Songwriters - Music Connection

Jeremy Saffer
SIGNING STORIES
The Acacia Strain
26 November 2012 www.musicconnection.com
Midnight Conspiracy
Date Signed: June 15, 2012
Label: Ultra Records
Type of Music: Electro, Dubstep, House, Heavy Bass Electronic
Date Signed: May 2012
Band Members: Louis Kha, Mikul Wing, Graham Geren
Label: Rise Records
Management: Patrick Moxey & Melissa Sabo at Empire Artist Management
Type of Music: Death Metal
melissa@empireartistmanagement.com, Opsin Entertainment
Band Members: Vincent Bennett, vocals; Daniel Laskiewicz, guitar; Jack Strong,
mgmt@opsinentertainment.com
bass; Kevin Boutot, drums
Booking: Cody Chapman, cody@amonly.com, Max Braun, max@amonly.com
Management: Leah Urbano, Scott Lee/Crimson Management,
Legal: Dean Serwin, dean@deanserwin.com, Brian Rosenblatt,
crimsonmgt@gmail.com
brosenblatt@salawus.com
Booking: Matt Pike/The Kenmore Agency; Tom Taaffe/The Agency Group
Publicity: Oscar Scivier, oscar@ultramusic.com
Legal: Brian Christner
Web: http://midnightconspiracy.com
Publicity: Mike Cubillos, mike@earshotmedia.com
A&R: Jeremy Vuernick, jeremy@ultramusic.com
Web: http://theacaciastrain.com
A&R: Craig Ericson
When introducing your band, more than likely it sounds something
W
like: Jeff Somebody on guitar, Tommy Forgettable on bass and
hen the Acacia Strain sought a new label, Rise Records wasn’t
Keith Nobody on drums. With Midnight Conspiracy considering
the �rst that came to mind. The Massachusetts death metal band
themselves a “Live Experience,” their de�nition is a little different.
didn’t think their style �t the label’s bill, but a meeting with Rise
“If you were to break it down,” explains Loius Kha, one-third of the DJ
CEO Craig Ericson changed their minds.
collective, “generally Mikul [Wing] is in charge of visual, Graham [Geren] is
“When we met with Craig, he took us out to dinner, we had a beer,
the engineer and is deep into music production and I am more in charge of
and he laid it out on the table," says vocalist-songwriter Vincent Bennett.
the music at live shows.” While Geren doesn’t join Kha and Wing on stage,
"He’s just an old rock dude who signs bands to put out the records he
he is still considered an intricate part to their success and has been involved
wants to put out. Nowadays, people sign bands to make money, and
since the beginning.
that’s their end game. Craig puts the money back into the label and gives
“Mikul and I threw these weekly [indie-electro] basement parties in Chi-
a chance to bands that wouldn’t normally get a chance.”
cago” Kha continues. “Graham and another guy performed in another
group [at the party]. This was where the idea of Midnight Conspiracy came
together.”
“Having someone to put out your CD isn’t really enough.
You need someone who backs your ideas, listens to you
and will carry out the things you want carried out.”
The Acacia Strain, though the band's lineup has changed several times,
have wizened in their 11 years as a band through their experiences
with two drastically different labels.
“Devil’s Head was a one-man hobby operation, and I learned it’s hard
to run your own record label, especially now with digital downloading and
pirating. The only real marketing an independent label can have is vinyl,
which is getting huge in hardcore and punk rock,” Bennett says. What his
band learned from Prosthetic Records is to never sign a deal for more
than two records. "When you’re a brand new band like we were when we
�rst signed, we were just excited to be on a record label. Fast-forward
eight years and you’re a different person. Prosthetic’s priorities didn’t
change, and ours did." Bennet feels that as a band grows and evolves,
their label needs to grow and evolve along with them. "If it doesn’t, you
need to seek out other options," is his advice.
The band signed to Rise for one album, and Bennett says he’s excited
about the label’s openness to marketing ideas.
"Having someone to put out your CD isn’t really enough,” Bennett
says. "You need someone who backs your ideas, listens to you and will
carry out the things you want carried out. We’re brimming with ideas, and
our past experiences with record labels is they do what they want, and
they don’t care what you think. They have a preconceived plan set up
for you. But Rise is open for anything. That’s their strongest attribute for
us—that they would even consider ridiculous ideas.”
The release date for Death is the Only Mortal, the Acacia Strain’s sixth
studio album, was Oct. 9th.
——Jessica Pace
“I don’t know if the whole DIY approach gives you
legitimacy, but at least you can take pride in saying
you’ve done everything.”
Midnight Conspiracy’s signing story began to unfold through two parallel
story lines: While the band continued to expand their Chicago fan base,
Ultra Records owner Patrick Moxey was halfway around the world in search
of a new artist to sign.
“Patrick went to school at the University of Chicago, so he has some
[local] ties,” continues Kha. “He ran into a Chicago promoter in Amsterdam
and [inquired about the Chicago scene]. That’s when he heard word of us.
He came to our studio and hung out with us all day. … It was like he wanted
to help blow us up because of his Chicago pride. He made it happen.” But
Conspiracy’s signing was one of hard work more than chance. There is
no greater example than with the band’s “Eye Live”—an EDM/dubstep
performance with a giant laser light known as “Eye Live,” inspired by acts
like Pink Floyd and Ghostland Observatory.
“We want to make sure we’re never manufactured,” explains Kha. “Eye
Live is a 16-ft. version of our Eye logo. It has LED lasers and we envisioned
the whole design. We had a lot of our friends help to build it but it’s constantly
being modi�ed.”
Keeping the DIY revenue �owing, the band share a clothing collective
with other artists. Titled Dead Fame, the collective avoids direct relation to
any of the artists involved to keep the merchandise more accessible. Adds
Kha, “I don’t know if the whole DIY approach gives you legitimacy but at
least you can take pride in saying you’ve done everything.”
Midnight Conspiracy’s newest single, “Sentinel,” will drop on Oct. 30th.
——Andy Mesecher