Crumb Records Takes a Holistic Approach

Started in June, San Diego’s Crumb Records is an independent label with a grassroots focus and dedication to the local music community. “The main reasoning behind the start of it was to give more of the old-school grassroots type of support to artists,” founder Shosh McCabe told Performer.

Crumb’s first signee is Sharon Hazel Township, a San Diego-by-way-of-Chicago songwriter. “I heard a whiff of [Township] when she first started out,” said McCabe, “then I heard more about her when she moved out to San Diego and saw that she developed really well as an artist and was playing everywhere and was really passionate about things. Also, most of her proceeds she donated to charity and we really liked that. So we’re looking for someone kind of like us, who is starting out new, and we want to grow and develop together.”

Taking it slow this first year and focusing all their efforts on developing Township and establishing themselves, Crumb Records will eventually start looking to expand its roster. Instead of genre, McCabe said what matters to them is the artist’s passion. “They could play at The Whiskey or play in a subway and just be happy they’re playing,” said McCabe of an ideal future signee. “The goal is to really make it about the person and the whole art itself. I understand we’re a record label and we obviously want to sell records, but really, we want to introduce the entire person and what they’re about to people, in addition to their songs and their craft.”

McCabe and Crumb Records also have their sights on putting together a music festival next year. “Something to give back to San Diego in some way, shape or form,” said McCabe. “I love San Diego.”

www.myspace.com/crumbrecordssandiego

Venue Profile

Lollicup Coffee &Tea:

Escondido Café Supports Local artists

Open for just over a year, Lollicup Coffee & Tea in the heart of Old Escondido is already gaining respect in the SoCal music community for its Friday night live music showcases. With its intimate setting and dedicated live music focus, Lollicup not only offers a great venue for burgeoning artists, but aims to support them as well as jump start the Escondido area music scene. “There are a great number of really talented up-and-coming musicians growing here and we look forward to the day when the Escondido main street (Grand Avenue) becomes something akin to the Gaslamp in San Diego,” Lollicup music coordinator Julia Jackson told Performer. “We know that supporting music, especially local musicians, will go a long ways in making that happen.”

Format: Typically two to three artists per showcase, with set lengths ranging from 45 minutes to one hour, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Genres: Lollicup prefers singer/songwriters, acoustic, blues and jazz. Local and touring musicians alike are welcome, though local musicians get special love.

Stage: Carpeted and set in the corner, near the front window. Two to three artists can fit comfortably on the stage, but full drum sets are discouraged.

Sound: Full PA system with two wall monitors/speakers, two mics, two straight mic stands, one boom mic stand, four guitar cables, four mic cables and a Carvin mixer.

Capacity: Lollicup can seat up to 60 people in-house, not including the front patio.

Booking: Booking is done by Julia Jackson through Lollicup Music’s MySpace page (www.myspace.com/juliajackson88), the booking line, (760) 504-1744, and through email (juliajackson88@gmail.com). Musicians can also stop by the store and leave a card or contact info for Julia. With all submissions, it’s best to include a website/CD, though Julia also does live auditions.

Address: 119 East Grand Avenue, Escondido, CA 92025

www.myspace.com/juliajackson88

In the News

Summer records released in fall: Rafter’s September 9 EP release, Sweaty Magic. San Diego’s boy of pop freeform collects seven new, distinctly more urgently danceable songs from his song-a-day project on the experimental-side-of-pop label, Asthmatic Kitty Records.

www.myspace.com/

rafterroberts

San Diego’s notorious all-ages summer block party, Street Scene will make its seminal return to the Downtown streets where it originated in 1984, featuring 40 bands on four stages over the course of two days. Scheduled for September 19-20, the focus is primarily national artists, with Beck, TV on the Radio, Cat Power, Del the Funky Homosapien, Vampire Weekend and The New Pornographers, among many others, topping the bill. San Diego’s The Muslims and L.A.’s Dengue Fever and West Indian Girl will be representing the local contingent.

www.street-scene.com

Following the Rounder Records re-issue of their previously self-released debut album, Ode to Sunshine, Delta Spirit is in the midst of an extensive nationwide tour. The San Diego indie rockers will hit the West Coast mid-month.

www.myspace.com/

deltaspirit

On September 28, San Diego jazz improv ensemble Cosmologic will appear at the Ensenada Jazz Festival in Baja California. The group released its fourth album, Eyes in the Back of My Head, earlier this year, partnering for the first time with East Coast label Cuneiform Records.

www.cosmologic.org

San Diego’s A Scribe Amidst the Lions recently released Sunken Cities, its widely anticipated sophomore album. Mastered by Matt Reynolds at Sushifish Studios, the disc holds 13 songs, but skips the unlucky number in the tracklisting, with the final track marked 14.

www.ascribeamidst

thelions.com

“An eight man band that consists of two people,” San Diego’s Architect Sketch recently released a new five-song EP, Communication In Cases For Which No Other Form Is Applicable, via Portico Records. The album was recorded and mixed by Mario Quintero at Black Box Studios in San Diego and is the project of bassist Andy Kondrat and drummer Greg Gerardi.

www.myspace.com/

architectsketch

The Burning of Rome, a thrillingly eerie avant-garde seven-piece out of San Diego, finished up the summer with a handful of festival dates including last month’s North by North Park and the SoCo Music Experience. The band recently released its sophomore album, Death-Pop, a 14-song record claimed to have been recorded in the core of Venus during the Summer of Love, MMVII.

www.theburningof

rome.com