Bloodshot in Brooklyn
By Matt Chrystal
Bloodshot Records are set to invade Brooklyn this Saturday, October 21st, when the Bloodshot BBQ makes its triumphant return to Union Pool after a nearly ten year hiatus.
The Chicago-based, independent record label was founded in 1994 by Nan Warshaw and Rob Miller, two fans of American roots music turned entrepreneurs. Rob and Nan's tireless DIY work ethic pushed Bloodshot to the frontlines as stalwarts of original music. They ignited a movement that grew from a few compilation albums showcasing local alternative country to a unique institution that boasts an impressive and diverse roster of national artists that somehow encompass all genres while still defying attempts to be pigeonholed.
Performing at Union Pool will be a veritable all-star team of talent from the Bloodshot Records stable including Dex Rombweber, Luke Winslow-King, Al Scorch, Cory Branan and John Langford. Rombweber, Winslow-King, and Scorch respectively each released extraordinary albums last year, Branan put out the notable Adios earlier this year and Langford will utilize the event to serve as his album release show for his latest project, Four Lost Souls.
And the Bloodshot crew aren't coming to the party alone, they are bringing friends along with them in the form of support from fellow Chicago-based brands, Lagunitas beer and FEW Spirits; so expect the soiree to be loose and the music to be tight!
Saturday's BBQ has all the fixings to be a foot stomping, shit-kicking barn burner and a real family affair (The event is 21+ but kids can enter if accompanied by an adult).
Bloodshot Records have been championing, advocating, defending and campaigning for original and sometimes unusual music for nearly a quarter century. In that time, they have become known for forming tight-knit connections to the artists they manage as well as to the music they help to curate.
I asked a few of the artists that are set to get the BSR BBQ fired up to speak about their experiences being on Bloodshot Records and why they think the label has been able to stay alive and thrive for so long, especially now, in a time when many are quick to proclaim that the music industry is either dead or broken…
Luke Winslow-King: I think longevity is something that's really impressive about Bloodshot Records, and their dedication to keeping vinyl alive is has really been something special. But what really makes them matter is that they form personal relationships with their artists and really care about the music. The folks at Bloodshot Records love music more than they love money and that is a very rare thing when it comes to a record label.
Dex Romweber: Record labels are a wild thing because they have to dig what you are doing too. It is important to me to deliver music that they like, and they haven't shut the door in my face yet.
Cory Branan: Rob Miller made the mistake of signing me to Bloodshot Records, and it has been a great home. They work real hard. There's a reason they are still able to do it after all these years and that's because they flat out hustle.
I also was able to catch up with Rob Miller, co-owner of Bloodshot Records to find out a little more about the storied history of the Bloodshot Brooklyn BBQ and what we can look forward to this Saturday at Union Pool…
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| Nan Warshaw and Rob Miller by Jacob Boll |
CoolMattyC: Bloodshot Records is a Chicago-based redcord label so what made you look into Brooklyn and NYC in the first place to host the BSR BBQ?
Rob Miller: During the mid-90s, when this endeavor was just getting off the ground, when most people scoffed (don't they still?) at our zany notion to mix punk and rock and country together, we made some friends in Brooklyn. Jeremy Tepper (now head honcho at Outlaw Country on SiriusXM) had a cool band, the World Famous Blue Jays, that did hopped-up trucker tunes, and a cool label, Diesel Only, that was scratching out their place in a similar sonic brain space as us.
For the 1995 CMJ Music Conference, he suggested we bring some bands; and, since the festival wasn't hip enough to actually let our bands PLAY the official event, put on an afternoon party. We descended upon Brownie's on Ave A, in the not-yet-at all fashionable Lower East Side with the Waco Brothers, Old 97s, Moonshine Willy, Will Rigby and the Blue Jays. We were quite surprised at the line down the block. We fired up a grill in the back alley and gave away burgers. Beer was had. A tradition was born.
CMC: From what I had heard, it sounded like the annual BSR BBQs were always a big hit with attendees and had become known for raucous good times, so why did the Bloodshot BBQ go away?
Rob Miller: We moved to Union Pool in the not-yet-at all fashionable Williamsburg, Brooklyn in 2002 (Brownie's had closed. I’m sure it's a very nice high-end poodle manicure salon now, or some such shit.). The hi-jinx continued there for several years. The party grew, more burgers were grilled and more beer was had. Very late-night pastrami was procured.
However, to your question, a couple of developments you may have heard about conspired to make the BloodShot BBQ disappear.
First, people stopped paying for music. Plain and simple. No more merch sales to defray the ample costs of getting several bands in one place at one time.
Second, Brooklyn went from backwater to backbreaker financially. Gone were the days of lots of friends with huge spaces for all of us to crash at, or affordable hotels, parking and transportation.
We could no longer afford to do it. I mean, we're not afraid of losing a little dough for the sake of a good party, but it just became unsustainable. The drive back home through the monotonies that are Ohio and Indiana was just too bleak with empty, empty pockets.
CMC: Why do you think that now the right time to bring the Bloodshot BBQ back to Brooklyn?
Rob Miller: Is it the right time? Who knows? We'll see if people show up. We'll have some fun, though. We're kind of suckers that way. A lot of fans have been asking for years for us to come back. Lagunitas and FEW are on board to help with some of the prodigious expenses. We suckered the Good Fork and Insa to provide top shelf food; and, with Jon Langford's extra special new album release tour happening, the stars and planets and moons (well, the fewer moons, the better) aligned. It feels right to give it another go.
CMC: Bloodshot has had a longstanding relationship with both Lagunitas Beer and FEW Spirits, both of whom are also based in Chicago. Can you just speak to the relationship or connection with these brands and what it means to have them in Brooklyn with the Bloodshot Records crew?
Rob Miller: Not only are these folks masters of their respective domains, but they are fans and friends as well. And we have exactly ZERO problems singing their praises to anyone who will listen.
Our relationships with them speak to our belief in building a broader community, collaborating between like-minded people with different talents, and fostering possibilities among craftspeople working to make our respective corners of the world more interesting. I've always hated malls. Big Beer, Big Liquor, and Big Music are essentially bland storefronts of the same bland mega-mall. We'll fight that fight any day.
CMC: The Bloodshot Brooklyn BBQ scheduled for Union Pool on 10/21/17 has an all-star lineup from the Bloodshot roster. Is there anything you'd like to comment on or add about having these particular artists on the bill?
Rob Miller: We'll have Jon Langford's Four Lost Souls there to perform material from their eponymous release, which was recorded in The Shoals, Alabama in the days following last year's election. Beautiful songwriting and captivating harmonies.
Cory Branan released a new album, Adios, six months ago, and it always feels like watching a brilliant high-wire act when seeing him perform, as he mutates his songs into alternate versions on the spot. And Luke Winslow-King, Dex Romweber, and Al Scorch all bring a craftsman's approach to shredding. Each of them will rile up the crowd in their different ways. We couldn't be more pumped.
The Bloodshot Brooklyn BBQ is THIS SATURDAY October 21st from 2pm-7pm at Union Pool in Brooklyn, NY.
Performances by Dex Romweber, Luke Winslow-King, AL Scorch, Cory Branan and John Langford's Four Lost Souls. Lagunitas beer and FEW Spirits will also be joining the party, and food will be provided by the Good Fork and Insa.
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