I formed Something Else!? Records sometime back in 2017 with the same motivation as millions of others: to put out my own records without having to answer to anyone else.
The whole random nobody inspired by Dischord, Touch and Go, Alternative Tentacles, Lookout, X-Claim, blah blah blah starting their own label has become so prevalent (or has been for the last, I dunno, 45+ years) that it's a such punk cliche.
Despite that, I felt compelled throw my hat in the ring anyway. Fuck it. Not only because starting your own label is the number 1 way to brag to people that your crappy little band has a record deal (if you're not above a lil embellishment...)
but the whole idea felt like a fulfilling creative outlet beyond just being in a band.
Ever the nitpicky complainer, I kept finding myself sick and tired of modern punk being a popularity contest overrun with pretentious scensters and creepy drunken frat boys who have more interest in posing and appearing "punk"
doing things with as much substance and purpose as the crap they play on top 40 radio. I had no interest in being a part of that. I would rather do my thing and go for my vision without following other people's rules
and "playing the game".
Like most of us, I deal with enough of that at my day job and that's to pay the bills! Not only is it pointless to do in a creative endeavor, it has no place. Sure, maybe I'd gain a million fans and a ton of money going about things
the way other people want me to but at what cost? I figure that even if my ideas are "stupid and won't amount to anything" as I've been told before, I can take pride in the fact I did things my way and didn't relent.
Letting a little spite go a long way and inspired by the things I absolutely hated I started doing this whole thing to put out music that I would've wanted to hear.
The first few years were slow. Really slow. Not only were things frustrating but they also weren't very rewarding. I was in and out of bands with lifecycles ending faster than some billionaire's marriages.
At the verge of ultimately giving up I finally found myself getting things going in 2022 when I formed my current band Insomnia Standard Time. By October 2023, I'd finally put out the first ever release on Something Else!?: Joe's Basement.
I laborously dubbed each tape, made various photocopies of the liner notes and cut the tape itself to fit the amount of time needed. All by hand in my bedroom.
I didn't have the proper supplies at the time so I cut everything with sicssors and glued tape to the spools using rubber cement (awful idea, don't ever do that). The result is a cheaply made cassette that sounds awful, has subpar mixing,
inconsistent volumes across songs and j-cards too thick to fit properly in the case.
It was a also very limited release; there's maybe 12 copies out there, one of I which I own. Despite all this, I still remember how I felt when I sat down with my old bandmate that September a month before release
and we listened to the finished tape for the first time on my stereo.
Reading the liner notes, looking at the front cover through the plastic of the case; I played it cool but inside the feeling was overwhelming. Holy shit, I finally did it! It's not anywhere near perfect and I knew I could
do better but it's something. Everything's relative or whateverthefuck. Even the smallest acomplishment can provoke profound feelings and a strong sense of meaning. It sounds so fucking corny and pretentious
to read back to myself but I dunno how else to say it. That feeling of acomplishment is what I keep going for with my bands and my label.
Something Else!? focuses mainly on offline releases (though we do have a website, as you can already tell) and specialize in raw punk rock reminisicent of the 70's,
80's and early 90's. During this time where every other news story signals the apocolypse, once again the threat of nuclear warfare is on the horizon,
narcissists go to obscene lengths to chase the clout dragon and complex algorithms employ mind-control methods that make the CIA blush, I hope Something Else!? can stand as a contrast to all of the bullshit we face in the current age.
I don't care about imaginary numbers that determine how valuable my art is or how much self-worth I'm supposed to have, my goal is to put out music I like and want to hear.
Maybe other people would wanna hear it to. Maybe no one will and everyone will hate it. I don't give a fuck. I'll take a stroll through the minefield like a headless chicken and hope I make to the other side.
- Nick, founder of Something Else!?