Resources: We Are Busy Bodies
Resources is a column created to showcase the hard work of independent businesses in the artistic community. It features labels, promoters, pressing plants, venues, galleries, publishing houses, and many other creative avenues that exist right in your own back yard. By speaking directly with the entrepreneurial founders of the outlets themselves, this column explores the history, ethos and future of these businesses which all exist for one reason – to expose all manner of art to a variety of audiences.
The first edition of Resources focuses on Toronto label We Are Busy Bodies. The label was created in 2005 by Eric Warner, founder of the annual Over The Top festival. Since then, he has put out records by the likes of DD/MM/YYYY, Cuff The Duke, Japanther, among many others. In addition to releasing records, We Are Busy Bodies also acts as a management firm and promotion company. This may seem like your typical monopolizing, corporate business model business model, but at the end of the day, it’s just a way for a guy to help out his friends.
What is We Are Busy Bodies?
Eric Warner: At present, We Are Busy Bodies is a record label, management company and sometimes concert promoter dedicated to working with and releasing music solely by friends’ bands. Through my experiences within music, I have been fortunate to meet, work with and befriend a number of great people that I now release records for or manage. The release output presently numbers twenty with five more releases for 2010 and the management roster is at five bands.
What was the motivation behind starting it?
I think the idea behind anything I do is to challenge myself and have fun while learning through each and every experience, which is why We Are Busy Bodies is multi-faceted in its targeted reach. We Are Busy Bodies as a label started in 2005 with the release of a split CD for Japanther and my old band Viking Club. The original idea behind starting We Are Busy Bodies was to release [that split], working out promotion and distribution channels in the process. I wanted to document the project I had been a part of for a number of years and believed that other people would be interested in hearing the music of both bands. From there it became the desire to promote my friends bands, allow as inexpensive a means as possible to get them physical product to sell and generate revenue and in turn promote themselves. The label is still in many ways a hobby as the intended goal is to allow each band to use the label as a platform to generate awareness. I feel the label has been successful in accomplishing just this with releases by Japanther, The DeathSet, Zoobombs, DD/MM/YYYY, Cuff The Duke, METZ and others.
Was there any specific rule or ethos you had in mind when you started the label?
The label and business model are quite similar in that I will only work with friends and artists I believe in. The cost of releasing and promoting records even with being able to utilize the internet and social media is still quite high, so while I would like to release more records, quality over quantity still reigns supreme. There is no set demo policy process or anything like that with We Are Busy Bodies. I am happy to listen to new music, in fact I am pretty open to most things, but there is only so much time in a day.
What influenced you to shape the business the way you have?
Keeping things manageable but challenging has allowed me to grow We Are Busy Bodies as I have. I feel that I am notorious for over-committing myself, but have worked hard in recent years to pull back and ensure that I am giving my full focus to any project I am working on.
What bands are currently on the roster?
Active bands on the label roster at present include: DD/MM/YYYY, METZ, Cuff The Duke, Zoobombs, The DeathSet, Mayor McCa, Japanther and Andre Charles Theriault. The management roster at present includes: DD/MM/YYYY, Meligrove Band, METZ, By Divine Right and Boys Who Say No.
What has been your favourite release on the label?
That’s a loaded question. I’m biased when I say that I am proud of everything I’ve released. I wouldn’t release something if I didn’t believe in it.
What has been the most memorable show you’ve put on?
I’ve put on hundreds of concerts, many of which in the moment I would say were what I thought to be the best concerts I’ve been a part of. Here’s a list of five shows I’ve been really proud of putting, but am not discrediting any of the other shows. In no order at all:
5. Black Eyes – basement show in Thornhill, Ontario (one of my all-time favourite bands in a basement)
4. Dismemberment Plan/Death Cab For Cutie – Reverb in Toronto (Dismemberment Plan were also one of my favourite bands, do you notice a theme starting here?). Dismemberment Plan’s rider requested a stuffed animal. At the time my parents sublet to a toy company who made stuffed animals. I was able to get a seven foot long stuffed plush iguana for the band. Needless to say they were amused and amazed as no other promoter at that point on the tour had honoured their request. During the encore, Travis Morrison, singer of the band tore open the iguana and wore it on his head; all the while thousands of little Styrofoam balls coated the audience like snowflakes. The cost of clean-up was $50.
3. Monotonix – Sneaky Dees in Toronto. Chris Slorach, who I have and continue to promote all concerts with and I brought Monotonix to town a few years back. At the time, not as many people knew about them, except for word of mouth, having seen them in another city by chance or on Youtube. Needless to say, the 100 or so people on hand for the first show, myself included were blown away and confused with the stage show.
2. Les Savy Fav – 360 in Toronto. Les Savy Fav to this day still release great records and put on one of the best live shows around. This show was in 2002 with North of America and still stands out to me. Singer, Tim Harrington, crawled under and over the stage, interacted with the crowd and made a cold night a lot more fun.
1. The Rapture – Kytes in Toronto. Kytes was a youth centre that was able to be rented out for concerts for about a year. The Rapture was making their first visit to Toronto during NXNE, which made finding a venue a little more difficult. The show felt more like a party, and anyone at the show came out a fan. This was one of From Fiction’s first shows as well.
How many people help out with WABB?
Chris Slorach and I promote any and all concerts that We Are Busy Bodies runs. For management and the record label it is run solely by me. I hire out with publicity depending on the release, but am comfortable doing it myself as long as I know I have the time to devote to proper promotion. I think there will be some expansion in coming months however.
What was your business experience/background before We Are Busy Bodies got started?
I started promoting concerts and events when I was fifteen. Since then I’ve worked for marketing firms, record labels, social media companies and consulted for radio, music and theatre. I don’t necessarily have one area of focus overall, but instead experience built from hands on application as well the experiences themselves. One opportunity has opened doors for the next. I truly value education and the learning process, even know I am not a fan of being in a classroom setting. I have degrees and certificates from Wilfrid Laurier University and Humber College. I am presently working on a French certificate at the University of Toronto and have plans to enroll in a professional masters’ program at some point down the road should it continue to make sense for me.
You work with a very specific type of artist, I’ve noticed. When choosing a band to release, or a show to promote, what do you look for in the artists?
I look for artists that are driven, dedicated and devoted to what they are working on and believe in for releasing a record. I will not release records that bands will not support with performances and press opportunities. I see it for the most part as being counter-productive. For concert promotion, Chris and I are music fans first and foremost. We promote concerts we’d like to see and would go see even if we were not promoting them. Why book something that will ultimately frustrate us when we don’t have to? We’re open-minded and if something fits, we usually will take the gamble on it.
How does your label/promotion company differ from others?
I can only speak for my own, but I’m sure in many ways my label and management company is similar to others. I’m releasing, promoting and working with artists I believe in and I would think they all are as well. I can say and have said earlier on in my responses that I’ve learnt a great deal through hands on application and through the trial and error that comes along with it. I feel that while some of these experiences have been disheartening, they ultimately have made me a better-rounded, knowledgeable and appreciative person for the opportunities I do have and am able to create for others.
Is this your full time job at this point? If so, was that your goal? If not, do you want it to be?
I wear a number of hats and like it that way at the present time. The goal is to be comfortable, keep learning and having fun in the process. I want to see where life takes me and I’ll make the best of it.
How has We Are Busy Bodies changed with the decline in sales of physical media?
At this point, I will only release vinyl records and digital releases. I have seen a sharp decline in CD sales and as a personal preference enjoy vinyl more. I’m slowly but surely getting through my CD back catalogue, but do find that vinyl sells better as many of my releases are on coloured vinyl, have a niche market and are limited releases, creating more of a demand. For promotional purposes, I can press limited runs of CDs, but find that I can service most media digitally at this point.
