Rise Records Label Owner Signs Himself
According to a press release, “Rise Records is proud to announce the signing of Defeat The Low, a five-piece from Portland, Oregon with a unique sound and a dedication to Do It Yourself ethos.” Indeed, the band comes to the label as the result of years of hard work, perseverance, and the fact that their rhythm guitarist, Craig Ericson, just so happens to own the label. A “Do It Yourself ethos” indeed!!!
All ribbing aside, this actually isn’t unprecedented. Bad Religion are signed to Epitaph, which is owned by guitarist Brett Gurewitz; Sunn O)))’s Greg Anderson owns their label, Southern Lord; some of Isis’ earliest work was distributed by Hydra Head, guitarist/vocalist Aaron Turner’s label (although all their most renowned releases came out via Ipecac… which is owned by Mike Patton… who often releases his own music through Ipecac).
So why does this feel so different? I think a lot of it has to do with with the timeline of events: Gurewitz specifically started Epitaph to distribute Bad Religion albums in the early 80s,and Southern Lord and Hydra Head weren’t really successful, “known” entities when Sunn O))) and Isis began to gain notoriety. In other words, those bands and labels all — ahem — rose together. But Rise has been around for fifteen years, and this is the first time most, if not all, of us are hearing about Defeat the Low. Consequently, the perception is bound to be far less positive.
But what is the cause of that negative perception… and is it really valid? Vince summed it up beautifully during an exchange this morning:
“I think it’s perceived in a negative way because there’s less of an artistic filter: of course you sign your own band, you don’t know whether you’re actually good or not. And if you’re an unsigned band and you see that happening, you think it’s unfair. You’re staying up late sending promo packages and emails to labels, grinding it out at shitty bar shows, hoping to get signed… then some guy with a platform just signs himself and you’re like ‘Fuck you!’ But really I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.”
And although it makes for a funny headline, it’s really not that big of a deal. Although it may ultimately be hubris, we have to assume that Ericson really believes in his own band’s abilities to make good music and sell albums. And ot’s not like the band are trying to hide this info from the world: they talk about Ericson’s day job in the press release announcing their signing (albeit not until the fourth paragraph). And besides, based on their single, “Turn to Hate,” it would seem that Defeat the Low are terrible, which means they should fit right in with most of the rest of Rise’s roster (I still back The Acacia Strain).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQnWpjPbWrA
Defeat the Low’s debut album will be out later this year. I already forget what label it’s gonna be on. Was it Rise Above? I think it was Rise Above.
