The Indies: Flameshovel Continues To Dig For Indie Gold

The two founders of Flameshovel Records are still surviving on leftovers provided by their waiter friends. But 2005 will see the Chicago label's busiest release schedule in its short history and its first efforts to expand into the European market.

Jesse Woghin and James Kenler formed Flameshovel out of frustration with their day jobs—Woghin in real estate and Kenler in computer tech support. The label established itself on the indie rock map last year with the debut album by the Windy City's Chin Up Chin Up, "We Should Have Never Lived Like We Were Skyscrapers."

Kenler and Woghin went full time with Flameshovel in 2002. "We quit our jobs well before we were profitable," Kenler says. "We're still at the point where it's a self-sustaining thing. We both work outside the label. I work at a bar and a club, and Jesse temps . . . A lot of our band members work in restaurants and bars, so we mooch off whatever we can get."

Chicago's Southern Records distributes the label, which shares office space with the rock club Empty Bottle. Upcoming Flameshovel releases include a reissue of Chin Up Chin Up's debut EP and full-lengths from shoegazing newcomers Sybris and Joan of Arc side project Make Believe, recorded with Steve Albini.

Flameshovel is licensing the Make Believe album overseas with the hope that it will help the label secure European distribution.

Kenler and Woghin began by purchasing books on running a label and have since found helpful friends in the indie community.

"The folks from Tiger Style have been great," Kenler says. "How do we make a good one-sheet? Who do we talk to for distribution? How much do we sell our records for? Can I see a contract? These people still help out with recommending good lawyers or publishers or advertising agencies.

"I'm surprised at how noncompetitive this is and how eager people are to help each other," he continues. "Labels have been quite happy to give us their distribution contact in the Netherlands, for instance."



TWO MUCH OF A GOOD THING: Last week, The Indies mentioned that lawyer Bernard Stollman had revived his famed avant-garde label, ESP-Disk. A new deal with Allegro's NAIL Distribution allowed Stollman to begin shipping remastered albums by Albert Ayler, Sun Ra and Pharoah Sanders. It turns out that because of a licensing dispute, multiple versions of at least one album are available.

Prior to the relaunch, Stollman had been licensing ESP titles, and a few years ago he made an agreement with Dutch company Calibre. Ben Gieskes, who runs Calibre, in turn made a licensing deal with Italian company Abraxas SRL, whose titles are distributed in the United States by San Francisco-based Runt.

The deals were made with Stollman's approval, and Abraxas managing director Alessando Nannucci says he has served Stollman with cease-and-desist letters. Stollman, however, considers the deals dead, claiming he has not received royalties in two years.

"I know they're not going to pay another dime," Stollman says, "so why should I allow them to profit while I struggle? The agreement says they license and they pay, and if they don't pay, their license doesn't go on."

Representatives from Runt declined to comment, but Nannucci says, "Mr. Bernard Stollman, despite being the founder of ESP-Disk and still owning shares of the company, doesn't represent the company anymore and doesn't have any authority whatsoever to release titles of the ESP-Disk catalog and/or to release new titles with the ESP-Disk trademark and logo."

Given the international nature of the conflict, a resolution may take some time, so for now, there are two versions of Sanders' "Pharoah's First" on the market.

NAIL label manager Chris Scofield said in a statement, "These new recording masters are distinct and new to the retail market, unlike the recordings which were previously licensed to Abraxas SRL in Italy . . . NAIL expects that any matters or disputes regarding ESP-Disk and previous licensees will be resolved independently and on their own accord."



COOKING AT KOCH: Port Washington, N.Y.-based Koch Entertainment Distribution has signed an exclusive U.S. distribution agreement with Cooking Vinyl. The label was founded in the United Kingdom in 1986 and has released albums from Echo & the Bunnymen, the Mekons and the Autumn Defense, among others.

Koch began distributing Cooking Vinyl USA releases April 1, marking the label's first foray into the States as a stand-alone company. Previously, Cooking Vinyl had an agreement with New York-based SpinArt, whose releases are handled by Ryko Distribution.

Cooking Vinyl USA CEO Jeremy Morrison says the move stems from the desire to become a full-service label in the States, adding that he is seeking new artists.



UP AT MUSICRAMA: MDM Musicrama has upped Rich Masio to director of sales operations and has named Karen Granaudo head of national accounts. Masio was the mid-Atlantic/nontraditional sales manager, and Granaudo was sales and marketing director.

Masio will oversee the sales force and most sales accounts, excluding those Granaudo handles. Both report to president/COO Mark Jarzabek.