Western Massachussetts is practically synonymous with free folk, noise, and drone, to say nothing of art collectives. Brattleboro, Vermont has MV/EE’s crew and a Wire cover story. Providence enjoys the already-mythologized days of Fort Thunder, Lightning Bolt, and Load Records. New York has, well … New York City and the Burroughs. But what about upstate New York? Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, Troy, Binghamton, Ithaca … all nice communities with local scenes, yet they don’t exactly call to mind a unified underground network or musical community.
But that is changing. Jackson of Flipped Out Records and the psyche/drone/improv band & collective Burnt Hills has been laboring tirelessly for many years to support new music in the Albany area. One of the recent members to enter Jackson’s fold is Eric Hardiman. Hardiman came to Delmar, NY (near Albany) after spending time in the DC and Bay area music scenes. After becoming involved in Burnt Hills and enjoying Jackson’s support and mentorship, Hardiman decided in April of 2007 that the time was right to start his own CD-R label. By June, Tape Drift Records was born.
We first found out about the label by reading a review of one of Tape Drift’s first releases (VxPxC) at Noiseweek earlier this summer, and we immediately contacted Eric to ask if he’d like to talk to Popcorn Youth about his new label, his side project Century Plants, and the Burnt Hills universe. He very graciously agreed, and what follows is the transcript of our email discussions about the new label, the Burnt Hills collective, the sprawling world of likeminded underground labels, the Albany music community, and more. We would like to thank Eric for his thorough and timely response, and we’d like to wish him, and the Burnt Hills collective, all the best in their future endeavors.
Burnt Hills will be playing on Sunday at the Brattleboro “Festival of Endless Gratitude” on the same bill as the Northampton Wools (Thurston Moore and Bill Nace) and MV/EE.
Popcorn Youth: When did you start the label, and what was the motivation for taking up the project?
Eric Hardiman: I started plans for the label in April of this year, and it was officially launched at the beginning of June, so it’s still very new right now. I decided to start off with an initial launch “trilogy,” making my first three releases available all at once. This seemed to make the most sense, given that I feel the works complement each other nicely and I was excited to put them all out. Having all three go out at once has been quite nice - people have been willing to try out new things and many have bought copies of each release. Having single releases might not have had the same effect.
I’ve been an avid consumer of music my whole life, and spent many years doing college radio back in the late 80s, so I knew a little about the way labels were run. I’ve always been intrigued by record labels and the choices that went into what they released. The thought of starting one of my own was appealing, yet inertia took hold, and I never did anything about it until this year. After meeting some like-minded souls in Albany, starting to play with Burnt Hills, and talking to other label heads, it just hit me that the time was right.
My main motivation for starting Tape Drift was to help get this music out and spread it around. If I can help some of the sounds on my label find happy homes and ears, then I’m completely happy. I also wanted to meet new people and get involved with the underground music community in a qualitatively different way than just as a listener. I hoped that by starting a label, I would be able to build connections and friendships with people far and wide doing similar things. That’s been happening already, and it’s been wonderful.
Popcorn Youth: How much labor was involved in getting operations underway, and how long did it take you from the moment of conception to the reality of your first release?
Eric Hardiman: There’s some labor involved, but I’ve got no reason to complain about it. It’s a labor of love and something I want to do. There are a few moments when I’m exhausted and practically cross-eyed from all of the folding, cutting, and pasting, but one simple email from a happy customer in Australia or Norway makes that feeling disappear pretty quickly. The conception of the label took hold in the early part of this year, mainly as I watched Jackson from Flipped Out Records run his label. I was probably the classic case of a frustrated musician who hacked away at many instruments at home but never took the next step to get involved in a band or project. I was incredibly fortunate to meet Jackson and be invited into the Burnt Hills fold. We’re essentially a collective, and the band vibe is totally warm and open. We jam every week and people float in and out. Becoming part of the Burnt Hills community and witnessing Jackson’s philosophy in action was instrumental in inspiring me to move forward with the label.
In large part, music is about community to me. It’s about sharing an experience with other people, making friends, and engaging in the creative process with other people. Jackson’s been running his own label and online record shop for many years, so he was able to not only encourage me, but also to guide me and to give me useful advice.
So the label idea was in my head, but still just sitting there until April. My friend Ray and I got together to play music one weekend. Many hours and minidiscs later, Century Plants had been born. We had no intention of starting a band, but we were both blown away my how much fun we were having making music and recording it that it just made sense. We clicked really well musically and had similar viewpoints about the whole process. Once we started to solidify as Century Plants, it seemed natural to view the label idea as a way to let some other people hear what we were doing.
The most important thing to me is having fun, being totally free musically, and not worrying too much about the final product. That’s a carryover from Jackson’s philosophy in Burnt Hills. Anything goes, as long as it’s pure and honest and about having fun. We don’t plan things out musically, we don’t talk about it in advance, and we try to just let things happen as they will. I think there’s a purity in that process that comes through in the recordings, and is in contrast to the predominant aesthetic in the larger music industry today.
Popcorn Youth: Are there other labels that you modeled yourself upon, or that you took as a guiding light or primary inspiration?
Eric Hardiman: There are so many labels I’ve looked up to over the years. I’ve always been drawn to DIY ideas and inspired by people who release their own music. Seeing labels do their own thing regardless of current trends has helped me hone my own vision for the label. Having grown up in the DC area, Dischord was an inspiration in terms of how to run a business the right way, without screwing the customer, following your own passions musically, and making integrity be a central part of what you do as a label. Ecstatic Peace, Siltbreeze, Crank Automotive, Corpus Hermeticum, Pseudo Arcana, VHF, Last Visible Dog, Corwood, and Time-Lag have all been huge inspirations to me. All of these are labels that have followed their own vision and been true to the music without selling out or watering themselves down. I knew that if I picked up a record from any of these labels, I would not only get quality, but also have my mind opened up a little bit more. That’s been key for me since day one - looking for musical experiences (bands, records, labels, shows) that really push me to think in new ways.
In recent years, I’ve been able to sit back and watch the CDr explosion, with micro-labels seemingly popping up everywhere. it’s never been so easy to start a label, and that’s a great thing. I worried a bit at first that there were simply too many labels out there right now, and I would be perceived as just jumping on the bandwagon. But Jackson really helped me see that if my reasons for doing the label were pure, there was no need to worry about reactions and perceptions. Manhand Records, Ruralfaune, Celebrate Psi Phenomenon, Phantom Limb, House of Alchemy, Digitalis, Foxglove, Music Your Mind Will Love You, and tons of other labels have been recent inspirations. I don’t think I’m anywhere near the quality of what these folks are doing, but they’re great examples to strive for.
Popcorn Youth: How did you choose your first releases, and how difficult was it to make arrangements?
Eric Hardiman: The first release was “Sound System Sound” by Century Plants. Since that’s just me and Ray, it was easy to decide. We knew we wanted to let other people hear our music, and the decision to put something out on Tape Drift was easy to make. It’s a pretty raw, noisy and loud record, but it felt like the right one to start with for us. Our next few releases on other labels show different sides to what we do, but this was the one that really got us motivated to put stuff out there.
The second release, “Lizard in the Spring,” is from (VxPxC). I’d been reading about them online for awhile, and finally got copies of some of their music late last year. I was intrigued by it and more importantly by their stated philosophy of music. They struck me as a nice blend of improvisational creation and conceptual philosophy. They clearly are striving for something artistic, yet don’t get mired down in the pretense that often goes with the territory. They’re incredibly prolific and seem to love making music for the fun of it, ideas that resonate with me. I starting emailing back and forth with Grant Capes to let him know about the label idea and see if he’d be interested. From the beginning he was enthusiastic about the project and working with us. He’s also releasing a Century Plants cdr (“Fingers”) for us, so that worked out great for everyone. I’m really happy with how “Lizard” turned out - it’s a different slice of the (VxPxC) pie and adds another layer of mystery to their work. People have been responding so well to this release, and it’s gotten some really nice reviews on various blogs.
Then the third release, “Cloud Nine,” is from Burnt Hills. I started playing guitar in Burnt Hills last year, and it’s been a life-changing experience. We’ve all been on a musical high in the last six months or so, recording every time we play, and being really happy with the sound of the tapes. I heard the tapes that became Cloud Nine and I knew I had to release them. Jackson got his nephew Max to do the cover art. There’s been a nice buzz growing about Burnt Hills, based on good reactions to the Flipped Out releases and a cassette on Throne Heap. I really hope people hear this one - it’s an absolutely killer session, very intense and relentless, but also very pure and focused.
Popcorn Youth: What is the community for experimental music and labels like in your area (i.e., Delmar, New York, near Albany)?
Eric Hardiman: The community for experimental music in Albany is a bit lacking, to be honest. There are a few bright spots, mostly across the river in Troy, with the iEAR series and some of the stuff going on around RPI. There’s much more of an experimental scene in Western Massachussetts, which isn’t too far. But in Albany, there just isn’t much in the way of support for non-mainstream music. I was very frustrated with that, having moved here from the Bay Area, and then DC before that, both thriving music scenes. What I’ve realized lately though is that it doesn’t matter as much as I had once thought. Finding the Burnt Hills crew has opened up such a warm and welcoming community for me that it’s all I really need. Of course, it’d be great to have a larger “scene” with places to play, audience support, and more interest, but those things are all totally secondary to having a small group of friends that I can create music and hang out with. And who knows, maybe things will change in the future and we’ll branch out to building a larger local audience. For now, we’re completely happy to just play in the basement, make records, and connect with people all over the world through the recordings.
Popcorn Youth: Burnt Hills and PoG are two recording artists from Albany, NY, but unfortunately may readers may not know much about them, or about the Albany music world - how much presence does Burnt Hills have, how closely connected are Albany musicians on the underground/experimental side of things, what is the atmosphere like there for doing this kind of music?
Eric Hardiman: Jackson, the owner of Flipped Out, has done more for the Albany scene for experimental and outsider music than anyone I can think of. He’s totally passionate about music, and full of generosity when it comes to creating opportunities to play music and put records out. He and his wife have been hosting shows in the basement of their house, usually with Burnt Hills playing and bands from out of town that are coming through on tour. It’s infinitely better than going to a club - homemade food, good people, good music, none of the annoyances of being in a club environment. In the past year, we’ve played there with Bill Nace and Chris Cooper, the Hardline Elephants (Dennis Tyfus and company) from Belgium, Demons (with Nate Young from Wolf Eyes), Sick Llama, Sightings, and La Otracina. Soon we’re playing with Soil Sing Through Me (featuring Ron from Sunburned Hand of the Man and Spirit of Orr), and then Dead Machines after that.
Wovoka is the project of Johnny Lynch from Burnt Hills. He’s put out three absolutely amazing releases, to extensive critical acclaim. Time-Lag is reissuing the first two soon for folks who missed out. PoG is the solo project of Paula, another Burnt Hills member. She dropped it on us by surprise one night, and everybody was psyched about that. We’re all eagerly awaiting her next one. Both of these are great examples of how we’ve managed to inspire each other to create new music and put records out. I wouldn’t have had the courage to do Century Plants without seeing everyone else doing these things. Seeing firsthand how all this was possible was great for me. A few Burnt Hills members also play in various indie rock bands such as Gun Christmas too.
Popcorn Youth: While we’re on the subject, can you tell us more about your project, Century Plants? As in, what is your compositional and improvisational approach? What sorts of gear do you use? Do you use alternate tunings?
Eric Hardiman: We started with just guitars and a variety of other household sound sources. We’ve started to experiment with new things recently, doing more drone-oriented stuff, using microphones and various effects. We’ve got some stuff coming out soon that sounds totally different than “Sound System Sound,” but I also think it has some sonic continuity too. We don’t compose anything in advance. One of us usually just starts with an idea, and we see where it takes us. We try to do a lot of listening to each other, and inevitably the pieces that end up on the releases just emerge out of nowhere. We’ve pretty quickly realized that overthinking the whole process isn’t much fun and doesn’t often lead to our best work. The improvisational element is key for us - letting the sound develop in the moment, and shaping it as we go. We do sometimes use alternate tunings, and we often use the guitar as a sound source in non-traditional ways as well.
Popcorn Youth: Can you tell us more about each of your releases, and about the bands/musicians/artists whom you have released?
Eric Hardiman: Century Plants is myself and Ray Hare. We both also play in Burnt Hills and Ray used to be the lead singer in Deadline, one of the original DC hardcore bands (which featured Brendan Canty from Fugazi on drums). We play experimental mostly guitar-based improv stuff. We’ve got cdr and cassette releases coming out on lots of labels in the next few months, including Phantom Limb, Cut Hands, Abandon ShipMusic Your Mind Will Love You, and Peasant Magik. Records,
(VxPxC) is a trio from Los Angeles, who have been extremely prolific in the cdr and cassette underground. They’re one of the few bands I’ve found that really crosses every genre boundary possible. They’re not noise, they’re not experimental, they’re not indie. But they’re all of these things and many more mixed and blended together. They also work improvisationally and record very quickly.
Led by Jackson from Flipped Out Records, Burnt Hills is a free noise/rock/psych collective. It’s hard to describe what we do, but it’s always fun, and I think that comes through in the records. Tons of guitar, often a bass or two, and up to four drummers on any given night. We just follow the music. It really has a life of its own and we just go with the flow and mystery of it all.
Popcorn Youth: What has the response been like, and what are your feelings about belonging to the burgeoning world of small noise and experimental labels?
Eric Hardiman: The response has been great so far. I have had a nice little handful of individuals ordering all of the releases, sight unseen. That to me is very exciting - sending a batch of releases out to somebody in rural Australia and hopefully giving him or her some thrilling new music that they can’t find elsewhere. I’ve had lots of stores and distributors around the world carrying the titles, so I can’t complain about the reaction at all. I’m hoping more reviews of the music will be floating in soon, but so far everything’s been positive. I’ve gotten some really nice emails from folks saying how much they love the music, so to me that’s enough.
I’m honored to be part of a small world of noise and experimental labels right now. I’m not sure I’d label Tape Drift either noise or experimental though. We’re open to any new and interesting music out there. I do feel a connection with other home-run labels doing the DIY thing, and I think that transcends genres and/or styles of music. It’s a great time to be putting music out. There’s so much amazing music out there that never gets heard by people. I’ve heard complaints about there being too many labels and too many releases, not enough quality control, etc. But I think it’s wonderful - why not? If people have to work a little harder to sort through more releases and find stuff that speaks to them, that’s ok with me. That’s part of the fun in being a music consumer, you know? My attitude is the more the merrier. If people are creating exciting music and want to release it into the world, great.
Popcorn Youth: What future releases do you have planned for the label?
Eric Hardiman: Lots of great stuff in the near future. I’m most excited right now about a Slow Listener release I’m putting together. It’s the solo project of Robin Dickinson who lives in Brighton, England. Really phenomenal stuff - he put out a few very well received releases on Celebrate Psi Phenomenon and Ruralfaune. His new material is even better, and I’m really looking forward to helping spread his sound around. I’ll also be doing a very special Birchville Cat Motel release soon too. Campbell Kneale’s work has been a cornerstone for me in the last five or six years. I can’t think of a more consistent and inspiring musician out there, and I’m thrilled to be able to work with him on putting this out. Other future projects for Tape Drift include a Sabbath PinkTerracid. cdr, and hopefully an overseas collaboration between Century Plants and Terracid.
For me, a lot of the fun with the label is not entirely knowing where it’s going next. Finding new inspiration and helping to get unknown music out there into the hands of appreciating listeners is always the goal.