 | Burning Airlines'
J. Robbins | |
| Indie Pride: Going (Back) Underground But like other mini-majors formed around that time, such as the extremely short-lived Enclave label, TAG's days were numbered from the start. "When we got to TAG, we realized that they were never going to put the label together," Robbins recalled. "Changing management every week, and the office--it always seemed like they were just moving in."After attempting to duplicate an independent ethic on a major-label budget, TAG folded not long following the release of Jawbox's fourth album in 1996. The band folded as well."By the time we were done with our tenure on the major, it changed how people saw our band, even if they saw it in a positive light," said Robbins. "It was different in a context that had nothing to do with what we set out to achieve as a band."While Robbins took time off from music to work in graphic design, bassist Kim Coletta tended to DeSoto Records, a label that had been kicking around since 1989, thanks to some friends in another band."[Edsel] started the label as a little bit of a joke," Robbins explained. "We decided it would be cool to keep the name alive."The label provided a stomping ground for local acts such as the Dismemberment Plan and the (now-defunct) Candy Machine and has gone on to serve many of the more prominent names on your independent who's-who list, including Juno, Les Savy Fav, Roads to Space Travel, and Shiner.Meanwhile, Robbins got the itch to make music again after hooking up with drummer Peter Moffett, a former bandmate from his days in Government Issue. He "hijacked" his Jawbox cohort Bill Barbot to play bass, and slowly Burning Airlines began to develop."It took us six months before we were ready to call it a band, because we were still dealing with the end of Jawbox," he explained. "I think when we started to have songs, it became more of a mission. 'Look, we've got all these songs. We like these songs. Maybe we have a band.' A band that goes out and plays instead of letting off steam."Robbins was on the road back to... well, the road. And when the time came to record, DeSoto was the natural choice."I mean, we didn't really go looking," Robbins said. "I've seen the way Kim runs the label. She's a great businessperson. I know we trust her. It seemed like the best option."Strangely enough, part of the reason why things have worked out well is the Atlantic experience, largely because the bandmembers paid close attention to practical matters while they were there."In terms of business, major labels offer a lesson in how not to run things," Robbins explained. "Profligate spending, way out of control, using FedEx like it was regular mail. There's no reason why anyone should run a business like that.""I speak ill of majors all the time," he continued, "but I had some good experiences. I learned a lot from spending seven weeks in a recording studio. But a lot of things were tangential to the things that were important about having a band. Setting out to be an independent band on an 'indie,' for lack of a better word, seems more like home. It makes sense."In the years since Jawbox dissolved, Robbins has seen peers called upon by majors with mixed results, but he realizes that his own experience isn't the only model to go by."One of the ideas that I hold dear is that every situation is different," Robbins explained. "I'm glad we did it, but it was far from imperative. It can be a good thing for you, depending on what you want. Be very, very careful and be sure you know what you want."He added, "When a band I know gets major label interest, I'm more excited to hear when they decide not to sign. Chances are, if you're doing something to attract them, something's right, something's great. A move to a major, that's putting yourself into a jeopardizing context. It makes me happy when people see there's more than one way, than believe there's a right way and a wrong way."The way for Burning Airlines, now, is to stick with DeSoto."The fact that we can feel this degree of responsibility for what we do, that I can go over to Kim's house and that's the label... these are precious things," Robbins explained. "I can't see wanting to disrupt them all that much."For more on Burning Airlines and Jawbox, visit the DeSoto Records Web site at http://www.his.com/~desoto. |
