So here’s round two of our 'FITS vs. our frenz' interview series (the first 'vs. Pink Priest' can be viewed here), and the second poor fucker to creep across our crosshairs is Mr Sam Woodson, head dude of Riverside, CA's Family Time Records.
Family Time has put out records by Rapid Youth, No Paws (No Lions), Trudgers, Twin Lion, Ancient Crux, Strange Frames, Norse Horse, Mikura Suzuki, Kevin Greenspon, Secret Tones: bands all derived from a tribe of a dozen awesome children living in suburban SoCal. Family Time has also put out stuff by Deep Sht, which kinda makes Sam my boss...
photo - phil from LA
THW - So when and why did you start Family Time?
SW - Family Time started in 2008, at the end of November with the release of the Ancient Crux e.p.
What's the Family Time office like?
Frankly it is very clean, I was doing everything out of boxes in the corner of my girlfriends apartment for the first couple of months and as things got bigger and bigger I thought a desk would be proper. My dad bought me a desk that came with a big shelf and now I have relocated to another corner of her living room and all the releases are now on the shelf as opposed to being in tape boxes stacked 4 feet high. I have a small tape player on my desk, and a big tape shelf that I keep all the tapes I don't have room for in my car.
What's Riverside like? How does living there influence you?
Riverside is a really strange city/county in California. I have lived here since I was four and it has been through so many changes. The city itself is has a lot of amazing history. I have gone through a lot of mixed feelings about the city itself but all in all I have to say it is a good place to be, I know a lot of neighboring cities don't have half the amount of places for shows and if they do they probably wont let the show be all ages or free. Though I don't always like the music that comes from Riverside I am happy that it exists and people are doing something. I just figured out Riverside has its own rehearsal space which is pretty rare for a none major city.
I don't know if Riverside influences me really, it has shaped my mentality but whether or not that has been apparent in what I've created I don't know. I know that I wouldn't be doing what I do without it so I guess it influences me some.
photo - Kenny Robles
Never say never, but I don't see why I would. I really don't see the point in setting up shop in Big City areas when your business is primarily internet driven. Save money on where you operate to put out more stuff better. But if I could get a dope spot in a big city that I could possibly live in and run as a gallery/boutique that could be cool. As for now Riverside is home and I don't think that will change within the next two years.
Your nearest big city is LA. Do you feel any connection to the scene there?
Not really, I have friends in LA that are in the "LA scene" but I don't feel any connection with anything that they do. I have been inspired by what the LA scene WAS but I don't feel that there is much of that scene left. I don't think LA has done anything that has really interested me for a while now, anything that I really liked before has either disbanded or degressed to a point where I can't relate anymore.
A lot of the bands you put out don't really have anything in common with each other musically. Aside from the shared geography of (most of) the bands, are there any underlying aspects or qualities which underpin all the Family Time releases?
The only underlying aspects necessary are quality. It started the way most labels do, that you want to put out your friends, but even then I wasn't going to put out anything. When I talked to Travis about putting out Ancient Crux and Tyler about putting out Twin Lion (my earliest releases) I felt that their music was amazing. I don't want to be a label that puts out spotty releases because the bands are your friends. The age of eclecticism isn't anything new, people all over the place have diverse tastes, and I feel that the releases I have put out are important.
Norse Horse - Shooodikids from Family Time on Vimeo.
Presumably, you want Family Time to expand. Do you think you'll be able to do this through releasing bands from within your local community, or can you see yourself releasing more stuff by bands from outside of California?
I don't know, I have little understanding of what would make my label expand. I don't make a lot of money off of this and I usually, if not always, will put in my own money to get a release out. I suppose if I got another job that would help me to put everything out faster then I know we would expand but I don't know what would be the right thing to do right now. I don't want to be a label that only puts out his friends cause I see labels like that and I often question if they are into it themeselves. I want to put out what I like with a marginal knowledge that i can get a little money back from it.
Would Family Time exist without the internet?
I don't know, I would have loved to have done this before the internet. I feel like things would be less saturated, but I would be apart of music without the internet, whether this label would happen I don't know.
Has your increasing popularity online translated into higher attendances at Family Time bands' shows? If not, why do you think this is?
I don't think it has, I feel like I get more orders from the San Francisco area than I do in LA by far. I am still in the mindset if you want to get bigger the best way is to tour and put our records, plain and simple, you really can't beat it. There is blog hype everywhere but unless you get stuff out and tour and capitalize on what you get you aren't going to go anywhere and I think the same applies for any Family bands that have gotten notoriety.
photo - Kenny Robles
Much of the output you release is written, recorded and distributed from bedrooms. Do you think bands' live shows suffer as a result of this?
Not at all, I feel that the only suffering that occurs is getting pigeonholed. Blank Dogs toured and it showed me that the recording was only a style to portray those pop songs. The songs are good "Lo-Fi" or not. I think a lot of people would be surprised to see what some of our bands are doing live that originated in the bedroom. Norse Horse, Twin Lion, Ancient Crux, Trudgers, Mikura Suzuki, Deep Sht and Kevin Greenspon could all easily tour tomorrow if asked.
Are there any labels you look up to and admire?
I don't think I do, I know a lot of people look up to labels like Rough Trade and SST and Sub Pop but I feel that all of those labels weren't as amazing as the records they put out. SST became a stoner operation, Rough Trade became poorly managed, Sub Pop to this day puts out generic "Indie" bands that aren't worth the amount of vinyl + downloadable MP3s that they come with, some of which aren't even supported properly. Matador is pretty good but I think that they are unaware of the need for affordability right now. Times are tough and I don't think any of the labels are looking to make leaps of faith. Its easy for Matador to sign and put out Sonic Youth, or Cold Cave for that matter, they have seen these bands put out records and they know that they can sell it. In the future I would like to put out bands like I have, that aren't huge and treat them like Matador would treat their bands. Matador can do that but I don't think they have the guts.
What do you do with your life aside from Family Time?
I work at a car auction, I am in my fourth year in trying to get a history degree to become an archivist. I play in No Paws, Runners, Norse Horse and Trudgers.
Twin Lion- New Song 2 from Family Time on Vimeo.
Who's making the best new music you've heard this year?
That is tough, if I had to pick the best single of the year thus far it would be 'In the First Place' by Blessure Grave. Probably the best lyrics I've heard in a while. The best new music I have heard this year would be either Blank Dogs or Abe Vigoda, that sounds weird 'cause they have been around for a while, but that is my honest answer. Nobody can touch Blank Dogs in his genre and Abe Vigoda's last e.p. and new songs that I've heard live are unstoppable. I feel hesitant to say those because of being percieved as just being obsessed with bedroom punk or LA music but that is my honest answer.
When are we going to hang out?
May 2010?
So there you have it. Family Time release a 12" compilation some time in the near future, featuring exclusive tracks by all their main dudes. It will be one of the greatest records ever made. You can order all Family Time stuff from HERE.
Next up: La Station Radar.
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