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Closet Arsenal fans, Ben and Stuart of Sink and Stove Records cleverly try and dodge my Gooner baiting "Tottenham/F.A. Cup/there is a one in the year" question by talking about footballs position in society and it's perpetuation of the patriarchal/masculine culture.
How, when, why, and who?
Ben: Sink and Stove Records began in March 2000 with our launch party at Fiddlers, Bristol. It's run by me, Benjamin Shillabeer and my colleague Stuart Bell. It's purely been self-funded because we love music and we wanted to set-up a label and support music that we believe in.
Stuart: By hard graft and sacrifice. Because the corporations who control the music industry make decisions on behalf of the general public about what they should be listening to and because we and others like us can, over time, stop them.
Has airplay on John Peel affected your fortunes much, he seems to be playing a few of your bands?
B: I must confess I don't listen to the radio as much as I should, but I try to check the playlists every so often. Yes it's great that there are a few shows left like John Peel's that will play underground music. It's a shame that the Evening Sessions seem content to play the likes of Eminem, Robbie Williams, Limp Bizkit, Manic Street Preachers etc, thus becoming indistinguishable from the daytime shows; they are so commercial now. I first heard Monkey Steals the Drum on John Peel's show and then decided to get in touch with them. It's still a useful platform but it's ludicrous that it's basically one man providing it. What will happen when he retires I don't know! Xfm is another option but is London based so is quite exclusive listening. There are very few options open to labels and bands when it comes to airplay, unless they have major label clout or it's music specifically designed for the charts. (The same goes for the NME, with its pages filled by Kylie, Hear'say, Robbie Williams and the Spice Girls. It upsets me a great deal.)
S: It's made dealing with people in the industry easier as his coverage and that of others like him has spread our name around quite a bit. We don't get as much 'Sink and who?' or 'Sink and Swim Records' or even 'Sinking Stoat Records' as we used to.
"At the very top of Sink and Stove's agenda is to embrace, encourage and observe all types of music."
Are you mates with PJ Harvey (shit question mk1)?
B: No I'm not a friend of hers but I've met her and we share a lot of friends in common. Additionally Sink and Stove have worked with many members of her bands past and present.
S: Not only have I never met her, but I've never heard any of her albums either. Sorry! Rumour has it that Ben is down with her!
Some of the artwork for the label is pretty mad who is behind that?
B: Well a friend called Kim Baker did the artwork for the first two releases and she designed the Sink and Stove logo too. Stuart and myself contribute a few photos here and there and work on the layout with a guy called Simon Barber. The artwork for Chikinki's album is by Maria Mochnacz who does all the PJ Harvey covers and videos. We're keen on making a Chikinki video soon too; Stuart and I have made a few short films in the past.
S: The terribly talented Kim 'Fuckin Luvalee' Baker, a Welsh lady living in London.
Do you think that the Pull the Strings nights have created a good environment for bands to develop? The crowd is pretty open minded.
B: Yes they are great nights and the mix of music is good. It's nice that PTS are regularly getting the touring bands from Southern Records and America now. That particular label and band scene needs to be made aware of what's happening in Bristol and also of all the great British bands that are out there. Stuart and myself are not personally involved in running the PTS nights but our friends are. We have supplied bands to play PTS, who have since become regulars there. Additionally I've seen bands there that I've approached to work with, like Chikinki. We recently teamed up with PTS for Chikinki's album launch party and we co-promoted the night. The crowd is appreciative of all the bands that play and there is a regular crowd that turns up. If the nights can start drawing in new audiences then that would be good and who knows what might happen.
S: Pull the Strings is great. It's like a gang of people who get together and check out bands. Their attendance base is gradually growing and it seems the gigs are getting busier and busier and better organized too. So I guess that's as good an environment as any to develop a band.
Chikinki's album is quite cool (decent tunes and experimental) you must have high hopes for their future?
B: Chikinki's album is VERY cool. We're all really pleased with and the attention it's receiving. The band is on fire at the moment! We plan to release a single from the album and organise a few more tours for them. It's an exciting year! They're a bunch of well-spoken, well-hung young bucks and so nothing can stop them really. Rupert deserves to be on the cover of Smash Hits, with perhaps Boris on the cover of Time magazine, an icon to a generation! They're not ugly either!
S: Yes, of course. I think they are going to kick a lot of the wishy-washy shit that's being forced down our throats at present to the kerb. The deal we have with them is a good springboard for them to take their message and their sound to a whole lot more people. We're gigging them pretty hard at the moment and they're gaining followers wherever they go. The recent tour has brought in a lot of interest from both the public and the industry. They're selling a lot of albums already.
"...the summer will see a special Fall Project remix EP containing four Fall Project tracks remixed by Mo-Du, Possessed, Mr Stuart Bell esq. and Madnomad"
Which bands do you have your eye on at the minute and what's next after Chikinki's album?
B: There will be a Chikinki single and video, and the summer will see a special Fall Project remix EP containing four Fall Project tracks remixed by Mo-Du, Possessed, Mr Stuart Bell esq. and Madnomad.
S: Well, we are hoping to work with Morning Star on an album. We are also negotiating further involvement with Monkey Steals the Drum. The Possessed album is coming together. There's going to be more releases, more gigs, a broader sphere of operations and you will be hearing a lot more from us and our artists.
Have you ever met Steve Albini? (shit question mk2)
B: No, or should I say not yet?!
S: Sorry, no again. I love some of his work though.
Are you interested in releasing stuff by International artists and/or different musical styles?
B: Yes very much so. We consider our label very eclectic and we don't concentrate on any particular genre, apart from an independent attitude and spirit. Our recent compilation album proves that. I'd like the opportunity to work with foreign bands. Working with foreign labels (with licensing deals etc) is also something we're getting into.
S: Yes and yes. At the very top of Sink and Stove's agenda is to embrace, encourage and observe all types of music. We have some much more urban projects in development and we also have involvement with more expansive, orchestral tinged bands.
How was the Soeza tour (Ben is in the Band)?
B: The gigs in France were fantastic. It seems independent music is much more appreciated over there and people more willing to go out to a gig and watch live music. As an artisté you get treated so much better in Europe than you do in Britain. They really look after you and you get decent food, accommodation and money when you play. The gig circuit over here could learn a lot.
S: I don't know, I wasn't there!
And finally Will Tottenham win the F.A cup?
B: I detest football and all it stands for. Any appreciation I might get from the honest physicality or technical skills of the players is quickly dissipated by the repellent lad/violent culture that surrounds football and it's an awful culture that has permeated to the core of Britain. The wages that the players get is equally offensive and another part of rip of Britain where you have to buy Sky TV and line Rupert Murdoch's pockets to watch the games anyway! How about using some of that money to develop a decent sports infrastructure in this country, eliminating football hooligans and cleaning up the football/sports industry (because that's what it is, an industry, not a beautiful game) and designing and building football stadiums that are safe and can't kill people. But going back to your question Tottenham will win 2:1, probably scoring in the second half, possibly in injury time.
S: A popular question, but football means absolutely nothing to me. To say I dislike it isn't really fair because it really doesn't enter into my reality. I understand that it is right to support the mentally disadvantaged, but I don't think I'd stretch as far as standing in a freezing cold stadium watching them for hours on end.