INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT: Run For Cover Records

Today, we bring you a new installment of our Industry Spotlight feature! Today’s interview is with our friend Jeff Casazza, owner of Run For Cover Records.

1. Who are you?

Jeff Casazza. I own the record label Run For Cover Records. 

 

2. Run For Cover Records has easily become one of the leading labels in the scene. Did you ever see yourself where you are now?

No way. 100% no. In fact I think I would have been happy and felt fulfilled by it even if it never came this far. I don’t really know how it happened. I never really had any expectations of where it would go, so the fact that it has evolved into this I feel super lucky and grateful for.  I would never have dreamed of it being a legitimate business with a staff and office, let alone a company some people care about. I really just liked doing it and just wanted other people to think it was cool or care about it at all. I wanted people to care, but I definitely didn’t expect them to. Really, if it  could have stayed a bedroom sized operation, and I was able to maintain it like that and live off it, I probably would have just kept it that way out of stupidity or fear of ruining it by taking the next step, I am really glad how things have worked out so far though. I was nervous about putting out our first LP a few years ago, and we have 12-13 full lengths coming out this year and probably 20+ eps. That is really crazy to me. 

3. RFC seems to have an ear for the next big thing in pop punk/emo/indie. How do you go about choosing which bands to sign?

In general - everyone says the same thing when asked this but we just sign bands we like and feel represent what we’re trying to do as a company and what we’re into. At this point other people than me have definitely influenced the bands we sign, but for a long time before we had a staff, you could pretty much just watch my taste in music expand as I grew up. It’s even still like that. I started the label when I was 18 and I’ll be 27 in a few days. I listen to some of the same stuff I did when I was 18, but thats a huge age difference. I am sure some people think we’re trying to cash in on trends or something, but really my tastes are just all over the place. I know when we announce signing bands sometimes, people are like ‘huh?’, or bummed out that it’s not some band that sounds like Man Overboard or Title Fight or Transit or Fireworks, but we’ve done that, a lot, and in a way I think we just sort of conquered that whole genre. We could keep signing pop punk bands and try to cash in on the success of our prior acts, but I am just not interested in doing that because I don’t listen to other bands in that genre. As soon as we start signing bands to please what other people want it won’t be fun anymore, so we just do what we want and hope other people care. I know some people are scratching their heads when we sign a rapper, or an alt country band, or a synthpop group, but who cares. I also know some people are on the same page as me, and that’s all I want. 

4. What can we expect from Run For Cover in 2013?

So much stuff. LPs from Citizen, Turnover, Pity Sex, Tigers Jaw, Daylight, Cloakroom, Koji, Modern Baseball, Captain We’re Sinking and EPs from Vinnie Caruana, Coasta, Young Statues, Daylight, Koji, GDP, and a bunch of bands doing splits, including Tigers Jaw, Code Orange Kids, Shook Ones, Anti Flag, Pity Sex, Joie De Vivre, Empire Empire, etc. And that’s just the stuff we’ve announced!

5. You guys have put out some of my favourite pop punk releases, including Man Overboard’s Real Talk,  Fireworks’ We Are Everywhere EP and This Time Next Year’s The Longest Way Home EP. What has been your favourite release to date?

It’s really hard to answer that. Probably impossible. Last year we released only 3 LPs, but they were my three favorite LPs of the year. A majority of LPs we’ve released would end up in my top albums ever. Two that are definitely up there for me are The Tower and the Fool - How Long and GDP - Useless Eaters. 

6. When you first got Ralph, did you know he would be the “mascot” of RFC?

No! I am really glad people around the world like him. I wish he knew girls in australia give him heart eyes emoticons daily. He deserves it. 

7. Are there any bands that you think don’t get enough exposure?

Crime in Stereo should be as big as Bad Religion and Brand New combined.

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT: Streaker Records

Today we are bringing you the first of our new features, called Industry Spotlight. In this feature, we’ll be doing quick interviews with people in the music industry who AREN’T in bands. Today, we bring you an interview with Rob, the owner of Streaker Records.

1. Who are you?

My name is Rob DPiazza. I am the Executive Director of AR for Streaker Records, an Indie Label based out of New York.


2. Currently you guys are being profiled more as a “pop punk” label, with your roster being filled with bands predominately of that genre. Do you feel like you guys are being categorized too soon?

I dont think we intentionally try to overload on 1 genre. we try to have a variety of rock sub genres on the label at all time it just so happens that a few of them have punk influences. Im not sure if its because thats what i grew up listening to or not. I really just try to find bands that have a killer live show and have the drive to take that next step. for right now those bands are represented by pop punk bands. 

3. You guys also run an apparel company, I haven’t seen too many labels do that. What made you combine fashion and music into your company?

Fashion was just another way of generating income for our company. we have always know that album sales are not gonna keep money in our company we had to do something to supplement that. fashion just seemed an easy way to do it. all of the owners of Streaker come from bands so we know the importance of selling merch and how it can help create a brand recognition. 

4. You guys have been around since mid-2007…. what has been your biggest accomplishment over the past 5 1/2 years?
i think just the fact that we are still around. ive seen so many people with a ton more knowledge than us start a label and have it fail within a year. we are thankful everyday that we can do what we love. and we continue to push every to find new ways to get our bands heard and get noticed by the world! 


5. What are your plans for 2013?
Touring is our main focus for 2013. we want to keep our bands on the road as much as possible this year. the longer they are on the road, the better. we want them heard by as many people as possible.

INTERVIEW: Stickup Kid

We recently caught up with Tony, the singer of San Jose, CA’s Stickup Kid. The band has been recently gaining a ton of exposure with the release of their latest EP, Nothing About Me, touring with the likes of The Story So Far and With The Punches (later this fall), and more. Click “Read More” to check out the interview.

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Warped Tour 2012

We hit up the Noblesville, IN date of Warped Tour yesterday, and it was about the best thing ever. We interviewed Transit, Man Overboard, and Tonight Alive, ran into our friend Joe from Patent Pending and Jacob from Pure Noise Records, and had an overall blast seeing all of the amazing bands. Also, we’ll be doing a live review of New Found Glory’s set, which was the highlight of my day.

We’ll be posting our interviews with Transit, Man Overboard, and Tonight Alive over the next few days, as well as the live review of New Found Glory’s set. 

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