Will Etheridge, founder of Portland's Eternal Otter Records recently released Death, Rebirth and Transformation, a
small collection of vinyl singles performed by Portland locals, Lady Lamb the
Beekeeper, Cerberus Shoal and Blaque Boose. He's been a strong influence of Portland's music scene.
Deli: When you moved to Portland in 2008, what was your first
impression of the music scene? What has changed since your arrival?
Will Etheridge: I
moved in next door to an old friend of mine, John Fountain, who was a
musician involved in the scene and he helped introduce me to a lot of
great bands. I was just immediately blown away by the quality of
the music. I hosted a radio show in college and now DJ for WSCA
106.1 fm in Portsmouth, so I'm constantly listening to new music - and
I honestly believe some of the best stuff is being made in the little
city of Portland, Maine.
For a quick primer, I'd recommend checking out the 5 following records:
"The Orchard" by Fire on Fire (Young God Records), "Samples for
Handsome Animals" by Lady Lamb the Beekeeper (Eternal Otter Records),
"Candy Cake & Ice Cream" by Spencer and The School Spirit Mafia
(Labor Day Records), "The Devil Dancing" by Brown Bird (Peapod
Recordings), and "Take to the Trees" by Phantom Buffalo (Time-Lag).
Deli:
Tell me a little bit about the Tower of Song and how it's influenced
the Portland music scene.Why did you start it? How did Eternal Otter
develop?
WE: John
and I lived on the top floor of an apartment that literally had a Tower
jutting up from its roof. John would practice in his living room,
which overlooked Portland's Congress Square and the downtown Arts
District. Eventually, I convinced him to plug in his guitar to
his PAs and face them out the window, so we could create a spontaneous
concert for the city's First Friday Art Walk. We figured we'd
keep playing until the cops showed up. But nobody ever
complained, in fact, people were clapping down on the street. So,
we made it into a monthly event and started inviting our favorite bands
to play - Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, Phantom Buffalo, Big Blood, etc.
It's a totally unique experience, because the music travels for blocks
throughout the city, but you can't really tell where it's coming from
since you can't see the performers - it's like the buildings are
singing. But if you are able to trace it to its source, you can
stumble on this really intimate performance space. This year we
switched locations to a studio across the street ("The Building of
Song"), but the event is fundamentally the same. We'll be hosting
our 2nd annual all-day music festival on Saturday, July 3rd.
Beyond a full day of music, there will also be an Arts Fair in Congress
Square.
Deli:
I really love Lady Lamb and in the past year she's starting to make a
name for herself in Boston too. What can you tell me about her? Why is
she a part of Eternal Otter Records?
WE: Eternal
Otter Records would not exist without Aly Spaltro (Lady Lamb the
Beekeeper). I saw her play her song "Walrus" at an open mic back
in the Spring of 2008, and loved everything about it - the lyrics, the
voice, her stage presence. She was our first "guest" performer at
Tower of Song, and we invite her back to play as much as
possible. Her music inspired me to start Eternal Otter Records in
order to release Samples for Handsome Animals - a CD that collected her best tracks from two self-released CD-R's and
a handful of new songs that she recorded with her then-bandmate TJ
Metcalfe. I wanted to setup Eternal Otter Records as a really
personal label that encourages creativity at all levels of
presentation, so we packaged that album in individually wax-sealed
envelopes.
I can also tell you that Lady Lamb is working on a new album now, and
it's going to be amazing. It's humbling to know someone so
talented at such young age (20 years old). She is completely
dedicated to her music, and has the gift for writing deeply personal
songs that can instantly connect with your own emotions. She can
also speak in German, missed a show in Boston because she accidentally
flushed her car keys down the toilet, needs to return my copy of Laurie
Anderson's "Big Science", and wrote "Comet Flies Over the Underbelly"
as a love song for Eleanor Friedberger (and Burger King). If
readers take away any information from this interview, I hope it leads
them to look up her music at www.myspace.com/ladylambthebeekeeper or at
the label's new website: www.eternalotterrecords.com
Deli:
You recently released Death, Rebirth and Transformation a small
collection of vinyl singles performed by locals, Lady Lamb the
Beekeeper, Cerberus Shoal and Blaque Boose. Why a vinyl single series?
Will there be more in the future? (I think it is an awesome idea)
WE: Bands
break-up all the time in local scenes, and a lot of time great songs
get lost forever - never recorded, never heard beyond a few devoted
fans. The purpose of The Death, Rebirth & Transformation series
was to "rescue" some great music that was in danger of being
lost. I had actually heard Cerberus Shoal in 2005, before I even
moved to Portland, and I fell in love with their song "The Ding".
By the time I got to Portland, they had entered indefinite "hiatus"
after 10 years of existence, but were willing to release selections
from "The Ongoing Ding" - a never-before-heard 8-part "sequel" to their
original masterpiece. The Lady Lamb single features solo songs by
Aly and her former bandmate TJ, which were both written during their
time together as a duo. Blaque Boose is a collective from
Kittery/Portsmouth that is in a constant state of collapse - the single
is their first and likely last official release, and it's a work of
mystery, beauty, and scary emotion.
I chose to put out the series on vinyl to reinforce the concept that
Eternal Otter Records was preserving lost "artifacts". I also
love the sound and ritual of vinyl. The iPod is great, but mp3s
are a pretty disposable format - there's no sense of time or history
connected to them. When someone buys one of these singles, they
are getting more than just great music - they are holding a piece of
artwork (all the cover designs were done by the musicians or a local
Portland artists), that is limited in quantity (500 of each record),
and plays its music at the greatest fidelity.
I know people are constantly be bombarded with pleas to listen to new
bands, and it gets overwhelming because there is SO MUCH music out
there. So, I also hope by putting these songs on vinyl, they take
on a little more prestige; I'm not just burning a CD or posting a song
online - I'm trying to make something that glows with a sense of wonder
and mystery.
We'll be releasing a second series this summer, titled "Mystic Chords
of Memory". It will feature musicians from Portland's
neo-Americana scene - including Jesse Pilgrim (who duets with Aly
Spaltro on a track), Samuel James, Dana Gross, and
vaudeville-revivalist Over A Cardboard Sea. We are hoping to hold
the release show on an old-timey train.
Deli:
Your interest in politics is strong, how do they tie in with promoting
and making music? Do you think the Arts needs more community support?
How can locals help support their community's music scene?
WE: I'm
finishing my graduate studies at the University of Southern Maine's
Muskie School of Public Service, and I'm primarily interested in
financial development in Portland's "creative economy". Our music
scene generates a lot of money for the city, but the musicians aren't
making a lot of money themselves. In fact, I don't know anybody
who can pay their bills exclusively through music; it often costs them
money just to keep their music "career" going. I'm really devoted
to helping Portland's best musicians achieve a sustainable career and
get exposure outside of Maine, and I think that government and
nonprofit can play a role in that. There's already been some good
progress being made in Portland - the Portland Music Foundation does
great work here, and the city itself is making a strong effort to
invest in the creative economy. I'm also currently taking on a
personal project looking at how our state's liquor laws affect the lack
of All Ages venues in the city. I think one of Portland's big
problems is that most places to see music are 18 or 21+, which makes it
harder for bands to establish a fanbase and limits entertainment
options for young people.
The best way to support local music is to see local shows! And try to
pick an original artist over a cover band. There are a ton of
great resources to find out what local shows are good, including The
Deli and The Phoenix. I also keep a blog at
www.eternalotterrecords.blogspot.com, and I often write about upcoming
shows (and not just those featuring my bands). Finally, if you
like a band, buy their album.
Deli: Why the name "Eternal Otter"?
WE: Otters
are naturally playful creatures, and I like the idea of this fun-loving
animal forever existing. It's like a great song - it's usually
meant to be fun and of-the-moment, but it can also find its way into
the heart of the listener and take on a sort of eternal life.
Some upcoming shows:
This Wednesday (4/28)Jesse Pilgrim & the Bonfire perform at
SPACE Gallery's (Portland) Johnny Cash Night to raise money for a Prison
Literacy Program. www.space538.org
On Saturday (5/1) Lady Lamb the Beekeeper performs at the Empire
Dine & Dance (Portland) - her performance is being taped for public
broadcast http://portlandempire.ning.com/
Next Tuesday (5/4) Lady Lamb the Beekeeper performs at T.T. the
Bear's in Cambridge http://www.ttthebears.com/
And on Monday, May
10th, Lady Lamb the Beekeeper will open for Dr. Dog at Port City Music
Hall (Portland) http://www.portcitymusichall.com/
