Sean Frasier (Wise Blood Records)
SPB: Do you accept demos? What is the most surprising demo you’ve heard?
Frasier: When I launched Wise Blood Records, I knew I wanted to support and encourage new projects along with established bands. It can make a huge difference to a band when someone is paying attention and assisting in those first one or two precarious years of existence. So each year we help a new project as part of a Demo Series focused on local Indiana bands. I receive a ton of submissions, and because of time constraints I had to pass on some really rad music. But this year I released a killer demo from THLURM, a blackened punk project that oozes potential.
When I listen to a demo, I care about energy and personality more than technical prowess and recording clarity. Raw is fine, as long as the riffs are there. Some other demos that got me psyched this past year were a pair of Indiana death metal releases from Cadaverous and Repentless.