Strange things Audio Antihero founder Jamie 'Volcano' Halliday used to do...#1

This will be a short lived (I haven't done much in my mostly wasted 23 years) series of Jamie Halliday fables:

GET TO KNOW THE MAN BEHIND THE MEN BEHIND THE MUSIC.

Now, before starting the worst label to ever release consistently 'right-on!' records, I did other things and I did them badly.

Audio Antihero don't have an intern - but if it makes you think I'm less narcissistic then you can pretend we do have one and that in between making tea and unbuttoning her blouse in a desperate bid for my attention she wrote this for me - in first and third person.

The first installment is my first public bid to become a rockstar...

MADRIAX

That's right ladies and gentlemen. The year was 2003, I was 15 years of age. Mostly rubbish bands like Limp Bizkit, Puddle Of Mudd, Stain'd, Papa Roach, KoRn and Linkin Park were falling from popularity...but something else was coming. Even more rubbish bands were coming into prominence...it was a musical landscape of Funeral For A Friend, Lost Prophets, The Used, Avenged Sevenfold, Eighteen Visions and Finch (I was and am more of a Glassjaw man).

So with the influence of nu-metal and our minds blown by the 'innovation' of emo and all those different kinds of 'core' - we started our 6 piece rock phenomenon - WE STARTED MADRIAX. We were proper rubbish.

You can download two EPs worth of hilarious juvenile and obnoxious whinging from Soundclick (if internet music sites had formats, Soundclick would be an 8 track tape or a snapped Encarta disc).

We had songs about things being 'so unclear', people not understanding us, tactical swearing, words we didn't understand (enrapture), solos, dreadful beat boxing, girls, girls and girls...and chicks. We also sampled Jean Claude Van Damme and borrowed a 12 string guitar a couple of times.

It was a good time having wicked hair, wearing all black (and baggy trousers) and singing totally out of tune (whilst also refusing to scream live in case I 'lost my voice') but they couldn't last forever...and so we say goodbye to the worst band to ever think they were really really good.

We got to play an 'open air', see the inside of a recording studio, an offer for a con record deal (more of a con than Audio Antihero), some girls wrote our name on their bosoms (Ladies, THINK. You are worth more than such antics!), we almost played with Enter Shikari (our bassist wasn't old enough to get in the venue) and got introduced by a TV personality I didn't recognise or talk to.

No they aren't.

These days are gone but at least I still think girls (except we call them 'ladies' now) are out to get me.

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Rock,

Jamie's intern (age verified)

www.audioantihero.com

Look At Me, I Own Records! #2

The second installment of "Look At Me, I Own Records!" comes from Mr André Saramago - a fine gent with a hefty collection of every conceivable format. I can't endorse some of the below records...but that's not my job anyway! The man has some beauties in there though, phwoar.

ON WITH THE SHOW!

First record you ever owned?

Answer: Guns’n’Roses – “Use Your Illusion, Part II”.

Justification: Quoting “Get in the ring”: «What you pissed off cuz your dad gets more pussy than you? / Fuck you / Suck my fuckin' dick». This was a gift from my parents for my 9^th birthday – great parenting skills or what?

First record you bought and still have?

Answer: Metallica – “Ride the Lightning”.

Justification: Not quite sure why a 9 or 10 year old boy would pick this up, but 9 or 10 year old me did. A good thing he did, too.

Worst and still have?

Answer: Lene Marlin – “Another Day”.

Justification: Please, feel free to slap me around.

One of the stranger records you've come across?

Answer: Miles Davis – “Bitches Brew”.

Justification: It takes quite a while to sink in, and even then I’m not quite sure where Miles got this stuff from.

Proudest record?

Answer: Joy Division – “Unknown Pleasures”.

Justification: First edition Vinyl. Yes, it has a price sticker on the cover, but still.

Most obscure record?

Answer: Santa Maria, Gasolina Em Teu Ventre! – “Free-Terminator ou Falcão Solitário Sem Ser Distorção”

Justification: 1989 Portuguese art-alt-prog-rock. That’s actually the definition of “obscure”, according to the Wikipedia.

Best-named record?

Answer: Nosferatu D2 – “We're gonna walk around this city with our headphones on to block out the noise”

Justification: Come on, it’s all there.

Most expensive record you’ve ever bought?

Answer: The Sound – “Physical World EP”.

Justification: Try getting an obscure 1979 first release EP from a small underground label by a pretty much unknown band. And then try getting it 25 years later.

One you'd buy for your best friend?

Answer: Japandroids – “Post-Nothing”.

Justification: It has all that www.xkcd.com/137 feel (check the alt-text).

One you'd buy for your worst enemy?

Answer: Billy Corgan et al – “Stigmata OST”.

Justification: It’s just creepy.

Record you have no recollection of buying/receiving'

Answer: Sunny Day Real Estate – “The rising tide”.

Justification: I remember discovering them somewhere in the web, and becoming interested enough to look for their record. I have absolutely no idea where I picked this up.

Too scratched to play?

Answer: Inner City Unit – “The Maximum Effect”.

Justification: Not due to many plays of my own – I bought it with previous heavy use.

Best cover?

Answer: DJ Shadow – “Endtroducing.....”.

Justification: It has every collector’s heaven in it, while also representing the kind of music being crafted within the record itself. Unique case of “cover matches music”.

Worst cover?

Answer: Silverchair – “Frogstomp”.

Justification: It’s a toad. Zoomed.

The one which you have heard the most to this day?

Answer: The Cure – “Disintegration”.

Justification: It’s just that record that constantly finds its way back into my stereo.

One that you’ll probably never hear again?

Answer: Husky Rescue – “Ghost is not real”.

Justification: Utterly unimpressive.

Record that you still can’t figure why you bought?

Answer: Boys Like Girls – “Boys Like Girls”.

Justification: What the hell was I thinking?!

The one that has most playing requests by your friends?

Answer: Bloc Party – “Silent Alarm”.

Justification: This came out while I was in Erasmus with friends.

It’s an “Erasmus record”. What are you going to do?

Record that is most envied by other collectors?

Answer: Arcade Fire / LCD Soundsystem split 7” – “Poupée de cire, poupée de son / No love lost”.

Justification: Probably because it’s a split 7” by two of the best bands around. Plus, one of them is covering one of the best bands ever. So there you go.

Guilty pleasure?

Answer: Among others, Cyndi Lauper – “She’s so unusual”.

Justification: As Barney Stinson would probably put it: “Money changes everything”, and after that happens, “Girls just want to have fun”. What up!

The one that you play when you’re in that kind of mood?

Answer: Los Campesinos! – “Hold on now, youngster...”.

Justification: Whatever the kind of mood you’re in, these kids have got it.

Record that is scratched beyond hope you still can’t throw away?

Answer: Bob Dylan – “Highway 61 Revisited”.

Justification: It’s a Vinyl with the cover in extraordinary shape. Come on, could you really do it?

This gentleman is also on the hunt for a copy of Jimi Hendrix's "Electric Ladyland" with *that* cover (the very immodest one). If you have one, let a brother know and I'll pass on the good news.

If you missed the first installment, HERE IT IS!

Jamie - Audio Antihero: Specialists in Commercial Suicide

www.audioantihero.com

Audio Antihero "Never Say DIY! Radio" Vol.17

SONGSONGSONGS

Audio Antihero's "Never Say Diy! Radio" Vol.17 by Audioantihero on Mixcloud

Buy things by Jack Hayter, Broken Shoulder, Benjamin Shaw and Nosferatu D2 (who's Ben Parker features in The Jonbarr Hinge) from our Bandcamp or other sites and shops.

Jamie - Audio Antihero: Specialists in writing a blog for the BBC once.

www.audioantihero.com

BBC 6 Music Guest Blog: "How To Make The Best Of A Dying Industry Despite Being A Shy & Unremarkable Fellow"

That's right, your main man, Jamie "Clap De Hands Stamp De Feet" Halliday was invited by Tom Robinson to write a wee Audio Antihero guest blog for BBC 6 Music. I chose to put together a bossy wee list of DO/DONT based on my own continuing music blunders.

"How To Make The Best Of A Dying Industry Despite Being A Shy & Unremarkable Fellow: The Jamie Halliday Story"

I run Audio Antihero Records: Specialists in Commercial Suicide (Nosferatu D2/Benjamin Shaw/Jack Hayter/Broken Shoulder) and was kindly invited by Tom Robinson to write a guest blog about running an independent label. It's debatable whether someone who has lost as much money and achieved as little industry recognition as I have is in any position to map out your business strategy but I've made plenty of mistakes and some you can avoid. Hopefully by writing them down I'll learn from them too.

This is a mix of firsthand experience, common sense and tales I've been told by people who know better, presented in a list of Do's and Don'ts...-READ FULL ARTICLE

It is possible that I had no right to advise anyone on anything but when Mr 2-4-6-8 comes a-knockin', you don't say 'no'!

AND YES LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, those lovely Audio Antihero t-shirts are available for sale: http://www.audioantihero.com/Shop.htm

Thanks all, you're awesome.

Jamie - Audio Antihero: Specialists in Commercial Suicide

www.audioantihero.com

Audio Antihero's "Never Say DIY!" Radio Vol.16!

Audio Antihero's "Never Say Diy!" Vol.16 by Audioantihero on Mixcloud

Never Say DIY! is back, so, err, Never Say Die!

If we hadn't annoyed you before, we probably will do now.

Broken Shoulder & Jack Hayter are new additions to the Audio Antihero records roster and to hear more from their records head on over to:http://audioantihero.bandcamp.com or www.audioantihero.com

The rest is a ton of racket that has very little in common. All of it is awesome.

Thanks & Never Say DIY!
Jamie - Audio Antihero: Specialists in Commercial Suicide
www.audioantihero.com

Look At Me, I Own Records! #1

This is a blog feature I've been wanting to start for awhile, the idea being for those who follow Audio Antihero to take an evening to trawl through their record collection and share some pictures and stories about the best, the worst and most inexplicable they find. It can be CD, tape. vinyl...whatever (screen grab your iTunes if you have to but I will judge you). If you would like to contribute to the next one e-mail me at info @ audioantihero.com.

The first installment comes from Small Doses main man Tim Woulfe (pictured left, showing his musical tenure). He's kept it pure vinyl and come up with some gorgeous things I'm ashamed to have never heard of. Rock on Tim.

The sky’s going crazy over here in Rhode Island, just shooting all kinds of precipitation onto the ground and then freezing it as quick as possible. Awesome! It’s grey, it’s dull, it fills me with ennui blah blah blah. There was a massive bright spot today though, cause I came home from school to find a record had come in. Not just ANY record though, what arrived was Brian James’ Ain’t That a Shame 7”, a record I’ve been lusting over for years but never actually got around to buying it.

I finally pulled the trigger the other day and I’m so glad I did. This song should be a punk anthem, I’m not gonna go into too much detail because I’m writing a piece on it for the next issue but just listen to it here and you’ll see what I mean. Plus, how awesome is the artwork? One of my favorites by far.

The first record I purchased is a little fuzzy to me. I began collecting three years ago at the tender age of 14, but the first records I owned were from my brother and sister,not actual purchases by me. I’ll just go with the earliest purchase I can remember, which was when I scoured a used vinyl section and came out with More Songs About Buildings and Food by Talking Heads, Graceland by Paul Simon and Lola versus Powerman and the Money-Go-Round, Part One by The Kinks.

Not embarrassing, pretty boring actually. I mean, I love these records but they’re classics so what more can I say about them that hasn’t already been said? I promise I won’t be so silent on all subsequent records, trust.

The worst record I’ve got came from a Salvation Army used bin, which I typically avoid because it’s usually terribly organized and only has records by Englebert Humperdinck. On that day though, I was feeling especially adventurous.

I find this one, see the cover think “Hey that’s pretty cool,” then I see Quincy Jones Presents and I think “why haven’t I heard of this?” then I flip it over and see the back and think “WHY HAVEN’T I HEARD OF THIS???”

That is seriously what they decided to put on the record?? I sprinted over the cash register and checked out, eagerly awaiting what was in store for me. Man, it was so worth the 2 dollars or whatever I spent. There is a literally a lyric on this album that goes “Put a pie in his face and walk out of the place.” BOOM. Life changer.

The records I’m most proud of both come from K records, one of my favorite labels. First up: Mount Eerie by The Microphones. I’m a gigantic Phil Elverum fan, so when I saw this up on ebay I knew I had to get it. The album is great, of course. It’s an epic concept album with impeccable production and incredibly well written songs, what’s not to love? There’s even a 16 minute drum buildup that sounds so amazing on vinyl, I could listen to it over and over again. It’s more the package that has led me to write about it though, the completely different artwork and hand stitched thread holding it together makes it a really special item for me. It’s the most beautiful record I’ve ever seen, let alone own and sometimes I’m wary of taking it out and playing it just because I’m so in awe of it. Oh Well! Pics:

Number two is “Earthbound” by Some Velvet Sidewalk.

The package is simple: cool photo and small text on white background. The music is a blast of sloppy noise punk and on “Earthbound” lead singer Al Jensen sounds like he’s about to have a complete mental breakdown because his voice is cracking and rippling with emotion (this is a really good thing). The second song is a Patti Smith cover. This would be a great record regardless, but flip it over and....

My mind was so blown when I saw this! Nothing defines the DIY amateurism of K records better than the back of this record. I have no clue who did it or why (other than the fact that “Land” is written on it and that’s the name of the Patti Smith song) but I love it.

If I was to buy one record for a friend? Well it would be Nosferatu D2's 'We’re Gonna Walk Around This City With Our Headphones On To Block Out The Noise', of course! It’s a masterpiece! I would also buy it for my worst enemy, just so they would resent me more because I was the one who introduced the ferocious guitar and vocals of Ben Parker and the “woah how is he doing that?” drums of his brother Adam to their life.

Isn't Tim lovely? Aren't his records great? I was going to plug him a bit at the end but he's done a great job of that himself so we'll take it straight from the Woulfe's mouth:

"I’m planning something huge for my next issue. I figure if I’m gonna blow all my money on a (supposedly) dying format I should at least do it properly and make it large. So, if you’re interested in contributing something send me a mail! smalldoseszine@gmail.com"

Rock on Tim, you're a better man than I.

Jamie - Audio Antihero: Specialists in unread blogs

www.audioantihero.com