A Little Q & A with Hardly Art
January 14th, 2009
For those of you not yet aware of the Seattle based record label Hardly Art they host a handful of up-and-coming talent on their repertoire with names like The Moondoggies, Athur and Yu, Le Loup and The Pica Beats. Former Sub Pop founder Jonathan Ponanman started the label along with Sarah Moody who worked as Sub Pop’s publicity department, and with them came Nick Heliotis who managed to give me a little Q & A about the label…
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1. Nick whats your role at the Hardly Art label and how did you get involved?
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My official title here is “General Employee”, the joke being that Sarah is the General Manager and I am the only employee. Together Sarah and I handle all the day-to-day stuff here, and my focus is a bit more on the retail/distribution and tour promo/press side of things. Both of us are pretty involved in everything that is happening here, sort of the point of a two-person operation is tighter communication and coordination between the “departments”. Previous to working here I was interning at Sub Pop, largely for Sarah who was then working in the publicity department there. We got along really well and she was nice enough to bring me along when she was put in charge of Hardly Art.
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2. I read online that the Hardly Art name came from either The Thermals lyrics “No Culture Icon”, or from Sean Fennessey’s blog Hardly Art, Hardly Garbage (which has since changed)… sooo which one?
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The name definitely comes from the Thermals lyric—did you really think we’d name our label after a blog?
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3. I really like the selection of bands on the roster, many of them with female, male vocals… is there currently a niche your label has found or is it personal taste selections?
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Decisions about which bands we work with are really just based on what we at the label are excited about—I think despite some superficial similarities none of the records we have put out really sound that similar. Part of the really exciting aspect of the label (I think) is that artist selection is a little more “shoot from the hip” than it might be at other labels. When we find something special that we all see potential in and can get behind we have the freedom to just go for it.
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4. What (if anything) has your team (Jonathan Ponamen, Sarah Moody and yourself) carried over from Sub Pop to HA?
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We’ve definitely benefited hugely from our association with Sub Pop—in addition to Jonathan we get hugely valuable guidance and assistance from Megan Jasper (Sub Pop VP) and Tony Kiewel (Head of A&R at Sub Pop) as well as material assistance from the label itself. Beyond the tangible support, there is the positive association that people have with Sub Pop and for me just a lot of inspiration in working out of the same office as Sub Pop. Being around such an amazing label run by such an amazing group of people certainly makes coming to work everyday an exciting experience.
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5. I saw on your website HA and Sub Pop teamed up with Suicide Squeeze at CMJ… were any of the HA bands on the roster to play? If so which ones? And do you plan on doing more showcases in the future at CMJ and other events like SXSW, Coachella?
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Are you asking if any of our bands played that showcase? If so yes, Pretty & Nice and the Dutchess & the Duke both played. Showcases just sort of come together on the fly—Sub Pop always has a showcase at SXSW and at CMJ and have been gracious enough to involve us in those the last few years. A big part of it depends on how many of our artists are going to be at CMJ and/or SXSW.
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6. Online music sales and downloading has become so competitive with mechanical sales at record stores and shows… whats HA doing to try and keep up or set the pace?
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The realities of downloading and the shift to digital sales were there when the label was started and they are certainly something that has to be taken into consideration. That said, I personally believe that the new set of realities in many ways helps a label of our size—illegal downloading helping to spread word about brand new bands for example. Furthermore, I think the basic truth is that certain people want to buy music and those are the people that we sell records to.
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7. Does HA have a blog or forum coming so we can keep tabs and make comments?
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We don’t have a blog but we do update our current favorite music at our website every month (http://hardlyart.com/bs.html). If people want to “comment” they can come to Happy Hour and say it to my face.
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Nick be joining the Seattle Subsonic crew at the monthly Moe Bar happy hour, I’m sure there will be plenty of promo to have at and definitely good peep to mingle with. And Kevin said he’s got Moondoggies tickets to boot… was I supposed to say that? Heres the addy its this Thursday the 15th and goes from 5-8…
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Seattle Subsonic Monthly Happy Hour
Moe Bar Every Third Thursday 5-8
1425 10th
Seattle, WA 98122
January 14th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
in other blogs : as the globe turns | Seattle Metblogs said:
[...] An interview with Hardly Art confirms that the label is named after a Thermals lyric. [subsonic] [...]
January 15th, 2009 at 7:54 am
LB said:
Stupid Seattle Metblogs—that was gonna be my comment. Either way, named after a Thermals lyric? Cool!
January 15th, 2009 at 10:29 am
C-Leb said:
yea but it gives me an idea for a label called Seattle Subsonic heh heh
December 12th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
jimmy jazz said:
Too bad thermals couldn’t take the ‘independent’ nature of pseudo-indie Sub Pop when it came time to renegotiate and left for an actual independent label in Portland. Sub Pop and Hardly Art are both half owned by Warner music group. To mythologize them as anything other than this lacks journalistic integrity, detracts from the music communities education/empowerment, and puts truly independent local labels at a disadvantage.
December 13th, 2009 at 10:22 am
Seattle Subsonic » What’s With All The Super-Random Comments Lately? : Seattle's Music Blog said:
[...] From jimmy jazz on a Hardly Art interview almost a year old. C’mon, people, in terms of time, that’s like me commenting on the “new” King James version of the Bible: “Too bad thermals couldn’t take the ‘independent’ nature of pseudo-indie Sub Pop when it came time to renegotiate and left for an actual independent label in Portland. Sub Pop and Hardly Art are both half owned by Warner music group. To mythologize them as anything other than this lacks journalistic integrity, detracts from the music communities education/empowerment, and puts truly independent local labels at a disadvantage.” Ok, I see your point, I do; but this type of armchair idealism is unrealistic and impractical. First off, I don’t get why them switching to Kill Rock Stars is “too bad”, seeing as how you apparently loathe any label with financial support. Second, there was no “mythologizing” going on; it was simply a little Q&A with the man in charge of a local record label whose artist lineup is actually quite good. In today’s 21st century music landscape, having a respected label like Sub Pop distribute your record is far more important than whether or not Warner Music has a stake in them. Third, we are not a journalistic operation: we don’t act like one, and we don’t get paid like one. Bother yourself with the rest of the site and you’ll see the majority of posts (mine) are unabashed fan-boyism. I bubble with irrational euphoria. And finally, jimmy jazz, you’ll recall that every album by THE CLASH FOR CHRISSAKES was released by Sony/Columbia/Epic. Last I checked, they were pretty major. Share and Enjoy: [...]
December 14th, 2009 at 1:57 am
jimmy jazz said:
would have commented on your post earlier, but did not see this until yesterday.
not trying to bust your chops. but a mantra for myself and my friends is: support local, independent labels. sub pop doesn’t make the cut. the world needs to head in a non-corporate direction, now more than ever.
the point is this: rather than making sub pop/ hardly art out to be a fly by night, basement operation, (as local press here seems quite happy to do) you might mention something about the corporate umbrella they are working comfortably under. they have significant room for trial and error with that much money behind them. it kind of wrecks the soap box derby notion/spirit when you find one of the kids has a titanium frame and hydraulic shocks under his orange crates.
you can’t be independent and corporate at the same time. that is as much an oxymoron as an ‘organic salad’ made of 49% genetically modified lettuce.
some of the bands on the label are indeed good. what is unfortunate is that the local community (consumers, fans, journalists, papers, blogs) does not understand what entities are behind the corporate arm of ‘the quant independent label’. most people do not know that the label is 49% warner, and sub pop wouldn’t want them to, it tarnishes their false independent branding they work so hard to foster. people should educate themselves about all they consume, in this case that happens to be what exactly hardly art/sub pop/warner music are, and who the people are behind them. then, make a choice if they want to buy the record, burn it from a friend, or pirate it and instead paypal the money directly to the band on their website.
the clash was on sony, yes, and they hated it. they didn’t make a dime off their own records till london calling. they didn’t sign with sony, their dumb manager bernie used power of attorney to sign them to a contract that never worked for them. they were never happy on sony. corporate label, same as warner.
the thermals left sub pop due to contract issues. they felt more comfortable on an a label that was actually independent and had room to provide for their needs in ways sub pop could not.
the irony is that now sub pop has an upstart label named after a band that chose to sever ties with them.
an idea: how about a profile of northwest labels that are certifiably independent? have a beer or coffee and go hang out with the guys and gals that run these out of their basements and put their hearts and great sacrifices for their love of community and music?
i’d venture to say many readers would find that a compelling story.
as far has ideals go, if enough people have them and act upon them, they can bring about some awesome things.