CROWNN RECORDS STORY PART 1 (1998-2003)

CROWNN STORY PT.1

PART 1 OF 4

Part 1 of facts from Crownn Recording Group 25 year history.

March 2024

TABLE OF CONTENTS The envy from Limerick to the registration in Dublin.

12 WICKLOW TO MUNICH The date night that created a move to Munich, Germany

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MICK INVOLVEMENT The interview ended in a drunken session in Temple Bar.

16 THE NEXT STEP Johnny Johnson, Rearview and Cargo Distribution

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FIRST RELEASES Solomon Single and Allen Gogarty

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THE START 1998-2003

COURTESY OF THE WORTHWHILE JOURNAL

www.crownnrecords.com

Hello Everyone, The Crownn Stories. If I wrote that none of us could have imagined that 25 years later, I would be writing this would be a lie. I did believe Crownn Recording Group and Crownn Records would be here. Maybe we did not know what we were doing, but we believed in what we were doing.

We wonder or hope if we will find new genuine artists that resemble the quality artists that helped establish the realms of Crownn Recording Group. In 2024, our 25th Anniversary year, the latter is more of a task than the idea or grouping of artists under one umbrella.

Thank you, Alan Coleman, Mick O'Mahony, Damien Gerhard Coyle, Olwyn Spencer (R.I.P), Shane Kelly and all of Solomon, Alan Gogarty, Adele Whelan, Carson Enhardt, Dave Ellis and Dennis at the now defunct Waters Edge Studios and Adrian, Natalie, Thorston and Ollie from Rearview, Jeffery Alexander (Jahlex), Nancy (our dear little sister), Silvia Honig. I am forever grateful and I miss you.

Our story will never be complete because we (Crownn Records/Crownn Recording Group) will never go away.

Here is Part 1. These are the facts.

Stay tuned. Each segment will grow as we watch it grow.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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THE START 1997-2003 In 1994, the idea of a record label started with the fascination with a band that I (Jerome Fitts) was familiar with from Limerick, Ireland.

In disbelief at how this particular band had accumulated worldwide fame yet lived modestly in their home town was overwhelming and encouraging.

There was a feeling of envy even though I was living my dream of being a professional basketball player. There was a difference in the money, but making a living from the creation of music was instilled in me since the age of four.

How did they do it?

How did they do it?

In the summer of 1998, while living in Palmersdale, Dublin, Ireland, the amateur hour and misspelt business plan of then (Crownbefore the two n's) was submitted to the Enterprise Board in Tallaght.

I had no idea they would respond.

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Here, you can place a caption for the photo. It can be a short description or it can credit the production team.

The Enterprise Board of Ireland responded with an informal interview at the (idea that was to become a business) fixed address. 1 Palmersdale Road, Ballyfermot, Dublin.

At this point, I did not know how to pitch an idea, but I had some experience selling myself as I had coached basketball during my spare time while playing.

I was 30 years old and thought I was entering retirement.

The Enterprise Board gave me a list of requirements based on my ignorance of business. But at least they were fair and helpful.

The next step was the team or list of people who could work with me on this so-called idea of a record label.

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JEROME FITTS AND MICHAEL O’MAHONY

ON NOVEMBER 11TH, 1998, CROWNN WAS OFFICIALLY REGISTERED. * UNDER ONE “N”

Michael O'Mahoney, the only person to answer the advertisement, showed up and was interviewed at the Bailey Hotel on Naas Road in Dublin.

He had answered an advertisement placed (An Foras Áiseanna Saothair- Gaelic) referred to in English as the Training and Employment Authority and commonly known as FÁS (IPA:).

After either pints of Guinness and in-depth conversations about the band Oasis and KISS, Michael (Mick) created his position.

The next day, we headed into town (Dublin) to have a few drinks and listen to whatever noise there was in Temple Bar. The first and only stop was Eamon Dorans.

Drinks and a taxi full of girls later, a label was born. The name? Let's say this was the embryonic stage of a series of arguments.

The following Monday, on November 11th, 1998, Crownn Records was officially registered.

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Once Mick and I had wrapped our heads around the new Crownn thing, we were in search of bands.

There were a few misfires, yet talented artists such as Bass Odessy, and Momentum. Both of them went on to have lengthy careers, although nothing matured from their relationships with Crownn except for short tours and the odd mention in Hot Press Magazine.

We had no idea what we were doing, but it was a joyful learning experience. That experience gave us a thirst to learn more and fueled our curiosity about how to place a record on the shelf. At this point, we were fishing for luckies. If the band members were like us and if they could drink while pulling girls, we were interested in the music.

The thought of a contract or how to produce one was even funnier. At this point, we did not have a lawyer or had spoken to an entertainment lawyer.

In 1999, we placed advertisements in Hot Press Magazine, which enabled us to receive demos from other bands. Some bands stayed in touch with us for years, but for the most part, there were questions as we did not know what we were looking for or how to target bands. We faked it. We just wanted the party while being a part of a scene.

“WE HAD NO IDEA WHAT WE WERE DOING. BUT WE HAD A PASSION FOR MUSIC AND A MUTUAL TASTE IN MUSIC”

Bass Odesseey circa 1998

Solomon had a ton of tentacles to their existence. Those wings included a professional manager in Joey Cashman, who also managed legendary Irish musician Shane McGowan.

Lead singer Shane Kelly's tenacity combined with Crownn's push carved the label. Shane knew we had no idea but realised we had access to America and would do anything to stay alive in the business. This guy listened to all of our bullshit and piled more on with it. Shane got it.

We were way out of our league, but he continued to open doors for the band and the idea of a record label.

There was a phenomenal talent at our disposal with the likes of BloTooth, and The Nude. There was also our first official signing in the band Solomon.

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A PULL QUOTE IS AN IMPACTFUL QUOTE TAKEN FROM THE ARTICLE. YOU CAN PLACE THE QUOTE YOU WANT TO HIGHLIGHT HERE.

On a typical fueled fistfight night over the last can of cider, Mick came up with the idea of a cover song as a first single.

The bodacious R.E.M. cover of "It Is The End Of The World As We Know It" was accepted. It was the only time that Mick and Shane had agreed to anything.

Shane took the song to London to record and mix.

Afterwards, we squirmed into the prestigious Windmill Lane Studios for mastering. There was no set budget as we were skint or broke.

Somehow we got the record done.

After completing the first single, the next phrase was distribution. Barry Hartigan and Kevin Fennel, representing a distribution service company by the name of Vital offered us a deal. The company would place the records on the shelf with an upfront cost of £2,000.

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I was the only one with access to cash due to basketball and several warehouse jobs, most notably Walsh Western Logistics and Eurologics. Yeah, the glam life.

We managed to get a £600 (six-hundred pound) promotional video completed via Mick's friend Johnny. The video eventually was showcased on Irish television channels, most notably the Ray Darcy show. The latter coincided with the single being played on conventional national radio.

Tower Records listed the single on their charts between 25 and 50 for six months.

At the time, Mick and I worked side by side at a call centre where we would use the time to discuss or dream about our label, not knowing if we would ever produce a product for the shelf.

Well, it happened and the record was on the shelf starting with a nationwide retail store HMV. We could not believe we had a record on the shelf. Mick and I bought the first two copies, skipped our call centre jobs for the day and got completely wasted with a pub crawl, only to end the night in a ferocious fight. Then we made up in the morning and smiled on the bus on our way to work. Nothing could touch us!

Solomon spent the next nine months playing selected dates with Shane McGowan and performed in every record store that would have them for in-store appearances. Shane Kelly had the best attitude in the world and one that we miss today. He just kept us going, tolerated our bullshit, hugged and kissed in public as brothers.

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GINYARD MAGAZINE

Allen Gogarty is his name. He sang, drank and partied like us and was a mere 50 steps from my home (office).

He was also a next-door neighbour with the Taoiseach of Ireland Bertie Ahern's partner (girlfriend) Celia Larkin.

It was madness. We had artists coming and going during the day and women in and out of that apartment in a gated community while there would be secret service awaiting Bertie's departure.

Chaos!

Allen did not seem to mind and would walk across the road with a few cans of beer and talk about anything.

Allen Gogarty's single "The Right Place" did remarkably well, considering Ireland was a small market but a window of opportunity. He was constantly playing shows wherever and however he could.

Allen's highlight show, while on Crownn Records, was opening for Status Quo at the Olympia Theatre with just a guitar.

The summer of 2001 was the beginning of movement and progress with the label. No one knew what was to come after the September 11th, New York terrorist attacks.

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A DATE IN THE WICKLOW MOUNTAINS THAT LED TO GERMANY!

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On a date night or extended date afternoon in the Wicklow mountains, I came across a gentleman who overheard my date conversation about both bands. He introduced himself and gave me his card. I cannot remember his name, but he said he had a friend in Munich, Germany, who would be interested in collaborating with Crownn.

Boom! There was an opportunity to expand Crownn into new territory within the industry. I must have talked a good game as I had minimal experience of how the music industry worked and most definitely did not speak a word of German.

None of us had the posture to handle the trade of the business. Our ambition led us to contact this guy's friend, Dave Ellis from Waters Edge Studios.

The man in charge at WatersEdge, Dave Ellis, knew I had little to zero real business experience. He laid out a deal to relocate Crownn Records in Munich while being based at the studios in Schondorf, a mere 45 kilometres from Munich.

The idea was to introduce the bands we had on offer, which were Solomon and Allen Gogarty and showcase one of his artists, Rob (we forgot his name). So, in November 2001, we arrived at the studio for what was considered a showcase.

Some local industry likes were in attendance, most notably Carson Enhardt from C.E Promotion. Carson was contracted to do radio plugging and promotion for BMG, Atlantic Records, and Universal and had a catalogue of artists from Whitney Houston and Bad Boy Entertainment, to name a few. To us, he was the man.

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Carson attempted to speak with us as an introduction to the German scene- but we did not listen. Although, we did establish a relationship of sorts.

The studio (Waters Edge), did not listen to Carson. Dave Ellis and Dennis? were more into displaying their wealth and securing their multi-million dollar studio. The studio had the world's best equipment located in the Alps. We were overwhelmed.

We secured a deal.

The deal was basically: We located Crownn at their studios and shared what we thought was the profit revenue. We did not cover our bases based on our experience. In the meantime, we would secure a distribution deal for both companies' records.

These guys were loaded as they were IT consultants and made six figures per month and we were starting up with a few thousand from a market (Ireland) that was a dot on the scene. Our advantage was we had the talent and an array of artists at our fingertips that could shake the world up. But we did not know better and I was in a rush for the rush.

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On January 10th, 2002, I relocated to Munich, Germany.

After Chicago, we headed to New York to secure a deal. Upon arrival, Barrett declined to show up unless there was 5,000 in his account. I was The first day after I arrived, Dave Ellis, embarrassed but excited to be in New York, so we Dennis and I boarded a plane to America in partied. search of better partners or connections.

We returned to Munich and I set up the office in the I paid for my fare, accommodations and the apartment that was a part of the arrangement three hundred dollar dinners at a pop. Yep, Ibetween Dave and myself. Of course, we (Crownn) was stupid. had to pay for our accommodation and find a way to the studio in Schondorf to work. It was at least an The schedule was to go to Chicago and visithour away via train. a studio where RKelly started (Dennis's idea), then proceed to New York, where I I wanted to turn back to Dublin but I had built up so had set up a meeting with a guy by the much hype and smoke about Crownn proceeding name of Barrett Laroda. forward that there was no way I could return.

Barrett Laroda had supposedly set up The deal lasted another two months before I meetings which would guarantee our received a bill from WatersEdge for the cool tune of newfound partnership a deal in America.

4,000 Euros for working for them in a partnership. I The lads in Dublin were excited as we took thought what the fuck? It took me 20 minutes to get everyone based on their word. The thing of to the train station. it is Barrett commanded a fee of 5,000 dollars upfront.

I don't know why I entertained the idea of such a scam, but we went anyway.

15.

Ironically enough, I could stay in the apartment as I had moved and risked my secure life in Dublin- where Crownn had started. The thought of being back in Ireland with a little label and going in circles did not appeal.

I thought fuck it, I am here now let's proceed forward. And we did.

It was not long before an Irish man based in Munich by the name of Damien Coyle (Gehrad) was joining the ranks. Damien brought energy as well as protection to the company. No one fucked with us again.

There was only one problem. We needed big money. We started a little company called C.E.C based on what Barrett Laroda's intentions were, except we would follow through.

Three of those bands eventually signed with Crownn Records. They were October Episode, Rearview for a maxi-single and Phantom Black, which had releases and tours under the Crownn moniker. All were recruited and signed to the label by Damien.

The first client was a band from Aachen, Germany, called Rearview. They arrived in Munich, drank some beer, cooked some food and paid 300 euros upfront with a second instalment after we were to set up more movement for the band.

Rearview had a distinctive sound.

There was also the remarkable Eden Atlanta, Eden Automatic, and Lynn King.

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We also met someone inspirational to us in Kim Kelly, one of our Godfathers, who brought Johnnie Johnson (the Father of Rock and Roll) to our attention.

In the summer of 2003, we booked Johnnie a string of shows in Munich. The first show was at the Bayershoff Hotel in Munich, followed by a second show at a small Blues Festival called Bad Wiesse Blues Festival (near the Eagles Nest south of Munich). Everyone showed up and it is a memory that is often revisited within Crownn today (2023).

The signature of Rearview helped propel the label due to their maxi single being recorded in Kingston, Canada by Rick Molton and a short tour of America (two dates) The rest of the shows were cancelled, due to the tour sponsor pulling accommodation and travel after the first date in Dallas, Texas. Crownn Stories and Chaos!

But during this time we secured our first genuine distribution deal with Cargo Records. We still had no idea what we were doing but we celebrated our 5th Anniversary in Arlington, Texas the night before flying back to Germany.

(Left); Rearview Paris Airport Tour (Bottom Left); Jahlex P1 Nite Club K1x Promo Night Munich, Germany (Bottom Right) JFitts, Johnny Johnson, Roy, Kim Kelly

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The signature of Rearview helped propel the label due to their maxi single being recorded in Kingston, Canada by Rick Molton and a short tour of America (two dates) The rest of the shows were cancelled, due to the tour sponsor pulling accommodation and travel after the first date in Dallas, Texas. Crownn Stories and Chaos!

But during this time we secured our first genuine distribution deal with Cargo Records. We still had no idea what we were doing but we celebrated our 5th Anniversary in Arlington, Texas the night before flying back to Germany.

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PART II - (2003-2008)

THE MOVE TO BERLIN!

JUNE 2024

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