you in 2012?
A long deserved break! For the first time in 5 years there is nothing on deck. We are going to start a skateboard deck side of things. But it will be a quiet 2012 at the time being. I am going back to school full time, and it seems like a great time to save some money.
What records are you looking forward to most in 2012?
I hope Shellac records a new one, when I saw them recently they had a lot of new songs that sounded rad. Also that Ceremony record coming out should be awesome. More than anything I hope folks keep on re-issuing records that have been hard to find. Dischord has done an amazing job as of late getting their Catalog out again. I hope more labels do this. Someone needs to reissue those At the Drive In LPs.
What did you expect to be huge in 2011 which never made it?
I really didn't have any expectation for anything, having said that and to be someone apocalyptical. This year was a very dark time for DIY labels, there are not many reliable distributors anymore and there was a week where every day I turned on the radio and there was news of another record store closing. I have said it a couple of times now that Rorschach had its best/worst year ever. The beginning of this year was incredible but the fall was easily one of the worst times we have had.
