ScenePointBlank: What's the most meaningful release you've done so far?
Kevin Lovelost: This one's difficult because all the releases are like my kids man, sure my ex-partner had influence on some of the earlier ones but I love 'em the same. But last summer I had the time of my life'I flew out to Florida and roadied for Into The Moat on their east coast tour, without Lovelost something like that would have NEVER happened. Not only did I get to tour with a band on my label, I got to do things like give Matt (drummer) raspberries (no not the fruit) and go to NYC. They're some of my best friends, amazing kids. I can't wait to see them again, I'm teaching Matt how to snowboard this upcoming winter and hopefully tagging along again for some of their tour this summer. That aside, I think if you talk to any of the bands since my ex-partners "departure" you'll find that things are really friendly between myself and all the bands.. I'm not trying to be a suit and tie kind of guy. To sum it up, I could never choose.
ScenePointBlank: Any particular funny stories from the ITM tour?
Kevin Lovelost: Every second with those kids is an adventure...I think the one that sticks out the most is when we were in MA. We were out for breakfast getting donuts, anyhow the place had like all female employees and none of them would smile and were totally 100% rude. So after we ate in their lobby we wrote "SMILE BITCHES" on a table with cream cheese and casually left. So we're outside laughing our asses off walking to the truck when one of the bitches starts pounding on the window and yelling at us. We took off running...couldn't stop laughing about that all day, felt like being a kid again. Moral of the story? Donut bitches are bitches.
ScenePointBlank: What was this "departure" that you were talking about?
Kevin Lovelost: Ok, I'll keep it short, so Lovelost used to be a two man operation, me and Dylan Jones. I did all the crap related to publicity and A&R and all that crap. He handled all the distribution and stuff, since he did the distribution he had the entire stock of CDs. What's screwy is I paid for all of the releases except for the Black Dahlia Murder EP, we split that. I was just too naive to see that he was totally riding my wave. Anyways things came up, people were complaining about him and I told him to step up to the plate and do his damn job. He left Lovelost and told me that he'd be mailing me the stock of CDs in the next couple of weeks and be paying me for money owed for pressings and stuff. That never happened.....that was in July'it's April now. The douche bag even had his phone number changed. Consequently he ripped of Into The Moat, Set Ablaze, The Ambition, and especially The Black Dahlia Murder. The Black Dahlia Murder sent him money (over $400) in exchange for some copies of A Cold Blooded Epitaph and that douche bag spent it on EBAY buying Kenneth Cole and Armani knockoff shit. He has a lot of enemies and I'm working with "legal authorities" to get some kind of agreeable end to this stupid situation. I lost a lot of money and resources in all of this, I had to repress some of the albums, which sucks because I paid for the first pressings in the first place...A lot of people have congratulated me on staying above water'I look at it like a big FU to Dylan Jones...Lovelost is 10x the label without him. This is what I love, this is who I have become. I do Lovelost stuff literally hours every single day. It consumes me and the passion paid off.
ScenePointBlank: That is a total bummer, but awesome how you didn't go under because of it. How do you decide which bands to release?
Kevin Lovelost: I release stuff I like, simple as that. I get tons of demos in the mail of bands that I enjoy but just because I enjoy a band doesn't mean I'd do a release with them. None of my releases are horribly original, but I don't think any of them are cliché and they all push some kind of limit in their respective genres'and none of my bands have black hair with blonde streaks and girls pants, I'm stoked on that.
ScenePointBlank: Any regrets in your "record label" career that you would go back and change?
Kevin Lovelost: Well we should have waited a little bit more on The Ambition record. It's a great release but they haven't been able to tour AT ALL because of school making everything pretty untimely for Lovelost and them. Other then that, the obvious is that I would have never worked with that shitbag named Dylan Jones.
ScenePointBlank: If you could give one piece of advice for someone starting a label, what would it be?
Kevin Lovelost: Don't partner up with Dylan Jones'haha, ummm do what your heart says'if something seems sketchy, it probably is. Stand by what you release'sure people will send you praise but a lot of people like to talk shit just because they can, and that's the nature of the internet. Either way they know who you are and that's half the battle
ScenePointBlank: What does Lovelost mean?
Kevin Lovelost: You know that Carcass song, 'No Love Lost'? No no no'you know that band Love Lost But Not Forgotten? Wait wait wait, it's actually a reference to growing up, as lame as that might sound. It's about saying things like "yeah I'll never stop playing with toys" or "I'm going to be a skateboarder forever" and eventually losing those things. Lovelost lets me grow up but keep intact with things I once and still "love".
ScenePointBlank: How do you explain your label to people who don't know anything about this type of sound?
Kevin Lovelost: Call it whatever you want'metal, hardcore, metalcore...either way you like it or you don't..."when all is said and done there's no love lost" (second carcass reference) I'm pretty rad huh?
ScenePointBlank: Yes, most definitely. But to your mom's friends, how would you describe it?
Kevin Lovelost: It's the Beatles of a new generation, your parents don't have to like it'fuck disco. Don't take that wrong, I'm not comparing metal to The Beatles.
ScenePointBlank: SURE. With a release from The Black Dahlia Murder who got huge, and One Dead Three Wounded who were just featured in Alternative Press, do you see your label as a jumpstart for band's careers?
Kevin Lovelost: Umm ask me again in a month and I'll definitely say yes. What that means is that another Lovelost band is just finishing contracting with a huge label and should definitely explode. It's crazy, I've had people from big labels contact me and even order copies of CDs to check out'this sound is getting huge. And I really emphasize that. All my bands work with me on a one release basis, if they want to stick around and do more I'd love to, but I really try and push my bands to bigger and better things.
ScenePointBlank: Do you see this as the new nu metal?
Kevin Lovelost: Yes and no. A lot of the newer kids coming out to shows are ex-nu metal kids who finally got a clue. So I guess it could be the next "big" thing but for other reasons than teen angst. I say that but then bands like Bleeding Through are what I just described, hahaha.
ScenePointBlank: You've said The Black Dahlia Murder album would be repressed, what's up with this?
Kevin Lovelost: Well The Black Dahlia Murder are really good friends with the dudes in the Red Chord. The singer of The Red Chord has a label called Black Market Activities who have really exploded lately, if you haven't checked that label out, you need to. Anyhow Black Market Activities and BDM really wanted to work together so they will be re-releasing A Cold Blooded Epitaph with new packaging and stuff... I guess this is Lovelost s claim to eBay fame? There's absolutely no hard feelings between BDM and myself, I still talk with the guys regularly.
ScenePointBlank: Just talk?
Kevin Lovelost: Yea, its too hard to cyber sex these days, they're on the road constantly.
ScenePointBlank: What about eRoad head?
Kevin Lovelost: That tastes funny
ScenePointBlank: Burritos or sandwiches?
Kevin Lovelost: Oh shit, fuck Taco Bell and all those imposters. There's a great place in Bellingham, WA (I forgot their name, sorry) that has the hugest burritos and they slay. But my mom also recently introduced me to this wheat bread that has this sweetness to it and I can't get enough.
ScenePointBlank: So your answer is...?
Kevin Lovelost: Burritos for lunch, sweet wheat bread sandwiches for dinner.
ScenePointBlank: How did the process of getting in Hot Topic go about?
Kevin Lovelost: Well my stuff has been selling incredibly over at Lumberjack for the past month or so... Through The Eyes Of The Dead have stayed in the top 3 selling items constantly and Into The Moat makes itself present on that list every once in a while, so I got a hold of Hot Topic and said, "check this out", they agreed and contacted Lumberjack and I did the same. Things are slowly starting to show up, but we're hoping to have them in stores nationally soon enough.
ScenePointBlank: Oh, so the e-mails haven't started from 14 year old girls who want to be "0wn3d" by you?
Kevin Lovelost: Hahaha nah, since when do kids with a label get play because of it?
ScenePointBlank: When writers for online zines did. Does the pressure of running a label ever get to be too much?
Kevin Lovelost: Yea sometimes it does. Some people might think I'm making some money but in reality I'm taking in enough to keep the label going and that's about it. Lovelost is just a hobby for right now and sometimes balancing it with school and my real life gets a little tricky, never thought of quitting though.
ScenePointBlank: What do you do to relieve pressure in these situations?
Kevin Lovelost: I touch myself.....furiously'haha, I like snowboarding, mountain biking, video games, and shooting firearms.
ScenePointBlank: What's the most relieving factor of running a label?
Kevin Lovelost: A stranger's compliment, there's nothing better.
ScenePointBlank: Your label is a Kevin exclusive, do you see yourself 'hiring' more people in the future?
Kevin Lovelost: I've already talked and been accepted by a prominent promotional company, I just don't have the funds right now to do that, but yeah'I mean I'd love to get to the point of needing an extra hand.
ScenePointBlank: Any upcoming bands that you will be releasing things by?
Kevin Lovelost: I'm super close to signing my 7th band but until then I can't say who. I'm also really looking forward to putting out second releases by TTEOTD or ODTW, if of course those bands don't find homes on bigger and better labels.
ScenePointBlank: Any upcoming bands that you are not releasing that are worth checking out?
Kevin Lovelost: Yeah, there's this country rock-ish band called Lucero that is mind blowing. If you're into grindy death metal check out NC's Maleboglia. One of my buddies plays bass in a band called Hawkeye who sound something like Mr. Bungle meets the Beach Boys. Check out The Knife Trade if you're into good metalcore. The Killing from NJ also play some kick ass metal, and of course from that area (Philly) is one of my fav bands, Balboa'they are a must to check out.
