Merdurhaus adds new bands to its ranks organically.
sure everything runs smoothly. “I wanted to help them put
“It’s basically how the whole roster of people have come
their stuff out because to be honest, they’re pretty lazy and
about, us knowing each other and meeting each other and
wouldn’t put it out themselves,” he says. “I help out everyone
meshing as friends and people that can work together,”
keep it all together, or try to.”
Hutchinson says. Instead of actively seeking out new talent, he’d rather get to know musicians on a personal level, and
Members of Merdurhaus appreciate all Hutchinson does
then decide if they’d be a good fit for the label. “I didn’t
for the label. “For better or worse, he gets me to do things I
know the dudes from Comforter at all. Loafer started playing
would have never done on my own,” Baby Bleu singer and
gigs with them, and we became friends with them, so I was
guitarist Andrés Chablé says. “He gets me to play shows in
like ‘Let’s put out shit,’” he says.
front of people I don’t know, and that’s what I love about Phil.”
The label’s show at Holy Mountain on April 23 demonstrated how much Merdurhaus has grown in its first year. Three
Hutchinson describes Merdurhaus as a “DIY” label. Bands
of its bands — Loafer, Comforter and Tamarron — played
record with or without his help, although all the music
alongside another touring Austin band, The Rotten Mangos,
comes to him eventually, since he presses it to tape and
to a packed house. “A year ago, if this would have happened,
distributes it. “We’re doing cool stuff because it’s music that
there would be no one here,” Hutchinson says. Several
I feel isn’t being made by anybody else in Austin right now,”
members of other Merdurhaus bands came out to support
Hola Beach bassist Chris Nordahl says. “We’re not really part
their peers. “Whenever a Merdurhaus band plays a show,
of a defined scene, we’re doing our own thing.”
there will be people there. We’ll go out, support them, drink. That’s what it’s about,” Hutchinson says.
While Merdurhaus has grown exponentially in just 12 months, Hutchinson wants to continue building a name
Hutchinson functions as the glue that keeps the growing
for the label beyond the confines of the city. “I want to do
amount of musicians on the label together. While he
bigger and cooler shit and get outside of Austin,” he says. “I
doesn’t perform himself, he’s the one buying the tapes to
don’t want to be just an Austin thing and held down as an
record, releasing new music, booking shows and making
Austin entity. I want to be a label based in Austin.”