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Ecstatic Peace Meet Andrew Kesin, General Manager:
For our first label feature, we decided to sit down with Andrew Kesin, General Manager of Ecstatic Peace Records and Tapes. On the horizon of an exciting summer of new records that see them branching out of the left-field/art-noise territory that established their name et maintaining the very tangible genre-pushing DIY ethic, Andrew took some time out of his day to wax a bit about the label's inception, current state of affairs, and his goals for world takeover.
Thanks to Thurston Moore for being cool with the glorious BBQ snapshot as well.
Terrorbird:You seem to be the right hand man at Ecstatic Peace. How did the label start and what are your main responsibilities?
Thurston actually started the label in 1981 and has built up a catalog of over a hundred releases since that time. I started working with him in '98 on a film project and then became involved in the label, the website etc as a result of some long conversations
on long drives. Thurston has always had this vision for the label that extends beyond the subterranean without leaving the subterranean behind - a label that is able to support work on a multitude of levels which was a very attractive challenge for me. My responsibilities are to essentially run the label on a day to day basis. I handle most of what you would consider "the business" dealings - but I talk to Thurston all the time about a variety of things and we confer with John Silva at times as well. I also work directly with bands, managers, lawyers, foreign distributors, and the folks at Universal to do whatever needs to get done and help us make good decisions on signings, distribution, etc. Right now, we're in an extremely formative stage of our development - setting precedents every day - so communication is important. Driving between our offices in Western Mass and New York gives us time to hash shit
out and working in collaboration with Thurston has been incredibly easy and great. I also do a lot of the graphic design for the label - website, posters, identity, and some CD layout. Thurston also loves to do that stuff- he laid out most of the catalog releases on the label and does the ads in wire, signal to noise, arthur, etc. We both feel strongly connected
to a visual articulation of what we're trying to do and it's been cool to evolve the label's identity a bit.
There seems to be a lot going on with Ecstatic Peace these days. What's up?
We're releasing some great music this summer. Be Your Own Pet(6/6), Awesome Color (6/20), TAM(6/20), Black Helicopter(6/20), PAGODA (8/1), Tall Firs(9/12), Monotract (6/20), Emil Beaulieau(6/20), Tony Conrad/Tony Oursler, and David Watson just to name a few. In the fall we're hoping to have fresh releases from MV + EE, Sunburned Hand of the Man, and so much more great stuff for Spring 07. We're also in the process of working out a deal with a Distributor in London for Europe which we're hoping to have in time to begin releasing records in September. Australia, South America, and Japan will be next but were trying to bite off manageable chunks. Another thing we're getting psyched about is this new Direct Sales option that we're going to be providing to select stores around the country. We'll be doing this mostly as a way of getting our specialty projects out there and to establish good relationships with the stores that are filled with people that really get where we're coming from.
Also, while this isn't about Ecstatic Peace, it's worth noting that the new Sonic Youth record RATHER RIPPED is also dropping on June 13 and it is just totally great. Might even be some radio hits in this! I'm obviously biased but I really am excited about the record...
Ecstaticpeace.com arguably de-emphasizes the actual label aspect, why is that?
The current site is something I designed and programmed in 2 nights. I really wanted it to be direct and deceivingly rich in it's experience. On the surface, it's a tiny little site but if you pay attention you begin to feel the music, the community, the love. And I dug the immediacy of this instant audience for the video I was shooting of some of the great music that comes through this happy little valley all the time. And the traffic reports really began to blow my mind which helped create a lot of the momentum that we're building off of today. We have a new site launching in the next week or two that will contain more of what a "label site" normally consists of but still includes all of what everyone seemed to love about the existing site. It's just like more better. To answer your question more specifically, I don't think I
tried to "de-emphasize the actual label" so much as I wanted to create a vibe that was all about the participants - The Wire called it a NEXUS - which may be overstating it but I was hoping to articulate a certain way of appreciating music and art that is common to so many communities around the globe.
I know there's lots being made in the press of your involvement with Be Your Own Pet, and rightfully so. Tell us what's up with some of the other upcoming artists you're working with.
Be Your Own Pet are getting some nice press and it is deserved because they rule. We're all really looking forward to their June 6 debut full length release. I think this totally rad video shot by Monty Buckles may even get some play on M which would be uber swell. On June 20, we're also releasing full lengths from Awesome Color, TAM, and Black Helicopter: Awesome Color just make me smile- they are so hard working and deserving of whatever credit they get for being this ass kicking turbo riff mongering 70's econoline of a band. I'm so stoked that they are going to get the chance to do some touring with SY this summer and I think the radio will learn to love them as well. TAM is this seductive punk songstress from Montreal that brings a ton of life to every breadth. Great songs with great hooks - she's also trying to figure out how to do some touring this summer. Black Helicopter are this turbo sludge rock band from Boston that
were "birthed from the smoking embers of Green Magnet School and Kudgel" two bands that I used to love and play shows with back in the early-mid 90's in Boston. They're big favorites of Mission of Burma and Mogwai and will probably be doing shows with both over the next year. And then in August we're hoping to release this PAGODA record which just came back from the mastering studio sounding *hot* and then Tall Firs - a soulful wash of whiskey and campfire- in September. Again, hard to know when to stop....
Seems like you are striking an interesting
balance between avant- noise type stuff
(Hair Police, Sunburned Hand of the Man)
outward into other areas. do your bands
have a common ethic?
Well again, I do think there is this way of
approaching music that is about appreciating all sorts of music and completely ignoring boundaries of genre and audience. Derek from Awesome Color has a psycho confrontational noise project on the side, Zack from Black Helicopter plays with Donna Parker, Nathan from Be Your Own Pet plays in a mega minimal punk band called Deluxxin. I would hope that people feel that we are here to support that chaos in whatever way we can and the fact that Thurston himself has
lived that philosophy makes our words ring a bit truer.
Awesome Color is opening this entire upcoming Sonic Youth tour. How did that come about?
Thurston made that happen. Sonic Youth has a tradition of bringing interesting bands on tour that would not otherwise be given that sort of opportunity and that goes for everyone in Sonic Youth. Lee, Steve, and Kim all feel pretty strongly about that and I've been really grateful for how supportive they've been to our bands.
Awesome Color and Be Your Own Pet will follow in a long line of amazing SY supporting bands that includes:
Test, Wolf Eyes, Hair Police, Magik Markers
Double Leopards, Dinosaur (pre- JR), Sebadoh, Pavement, Laughing Hyenas, Necros, Nihilistics, Die Kreuzen, Boy/Dirt/Car, Pain Teens, Unwound, Polvo, Alika's Attic, Red Kross, Mudhoney, Nirvana, STP, Bewitched, Screaming Trees, Beck, Bikini Kill, Cat Power, Descension, These Immortal Souls,Boredoms, 00I00, Afri Rampo, Lightning Bolt, Black Helicopter, Universal Indians, Menstruation Sisters, David S. Ware, Peter Brotzmann, Caspar Brotzmann, Oval, Jackie O Motherfucker, XBXRX, Squirrel Bait, Das Damen, Heart Attack, Swans, Rat At Rat R, Firehose, Saccharine Trust, B.a.l.l.,
Gumball, Cell, St. Johnny, Vermonster,
Crystalized Movements, Borbetomagus, Slovenly, to name a few....
*note: from memory by TM at 12:46 am
Thanks to Thurston Moore for being cool with the glorious BBQ snapshot as well.
Terrorbird:You seem to be the right hand man at Ecstatic Peace. How did the label start and what are your main responsibilities?
Thurston actually started the label in 1981 and has built up a catalog of over a hundred releases since that time. I started working with him in '98 on a film project and then became involved in the label, the website etc as a result of some long conversations
on long drives. Thurston has always had this vision for the label that extends beyond the subterranean without leaving the subterranean behind - a label that is able to support work on a multitude of levels which was a very attractive challenge for me. My responsibilities are to essentially run the label on a day to day basis. I handle most of what you would consider "the business" dealings - but I talk to Thurston all the time about a variety of things and we confer with John Silva at times as well. I also work directly with bands, managers, lawyers, foreign distributors, and the folks at Universal to do whatever needs to get done and help us make good decisions on signings, distribution, etc. Right now, we're in an extremely formative stage of our development - setting precedents every day - so communication is important. Driving between our offices in Western Mass and New York gives us time to hash shit
out and working in collaboration with Thurston has been incredibly easy and great. I also do a lot of the graphic design for the label - website, posters, identity, and some CD layout. Thurston also loves to do that stuff- he laid out most of the catalog releases on the label and does the ads in wire, signal to noise, arthur, etc. We both feel strongly connected
to a visual articulation of what we're trying to do and it's been cool to evolve the label's identity a bit.
There seems to be a lot going on with Ecstatic Peace these days. What's up?
We're releasing some great music this summer. Be Your Own Pet(6/6), Awesome Color (6/20), TAM(6/20), Black Helicopter(6/20), PAGODA (8/1), Tall Firs(9/12), Monotract (6/20), Emil Beaulieau(6/20), Tony Conrad/Tony Oursler, and David Watson just to name a few. In the fall we're hoping to have fresh releases from MV + EE, Sunburned Hand of the Man, and so much more great stuff for Spring 07. We're also in the process of working out a deal with a Distributor in London for Europe which we're hoping to have in time to begin releasing records in September. Australia, South America, and Japan will be next but were trying to bite off manageable chunks. Another thing we're getting psyched about is this new Direct Sales option that we're going to be providing to select stores around the country. We'll be doing this mostly as a way of getting our specialty projects out there and to establish good relationships with the stores that are filled with people that really get where we're coming from.
Also, while this isn't about Ecstatic Peace, it's worth noting that the new Sonic Youth record RATHER RIPPED is also dropping on June 13 and it is just totally great. Might even be some radio hits in this! I'm obviously biased but I really am excited about the record...
Ecstaticpeace.com arguably de-emphasizes the actual label aspect, why is that?
The current site is something I designed and programmed in 2 nights. I really wanted it to be direct and deceivingly rich in it's experience. On the surface, it's a tiny little site but if you pay attention you begin to feel the music, the community, the love. And I dug the immediacy of this instant audience for the video I was shooting of some of the great music that comes through this happy little valley all the time. And the traffic reports really began to blow my mind which helped create a lot of the momentum that we're building off of today. We have a new site launching in the next week or two that will contain more of what a "label site" normally consists of but still includes all of what everyone seemed to love about the existing site. It's just like more better. To answer your question more specifically, I don't think I
tried to "de-emphasize the actual label" so much as I wanted to create a vibe that was all about the participants - The Wire called it a NEXUS - which may be overstating it but I was hoping to articulate a certain way of appreciating music and art that is common to so many communities around the globe.
I know there's lots being made in the press of your involvement with Be Your Own Pet, and rightfully so. Tell us what's up with some of the other upcoming artists you're working with.
Be Your Own Pet are getting some nice press and it is deserved because they rule. We're all really looking forward to their June 6 debut full length release. I think this totally rad video shot by Monty Buckles may even get some play on M which would be uber swell. On June 20, we're also releasing full lengths from Awesome Color, TAM, and Black Helicopter: Awesome Color just make me smile- they are so hard working and deserving of whatever credit they get for being this ass kicking turbo riff mongering 70's econoline of a band. I'm so stoked that they are going to get the chance to do some touring with SY this summer and I think the radio will learn to love them as well. TAM is this seductive punk songstress from Montreal that brings a ton of life to every breadth. Great songs with great hooks - she's also trying to figure out how to do some touring this summer. Black Helicopter are this turbo sludge rock band from Boston that
were "birthed from the smoking embers of Green Magnet School and Kudgel" two bands that I used to love and play shows with back in the early-mid 90's in Boston. They're big favorites of Mission of Burma and Mogwai and will probably be doing shows with both over the next year. And then in August we're hoping to release this PAGODA record which just came back from the mastering studio sounding *hot* and then Tall Firs - a soulful wash of whiskey and campfire- in September. Again, hard to know when to stop....
Seems like you are striking an interesting
balance between avant- noise type stuff
(Hair Police, Sunburned Hand of the Man)
outward into other areas. do your bands
have a common ethic?
Well again, I do think there is this way of
approaching music that is about appreciating all sorts of music and completely ignoring boundaries of genre and audience. Derek from Awesome Color has a psycho confrontational noise project on the side, Zack from Black Helicopter plays with Donna Parker, Nathan from Be Your Own Pet plays in a mega minimal punk band called Deluxxin. I would hope that people feel that we are here to support that chaos in whatever way we can and the fact that Thurston himself has
lived that philosophy makes our words ring a bit truer.
Awesome Color is opening this entire upcoming Sonic Youth tour. How did that come about?
Thurston made that happen. Sonic Youth has a tradition of bringing interesting bands on tour that would not otherwise be given that sort of opportunity and that goes for everyone in Sonic Youth. Lee, Steve, and Kim all feel pretty strongly about that and I've been really grateful for how supportive they've been to our bands.
Awesome Color and Be Your Own Pet will follow in a long line of amazing SY supporting bands that includes:
Test, Wolf Eyes, Hair Police, Magik Markers
Double Leopards, Dinosaur (pre- JR), Sebadoh, Pavement, Laughing Hyenas, Necros, Nihilistics, Die Kreuzen, Boy/Dirt/Car, Pain Teens, Unwound, Polvo, Alika's Attic, Red Kross, Mudhoney, Nirvana, STP, Bewitched, Screaming Trees, Beck, Bikini Kill, Cat Power, Descension, These Immortal Souls,Boredoms, 00I00, Afri Rampo, Lightning Bolt, Black Helicopter, Universal Indians, Menstruation Sisters, David S. Ware, Peter Brotzmann, Caspar Brotzmann, Oval, Jackie O Motherfucker, XBXRX, Squirrel Bait, Das Damen, Heart Attack, Swans, Rat At Rat R, Firehose, Saccharine Trust, B.a.l.l.,
Gumball, Cell, St. Johnny, Vermonster,
Crystalized Movements, Borbetomagus, Slovenly, to name a few....
*note: from memory by TM at 12:46 am
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