Feature / Music
Pass The Mic: Record Labels and Artists on 2008

Words: Michael • Posted pre-2010

LINKS TO ALL THE PAGES

Lemuria (Jason Draper)

What are your top five albums that were released in 2008?

  1. Cheap Girls - Find Me a Drink Home
  2. The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
  3. R.E.M. - Accelerate
  4. Cat Power - Jukebox
  5. The Gutter Twins - Saturnalia

Honorable Mention: The Cure - 4:13 Dream (I haven't had enough time with it.)

What band did you discover in 2008 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? What made them significant?

Cheap Girls. Alex had been talking about them for a couple of months and they contacted me to do a show for them in Buffalo. I set up the show and then when The Failures' Union was on tour, we played two shows with them, and I fell in love with their band. It also helps that they are awesome dudes. They are exactly what I feel has been missing in new music for a long time. Both my bands are planning on touring with them in the upcoming year.

How will you remember 2008? (In terms of music)

I will remember it as the year of not being disappointed by new albums of bands I love.

Vinyl record sales saw a significant increase this year while hard copy sales continued to dwindle. Is this a return to the glory days for vinyl or just a phase? Explain.

It's hard to say. With the way music has become so disposable, younger kids don't seem to care about actually having hard copies of music. As more time passes the passive music fans will "grow up" and probably not purchase as much music. Those two things coupled point to the demise of the hard copy. Eventually I think that will affect vinyl sales as well.

What was the most memorable moment for you in 2008? (Can be in terms of anything)

The weekend of The Ergs! last show. We played a New Brunswick basement show with them, that was insane, and then we played an incredible show at Death By Audio in NYC (I snuck away from the show to see The Thorns of Life play), and then seeing/playing with The Ergs! for one last time. Being surrounded by friends during that insanity was magical. It also helps that someone who is very special to me flew out to the East Coast for all of this.

What can we look forward to from you in 2009?

Lemuria has a split 7" with Off With Their Heads coming out as part of the Suburban Home "Under The Influence" series. We also have a 7" coming out on Hex Records. Other than that, hopefully a lot of touring. The Failures' Union has a new full-length coming out, as well as a split 7" with Cheap Girls.

What three records are you looking forward to most in 2009?

Cheap Girls, Morrissey, and Tegan & Sara

Homepage: http://www.lemuriapop.com

Related features

Chuck Ragan

Fly fishing tour guide

Interviews / Don't Quit Your Day Job • April 14, 2025

How an artist spends their time by day will influence the creative process at night. In Don’t Quit Your Day Job, Scene Point Blank looks at how musicians split their time, and how their careers influence their music (or how their music provides escape). In this edition, we caught up … Read more

Jumalvauhti

One Question Interviews • March 27, 2025

Kalle (Jumalvauhti – bass) SPB: Who is your favorite band/artist from the 2000-2010 era? Kalle: It's hard to say, but Destiny's Child definitely can't go wrong.  Read more

Bronson Arm

One Question Interviews • March 26, 2025

Black Bickel (Bronson Arm) SPB: What is your favorite stretch of highway to drive in the US? Bickel: My favorite stretch of highway is that bit between Milwaukee and Minneapolis, two cities that Bronson Arm always have a great time playing. So if we are leaving Milwaukee, we are usually … Read more

Unstable Shapes

One Question Interviews • March 25, 2025

Kevin Hurley (Unstable Shapes – bass) SPB: What is your favorite Fugazi record? Hurley: While we can debate the best Fugazi record, a personal favorite of mine is The Argument. It was my entry point for the band. I was admittedly way late to the party on them and as … Read more

Retirement

Bike Shop

Interviews / Don't Quit Your Day Job • March 23, 2025

How an artist spends their time by day will influence the creative process at night. In Don’t Quit Your Day Job, Scene Point Blank looks at how musicians split their time, and how their careers influence their music (or how their music provides escape). In this edition, we chat with … Read more

More from this section

2024: A Year In Review

Music / Year End 2024 • January 13, 2025

It's a new year – hooray. And things are off to a fine start, too. If the thought of corrupt governments, AI domination, unmoderated social networks and endless war is causing you to retreat into the past, we don't blame you. In fact, we encourage it! Our writers have summed … Read more

Scene Point Blank's Favorites: Year End (2024)

Music / Year End 2024 • January 4, 2025

It's 2025, somehow. When did this happen?! Okay, okay, four days ago. But honestly. It feels like 2012 was only a few months ago. Is it just SPB who's feeling a little, well, timestruck? But don't worry – we've got you. Did 2024 pass you by, too? Still not caught … Read more

Pass The Mic: Artists and labels on 2024

Music / Year End 2024 • January 4, 2025

It's a SPB tradition to formally "pass the mic" to our artist and label friends to tell us about their year in music. What albums did they enjoy? What shows did they see? What are they looking forward to for the new year? We're joined this year by a host … Read more