MUSIC BLOG

Don't Miss: Tonight's Side With Us Records showcase at GAMH

• Author: Mike G
• Published: Friday, July 22, 2011

Tonight at Great American Music Hall there's an all-star lineup of Bay Area bands: The Velvet Teen, Worker Bee, Silian Rail, and Not To Reason Why.

The tie that binds all three of these bands to the same stage tonight is their record label: Side With Us Records. Based in San Jose, SWU has only been around a couple of years but already has an impressive roster, as the lineup for tonight's GAMH show amply demonstrates. It's also much more than a record label, as founder Leslie Hampton also runs Side With Us Design and is more than happy to lend her design skills to the bands on her label, whether it's designing their record covers, websites, or show posters.

Her background in running a label and a design shop has led Hampton to create a novel musical format which she calls the PostCode, short for poster and download code. It's basically Hampton's solution to the problem of digital music not coming with the cover art so many music fans cherish about the albums they buy.

Get your tickets for tonight's show and get ready to rock. You can also RSVP on Facebook. There will be some giveaways and lots of special bundles available containing records, posters, t-shirts, etc. of SWU artists' merch.

We had a chat with Leslie Hampton about how Side With Us Records was born, what kinds of bands she's interested in working with, and what bands on the label can expect to get out of the deal. Check it out.

WTM: How long has Side With Us been around and what's its mission in life? I see you also are a design shop, how's that fit in?

LH: The official launch party was November 7th, 2009 at The Blank Club in San Jose. The Side With Us mission is to release great music we like, get bands heard and work to serve the needs of each artist by creating a network between the bands on the label. When a band joins us it's usually because they have an appreciation for the music made by the other bands on our roster. We really are like a family.

My design background allows me to offer bands a full creative shop; I can design their website, one sheet flyers, posters, ads, and album artwork. I will also take their press shots and live photos. The bands are under no obligation to utilize those services but I am here to provide them if they need it. I also designed the Side With Us branding and website.

WTM: Is it just you running the label? What made you want to start a record label?

LH: I pretty much run it solo, which means working like crazy most of the time. But I'm loving the challenge! At times I do reach out to others for help; Mike Park at Asian Man has been an inspiration and his help and advice has been invaluable.

I love music and attend a lot of shows, so starting a label was inevitable. While attending college in London, I did research on independent and major labels, which helped me form my ideals about running my own label. When I returned to the Bay Area, I got my start working for Grand Fanali Presents and by doing so, gained exposure to many of the bands that became a part of the Side With Us family. The timing had a lot to do with Worker Bee and releasing the Tangler CD. It is such a great album and I'm proud that it made a great start to the Side With Us catalog.

WTM: What kinds of bands are you primarily interested in signing?

LH: Bands who are dependable, strive for great production quality, who are good live and that make albums I can't stop listening to. Sound wise, it is a hard thing to pin point. I love delayed/reverb guitars and drummers that play cool patterns. I look for music that has a familiarity, but at the same time is unpredictable. Blonde Redhead, Sonic Youth, Blur, The New Trust, Yo La Tengo, Faraquet and Fugazi are some of my favorite bands not on my label.

WTM: What do you offer the bands you work with? Can bands submit their music to you?

LH: Production of the music (CD/vinyl/digital/PostCode), creative services, web hosting, booking, recording equipment, mail order, promo CDs/download codes and whatever press I can get them. A friend helped me develop a download code system and he coded it. Having my own stand alone download code system was really important for me to have and it allows me to produce releases quickly. Besides putting in download codes with vinyl, I also have digital/physical releases I like to call PostCodes: Poster + download code. It has more of the visual real estate of an LP, combined with MP3s and other digital extras.

I accept demos by post, but primarily to demo@sidewithus.com. I generally only work with bands I've followed for a while and have seen live, but it's the best way to get things started. Other bands on the roster also give suggestions for new additions to the label. I welcome their input.

WTM: What upcoming releases do y'all have coming down the pipe?

LH: Some releases are still in talks, but a vinyl release of You Are Plural's "Hand It Over" and another 7" from Survival Guide are in the works.

WTM: What's the story with the showcase at GAMH?

LH: I decided it was time to showcase the label's growth and I'm thrilled to be able to do it at the Great American Music Hall, one my favorite Bay Area Venues. It's a beautiful theater and a fantastic place to see a show. We have an amazing lineup and my hope is that if someone comes to see just one band, they will walk away addicted to all of them.

There will be lots of bundle packages for Side With Us releases, T-shirts, special split label mixtape with friends Ascension R+P and screened posters for the event. I have the bands on the label involved in producing such items with Loud and Clear Printing (Emily from Survival Guide) screening the shirts, 2nd Wind Printing (Matthew from The Velvet Teen) screening the posters and Headlong into Harm (Josh from The Velvet Teen) designing the posters.

WTM: Anything else we should know about SWU?

LH: Different bands have different needs and I'm dedicated to helping them achieve what they want. For more information go to sidewithusrecords.com.