q and also a :: Fire Talk Records
And now, a special q and also a. Trevor Peterson of Fire Talk Records sent us these answers to our questions in contemplation of their 10 Year Anniversary!
q: What’s the last song you (really) heard?
a: I just heard a new song from Fran, a new artist on the label and I’ll tell you it moved me to tears. I can’t wait for everyone else to really hear this one.
q: What is the first album you remember purchasing for yourself?
a: Oh wow, it was certainly a cassette tape, likely a cassingle as opposed to album and it’s between the “Hangin Tough†New Kids on the Block single or possible the “Whoomp there it Is†cassingle. I’m going to lean toward New Kids – I was a huge fan from 7 – 9 years old.
q: What is one of your favorite memories of experiencing music in a live setting?
a: A very top memory is the first time I saw Baby Birds Don’t Drink Milk play, it’s actually what inspired me to take the leap and release records in a more tangible way. It was probably 2009 or 20010 and I was living in Denver Colorado at the time, the birthplace of Fire Talk. I would frequently go to shows by myself at a space called Rhinoceropolis. It was a random Tuesday or something and I was excited to see them because I had seen some of the members play a set as Boo and Boo II a few months prior and it below me away. Anyway, this happened to be a duo set, Drew and Oscar whom I hadn’t yet met. It must have taken them 45 minutes to set up all their gear, I’m talking probably 40 or 50 pedals, a floor tom, guitars, all kinds of stuff connected together on blankets in the center of the floor. I expected this to be some sort of harsh noise set based on the sheer amount of electronics, like there’s no way all of that stuff together could turn out anything else. Then they started playing, harmonizing vocally and making the most beautifully angelic Beach Boys-esque skewed pop and I was hooked. I was so inspired that I tracked them down a bit later and offered to press a CD-R I had purchased to Vinyl. That record is called “Skeletor and Me†and is the 7th or 8th Fire Talk release, the first for an artist I barely knew.
q: What is the last album that you purchased?
a: Weak Signal’s LP1. Absolutely killer record from a new local NYC group.
q: What is the best and worst things about running a label in 2019?
a: The best is the same as always, I get to work with artists and help get their music into the world. Worst is likely the same thing in any industry, cutting through the noise and actually reaching humans. There’s a lot of digital roadblocks that require extra care in navigating in 2019, it’s the worst but it’s also not, the challenge is the drive I suppose.
q: What should we know about the latest Fire Talk releases?
a: We’re going relatively hard this year, the main thing you should know is that we have new releases and they’re all worth listening to. Dark Tea’s Self Titled debut. Patio’s debut “Essentialsâ€. Dehd’s new record “Waterâ€, Halfsour’s new one “Stickyâ€, Erasers’ “Pulse Points†and Campfires’ “Fare Traxâ€.
q: What should we be looking forward to for the second half of 2019?
a: The aforementioned Fran record is certainly something to be excited about , there’s also new albums from Weeping Icon, Gold Dime. New singles from Deeper, Monteage and a couple more things in the works. All equally exciting!
(Ed. Note: this single came out in March, new Monteagle coming soon!)
q: What do you have planned for the 10th Anniversary of Fire Talk?
a: We’re doing two shows for Fire Talk’s 10th Anniversary, one in Chicago at Thalia Hall with Dehd, Deeper, Patio & Fran on August 30th. Then, in NYC on September 5th we have Dehd, Deeper, Patio & Media Jeweler at Baby’s All Right. We’re also releasing a very limited 3 X LP set which you can read all about here.
q: Any reflections on running an independent label for ten years!?
a: Wow, yeah so many ha! I think it’s always best to stay optimistic, I’ve had the chance to work with a ton of talented humans that make incredible art and hopefully I’ll get to do it for another 10.
Fire Talk is on the internet
Fire Talk is on Twitter
Fire Talk is on Facebook
Fire Talk is on Tumblr
Fire Talk is on Soundcloud
Fire Talk is on Spotify
Fire Talk is on Youtube
