Paul Sunderland (Give Praise Records)
What are your top five albums that were released in 2011? (in order 1-5)
- In Defence - Party Lines and Politics
- Spazz - La Revancha (Reissue) LP
- The Afternoon Gentlemen / Cyborg - Split 7"
- The Afternoon Gentlemen - Pissedography CD
- Agoraphobic Nosebleed / Despise You - Split LP
What band did you discover in 2011 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? What made them significant?
There were a lot of radical bands that poked their heads around this past year. I think, one, that totally stuck out for me was The Afternoon Gentlemen. I know, I may be a bit biased because they actually did a CD on Give Praise - but they had sent me some songs to listen too and really it was some great stuff. A lot of bands, try and channel the feeling of bands like Spazz, Charles Bronson, etc. but the Gents really do a spot on job!
How will you remember 2011 (in terms of music)?
I think, this year, we've really seen a huge growth in independent record labels and even some cassette only labels have been sprouting up! This year, there has been a lot of growth with labels, and that is not really a good or bad thing. It's kind of somewhere in the middle -- I think the pressing plants, and digital people have made it so easy for you to get music out there, that really anyone with a few hundred bucks of start-up money and knows someone in a band, can get a label going and build a pretty solid following in a few months.
What can we look forward to from you in 2012?
A lot of new releases! Will be working with ANTiSEEN, Brody's Militia, Deep Shit, Buried At Birth, Thrak, Failure Face, Suffering Mind, and a ton more! Also, we'll be getting more regular updates going with the podcast, as that seems to be a really good way to get music out there! Also, we'll be starting to get even more imports. This year, we built solid relationships with Power-It-Up (Germany), Laja (Brazil), RSR (Germany), I Feel Good (France), and a few more, bringing their music into the USA and making it easier for everyone to get their hands on the actual vinyl as oppose to waiting for the digital rip on someone's blog.
What records are you looking forward to most in 2012?
Personally, I am looking forward to the Brody's Militia records, and also doing a cassette with Funerary Box. I also, am getting a little bit more into the heavier metal stuff (just a little bit) and am really enjoying doing that - so hopefully 2012 will bring a lot more of that! I am really looking forward to working with all the bands (old and new) on the Give Praise roster this upcoming year, so really all of those bands as well! As for non Give Praise stuff, I am really looking forward to the new In Defence stuff -- not sure which label, Profane ExistenceI think -- but that's a band that really gets better on every record!
What did you expect to be huge in 2011 which never made it?
Hhhhmmm can't really think of anything! I think 2011 was full of new bands and labels, so I think a lot of stuff was pretty well received, but nothing really made it huge or stood out.
