BrightestYoungThings: Labeled: Gypsy Eyes Records.

We continue our breezy but compelling spotlight on local labels (check out Kora Records here) with a conversation with Kalani Tifford of Gypsy Eyes Records (home of Apes, Shortstack, Mikal Evans, Vandaveer, John Bustine and more) on taking over Fort Knox Five, seeing Gwen Stefani live, and what's next.

BYT: Tell us about the genesis of Gypsy Eyes Records.
KT: I started in the business at ESL Music, I ran the label and Thievery Corporation for 10 years, Nick [Pimentel] had been running his own label, Planaria Recordings for about the same amount of time, and Josh [Read] has been in bands his whole life. One day the 3 of us were just hanging out and looking at the musicians around us and we just decided then that the music needed an outlet. We have tried to provide that outlet. The name is a funny story, again, we were hanging out, we do a lot of that, and trying to come up with a name for the label and we couldn’t agree on anything, during a pause in the conversation the music we were listening to pops out and it was Jimi Hendrix singing and he repeated the line, “Gypsy Eyes” about 5 or 6 times. We all looked at each other and agreed on the name!

BYT: How has the type of label and relationship with artists you've created with Gypsy Eyes Records evolved over time?
KT: From friends to enemies to lovers!

BYT: What was the first act signed to Gypsy Eyes and how'd you find them?
KT: Shortstack was the first official signing. They were on Nick’s other label, Planaria and it made sense for them to come on to Gypsy Eyes

click click for our Shortstack feature

BYT: Have you stumbled across any great bands in the area recently worth taking a listen to?
KT: b>I just met this kid last week, 19 years old, unreal, his name is Tom Evanchuck. We have been doing a regular Friday Night funk party at Comet Ping Pong with Will Rast and the Funk Ark, an incredible local funk band that people need to hear. Will writes these songs that could easily pass for some obscure forgotten James Brown funk burner. Anyway, I went out for some fresh air and this kid was on the patio surrounded by about 15 or 20 people just playing his guitar and singing songs. It was a really cool moment. Just the energy this kid was giving off, keep a look out for him.

BYT: Do you feel that the Gypsy Eyes catalog has a distinctive sound? Are you looking to curate a particular genre or type of music with the label?
KT: Gypsy Eyes definitely has a distinctive sound – right now it is in the folky/Americana vibe. I don’t know if that was a real intentional move, but at the time we started all our friends were in these bands and this was the sound everybody was into. The main goal of Gypsy Eyes is and was to create a place for us to release music we liked. I think that is what we have done, a band like the Apes can be on the same label as Vandaveer and it works. Other labels I know have a very distinct sound and I think that ultimately it can be very limiting.

click click for our Apes feature

BYT: Ten words on each of your artists.
KT: John Bustine – Drinking Songs for Children
Brandon Butler – Funniest Man You Will Ever Meet
Child Ballads – Mick Jagger and TS Eliot’s love child
Mikal Evans - PJ Harvey with more emotion
Shortstack - The Cramps fighting Credence Clearwater Revival – The Grateful Dead without Jerry and the Hippies
The Apes – Majestic Ape Rocks
Vandaveer – Tom Waits meets Bob Dylan

BYT: Are you involved in the recording process? Touring decisions? Where do you draw the lines between business needs and creative freedom with your artists?
KT: Josh and Mike recorded the John Bustine album. That record blows me away every time I listen to it. The songs, the production, everything, I love it. That is the only album we actually had any say in the recording process. We are very hands off when it comes to the artistic decisions. We merely try to be an outlet for the artists to use to realize their visions. If artists ask our opinions on things, we will give them honest feedback, but ultimately, it is up to them to decide what they want.

click click for our Vandaveer feature

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 label owner/businessman and concert-goer?
KT: I love the DC music scene, but it is really hard to get people to open up to different venues and different sounds. There are so many scenes in town and there really isn’t much of a crossover between them. In all my travels though, it really isn’t that much different than anywhere else though. Anything can seem cool and utopian the first time you see it, but there are skeletons in every closet!

BYT: Best shows you've seen in the past year? Past 5, 10 years?
KT: This is going to sound strange, but in the interest of honesty, I saw Gwen Stefani when she played here a few years ago. Jon from Fort Knox Five was the opening DJ and an old friend was working sound, so I got free tickets, like 3rd row. I was surrounded by hoards of 12 year old girls trying to look as slutty as possible, and the screams these girls can make are terrifying. Anyway, Gwen starts and there are all these dancers and lights. It was an experience. She puts on one hell of a show. Sort of hard to compare anything to production value like that. Recently though, we did Lou Pride, an old soul legend from Chicago at Comet Ping Pong. It was incredible. The guy has a voice that is so smooth. Oh yeah, Stooges at V-Fest was religious. Iggy Pop might as well be God.

BYT: Favorite venues in DC?
KT: Comet Ping Pong!!!

click click for our Child Ballads feature

BYT: I understand you've recently taken over Fort Knox Recordings - how has this experience differed from the standard issue Gypsy Eyes? Has taking over a catalog been more difficult than building one?
KT: Fort Knox is such a different World from Gypsy Eyes. It is so much easier working with something that has already had 5 years to set it roots. With Gypsy Eyes, we are starting from the ground and building up. We are building in a time when everything in the industry seems to be falling down around us. Also, it just seems like the more DJ oriented stuff is just doing really well right now. It is harder to get people to go to a club and pay $5 to see an unknown band than it is to go to a niteclub, get charged $20 cover, pay hundreds for a crap bottle of vodka, sit behind a red velvet rope and ‘work it.’ I guess it is just the current state of our culture. Not suggesting anything is wrong with it, but it is what it is and that is why DJ culture is thriving, which just makes it easier to sell.

click click for our Fort Knox Feature

BYT: Fort Knox Five has a lot of exciting stuff coming up in the next month - what can you tell us about the new album, shows, etc?
KT: This is a busy month. The biggest thing was our Fort Knox release party on Nov 14th at 930 Club, with See-I, Fort Knox Five (live show), Will Eastman and Ursula 1000. The new album, Radio Free DC, has been doing really well on radio, we have been getting great press in the UK and Germany, US press is starting to roll in. The US always seems to take a bit longer than Europe to catch on for whatever reason. We have about 25 remixes on the album by folks like, The Nextmen, All Good Funk Alliance, Boca 45, Ursula 1000, We are going to be releasing a Radio Free DC remixed album early 2009 followed by a See-I album and a Rex Riddem album. We have a lot going on and I am sure this will all change, but expect a ton coming from Fort Knox in the very near future.

want more?
check Out Gypsy Eyes online

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Labeled: Gypsy Eyes Records.

WEDNESDAY 2/22

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