I am back with this *12 points* serie! this time it's up to Adam from It's Alive Records, my favourite label! YEAH!
1. When/why did you start? I got your first 7'' signed by Adam and Brett from the Copyrights, just the other night, and they were laughing about how young they look in those pictures.
It's Alive Records started in late 2004 with out first release, The Copyrights "Button Smasher" 7". At that time not many labels were releasing vinyl, especially 7" vinyl. Being that 7"s have always been a favorite format of music of mine, I wanted to try to release one myself. At first I didn't know if I was going to only do the one release, or maybe five, maybe ten or maybe 100!
2. IAR seems to get bigger and better every year. the quality of the records you release is always high. is this your "real" job or you also do something else? what did you do before starting the label?
There is definitely enough work to do running a label that it could be a full time job. Sometimes I put in that much time, but sometimes I do not. The label is not my primary source of income, At best it pays for itself, but nothing else. Nothing is profited personally from it. When I started the label I was working for a big printing company. After 80-something years of business, they went out of business. For the past 6 years I spend my days with my kids, screening shirts in the garage, and running the label.
3. is there any record that you are particulary proud to have released? any of them that took so long and/or were difficult? tell me some stories behind some stuffs that you released!
I am proud of every release, but it is really awesome when one of them does really well. The records I put out by The Copyrights, Teenage Bottlerocket, Dear Landlord, Chinese Telephones and The Dopamines have all been a lot of fun because they did really well and helped build an audience for those bands. Likewise those bands help build an audience for It's Alive Records! Ideally that is how it would always work - the band and label both help each other grow. The releases that took long or were difficult have always experienced delays on the part of the manufacturers. Those stories are boring because there isn't really much to tell. Just a lot of sitting around waiting for records to arrive. On the flipside some records came together really fast. The Dopamines "Vices" LP came together at lightning speed! From the time the band send me audio files and artwork to the time I had finished records in my hand was only 4 weeks! That is less than one month! That kind of turn around time never happens anymore with the pressing plants being as busy as they are.
4. If you have to choose to be member of a band (that you released).. what band would you say? Why?
Ahhhhhh, this is so hard to answer. I am great friends with many of the bands I've released records by. I could say Be My Doppelganger or The Dopamines because I love all those guys to death and toured with both bands for a short while back in 2009. But The Dopamines would probably kill me from too much drinking. Being in The Maxies is something I have actually considered doing on a really limited basis because they live close by and I could wear a sweet costume and hide behind all those fat dudes, who I also love to death.
5. Tell me at least 3 records of the past (or of these past years) that you would like to have released.
Plow United "Marching Band", Lipstick Homicide "Out Utero", The Copyrights "Report"... this list could go on forever!
6. Choose one:
Huntingons or Lillingons? Lillingtons
Mr T Experience or Groovie Ghoulies? Groovie Ghoulies
Queers or Screeching Weasel? Screeching Weasel
Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen? Bob Dylan
Beatles or Rolling Stones? Beatles
Rocket to Russia or Leave Home? Leave Home
Sex on the couch or Sex on the bed? Sex on the couch
Train or Bus? Train
Dark beers or blonde beers? Neither! I don't drink any beer.
Favourite beer? None
Dopamines or Copyrights? Impossible question!
Zooey Deschanel or Katy Perry? Katy Perry
The Clash or Sex Pistols? The Clash
Red wine or White wine? Same answer as the beer question
Genoa or Sampdoria? Uhhhhh, Genoa I guess?
7. What was the first Cd/cassette/record that you ever bought? And the one that made you fall in love with punk rock?
Descendents "Somery" on cassette in 1990
8. What/where was the worst toilet that you have ever taken a shit? tell me the whole story.
Man, I'll shit anywhere anytime. When my daughter was barely two years old I was introducing to shitty toilets all over. Every time we were driving and she told me she had to go we would pull over to the nearest toilet. At only 2 years old she was shitty on some of the worst toilets there are. Gross gas stations and even portable toilets at construction sites. She's a true champion shitter already. She pooped in some bushes once and she thought it was the coolest thing ever.
9. Have you ever been in Italy? (we have the worst toilets!) What was your nicest vacation so far? recommend me some places to visit.
I have never been to Italy or even Europe. It is such a shame. I really wish I went ten years ago when I had a good paying job, no kids and Europeans scene surrounding Stardumb Records was in full force. I regret not having attended any of the Stardumb Rumbles so bad. I would love to visit the Manges up top, Retarded in the middle and The Popsters was down below. I would shit in the worst toilets and still be loving it. The nicest place I have ever been is Hawaii. If you ever get a chance to go, do it!
10. What are your favourite film genres? Mine are horror and porn, of course. Favourite movies? Recommend me 5!
Science Fiction, for sure. I am horrible at making top 5 lists, so I will stick with just sci fi movies.... Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, Alien Resurrection, and Prometheus. Ha! I totally cheated.
11. What are the latest records that you got? Recommend me something! (not from IAR, because you know I already have everything...)
Just got Swingin' Utters "Fistful of Hollow" and it's awesome just like the rest of their catalog of the past 20 plus years. The new Rancid album "Honor Is All We Know" has, like, maybe 4 good jams on it, but I can never give up on that band! The newest album from The Phenomenauts titled "Escape Velocity" is a lot of fun. The Copyrights "Report" is probably the best album to come out this decade, but I am sure you already know about this one.
12. The last one. Plans for the future? new records? new kids? tell me something, what's on your mind and what bands are you working with.
New and returning bands that have records coming out next on It's Alive include Skinny Genes (Solo project of Ace from The Steinways and Houseboat), Oldfriends (local kids who I am loving so much on and off the stage), The Varsity Weirdos (long time friends of It's Alive), Pool Party (the hottest fools around!), The Young Rochelles (killer pop punk in that classic bubblegum style) and Gentlemen Prefer Blood (local homies doing it right). No new kids, unless the vasectomy I got a couple years ago somehow reverses itself. Next year we plan to release a new Dopamines album as well as a collection of singles and rarities. Also planning to do a 10 year anniversary special edition re-release of The Copyrights "Mutiny Pop". Also hoping to do something special for our 100th release. Got any good ideas for that one?!
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