INTERVIEW:
Justine of Holy Roar Records
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IT is a busy time for Justine of Holy Roar Records…
so I was lucky to catch some time with her and ask all about the Label Lodge. The Label Lodge is a collaboration of Soho Radio, AIM and Jägermeister. For more information on events, artist announcements; scheduled performances and residency details for the Label Lodge visit the Soho Radio website, the AIM website or keep an eye on #JagerSoho on Twitter.
I found out about the event and all the goings-on; how Justine got involved with Holy Roar Records; what advice she would offer anyone looking to set up a label; what it is like working alongside Jäger Soho – she tells me whether her band, Employed to Serve, are releasing new material and whether working for a label impacts and aids her music.
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Hi, Justine. How are you? How has your week been?
Good, thank you! I’ve been dipping in and out of the studio recording vocals for my band’s (Employed to Serve) third album and setting up the Holy Roar Label Lodge pop-up!
I am interested knowing more about Holy Roar Records. Can you tell me how it came together and what inspired you to join the fold?
Alex started the label back in 2005 and started releasing CDs for local bands and friends’ bands he liked. The label is named after one of his favourite band’s songs, Holy Roar (by Torche). I started working for the label after I finished uni in 2014.
Holy Roar was releasing Employed to Serve’s first E.P. and Alex asked me if I wanted to intern. I started interning and worked my way up to being the full-time label manager.
This week in the #LabelLodge at #JagerSoho we've got @holyroarrecords bringing everything they've got.
— Jägermeister UK (@JagerUK) May 7, 2018
Join us, @sohoradio & @AIM_UK in checking out some of their merch and musical knowledge! pic.twitter.com/JpwNC1Pi60
You have a pop-up week coming. What is the idea behind it? Where can we come and see that?
Soho Radio and Jägermeister have very kindly lent their space, Jäger Soho, to us for seven days. Each year they run the Label Lodge in association with AIM (Association of Independent Music) where they have pop-up shops from different labels from all genres for a week each - and give them a great space to sell their releases and host acoustic in stores.
Which artists will be playing? What is the main objective of the event/pop-up?
The main idea behind it is to give the label a face, so to speak.
It’s nice for our followers to be able to see the people behind the label and also great for us to meet them! It’s easy to feel detached when everything is online-based. We have acoustic sets from our bands Modern Rituals, Apologies; I Have None and Serena Cherry (Svalbard).
How does it feel working with Jäger Soho? Are you excited to collaborate with the brand?
Very excited. They’ve been very welcoming and we feel very lucky to be given the opportunity to occupy such a great space!
How would you define the work Holy Roar does – what is the ethos of the label? Who are the best new acts you have on the roster?
We release bands we love, not because we think they will ‘sell’, that’s the very core of our label. The label and our roster are very close-knit and help each other out: it’s more like a community as opposed to a business. Our most exciting newcomers at the moment are MØL, Giver; Modern Rituals, Boss Keloid and Garganjua. We have also released awesome new albums from Rolo Tomassi and Conjurer this year!
If anyone wanted to set up a label or join one; what would you say are the biggest advantages and pitfalls, perhaps?
One of the biggest advantages is doing something you love; meeting great new people and helping bands you love succeed. The only pitfall is, sometimes, releases don’t do as well as you’d hoped, which can be frustrating when you absolutely love the album! Apart from that, it’s a really gratifying thing to do but it’s not easy so expect to put in a lot of time!
You get out of it what you put in.
There are a lot of great labels sprouting up at the moment – most coming from larger cities like London. Do you think the openness and accessibility of music, and rise of streaming, means there is greater viability?
I think accessibility is a gift and a curse: it’s harder to stand out but at the same time easier for people to hear your music. Another great thing that’s come from streaming/digital is that a label can start by releasing bands digitally first to gauge people’s interest in buying physical albums. This means labels can start with a much smaller startup cost.
Employed to Serve is your band. How did the group get together? Do you think your work with an upcoming label positively impacts your music – giving you a better understanding of the industry and what the daily realities entail?
The band started off as a two-piece consisting of myself and guitarist Sammy Urwin and we used programmed drums for our first two E.P.S. We started to gain a great amount interest despite not having ever played a show and decided to add a (real) drummer, bassist and guitarist in the mix…two albums later and here we are!
Being in a band and working for a label really helps to understand the way the music industry works as you get both perspectives from both sides of the industry and how everything works.
Is there going to be new material coming from the band? Are you working on stuff at the moment?
As of this week, we would have finished recording our third album and we can’t wait for everyone to hear it!
I understand you have a column in Kerrang! Do you think print media is still in a stable condition? What are the biggest assets of working for a reputable and solid publication like Kerrang!?
I think print media is doing well at the moment, especially when the quality of the magazines are so great! It’s really awesome to have a platform for me to yell about the bands that I love - that’s the best thing about it.
What advice would you give to new artists and creative-minded people coming through?
Work hard and be nice to people. Honestly; I can’t stress enough how this industry is all about going out of your way to chat to people. You’ll meet some lifelong friends doing this.
Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here.
Awesome!
Homewrecker - Fade to Oblivion
Thanks for having me!
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The Label Lodge pop-up dates:
23rd - 29th April: 1965 Records
30th April – 6th May: Distiller
7th – 13th May: Holy Roar
14th – 20th May: Acid Jazz
21st – 27th May: Wah Wah 45s
4th – 10th June: Women In CTRL
11th – 17th June: Wichita
18th – 24th June: 4AD
25th June – 4th July: Communion
2nd – 8th July: Sunday Best
9th – 15th July: Partisan