A Publication of Local Umbrella Media VOLUME 10 | JANUARY 2024 |
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Escape Hatch Records / Ska & Reggae Vinyl Treasure San Diego based Escape Hatch Records was only founded in 2022, but has already had a global impact, both for its spotlight on ska and reggae sounds, as well as it’s distinctive packaging. The label is run by John Roy and Michael Buchmiller, perhaps best known for their respective musical projects, Smoke and Mirrors Sound System, and Satanic Puppeteer Orchestra. “The two of us have been friends since the mid-1990s when I met him in his band Unsteady,” recalled Buchmiller. “A few years back, I asked John if he’d be interested in putting out a split 7” with my band, Satanic Puppeteer Orchestra. That marked the first time we released a record together.” During the pandemic, Roy started an all-star band called Smoke and Mirrors Sound System. “They released a lot of material on a slew of different labels, but even still, he had a backlog of tracks he wanted to release and didn’t want to operate on someone else’s timeline. He approached me with the idea of starting a record label in 2022. And that’s how it started.” Buchmiller is in charge of the website and artwork. “Some bands already have it covered and I just shepherd it along, and other times I’m the one designing it. John is responsible for A&R including all of the bands we have thus far, and overseeing the music’s recording, mixing, and mastering.” What is the label’s philosophy? “Our focus is on short run, color vinyl releases in the genres ska, reggae, rocksteady, and dub,” Buchmiller said. “The bands handle thier digital releases and we only manage the vinyl.” While the label is based in San Diego, it has a worlwide reach. “The labels roster started with our bands; Unsteady, Satanic Puppeteer Orchestra, Smoke and Mirrors, Gangbusters... and then branched out from there,” Buchmiller said. “It’s not just San Diego artists. Rebelation is from the UK, The Bandulus are from Austin, now
Portland, OR, and a bunch of the artists are from Los Angeles. The Dynamos, Black Market Dub, Wise Owl, Manganista, Los Tropics. We try to find releases that we believe in, would want to own ourselves, and are usually made by people we are friends with.” Escape Hatch Records focus is on new music, but they are open to issuing vintage works, such as their recent Gangbusters release. “Gangbusters is one of John’s old bands. It was recorded in 1990, but the band broke up before it was released, and the songs were just sitting on a shelf. It’s a great time capsule, and one that people from the scene were super excited to finally get to hear after all these years. I had fun going through the band’s archive of old show flyers and notes to try and imagine what it might have looked like had it been released in 1990. Unsteady’s album “Tightrope” is another one that never got a proper vinyl release when it came out in the mid 1990s, so it’s
awesome for that to finally exist. We have one more vintage release... the 2010 debut from the Bandulus that is coming out in February, but I think everything else we have on the schedule is brand new.” One thing that sets Escape Hatch Records apart from other labels is the care that goes into the packaging of the releases. “I’ve spent the last 25 years doing graphic design for the music industry, so packaging is very important to me,” Buchmiller said. “There are a lot of ways to consume music these days, so if someone chooses to buy a record from us, I want that experience to be exceptional. I try to find a way to visually represent how an album sounds so when you pick it up for the first time, you already have some idea of what to expect. I love all the little details... the liner notes, the logos, even the subtle textures.” As for format, he notes that vinyl is a great medium for a visual artist “because the album jacket is a really big canvas to work with, and the listener usually handles it as they are playing the album. You have a chance to enhance that experience.” To that end, the Smoke and Mirrors records have origami inserts. The SPO split 7” has a secret parallel groove. The Black Market Dub Christmas record comes on candy cane striped red and white vinyl, and so on. It’s all
visually stunning and highly collectable. Buchmiller is happy to see vinyl return to favor. “For record collectors, vinyl never went away. But it is definitely having a resurgence. So much so that when we first started pressing records it took the better part of a year to get the finished product back. Luckily the last few releases have been pressed more quickly. We’re always working to innovate too. A singles box set, gatefolds, coffee table book with a flexi single insert. We’re even exploring scratch ‘n’ sniff stickers.” It’s exactly that sense of innovation that particularly appeals to Buchmiller when it comes to Escape Hatch Records. “My favorite thing is helping people realize their creative visions and bring it to life,” he said. “There’s nothing quite like having an abstract idea, and a few months later holding a physical representation of it in your hand and being able to share it with someone. Sharing music with people we may never meet, and connecting with them musically, like the albums we loved growing up did with us. Hopefully they’ll enjoy, replay, and keep these releases for decades.” https://escapehatchrecords.com
SoundCheck Flix / Talking Movies at The Casbah The Casbah has been the home of great music for decades, and now it’s also the base for a new podcast, SoundCheck Flix, “where movies meet music backstage.” Hosted by two long time Casbah employees, Tim Pyles and Graham Stevens, each episode finds the pair discussing a favorite film. It’s a really fun listen. Where did the idea for SCF come from? “Boring soundchecks!” said Stevens good naturedly. “One thing I’ve learned in 15 years of working at the Casbah is that load ins can be incredibly dull. LOTS of down time. Inevitably, the patio discussions would turn to a film someone had recently seen and BANG, we’re off and runnin.’ Then I started touring with bands and witnessed firsthand how much they consume movies on the bus, back at the hotel and in the green room. They’re experts! That’s when the idea hit me. The same old, tired music pod would not do for the Casbah. Better to choose a fun, different angle and let their personality shine thru a film.” The show is staffed by a small crew. In addition to Stevens, “many people already know Tim Pyles from his many years on local San Diego radio. He is our main host. The rest of us are rookies. I’m the co-host and producer. Eric Lucero is our awesome sound engineer and co-producer. Orion Ferguson is our video guy. We also have
Emilie Schumacher as our talented social media guru.” How are guests chosen for the film? “For our first 6 months, we’ve just been relying on artists we know from the local scene,” Stevens said. “Being new to this pod game, we wanted to get a proper feel for what we are doing before we start hitting up touring acts as guests. Our attitude is like Pokémon“Gotta catch ‘em all!” We have 50+ episodes a year to pack in our favorite artists.” While most films are selected by the musicians themselves, there have been a few suggested episodes. “Our “House Party” and “Sleepaway Camp” episodes were based on actual conversations that took place before production. We did a special “Barbie” episode because it was a phenomenon that we HAD
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to address.” Shows are generally recorded about 2-3 weeks ahead of airing. “Lining up guests takes a little bit longer. It can be like herding cats at times,” Stevens joked. He takes his role as producer seriously, putting in significant prep work for each episode. “I spend the week before each recording rewatching each film at least 3 times,” he said. “The director’s commentaries and DVD extras are gold. Interviews from old magazine archives also come in handy.” Has he discovered any films through the show? “Only one” he said. “Santa Claus vs the Devil, I’d seen every other film brought to us so far, but that one. Of course, it was suggested by the brilliant Robert Lopez (El Vez). I ended up watching that one six times. So far, I guess the biggest surprise was doing Halloween III: Season of the Witch for our 1st horror film. I didn’t have that one on the Bingo card. I @LocalUmbrellaMedia
knew we would get Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Holy Mountain. I just didn’t expect it so quick at episode #4 and that it would be Justin Pearson (The Locust). Kinda felt like a film for Earthless (lol).” Stevens cites SoundCheck Flix’s first episode as his favorite to date. “It was “Rock n’ Roll High School” with Lety Beers (Schizophonics). It was the film that we thought most represented the Casbah cinematically,” he said. “Our Billy Jack episode was a lot of fun ‘cause Dave Warshaw (Creepy Creeps) was just bringin’ the heat! His love for the film REALLY shined thru. I also really loved our House Party and Barbie episodes. Terrific guests with great stories on both of those.” What does Stevens enjoy most about SoundCheck Flix? “Doing a positive project with a team of co-workers that I dearly love and appreciate,” he said. “It’s been a rough couple years for the Casbah family. We’ve lost some people we truly loved and have had some in house cancer battles. We wanted to do a project that would make our fellow coworkers proud. When they pat us on the back and say “Great job,” that gives us all the passion & energy we need to run out there and get the next guest on record. I get excited when I see them light up at the mention of their favorite film. THAT’S the juice!” https://soundcheckflix.podbean.com
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