Wise Blood Industries & Adam Stafford
Submitted by admin on 29 December, 2009 - 17:40
Wise Blood Industries is a relatively new Scottish indie 'internet' label, making many of their releases (sometimes exclusively) available for free download online. The label is run by Adam Stafford, who uses the label as a platform for his band Y'all as Fantasy Island, his solo music (Size of Kansas/Awnings) as well as other artists such as The Radiation Line, Jocky Venkataraman and Burnt Island.
As well as the label, the band, solo material, holding down a job and getting engaged all simultaneously, Adam has made a couple of films, one with the Scottish author Alan Bissett and one as a music video for The Twilight Sad.
I 'caught up' with him using some online chat...
What did you get for Christmas?
The present I enjoyed the most was a tiny amplifier in a cigarette box which my fiance bought me. It's pretty loud.
How would you define DIY and what does it mean to you?
I regret saying in a recent blog interview that DIY is fucked! What I really meant to say was that the mainstream music press are so fixated on trends dictated to them by record company A&Rs and PR people that they miss the truly great underground music that's being produced out there! I mean, how long was it before the UK press picked up Lightning Bolt, despite them releasing three albums and touring constantly? It saddens me that a lot of immense musical talent gets ignored or becomes under appreciated just because these guys don't have the money to hire a decent PR person who will get them a tiny review in Pitchfork or Word magazine or whatever.
I think what DIY really means to me is writing, recording and releasing your own music and putting on your own gigs and building everything up organically. But every decent band starts out like that don't they, unless they are part of a manufactured project.
Congratulations winning man of the year 2009 in the List magazine. You also contributed to The Skinny's Scottish Albums of the Decade article putting The Twilight Sad at number two. Do you think these end-of-year lists have any meaning at all short of a bit of an ego trip for the publication? Especially if the editorial opinions are at all swayed by marketing campaigns?
Whoa! Good question! I must correct you there on the Man of year thing, Rob! I think that went to the actor Peter Capaldi! But it was nice to be included, and just, y'know, an indicator of the fact that people appreciate your creativity. I think that most lists are bunk, the Skinny's list was voted for by writers, readers and musicians. I think about eight of my favourite Scottish LPs of the decade were missing from the top 50! Where was Vashti Bunyan or Alasdair Roberts for example? But, as a democratic list, the people had spoken! I think the list should've been called "The 50 most popular Scottish LP's of the decade" because everybody knew that Frightened Rabbit, Mogwai and Idlewild would be riding high and the list wasn't representative of necessarily the best! As for the List's list, it was all editorial and there were a lot of things they missed out, but it was nice to see DIY Fest and Glasgow Podcart represented in there.
Y'all Is Fantasy Island seem to have been around for a long time and have a decent following (nearly 6000 listeners on last.fm). Surely you must have had some offers from other labels. What made you decide it was better to go it alone?
Well, we didn't really get any offers at all so we thought the best way to do it was to release the music ourselves. A lot of labels we spoke to were put off by our eclecticism, but surely that should be something that's commended rather than condemned? At the end of the day, I think it's all to do with marketing and money. At the moment we own all of our publishing rights and recording rights. That in itself is more valuable than any 15 grand advance bands get when they're initially offered a deal these days. The only regret I've had is that we didn't get in a white van and tour our arses off, but that would've been impossible as some of the band would have to leave their jobs.
On your label you have some releases available for free download and others we have to buy. Is this your decision or the artist's? Do you believe in this world there is some music that should be free and other music that we should have to pay for?
I think the balance is tricky and it's up to the artists at the end of the day. I think everybody should pay for music in an ideal world, but the reality is that people just won't these days, or if they do, it's difficult as an independent artist to shift records. The reason why the first three Yifi LP's are still available only to purchase is because we spent money pressing the CDs with the artwork, so, we would like to make some kind of return on that, haha. But, most of the music that's been released on WBI only exists online and the artists are more interested in people actually hearing the music than profit. And I think that's really noble and brave of them. There's other sectors of the music industry that many can make a profit from aside from album sales; live work, song publishing for example.
The sound of Awnings is very different to the sound of YIFI and your other solo stuff. Do you think the music comes from a different part of you? Do you believe the music is coming from inside you or that it is simply channeling through you?
Yes, that's what it's like. Without the risk of sounding like a pretentious dick, i'm really not there when I'm writing or creating music, it's like I have an antenna that's channeling a radio and I just translate these songs. Ha ha, that does sound pretentious! Well, some songs do need work. After I recorded Awnings, i've had to go bak and re-learn all of the parts in order to do the songs live. That's been really challenging, since most of it is reliant on timing, beats and getting loops perfectly in sync.
What do you feel about the criminal status of marijuana?
Man, this is the best interview ever! I think it's a travesty to be honest, and I don't have any qualms with coming forward and expressing my opinons that all drugs, no matter of classification should be legalised. The "War" on drugs has gone on too long now, if the government decriminalised narcotics there would be less gang violence and drug murders, the drugs could be taxed and controlled (they would be purer and less dangerous), police could concentrate on solving real, serious crimes and the money wasted on fighting drugs could be used to educate people on the dangers of drugs and treat drug abusers. There's a well argued essay in the Economist about this: http://thinkoutsidethecage2.blogspot.com/2009/03/ending-war-on-drugs-economist.html. It seems absurd now to even think back to a time when homosexuality and abortion was illegal. Drugs should be thought of in the same way.
Thanks Adam. Go and check out what Wise Blood Industries have in their catalogue and see if it takes your fancy.
What did you get for Christmas?
The present I enjoyed the most was a tiny amplifier in a cigarette box which my fiance bought me. It's pretty loud.
How would you define DIY and what does it mean to you?
I regret saying in a recent blog interview that DIY is fucked! What I really meant to say was that the mainstream music press are so fixated on trends dictated to them by record company A&Rs and PR people that they miss the truly great underground music that's being produced out there! I mean, how long was it before the UK press picked up Lightning Bolt, despite them releasing three albums and touring constantly? It saddens me that a lot of immense musical talent gets ignored or becomes under appreciated just because these guys don't have the money to hire a decent PR person who will get them a tiny review in Pitchfork or Word magazine or whatever.
I think what DIY really means to me is writing, recording and releasing your own music and putting on your own gigs and building everything up organically. But every decent band starts out like that don't they, unless they are part of a manufactured project.
Congratulations winning man of the year 2009 in the List magazine. You also contributed to The Skinny's Scottish Albums of the Decade article putting The Twilight Sad at number two. Do you think these end-of-year lists have any meaning at all short of a bit of an ego trip for the publication? Especially if the editorial opinions are at all swayed by marketing campaigns?
Whoa! Good question! I must correct you there on the Man of year thing, Rob! I think that went to the actor Peter Capaldi! But it was nice to be included, and just, y'know, an indicator of the fact that people appreciate your creativity. I think that most lists are bunk, the Skinny's list was voted for by writers, readers and musicians. I think about eight of my favourite Scottish LPs of the decade were missing from the top 50! Where was Vashti Bunyan or Alasdair Roberts for example? But, as a democratic list, the people had spoken! I think the list should've been called "The 50 most popular Scottish LP's of the decade" because everybody knew that Frightened Rabbit, Mogwai and Idlewild would be riding high and the list wasn't representative of necessarily the best! As for the List's list, it was all editorial and there were a lot of things they missed out, but it was nice to see DIY Fest and Glasgow Podcart represented in there.
Y'all Is Fantasy Island seem to have been around for a long time and have a decent following (nearly 6000 listeners on last.fm). Surely you must have had some offers from other labels. What made you decide it was better to go it alone?
Well, we didn't really get any offers at all so we thought the best way to do it was to release the music ourselves. A lot of labels we spoke to were put off by our eclecticism, but surely that should be something that's commended rather than condemned? At the end of the day, I think it's all to do with marketing and money. At the moment we own all of our publishing rights and recording rights. That in itself is more valuable than any 15 grand advance bands get when they're initially offered a deal these days. The only regret I've had is that we didn't get in a white van and tour our arses off, but that would've been impossible as some of the band would have to leave their jobs.
On your label you have some releases available for free download and others we have to buy. Is this your decision or the artist's? Do you believe in this world there is some music that should be free and other music that we should have to pay for?
I think the balance is tricky and it's up to the artists at the end of the day. I think everybody should pay for music in an ideal world, but the reality is that people just won't these days, or if they do, it's difficult as an independent artist to shift records. The reason why the first three Yifi LP's are still available only to purchase is because we spent money pressing the CDs with the artwork, so, we would like to make some kind of return on that, haha. But, most of the music that's been released on WBI only exists online and the artists are more interested in people actually hearing the music than profit. And I think that's really noble and brave of them. There's other sectors of the music industry that many can make a profit from aside from album sales; live work, song publishing for example.
The sound of Awnings is very different to the sound of YIFI and your other solo stuff. Do you think the music comes from a different part of you? Do you believe the music is coming from inside you or that it is simply channeling through you?
Yes, that's what it's like. Without the risk of sounding like a pretentious dick, i'm really not there when I'm writing or creating music, it's like I have an antenna that's channeling a radio and I just translate these songs. Ha ha, that does sound pretentious! Well, some songs do need work. After I recorded Awnings, i've had to go bak and re-learn all of the parts in order to do the songs live. That's been really challenging, since most of it is reliant on timing, beats and getting loops perfectly in sync.
What do you feel about the criminal status of marijuana?
Man, this is the best interview ever! I think it's a travesty to be honest, and I don't have any qualms with coming forward and expressing my opinons that all drugs, no matter of classification should be legalised. The "War" on drugs has gone on too long now, if the government decriminalised narcotics there would be less gang violence and drug murders, the drugs could be taxed and controlled (they would be purer and less dangerous), police could concentrate on solving real, serious crimes and the money wasted on fighting drugs could be used to educate people on the dangers of drugs and treat drug abusers. There's a well argued essay in the Economist about this: http://thinkoutsidethecage2.blogspot.com/2009/03/ending-war-on-drugs-economist.html. It seems absurd now to even think back to a time when homosexuality and abortion was illegal. Drugs should be thought of in the same way.
Thanks Adam. Go and check out what Wise Blood Industries have in their catalogue and see if it takes your fancy.
