Welcome to our new series in which we breezily but compellingly spotlight local record labels, because, you know - without them, we would be nothing-ed

We kick off with Mike Fink, co-founder/owner of The Kora Records (whose bands we have heavily featured in the past: Donny Hue and The Colors, The LK, Gregor Samsa, Meredith Bragg, Fredrik…), on getting into the music biz, the Kora roster, and catching Phaser’s acoustic set at the Galaxy Hut.

BYT: You’ve been a musician and performer for many years - why’d you decide to make the jump to the other side of the business? I wanted to start a label ever since leaving college, but it wasn’t until Douglas, the other half of the label, phoned me from New York during the summer of 2003 and said, “I’m starting a record label…” We continued talking, but he had me then and there. We both came from different sides of the music business and felt we could put our collective experiences together and see how far we could take it. Douglas went to school in DC, cut his teeth at 9:30 Club and we became fast friends (truly my brother from another mother). He is currently back up in Brooklyn.

BYT: How did these experiences shape the type of label and relationship with artists you’ve created with Kora? We are a very artist-friendly label, slightly more formal than a co-op. For us it has always been a curating experience, hoping to expose more people to the music by championing what we are personally moved by. One look at our roster you’ll see there isn’t one specific sound or genre, but there is a thread that weaves everyone together.

BYT: What was the first act signed to Kora, and how’d you find them?The Out Crowd from Portland, OR. I discovered them through a link on The Dandy Warhols website and was a big fan of their first release. The band was fronted by Matt Hollywood, co-founder and the other singer/songwriter in Brian Jonestown Massacre, a band I owned everything of. When Douglas and I had our first sit down to talk about the label at 24-7 Mediterranean Cafe on U Street, I gave him a copy of The Out Crowd’s EP. Douglas started up talks with them, and we decided to fly out to Portland to see them play. A 48-hour trip ended with us at the Warhols’ Odditorium ‘til the early morning hours and our first official artist.

MF:

BYT: Ten words or less on each of artists on your roster:Aidan Baker - tuning in on a private broadcast at 2 am

Donny Hue and The Colors - they’ve got them spurs that jingle jangle jingle

The Fairline Parkway - a breezy day on the PCH

Fredrik - a cabin skylight by a tributary deep in the woods

Gregor Samsa - stoic symphonic grandeur in high def

The LK - every conceivable color, like geometry without rules, even more fun

Meredith Bragg - doesn’t know how to write a bad song

The Great Northwest - sherpas on a mountain peak in a land far away

The Piano Creeps - forbearers of indie music doing it better than ever

BYT: You have several artists from outside the US on the roster. How’d you find and sign these bands?The first came from Douglas. He was in touch with Aidan Baker, a very prolific musician in Toronto, about doing a release with Kora. We saw him at one of Scott Verrastro’s house shows and both sides were mutually on board. I went to see The LK, our first of two signees from Malmo, Sweden, at a Hej Hej DC event last summer at DC9 with the intention of catching their set and nothing more. They went on late and I almost didn’t stick it out, but thankfully did. I couldn’t believe how good it was - and this was a show by only 1 of the actual band members, Lindefelt, with a friend sitting in with him on drums. I spoke with Lindefelt for a few minutes after their set. When I left DC9 I sent a text to Douglas about how we were going to sign this band he knew nothing about. Eventually we signed Fredrik, also from Malmo, which features the members of The LK. Both are making incredible forward-thinking music, and we’ve been fortunate to have them come to the states and play.

BYT: Are you involved in the recording process? Where do you draw the lines between business needs and creative freedom with your artists? Touring decisions?Our artists record all over so we tend to let them be. This means it’s like celebrating Christmas all year round when we get a mixed version of [an] album to listen to. We may lend a hand on the sequencing of a record if the artist asks, but they are given complete freedom to create. We’ve never told someone this or that song doesn’t work. We do our best to schedule release dates based on when an artist can hit the road so touring decisions are usually driven by the group’s freedom to get back on the road.

BYT: What’s in store for The Kora Records in the coming months: prospective bands, tours, releases?We are finishing off our busiest year with 3 releases this fall. On October 14th it’s the debut by The Piano Creeps featuring Mary Lorson and Billy Coté from Madder Rose, one of my all time favorite bands. October 28th marks Fredrik’s release, Na Na Ni, with a two week US tour to follow. Donny Hue and the Colors have Tell-Tall Tales out on November 11th, a solo record by Donny Hue. They’ll be touring the west coast for 3 weeks behind the record. We just released our first Double LP this fall, Gregor Samsa’s REST. They will be hitting the road in Europe in January with a new mini album. As far as prospective bands, there are a couple of new additions (from the District) officially coming on board soon.

BYT: DC’s music scene seems to have both a terrible and a great reputation with those who are involved - some feel it’s a supportive, positive place to be making music while others find it hostile and too insular. What’s your read as a performer, label owner/businessman, and concert-goer?DC has more venues now than it’s had in years, and thanks to people like Ryan Wakeman, the DIY scene is where some of the best events are happening. There’s also an abundant amount of new bands playing out which is what a scene needs.

BYT: Best shows you’ve seen in the past year? Past 5, 10 years?Past year - Gregor Samsa in New York with the full lineup, which includes vibes, violin, and 2 clarinets. Dan Deacon at Whartscape and The Helio Sequence at Black Cat were also pretty special. Last 5 years - His Name is Alive at the Cat, Sufjan Stevens with members of the Opera House Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. 10 years - Blake Babies at 9:30 Club in 2001, Sigur Ros at Lincoln Theater in 2002, and Phaser playing acoustic at Galaxy Hut (1999 I think), one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.

BYT: Favorite venues in DC?Black Cat backstage, Hosiery, Fort Reno

BYT: And lastly, what’s the story behind the name The Kora Records?I’ll turn this one over to Douglas in our Brooklyn office - We didn’t want it to be “chair records” or “shoe records” something that would recall an image from your everyday life. We love records, they are special to us, so we went with something a little more abstract. Kora was a name that kept coming up in some of my favorite books so it just felt right. For further reading see Howard Norman and William Carlos Williams. One of the other goals with the name selection was to drive not only that we love records, they are often mystical to us, but that we also love great labels. Labels that felt like a curated collection have been our favorites. Sometimes we know those labels on a personal level, sometimes we don’t, but in either case the best labels feel like your friend who always has the best answer to the question “so… what have you been listening to… what do I need to hear?” We hope The Kora Records proves to be series of trusted recordings.

More on Kora at www.thekorarecords.com.
Upcoming shows:
Meredith Bragg at the Black Cat, 9.16.08.
Donny Hue & the Colors at the Velvet Lounge , 09.18.08

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