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May 14th, 2007

Interview with Ezra Caraeff of Slowdance Records

I met Ezra Caraeff of Slowdance Records when he was selling merch for the Jealous Sound and the tour was coming through Denver around 8 years ago. I was really excited to see my buddy Dave Brown who ran Holiday Matinee and Better Looking Records and was on much of the tour. Ezra explained that Dave left back for home right before the Denver date. We ended up speaking quite a bit and have on and off again for the past 7 years. The label began in San Diego, but he has been running the label from his house in Portland, Oregon for the past 7 years.

The label is best known for putting out records for the Velvet Teen, but Slowdance has put out records for acts like The Crosstide, 89 Cubs, the Kissing Tigers, The New Trust and more.

I have always dug the music that Slowdance has put out and although they are not a huge label, their releases deserve to be noticed. I am proud to share this with Ezra Caraeff; thanks so much for taking the time to do this interview.

A note on the photo from Ezra, “No good headshots, do here is my leg and favorite book, pictured at the lovely Seoul airport. They have free wi-fi and sleepy couches for all.”

IndieHQ: When did your label start? What inspired you to start the label? Where is your label based? Do you do the label full time? What don’t most people know about you/your label?
SlowDance: The label started as a poorly-planned hobby in 1998, influenced by the Dischord template, the artistic expression of Jade Tree and the mystery of Gravity Records. We were originally a “we,” but my partner wised-up and bailed out a few years back. Smart guy. The label started in San Diego, but we’ve been in Portland for the past seven years. I definitely do not do this fulltime, that dream is dead and buried. I think people tend to forget that this is a one man operation (interns help too) that I run out of my lovely home.

IndieHQ: What active bands are on your label?
SlowDance: The Velvet Teen
The New Trust
Intramural
The Evening Episode
Kissing Tigers

IndieHQ: What do you look for in a band? Have you ever signed a band from a demo? What advice do you have for bands trying to get your attention? What band or bands would you kill to work with?
SlowDance: Be active and don’t send demos or generic messages to “check out” your MySpace page. If you play a lot of local shows and build a draw, you will get on support slots for touring bands, and labels notice that sort of thing. And once you are signed, never stop touring and don’t you dare fucking break-up after 6 months.

IndieHQ: What one marketing/promotions tool do you find is your greatest asset? What vendor/manufacturer that you work with do you recommend the most?
SlowDance: Our email list seems to work fine. We don’t spam anyone and the people on it seem to react well to each, and every, email we send. CD Forge does our CDs and we love them to death. Hands down, the best place I have ever done business with.

IndieHQ: What release is your best selling title? How many has it sold?
SlowDance: The Velvet Teen “Out of the Fierce Parade”. Amount sold: Not enough.

IndieHQ: Music retail is tough these days, what steps, if any, have you taken to adapt in the post-file-sharing/post-Tower Records music retail landscape?
SlowDance: Very few. Sadly we are trapped in the awkward middle ground of not selling enough records to muscle through the sales slump, yet just enough to not say “fuck it” and just go digital.

IndieHQ: Who handles your distribution?
SlowDance: Caroline in the states. Others elsewhere.

IndieHQ: What do you see as the future of music sales?
SlowDance: There is a future? I see music becoming less a purchased commodity and an entire (younger) generation no longer associating music as anything more than a computer file and a live show. Granted, there will always be vinyl collectors and fans who like the packaging, but the pre-Napster generation will never think of music as something you go to the store to buy.

IndieHQ: Are your releases available on Emusic? Why or Why not? Are your releases available for streaming on sites like Rhapsody, Napster, and Urge? Why or Why not?
SlowDance: No, but they will be soon.

IndieHQ: If you could tell the world to buy one release on your label, which one would you tell people to purchase? Why?
SlowDance: I assume The Velvet Teen “Out of the Fierce Parade,” but instead I’ll recommend their “Elysium” album. Why? Because it’s quite possibly the most ambitious DIY indie record you have ever heard, one that is absolutely decadent and flawlessly brazen in its use of huge arrangements, strings and absolutely no guitar whatsoever.

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Written by Virgil Dickerson