Interview with John Paulsen, President of Talking House Productions
Formed in 2005 by six local musicians, Talking House has become a music powerhouse in the Bay Area - a creative collective under a business roof - consisting of a record label with a highly diverse roster, production company, recording studio, film/T.V. scoring branch and incredibly strong relationship with the local music community. Hosting S.F.-focused events at SXSW and CMJ, recently signing Loquat and Elephone and planning to release a new album every month this year, Talking House Records is building momentum and is positioned to put the Bay Area music scene on the national map.
Q: What is Talking House's focus, music-wise?
A: We always go for whatever gets us excited about creating - great songs, an interesting approach, musicians we love, high-quality stuff ... It never mattered to us what genre we were working with as long as the music is good and we're enjoying it. We're extremely lucky that we don't have to worry about studio budgets because we own our own studio, so we can really focus on artistic vision and getting that right.
Q: What approach do you take with the label side of the company?
A: We need to do the best job we can to find the audience that resonates with each artist. For an indie label, it's always a challenge to help break an artist past the key barriers like mainstream media coverage or radio and T.V. exposure that can lead to a sustainable career, so we have to look at any opportunity and every level of exposure as being important and be very flexible in where we spend our time and resources.
Q: How do you keep up with changes in the industry?
A: Besides staying up on our reading, we try to stay close to the community, keep talking and listening. But one thing that's not hard to figure out is that great music will always be great music. With great content, we believe the audience will always embrace their artists, regardless of how or where they buy their music.
Q: What are you most excited about right now in this chapter of Talking House?
A: I'm personally really excited about [producing] the new Scissors For Lefty album because those guys are such amazing songwriters and they're ridiculously fun in the studio. I'm also thrilled at The Matches' album and how much the fans have embraced it. And of course, we're always excited for the chance to meet and work with new Bay Area musicians for our local shows and the showcases we bring to other cities, like SF x SXSW. We're out to support the whole Bay Area scene, not just our own Talking House artists.
Q: From your experience, what is the most important thing for artists to keep in mind when deciding to make music a career?
A: Make music the way you love to make music - nobody can predict trends and anyway, chasing trends is no fun and doesn't lead to the best music or product. Once you're making music you love, you just have to keep working at it, getting it out there until something happens. There is no end date and the job certainly isn't over once you get a record deal or even after your record is done - that's when the hardest work starts! It's not easy. You have to work harder than any other entrepreneur.
Q: Are you accepting demos?
A: Yes - we're very interested in finding musicians we haven't met yet.
Q: Fun fact about Talking House?
A: In 2006, we were honored to break in our new studios with a blessing from Lama Dhondup Gyaltsen, a close advisor and friend to the Dalai Lama - and a chant jam session. Of course he was talented at the chant, but man, who'd have thought he'd wail on a Strat too!
www.thpro.com
www.threcords.com
The Starry Plough Comes Back To Life
Gone are the days of poor sound at The Starry Plough. The renowned Irish Revolutionary watering hole, which has been hosting live music seven days a week at 3101 Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley for the last 30 years, recently underwent a major revamp. Faced with dwindling sound and interest from the local music community, owners Rose Hughes and Mehrdad Naima decided to make a significant investment in the space and are reestablishing the venue's reputation as one of the East Bay's premier houses of music, with help from new venue development consultant/program director Matthew "Smitty" Smith.
Installing a full Meyer PA with full-size fills and subs, multi-monitor mixes and a 24-channel board, Starry Plough has also received an interior and exterior facelift with a redone floor, entrance way and marquee, as well as new tables and chairs and the return of the venue's large collection of revolutionary posters on its walls. They also installed new bathrooms so there are two ladies' rooms and one men's room. In addition to these renovations, the Starry Plough will also see an overhaul in its programming.
"I've really been working hard to expand the genres of music that we book," Smith recently told Performer. "We were known for years as nothing but a punk rock/indie rock/alt-country club. I'm staying true to this, but have been working with a lot more funk and jazz and world music, and even some hip-hop and jam bands." Smith also said that he is upping the ante a bit, making the guidelines for booking more stringent. "We're looking for bands that will promote well and have a fairly solid draw in the area - at least 35-40 people during the week, and 75 and up on the weekend."
Smith is putting more care in building the bills as well, finding common themes for each show instead of trying to fit every genre into one night, as had been the practice in the past. Starry Plough will continue its weekly open mic and poetry slams, and touring bands are welcome. "If I see a band that has a lot of potential and press coming into town, and I can get them on a bill where they will get some exposure, I'm always open to do that," Smith said. Smith does note, however, that he only accepts solicited physical submissions and instructs that booking requests are done via email at starryploughbooking@yahoo.com six to eight weeks in advance. (Detailed instructions on website.)
www.starryploughpub.com |
In the News
On July 22, WHY? and Cryptacize will see the release of their new split 7-inch on Asthmatic Kitty. On the record, Cryptacize covers Steely Dan's "Peg" and WHY? covers Bob Dylan's "As I Went Out One Morning." Part of the label's Unusual Animals series, which pairs an Asthmatic Kitty artist with an "unlikely non-Asthmatic Kitty artist," each 7-inch has an unusual animal on the cover; this one will feature the West Indian manatee. Both bands will be overseas touring Europe this month.
www.myspace.com/
cryptacize
www.myspace.com/
whyanticon
The Dodos have been picking up speed since the release of their sophomore album, Visiter, this past March. After a European tour and the debut of their music video for "Fools" on MTV2's Subterranean, the duo will continue touring the States. The band is scheduled to perform at the Siren Music Festival in Brooklyn, N.Y. on July 19, followed by the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago, Ill. on July 20 and the Capitol Hill Block Party in Seattle, Wash. on July 25, then will return to Europe for a handful of festival dates in early August.
www.dodosmusic.net
Bellavista recently signed to Germany's KNTRST Records for the territories of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and was sent to open for And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead during their European tour this past May. Signed to Take Root Records in the States, the trio has been getting a considerable amount of placement on ads and compilations at home, and is working on a new album.
www.myspace.com/
bellavistapsychbeat
Oakland's Faun Fables have a new four-song EP on the way. Titled A Table Forgotten, the album will be officially released July 22 via their label, Drag City. The band has been selling pre-release copies of the EP during its recent Western U.S. tour.
www.faunfables.net
On July 8, hard rock trio Totimoshi will release its new album, Milagrosa, on Volcom Entertainment. The album was produced by Helmet's Page Hamilton. Totimoshi will celebrate the release with a show at 12 Galaxies.
www.myspace.com/
totimoshi
Anticon's Odd Nosdam recently released a two-disc collection of remixes, B-sides, videos and original songs titled Pretty Swell Explode. Compiling the odds and ends created around the making of his last two albums, Burner and Level Live Wires, the collection includes remixes of Boards of Canada, Block Moth Super Rainbow and Thee More Shallows and consists of an album and EP.
www.anticon.com
Tricyle Records has added two new bands to its roster: The Reverse and One Becomes One Hundred. Both bands celebrated CD releases last month, One Becomes One Hundred having a double release show with now labelmate The Union Trade.
www.tricycle-
records.com
San Francisco's Last of the Blacksmiths recently released its second album Young Family Song on Vanguard Squad, following up its self-titled 2005 debut. The trio, who recently parted ways with bassist Jake Bunch, will make an in-studio appearance on Davis radio station KVDS on July 11, with a show at Sophia's Thai Kitchen scheduled later that night.
www.lastofthe
blacksmiths.com
On July 29, Santa Rosa rapper Shaya will release his debut record Fallen Awake on Interdependent Media. For the album's 14 tracks, the MC enlisted help from multiple producers, including The ARE (Lords of the Underground) and Jake One (50 Cent, Freeway).
www.myspace.com/
theroyalseal
Capping a handful of dates up the West Coast, San Francisco trio Aoede, which features singer/songwriter Lisa Sniderman, will play on July 1 at ToST Lounge in Seattle to support its recently self-released LP, Push and Pull.
www.aoedemuse.com
The John Francis Imposters will release their new full length, Sunkfrancisco Frankenstance, on July 8 through Rerum Novarum Records. The album's 10 songs were recorded at Tiny Telephone Studio with Aaron Prellwitz and marks the follow-up to the Imposters' On The Moments We Share EP. The trio, led by guitarist/singer Jack Francis and featuring drummer Ilk Koskelo (We Be the Echo) and bassist Paul Slack (Planets), plans to tour the West Coast this summer.
www.thejohn
francis.com
Oakland dream-pop four-piece Sentinel recently self-released its latest full-length offering, Kites Without Strings. The follow-up to 2007's Sequels and Hunches EP features eight songs written and recorded by vocalist/bassist Tarabud and guitarist Dennis Bestafka in their home studio. Local shows in support of the record are in the works.
www.myspace.com/
sentinel
Reggae artist Tim Balajadia, originally from Guam and now residing in San Francisco, recently recorded his 12-track debut album at Different Fur Studios in San Francisco. Mixed, mastered and produced by Duane Ramos, the album is titled Rebels Conscience and is due for release in August.
www.myspace.com/
timbalajadiamusic
After returning home from their recent West Coast tour, The Blank Tapes haven't slowed down one bit. Gigging around the greater Bay Area for the beginning of the month, the band will head down to Southern California at the end of this month for a handful of shows in Los Angeles and Orange County.
www.theblank
tapes.com
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