We have started a series where we introduce indie labels. They will recommend 3 releases from their catalog and share 3 things they have learned by running the label.
Rue Defense is a Brooklyn-based record label run by Graham W. Bell, one which popped back on our radar recently when they co-released Alexei Shishkin’s excellent new ‘Open Door Policy’ album. Start-Track was recently fortunate enough to premiere that new LP and interview Alexei about it too.
3 Releases:
Dead Painters – Endless Idle
This album was really where Rue Defense got going. I’d started the label a few years earlier as a way to release my old band’s EP before I moved from Portland to New York. I hadn’t really had any time to do anything else with it, but it was sitting in the back of my mind as something for the future.
When I got to New York, I was doing art installation at Jack Shainman Gallery and met my now good friend Japeth Mennes, who is an incredible painter and artist based in Queens. He had a band called Dead Painters that was working on their second record and he was lamenting the fact that he didn’t know what to do with it once it was done.
I think a light flicked on at that point for me and I offered to help him out by releasing ‘Endless Idle’ and making some tapes. That’s really where the driving force behind RD became clear for me. I wanted to use whatever skills I had to help out artists and friends who were making things I thought deserved more attention. TC Brownell was the bassist for Dead Painters, and he’s currently releasing through RD as Ground Loops.
Elly Swope – It Feels the Same Everytime
Elly is a friend of mine from Portland who has done a lot for the scene. She’s had her hands in a lot of different projects whether that be on the engineering side or playing in a variety of bands on any instrument you can throw at her (and also now works for Benson Amps). Her work with Sunbathe is especially good.
I saw Elly post about needing someone to help publish her upcoming solo effort, and I jumped at the chance. At the same time, I was looking at some other artists to help out, but I had a weird feeling about them and was kind of going back and forth on it. I needed to figure out how to prioritize the ideals I wanted RD to embody for the future. I ended up focusing just on this release so I could build a better relationship with the artist and not just grab things that might not be a fit down the road. It definitely paid off since Elly introduced me to Simple Shapes who I did two tapes with.
goodgrief – love birds
This is a solo project from one of my absolute favorite Portland musicians (and people), Ezekiel Rudick. We grew up in tiny hillbilly towns in Washington near each other around the same time. However, we only met because we happened to play a few shows together in Portland years later and recognized each other’s small-town vibe (look up Mustang Sally from Rainier, WA and you will see the type of place we are from).
He’d been in Seattle for a little bit while I was in New York, and when he moved back to Oregon, he was looking to release this album that dealt with some really heavy subjects. His other main project, Young Elk, is way more moody and dark, so this is a surprisingly pop-focused endeavor that took me by surprise. I’m not sure if there’s a lesson to this one other than that sometimes shitty circumstances make gold and I’m here to make sure everyone listens to this.
3 Things I’ve Learned
- Every Little Bit Helps
Sometimes I feel like I don’t do enough for my artists, but I have to tell myself that every small thing I do, whether it’s building an EPK, pitching a new single, or just helping with album art, is something that they don’t have to do and can focus on making music. Share the burden. I wish I had a billion bucks so I could really get everyone vinyl and great distribution, but I can’t. So instead I use my writing and PR skills from my day job(s) to craft bios and edit statements.
- Community is Everything
As I get older, this is my rallying cry for everything. I’ve moved around a lot, and finding/building community is one of the most important things you can do. There are always people somewhere that gravitate toward your interests and ideals, and creating a group of like-minded individuals to share your life and talents with benefits everyone.
One of my other projects is a live music photography publication called Focus Group which came out of the community I found working as a photographer for Treefort Music Fest. My co-editors Jan Ng and Corrina Stadler and I believe in sharing knowledge and fostering growth among our peers. Gatekeeping is out. Teamwork makes the dream work.
- Trust Your Instincts
This is super cliche, but it really helps to just go with your gut sometimes. If something seems off, or someone makes you uncomfortable, or the tunes just aren’t hitting you right, make a decision that will be best for you in the long run. Running a little label is an extension of yourself, so you want everything to reflect positively on you as a person. If you’re not 100% in on the artists, then you’ll have a hard time promoting them properly, and that doesn’t help anyone.
Overall, running RD has been a labor of love, but it’s been really fulfilling to help artists I believe in and to see them get a little more recognition for their hard work. Alexei has been a huge proponent of the label, and I think a third of our releases are his (doesn’t hurt that he’s as productive as he is talented). We’ve been talking about how to move forward and grow this beyond just a “when I have time” kind of project. We’ve already got a couple of new artists on the horizon, and are stoked to expand the community even further.
Alexei Shishkin’s ‘Open Door Policy’ is available now via Rue Defense.
Follow the label: