Feature / Music
Pass The Mic: Record Labels and 2006

Posted pre-2010

Chris, Cooch, Dan & Nick

(Painkiller)

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SPB: What was your favorite release of your label in 2006 (including anything that will be released by the end of the year)? Why?

Chris: The Breathing Fire Demo Reissue as a 7" (which should be out by the end of december.) I just remember Breathing Fire and Mind Eraser started around the same time and when I finally heard their demo and saw them play (which was the same night) I just felt ashamed of myself because of how much more powerful and good they were. Theyre definitely one of my favorite bands of this decade and I see this recording as so fully realized and heavy.

Cooch: Inmates - Assholes Unanimous 12". My favorite Cleveland band thats still active. Getting this LP back in press was something I always wanted us to do for a while, since our friend Mike originally put it out about four years ago in a very small quantity, and most of those either stayed in Cleveland or went to Japan. The music is just legitimate vicious, hateful hardcore...you hear all these corny descriptions these days about bands "playing hardcore the way it was meant to be played" and usually that just means some Nth rate generic fast shit, but this LP really embodies hardcore "the way it was meant to be played" in my opinion.

Nick: Mind Erasers Glacial Reign. Im the only member of the Painkiller partnership that isnt in Mind Eraser, so Im allowed to say its my favorite while everyone else had to pick a different release because they felt shitty voting for their own record even though deep down its their favorite too. Usually bands leave all the entire creative process up to us, but this was one of the first records where we had some quality artwork to play around with. That helped out a lot. Between the CD and LP there was only one annoying error in the final product, which is leaps and bounds ahead of most of our releases.

SPB: How will you remember 2006? (in terms of music)

Chris: Over priced 7"s that are either boring garage punk or generic hardcore/punk that sounds like the Circle Jerks and Redd Kross except sucky and boring. Fucked Up started reminding us of Queen. And of course, the 11th consecutive year that Deep 6 has advertised an Infest discography.

SPB: What do you see as the role of labels in 2007 and beyond?

Cooch: Putting out records.

Nick: [laughing]

Dan: What is this?

Chris: Manufacturing collectibles.

SPB: Top five releases of 2006? (not on your label)

Chris:

  1. Guilt Lust 12" (Fun With Smack Records)
  2. Dry-Rot - Permission 7" (Cold Vomit Records)
  3. Bracewar 7" (Brain Grenade)
  4. Poison Idea - Latest Will and Testament (Farewell Records)
  5. Fucked Up - Year of the Dog 12" (Blocks Records)

SPB: Any previews/hints/facts of what you will be releasing in 2007?

Chris: Heres some hints via a word jumble:

  • nike pey 12"
  • ands erriem dfepcu uk ratlabcoinool 12"
  • feniihatr gerb 21"
  • litgu slut 7"
  • montihegs yb gcosatape

SPB: Whats your main goal of 2007 (labelwise)?

Chris: Threesome...oh labelwise.

Nick: Put that in.

Dan: [laughs]

Cooch: Put something about Parts Unknown Records.

Chris: What is our main goal...?

Nick: A-Team discography

Cooch: Jennifer Aniston

Chris: H-100s reissue, and scoring a movie thats in public domain.

Cooch: Scoring a hot bitch (Note: Cooch has a wife and child)

SPB: Predictions of trends in 2007 (music related (and more if you want))?

Chris: $5 7"s with xerox covers, more posing on black metal, more over priced collectors editions, quantity over quality... a continuation of the bad shit from 2006 essentially.

Painkiller releases of 2006:

  • Darvocets - Authentic Music From Another Planet 12"
  • The Inmates - Assholes Unanimous LP
  • Mind Eraser - Glacial Reign LP/CD
  • Mind Eraser - Teenagers 7" (Freebie)
  • Scapegoat - s/t 7"
  • Step Forward - 10 Song E.P. (Cassette version)
  • Step Forward - 10 Song E.P. (7" version)
  • Cider - They Are The Enemy! 12" reissue of 7" (w/ 4 extra tracks)
  • Breathing Fire demo 2004 7"

— words by the SPB team

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