Tag: Antique Records

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What Makes A Band Worth Signing?

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I’ve been involved in running a small record label based out of Boston for the better part of four years at this point, and I will be the first to admit I don’t know everything. I probably don’t know half of everything there is to know about running a record label, but I do think I know a thing or two about music. I’ve been working in the industry in one way or another since I was 16, and I even have one of those fancy Music Business degrees you see promoted in the back of rock magazines. In just a few months I will be 28, and I like to tell myself I have something to show for twelve years of long days that almost always turned into late nights, even if it is just an understanding of how the industry works.

This post could go in-depth on how big labels operate, as well as the many factors that are considered before signing an artist that lie beyond the quality of their music, but that isn’t the reality I know. The world I know is small and mid-size labels, often started out of bedrooms or dorms, that are ran by people who are making records for no reason other than the desire to help further expose the artists they know and love. You can call these labels passion projects if you must, but if you understood the work involved it probably wouldn’t sound quite so glamorous. The financial return for running a label is honestly smaller than any other project I have been a part of even though most our albums have sold incredibly well. People don’t start a label to make money though, or at least I didn’t.

For Antique, the artists we seek to sign are the ones who we cannot resist. We want the creators of the ear worms people will be trying to shake for days or weeks or (preferably) even months at a time. I don’t mean pop artists necessarily, though we would certainly consider them. I simply mean the kind of artist whose material punches you in the gut with something so universally true, be it happy or sad, that you feel as if they’ve just described your very existence. We want talent that speaks to the reality we know, the struggles we have faced, and the hope we have for the future. There are plenty of sad song about sad things and there is always a time for them to be enjoyed, but we tend to like artists that offer a silver lining to every rain cloud. The artists who recognize when times are bad, and then take steps to make themselves better instead of simply wallowing in the turmoil that surrounds them.

Just to be clear, there is nothing wrong with artists who create music that falls outside this description. I pride myself on being someone who loves a little bit of everything, from Kacey Musgraves’ tongue-in-cheek country croon, to the skull-shaking heaviness of Fit For An Autopsy, but just because I enjoy something doesn’t mean I want to release it on my label. I am sure there are label who release a little bit of everything that makes them happy, but we prefer to curate a select pool of talent where every artist is different, yet just similar enough to fit alongside one another on, say, a mixtape or compilation. That isn’t something every label seeks with their roster, but for us it’s important.

We decided on our latest signees, a Kentucky based band known as Father Mountain, about two months after we first spoke with them. The band had released an incredible EP on their own in November 2014, not to mentioned performed numerous shows all over the US, but as far as we could tell almost no one with influence in the alternative community had quote/unquote ‘discovered’ them just yet. We reached out initially to ask if the band was preparing to release something new in 2015, but after learning they only had plans for an acoustic EP our talks cooled for a bit. We liked the idea of the EP, but if we’re going to invest a lot of time and money into a group we want to have a proper release to support. Still, there was something about the band’s EP we kept coming back to again and again. We asked if we could wait until we heard their new recordings to make an offer, and the band told us that was perfectly fine.

Fast-forward several weeks and the band sends over a demo of a new track entitled “Jamais Vu.” The song is a heartfelt and honest depiction of that moment when your heart shatters from a surprise break up. Like Ralph Wiggum when Lisa told him she no longer wanted to date, “Jamais Vu” makes you want to clench your chest, if only to know your heart hasn’t stopped altogether. It’s sad, yet beautiful, and no matter how many times you want to huge the member of the band who had to experience the breakup in question you keep reaching for the repeat button. I knew from the first time I heard the opening lines that the band had not only delivered something special, but something we had to put out. It was no longer a question of whether or not the EP was the right thing to do because every bone in my body was telling me if I let Father Mountain get away someone else will come along to scoop them up. I was hearing a band poised for greatness, and I had the rare opportunity to help them take another step toward reaching that point.

Months later, and a just a day or two after “Jamais Vu” was shared with the world at large, I still find myself scrolling to Father Mountain’s music every other time I am looking for something to play. Antique ultimately decided to reissue the band’s 2014 EP, with the addition of three acoustic tracks, and I think it’s really the best decision we could have made. The early sales have been good, but even if they were’t I would not have a single regret about bringing the band into our label because I know the talent they possess. I know there are other bands with great songs and a lot of promise looking for their shot at national exposure, but there is something about Father Mountain that keeps me coming back again and again. I know if I were not involved with this band I would be a fan of their when someone else signed them, and someone else would definitely sign them. They’re THAT good. Some will disagree, but that’s okay because they don’t have to pay our bills. We pay for everything and as long as we’re happy with what we’re putting out then our label is a success, and that is something no one can take away.

This is a long way of not really providing a solution the question at hand, and I apologize if you went into this article thinking you would find a concise answer to what makes a band worth signing. I think the answer is, if one exists, that you have to find an artist that you connect with on a deeply personal level. Hype and proven road chops are already a plus, obviously, but at the end of the day you have to love what you’re putting out before anyone else will be willing to give it a listen. No label ran by people who are working for passion rather than money wants an artist they wouldn’t listen to themselves, and no artist should want a label that is comprised of anyone other than their biggest fans. The bond between artist and label has to be real from day one, and there has to be a mutual respect for one another as well. Labels need to trust that an artist will continue to grow and create great work, while artists need to believe the label will do everything in their power to get that record in front of consumers. If that connection is not strong no amount of great music will make a difference.

James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also a professional entertainment critic, covering both film and music, as well as the co-founder of Antique Records. Feel free to tell him you love or hate the article above by connecting with him on Twitter. Bonus points if you introduce yourself by sharing your favorite Simpsons character.

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DIY Advice: Write ‘Thank You’ Notes

I’ve been running my own record label for the better part of three years at this point, and along the way I’ve learned countless lessons I wish I had known prior to launch. That’s just the way life works sometimes, I guess. You can plan and study all you want for something, but eventually you will find there are numerous paths to success you never even considered. The best you can do is learn as you go along and pass whatever knowledge you gain to those who have yet to begin. Share what you have learned so that others will not only have a leg up on their own journeys, but so that you can better understand the information yourself. That is what I hope to accomplish with this series, and every few weeks I will share a new lesson learned during my adventures in the world of small business ownership.

One of the reasons I always loved supporting indie artists and labels as a teen was because anyone I ordered from online always seemed incredibly appreciative of my business. I cannot think of a single time I ordered something online from an artist or label and did not receive something extra when the package eventually arrived in my inbox. It may have been something small, like a sampler CD or free stickers, but to me it showed that I mattered to the people from whom I had ordered. They could have given me what I paid for, but instead they went out of there way to give me something extra, and through doing so they forged a connection with me that more than likely continues to this day.

What I didn’t consider when I was younger was the cost associated with these freebies. Running a business is rarely a cheap adventure, and that goes double for any attempt at building your own empire within the world of music. Stickers and sampler CDs cost money, even if you burn the CDs from iTunes playlists on your own laptop it’s going to cost something, and that amount will add up as the number of orders received begin to grow. Before you know it, you could be in debt not because your products aren’t selling, but because you’ve given away just as much as, if not more than you’ve sold.

For now, the main way my label attempts to engage with consumers beyond simply fulfilling orders is by creating unique, handwritten ‘thank you’ letters. These are short notes written by either myself or own of my team members that, with slight variation, thank the consumer for their purchase and offer some kind of advice, anecdote, fact, or thought aimed at making them smile. Sometimes that means offering exclusive discounts, while other times that may entail promising pizza to overseas fans if they ever make it to the place where you’re located. You know the chances of that last one coming true are probably slim to non-existent, but like any greeting/thank you card ever sent it’s the though that counts, and offering your fans free pizza is one heck of a gesture to make.

Here are a few examples of letters we have created:

Obviously it would take a long time to write letters for each order as they are received, so what we do at my label is dedicate a little time every day to writing letter that leave space for a recipient’s name to be added later on. We try to write at least 10 a day, that way we always have a stack ready to go whenever orders begin to roll in. Sometimes an album can sell out in a matter of hours, and we need to have a hundred or more notes ready to go just as fast. With planning, we are able to meet that need and still have some on reserve.

We sign every letter with our Twitter handle to encourage people to not only follow us, but to tag us when sharing photos of their orders. I think everyone I know who enjoys vinyl likes to take pictures of their new records, so adding a note with our handle encourages people to tag us when making their post. That exposure, which is produced by the consumer at zero cost to us, is essentially priceless.

I know that taking the time to write notes, especially those made out to individual customers, will add untold amounts of time to your shipping process, but it’s absolutely worth the effort. Make your fans feel as special as they make you feel when they support your art. If you can accomplish that, there is not a doubt in my mind that you’ll have fans for life.

James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also a professional entertainment critic, covering both film and music, as well as the co-founder of Antique Records. Feel free to tell him you love or hate the article above by connecting with him on Twitter. Bonus points if you introduce yourself by sharing your favorite Simpsons character.

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4 More Tips For Running Your Own Record Label

Just over a year ago I wrote a post for this very blog about the lessons learned from releasing my first label’s first vinyl. It was an exciting time, and though it wasn’t the record-breaking success my heart had hoped for my team and I did sell enough to keep our little business afloat. You can find out more about that experience by reading the post I wrote in the fall of 2014.

Not long after I posted that article, my co-founder asked me to meet in order to discuss our plans for the future. We knew we needed to be more active in the year ahead if we wanted to grow, and in order to do that we would need to spend money we did not necessarily have at our disposal. We ended up agreeing to not one, but five additional vinyl titles, and as I write this we are currently celebrating the release of the third album in that series. Two more are expected before summer, and I imagine by the time May arrives we will have planned out the rest of 2015.

Through all of this we have been learning on a day-to-day basis. There are books on running a label, but history has taught us that very few actually touch on the realities of trying to start a company willing to ship anywhere in the world from the comfort of your own, overpriced one bedroom apartment. So, with that in mind, I’ve been making it a point to take notes as we make progress. I don’t know if anything that I have learned will change anyone’s world, but hopefully the advice included below allows others with labels of their own to better enjoy the work they do.

If you started your label in hopes of becoming rich, you might as well pack up and go home now.

I understand first hand how time consuming running your own label can be, and I am also well aware of the essentially non-existent paycheck waiting for label owners at the end of their work day. I also know that if you got into music for money you’re a fool and there is no saving you. There is money in this business, but those who have access to it in any great amount have earned that position over time. The best labels today were the ones only a few hundred new about five or ten years ago, and if you ask the people who run them they will likely tell you they still have much they hope to accomplish. No amount of money will ever be enough to satiate your hunger for success, and no one is going to want to give their money to someone who seems obsessed with the bottom line. Like anything in life, if you want to really succeed at running a label you have to be doing so out of nothing more than a passion for the industry. Work with people you believe in, promote others ahead of yourself, and in time people will begin to follow your efforts.

I won’t go as far as to say there is no such thing as an overnight success in the world of indie labels, but such tales are few and extremely far between. Most labels end up with a few great releases, a few forgettable ones, and many that fall somewhere in the middle. They’re not good or bad necessarily, just not known or cared about enough to provide the kind of revenue-generating buzz needed to raise a label to the next level of notoriety. That kind of accomplishment is one only earned over time, after consumers have forged a bond with your brand and established some level of trust. If you’re not willing to work at building your empire up until that point, not to mention long after it, you might as well stop while you’re ahead.

No one is an island. Likewise, no label can thrive with only one person doing all the work.

Blame it on being an only child or simply being letdown by groups and collaborators numerous times throughout life, but I am very much an independent person. If I had things my way, I would be the boss of my own label, making only records I believed in, and I wouldn’t give two shits what anyone else thought of the talent on my roster. The reality of the situation, however, is that attempting such an undertaking would most likely only result in ruin.

I spent the most of the last year trying to run my label on my own, and if we’re being completely honest by December I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep the business operating for another year. I was burnt out, and even though people said they loved our products I would dread receiving a large batch of orders at once for fear I wouldn’t be able to package and ship them in time to satisfy consumer demands. Instead of seeking help right away, I tried to prove my own fears wrong and push forward, but ultimately I stressed myself out to the point of essentially shutting down. My lust for life was depleted and so was my interest in music.

What I learned from all this is simple: People need one another. Not just for comfort and conversation, but also for success in business and the ability to keep hopes high when the outlook seems grim. You may believe you know what is best for your label, and there may be times when you are right, but if you believe you can handle every aspect of running a small business on your own then you’re either a liar or someone who is about to lose all sense of freedom in order to become one with their new business venture.

Things changed for me when a friend, Sam, offered to help one day. He didn’t want money, though I am sure he would have appreciated any payment we could offer, he just wanted to know if he could help a friend he thought was doing something cool. I turned him down the first five or six times, but eventually I gave in and invited him over. That afternoon renewed my energy for the label, as it was the first time in many months I felt like someone else cared whether or not we continued on. I’m sure consumers would care, of course, but you don’t always get to speak to them. With Sam, I had a connection to the world outside of my own head, and it made me feel excited about life once again.

International shipping will always be a hassle. Suck it up and do the work.

When I first launched my label, I never imagined we would attract the attention of consumers from all over the world. As I mentioned in my last column however, I quickly realized that achieving those dreams comes with a lot of extra work you might not expect. For example, the paperwork that must be filled out for each and every international order you receive. These forms are required by USPS, and when you drop them off at the post office the person behind the counter will have to input the data from your form for EVERY SINGLE PACKAGE YOU HAVE TO SHIP. This means if there are twenty international orders, you will fill out twenty shipping forms, and the postal worker will input each of them into the computer while you’re still standing at the post office counter. This is a time consumer, patience draining hell, but it’s one that must be experienced in order to keep your customers happy. It’s very easy to receive overseas orders and place very little priority on getting them out because doing so is such a hassle, but don’t give in to that temptation! Overseas consumers are just as important as those here in the states, and you should do everything in your power to ensure they’re happy they spent money on your product.

Additionally, you need to learn about the costs associated with international shipping before you ever post a product for sale. A one-disc vinyl LP shipping to anywhere other than the United States will cost at least $12, if not more. This is a big cost to consumers, especially if the product in question is priced below $15, but it’s important you make sure these charges are in place before new products go live. Otherwise you’re going to eat all your profits trying to cover shipping to Australia.

No matter what, kill ‘em with kindness

Starting a business is, like any undertaking worth attempting, a learning process. You will not be perfect from the start, nor will you be perfect three years in. Mistakes happen, even for those running labels full time. What they understand that so many young business owners do not however, is that it is the way you react to mistakes that ultimately defines who you are as a brand. You cannot please everyone, but you can be nice to everyone and listen to their grievances. If an order is lost, ship another. If someone needs tracking information, use your stamps.com account and find it for them. No matter what the situation, aside from things that would be harmful to you or the company, do whatever you can to ensure the consumer has the best experience with your company possible. They are going to tell their friends about you either way, so you might as well make an effort to come across as hardworking people who sometimes mess up rather than egotistical assholes who talk down to their consumers.

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Inside Music Podcast #2 – Zack Zarrillo (PropertyOfZack)

After a little more than a month away it gives us great pleasure to reintroduce the Inside Music podcast. We learned a great deal from our first episode, including the necessity of high quality microphones, and have made several efforts to improve our production for this latest offering. If you have any ideas for how we can improve our efforts further, please reach out on Twitter.

This week’s episode features guest Zack Zarrillo, otherwise known as the founder of PropertyOfZack.com and co-founder of Bad Timing Records. Zack has been a fixture in the pop punk scene for the last several years, and though he’s only 21 he has already managed to carve a unique niche for himself in this business that has opened more doors than I am able to count. Our conversation revolves mostly around Zack’s efforts in writing, as well as his plans for future, but we do dive into his other projects and the problems that arise when someone takes on as much as he has in the past year. I’m really happy with the result, and I think those that listen to the full recording will learn to see Zack in a new way as a result.

The music you hear at the beginning of this episode is take from “That One Limp Bizkit Song” by California folk punk outfit Sledding With Tigers. Their debut album, A Necessary Bummer, is available now through Antique Records.

Our plan is to release a new podcast every week from here on out, and we already have another episode 90% complete. We hope you have as much fun listening to this show as much as we did making it. I know we’re not on the iTunes store just yet, but we will update you on that front soon. For now, let’s get to the show:

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Sh*t Happens: A Lesson On What To Do When The Unexpected Occurs

Hello, everyone. Welcome to the dawn of another new week filled to the brim with music industry advice and conversation. The column you’re about to read was not intended for release today, but after learning of certain events over the weekend that will be described below it seemed a far more fitting topic than what we originally had planned. We hope you agree.

This blog exists to promote the future of the music industry, and to do that we need input from people like you and your music-loving friends. If you have any questions about the content in this article, or if you have an artist you would like to see featured on this blog, please contact james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.

It’s rare that the topic of these columns can be summarized in two words, but today’s discussion is unlike any other we’ve had to date. As such, the topic is simple and straightforward: Shit happens.

Over the weekend, a folk punk artist from California who goes by the name Sledding With Tigers (AKA Dan Faughdner) embarked on his first nationwide tour of 2014. He was joined by one other solo artist, Just Nick, and together the pair planned to visit over a dozen states between the west coast and midwest in a two week period using only Dan’s car for transportation. The first show was in Arizona, and by all reports things went off without a hitch. The next day, the pair hopped in their car and drove to Oklahoma. There, surrounded by strangers more than a thousand miles from home, the two artists performed by a campfire under a star-filled sky. It was not your typical show, but it was one that almost certainly left a mark on anyone in attendance. 

On the morning of their third show, Dan and Nick returned to their vehicle with plans to drive from Oklahoma to St. Louis, Missouri. It was a sunny day, and though they had been on the road a lot in recent days both performers were in high spirits. The first few hours of their drive went fine, but then something awful happened. While driving down an open freeway, the car hit a pot hole that caused the driver to lose control, flipping Dan’s car on its side. No one inside was injured, and no other vehicles were hit, but the car was totaled. Dan called for help, said goodbye to his car, and booked the first flight home to San Diego. He was also forced to cancel all remaining tour dates, which disappointed countless fans.

As soon I heard the story of Dan’s accident, I immediately reached out to see what I could do to help. He assured me everything was okay and that there was nothing to be done, but something inside me said that was not the whole story. I gave Dan a few hours to collect his thoughts, and when the opportunity arose to speak again he had much more to say. The car involved in the accident was also the car Dan depended on to commute between his two jobs every single day. Those jobs help pay rent and fund recordings, which allows Sledding With Tigers to continue being a band. Without a vehicle, Dan was concerned for his livelihood, as well as that of his band. We put our heads together and developed a plan to raise funds, but his frustration over the events of the weekend remain.

The reason I have chosen to share all of this with you is because the problems Dan faces right now are similar to struggles you will face while trying to make your name known. There was nothing Dan could have done to prevent what happened to him, and now it’s entirely on him to choose how he moves forward from this point. It would be very easy to understand his desire to leave music behind if such thoughts were rolling around his mind, but to his credit the events of recent days seem to have only strengthened Dan’s commitment to his fans and his craft. He may not be able to tour, but he still has his guitar and he still has his voice. More importantly, he still has his fans, and though it took a little convincing he eventually came around to the idea of asking them for help. For the next week only, Antique Records will be selling a limited edition shirt commemorating the accident, with all proceeds going to Dan.

In life, as in your career as a musician, things are going to happen you never expected. Sometimes these things will be good, like learning an influential blog picked up your latest single, but more often than not these little surprises will come in the form of something more disappointing, like your third flat tire in two days on a month-long tour. These moments will test your dedication, not only to music, but to the people you’ve chosen to surround yourself with in this business, and only you can decide what you do in that situation. Will you walk away and lick your wounds? Will you push on, channeling the frustration of the day into your work? Will you piss and moan about how everyone has it better than you? The choice is yours, but know up front that whatever you decide will have a major impact on the future of your career in this business.

When hard times come your way, try and take solace in the fact almost everything that could possibly go wrong for you has gone wrong for others in your position, and many have survived. Some gave in as well, of course, but their names are often forgotten far more quickly than those who stick around. You can and will get through whatever comes at you, and if you need help there is a fan base ready to do whatever they are able to assist you in getting back on your feet. In order for that to happen, however, you need to first swallow your pride and admit that you need help. Once you do, people will come to you and ask what can be done. 

Hard times do not mean the end is near. Do not let life’s unexpected surprises stop you from chasing your dreams. Take deep breaths and tell yourself you will pull through. Then, once you’ve calmed down, examine the paths to recovery available and choose the one that works best for you and your audience. The rest is up to you.

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Why I Write About Music

Thank you for joining us for another installment in our our ongoing Journalism Tips series. We started this column as a way to help aspiring writers get their start in music, but over the couple months we have been evolving into a place writers come to have their questions about life in the business answered. Today we are running a special editorial by our very own James Shotwell about the reason behind his work in music writing. If you have any questions about developing as a writer/blogger in music, please do not hesitate email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.

What makes us fall in love with a song? In all my years on this planet the closest I have ever come to answering that question is a half-assed understanding that everyone connects with music in their own way. What makes my heart soar may bore others to death. Likewise, the hits people cannot get enough of often make me feel like I’ve lost touch with what is ‘trendy’ at the moment. The best you can hope to do is find something that works for you and support that project or group or album or single in whatever way you can. As I am a writer, it’s through the written word that I profess my love and make my admiration known, which is why this post first came to life.

The past week has taken me hallways across the country and back again. My family reside in the midwest, but I have been a resident of Boston – aka the world’s greatest city – for nearly five years. I take vacations every year, but the majority of my ‘free time’ is spent visiting loved ones over a thousand miles away from my tiny, one bedroom apartment. As a result, I have had a lot of time to dig into new music and the records people have been telling me to check out. I don’t have any hard data on the amount of music that has passed through my headphones over the last seven days, but I can think of at least half a dozen albums and a handful of major promotional singles. Most of it was good, some of it was bad, but only one album kept me coming back for more and more: I Can See Mountains.

Full disclosure: I am helping I Can See Mountains press their latest EP, Gone Beachy, to vinyl. You may think that makes me bias, and I guess in a way it probably does, but the only reason I even spoke to the band in the first place about working together was because I had the opportunity to hear Gone Beachy early and immediately felt a strong type of connection to the material that has been unmatched by every other release of 2014. I had no intentions of putting it out at first. In fact, I thought they would probably say no, but when you are so moved by something that you find yourself scrolling to that record or single every time you go to listen to music then I believe it is the responsibility of every music to promote, support, and otherwise nourish that talent as much as they are able. I believe it’s impossible for anyone to truly explain the connection they have with any one release. It may be due in part to the music or lyrics, maybe even the combination of the two, but there is also something else. Something more, if you will. This intangible, impossible to describe force that makes you feel as if the universe has brought this work of art to life solely to reach you in your time of need. You might not even have known you were looking for an answer or a friend, but then the music begins and the feels come flowing out. It happens to everyone, and anyone who tells you otherwise is probably just a little embarrassed by whatever material has grabbed their heart strings. If that applies to you, it’s okay. There is no such thing as a guilty pleasure. There is only the shame you feel because of how society tells you to feel about a certain type of music.

“I swear / you caught me staring / the lighting was awful / but the moment was perfect for me”

When it came to I Can See Mountains and their Gone Beachy EP, my initial connection with the record was forged when the first few notes of “My Aquatic” poured through my speakers at the tail end of May. It’s a dizzying rush of melodic guitar work that is both hypnotic and catchy. More importantly, the evolution between the band’s 2013 full-length and now was obvious from the get go, and as the song played out I began to fall in love with their unique take on Buffalo, NY influenced indie rock all over again. My heart was happy, but I would not say I was moved. It was more intrigue than anything, and it worked well enough to keep me listening as the first track transitioned into the second.

”I looked up at the sun above the trees / bright lights, big city are over me / I’m beat up but not defeated / I’m half raised like a lower case ’t’”

“Bald” begins with a few unassuming chords that feel pulled from a Sunday morning church service and quickly transition into driving and pulsating drum-filled verse that opens with a vision of a night that seems like it will never end. Everyone is taking everything out on our protagonist, who seems firmly transfixed on the challenges of growing up, who speaks and feels far older than his age would lead you to believe. He ponders if he’s truly his own person, or if he’ll simply fall into line like his elders did, but eventually realizes that he’s already started down his own path and only needs to stay focused in order to become the person he always wanted to be.

Listening to this song takes me back to every night over the last decade I have spent questioning my own life and career choices. Living in a city far away from the small town where I grew up, trips home often make me feel like some things never change, which makes me question whether or not we can actually change our own lives. Are we truly capable to create our own destiny, or has fate predetermined the course I will follow, thus negating any reason for me to try and be something different than what I have always been? That’s a tough question for anyone, and I think it’s something we all find ourselves asking at one point or another in our lives. If you’re smart, you eventually decide that regardless of what is actually true you are better off fighting to be who you want to be than settling for anything less. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to see things in that light. “Bald” focuses mainly on those who do, but as with any kind of art there is plenty of room to read between the lines.

”I wanna hold you close / for the record I’m an asshole”

This is where the feels train really begins to pull into the metaphorical station. “She’s My Bobby Orr, Pt. 2” was a song I was immediately curious about as I knew it to be a musical sequel to one of my favorite I Can See Mountains’ songs. To my surprise, it not only entertained, but legitimately moved me to tears on a first play through. It’s not the kind of track you would initially classify as a ‘unique love song,’ but as it plays out it becomes clear that is exactly what the guys in ICSM had in mind when they penned the lyrics at the beginning of the year. There is an urgency to each line, as if you’re listening to one hopeless romantic asking another to close their eyes and jump into one of those crazy things we call a relationship. It’s not just a crush, it’s a full blown romance from day one, and our protagonist is focused solely on conveying his emotion to the one who has caught his eye. He doesn’t want a date or a one night stand. He wants a wife and a family, but only if she wants that too. He wants her to be as happy as her very existence makes him and if that doesn’t melt your heart you may need to double check that their is still a muscle beating in your chest.

When I first heard “She’s My Bobby Orr, Pt. 2” I was not reminded of a single relationship I had actually experienced. Instead, I was taken back to all those random moments on subway trains and crowded streets when your eyes fall on someone who makes every bone in your body tingle with excitement. There is a sexual element, sure, but this – again – is something more. You don’t know how you ever lived before this person crossed your path and you’re immediately fighting the knowledge that in a few brief moments you’ll pass one another and move on with existence (or run to your laptop and post a ‘missed connection’ on Craigslist, which later goes viral because you sound more like a crazy person than someone capable of feeling true emotion).

…But what if you didn’t? What if you saw that person and dropped whatever else you were doing to express just how amazing you think they are even though it’s a feeling you cannot explain. You would probably trip over yourself a bit, foolishly downplaying your own good qualities because something inside tells you to cut yourself down so you don’t sound like a crazy person, which is exactly how the verses play out on “She’s My Bobby Orr Pt. 2.“ They take a chance on honesty and go for broke. I don’t know if the girl the song was written for was won over with the final product, but I sure as hell was, and the same goes for every person I’ve shared the song with to date. If you haven’t heard it yet, do so below:

By the time I realized my iTunes had played “She’s My Bobby Orr Pt. 2” for the sixth consecutive time I knew I had to do something to make more people aware of the recordings found on Gone Beachy. I knew I Can See Mountains had previously worked with Panic Records, which is a company a bit larger than my own label, so I assumed the most we could ever hope to do is collaborate with the guys in ICSM on a feature or two for UTG. That would have been enough in my book because it would have given me the opportunity to express the impact the music had on my life from the very first spin. Something told me I could do more, however, so I wrote the guys on a whim and asked if they would be interested in working with my label (Antique Records) on Gone Beachy. To my surprise, they said yes, and within a week I was placing an order to United Record Pressing for 300 7” vinyl.

I know not everyone who hears Gone Beachy will feel the same way about it that I do. In fact, I anticipated at least a few people will flat out say it sucks, but that’s part of the give and take that comes with being a passionate music fan. This is one of, if not the most subjective of any art form, and the fact anyone can write a song that connects with more than a handful of people is as an absolute miracle. The fact some have the ability to do more than just connect, even moving people to feel certain ways or making certain changes in their life, is something I am in awe of on a daily basis. Every person is different and every relationship is too, but for whatever random twist of evolutionary fate we have learned that we can relate to one another through metaphor and rhyme. That’s astounding.

There will never be a record label for every person who loves music, and the chances that you will ever be in a position to financially support your favorite artist to a significant degree are slim to none, but believe me when I say that those facts in no way downplay the power your voice has to help artists and groups alike. I created UTG for the sole purpose of using my voice to reach artists, and at that point in my life I barely had friends, let alone an audience. It did not take long for people to recognize my passion for music once I began sharing it, and over time that recognition allowed me to do more to help the artists I love. The same can happen to you, even if you have no interest in ever working in the music business full time. If you love something, be it music, art, film, photography, books, podcasts, or anything in between then you should share that love with the world. You never know who will connect with or the lives that you will help change. There are probably a thousand people who feel the same way you do or are going through similar situations, but you never know until you put yourself out there. Once you do that, your audience will begin to find you, and if you’re lucky they too will take it upon themselves to promote your efforts to the those they know and love. Additional connections will be made, networking opportunities will present themselves, and before you know it you will be well on your way to bettering you ability to help the artists you love. Who knows, you might even make a career for yourself in the process, but always remember that if you’re writing about others with personal gain in mind the likelihood you will succeed pretty much bottoms out.

James Shotwell runs the Haulix blog and serves as the founder of Under The Gun Review. He can be found on Twitter talking about entertainment and offering reasons why Boston is greatest city in the continental United States. It’s also one of the most expensive, which is why he willing to move if someone knows of another place he may love. Seriously. His lease is almost up. Do people keep reading this? I guess we shouldn’t let people write their own anymore.

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