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Back to the Renaissance
ATHENS LABEL KiNDERCORE RELAUNCHES WITH RANDS, COMICS AND MORE
indercore Records was a heavyweight in the '90s
and early 'OOs, and was the most successful label
out of Athens, gaining national attention and ac
claim for its firm commitment to quality pop. Due
various issues involving distribution, ownership and other legal
rights, the label collapsed in November of 2003.
Corners have been turned, hurdles have been hurdled, and now
Kindercore is back as not only a record label, but also a multi-
media project involving comics, graphic design and a strong dedi
cation to the Internet.
"He remembers all the good stuff and looks back on things re
ally nostalgically," says cofounder Ryan Lewis, pointing at partner
Dan Geller over a beer at Transmetropolitan recently, "while I tend
ed to remember all the troubles and problems we had." He laughs
and adds that Kindercore's rebirth has re-energized him, and that
his wife, whom he met and married after the label's collapse, says
she hasn't ever seen him this excited or motivated.
"I never thought that we'd be back," says Geller, "but here we
are!"
THE MUSiC
Kindercore is relaunching with three bands currently on its
roster: King of Prussia [see facing page], USSR and Ruby Isle.
Geller and Lewis both emphasize their desire to keep most of
Kindercore's releases online only—"It's less wasteful, it's bet
ter for the bands, it's better for us, it's easier for the fans,"
says Lewis. "Why should we do things in an outdated way?"—
though King of Prussia's Save the Scene will be the label's first
real-world release. "King of Prussia is exactly the kind of band
that would've been a Kindercore band 10 years ago," says
Geller. "People who are coming back to the label shouldn't be
surprised by their sound at all."
Once all the legalities were out of the way, Kindercore
was able to sell its old roster as well, though not all past
Kindercore releases are available—Japancakes' old releases,
for instance, are absent, though '90s and early '00s releases
from Of Montreal, Dressy Bessy, I Am The World Trade Center
and other Kindercore luminaries have been selling "surprisingly
well," says Geller.
Lewis and Geller say they want to focus on their current
trio of bands—Geller plays in both USSR and Ruby Isle—but
that they already have plans for more releases, though they're
staying quiet about it right now.
THE ART
to know what's appropriate for Kindercore. And Geller admits that
he'll give things a yes or no.
The 28-page book offers a wide varieW of stories and styles,
from Patrick Dean's rhyming fable about
vikings and naked fairy muses to Devlin
Thompson's narrative about his relationship
over the years with the Kindercore guys.
Lauren Gregg's clean and charmingly direct
comics are a standout, and though many of
the artists are Athens natives, some out-
cf-towners show up. There's a consistent
affinity for clean lines and vibrant colors,
though like a lot of indie comics compila
tions, several of the contributions lack
individual titles, and you'll find yourself
flipping back and forth to the index to find
out what it is you're looking at.
There are no specific planned releases
after the Trouble Revolution anthology—
"We just want to focus on what we're doing
now," says Lewis—though both Lewis and
Geller say they want to keep the comics
coming. Trouble Revolution also offers an
ALL MY LIFE.I V£ BEEN M easy
MARK Wit Folks NEEDING ART
WORK, AND YoUrJC MASTeR.
lewis quickly realized m.
HE'D Pound «Y WEAK SPOT.
'Hey, we're going to have cool stuff on the website' and have them
wait for it," says Lewis, explaining why Kindercore.com went live
on July 1 before any press releases were sent out, and more than a
month before the upcoming relaunch show.
Interactive features of the site include a
forum as well as (somewhat) regularly up
dated blogs by Kindercore musicians, artists
and others. The individual aspects of the
blogs are struggling with a specific identity
and purpose, but Lewis says he hopes that
they'll evolve organically, and already writ
ers are gravitating towards their own inter
ests—comics, music, online oddness, etc.
Plans for the graphic design aspect of
Kindercore are a little firmer. "Sure, you'll
be able to buy a shirt with a Kindercore
logo," says Geller, "but we're planning to
expand Kindercore so that's it's more of a
design style or aesthetic." Geller and Ryan
hope to position Kindercore as a design
house where customers will come for reli
ably quirky designs unrelated to specific
ban^s, though several of the Kindercore
comics artists are designing T-shirt artwork.
THE SHOW
example of Lewis and Gelleris multimedia thinking; issues of the
comic will come with a card that'll allow readers to download a
free MP3 sampler album of Kindercore bands.
It's not all about the tunes with the reborn Kindercore, and one
of the label's first releases is a comics compendium called Trouble
Revolution—a satisfying nod to the label's mid-'90s series of com
pilations (released on CD and—gasp!—cassette).
"He's the comics guy," says Geller, referring to Lewis. "It's all
him." Lewis counters that although he does has a stronger affinity
for the sequential arts, he understands Gelleris sensibilities enough
THE REST
Beyond the obvious functions of the record label, Kindercore's
looking to branch into creating an online community, a graphic
design arm of the company and a video showcase.
"We didn't want to just start everything up and tell people,
To celebrate the relaunch, Kindercore's putting on a big
hullaballoo at the Caledonia on Saturday, Aug. 18, and the
show will embrace the multiple aspects of the new label.
Doors open early at 7 p.m., with an art show featuring work
from Kindercore artists Lauren Gregg (who did the cover of
this issue), Jesse Lockwood and Jared Brown—some will be
for sale, too. During the art show, Bizarro Wuxtry guy Devlin
Thompson will deejay a set of rock and roll obscurities.
At 9 p.m., bands take the stage, with Peter Alvanos' '60s-
leaning Fabulous Bird opening. USSR and King of Prussia
will play, and Geller's Ruby Isle makes its Athens debut. The
night also features a gang of musicians performing under the
name The Masters; they'll be covering songs by the defunct
Kindercore band Masters of the Hemisphere. Expect a whole
lot of people and a lot of in-jokes, as Kindercore is, just as
it was the first time around, a tight-knit and loving family of
musicians and artists.
Chris Hassiotis
WHAT: “Kindercore Reanimation Celebration”
WHO: King of Prussia, Ruby Isle, The Masters, USSR,
Fabulous Bird
WHERE: Caledonia Lounge
WHEN: Saturday, August 18,7 p.m.
HOW MUCH: $5
Gordon College
Scut/iem Cju/ture series
presents
Friday, Aug. 24 8 p.m.
Gordon Fine Arts Theatre
Barnesville, GA
Tickets: $ 1 5
Call: 770-358-5123
36 FLAGPOLE.COM • AUGUST 15, 2007
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