This interview was emailed to me by Antonio last year. Found it this week and thought I'd put it out in the universe.
Tell me a little bit about you. Where do you come from? What is important to know about you? (That will be taken to conduct an introduction to the interview)
My name is Erika Mitchener. I am 28 years old and I am from Worcester, MA. I started Eightfold Path Records last year. This is my first official interview about the label so I’m stoked.
Why a Hardcore label and why particularly right now at this point in time? You are 28 years old, most people your age have something “more important” to deal with, than something so time consuming and demanding. So, my question is, why bother? What’s the reward?
I’m not going to lie to you, sometime when I have to sit down and work on the label, I do things I could be doing something “ more important”. But, then I think about all the awesome friends I have the help me, and the beautiful friends that have come into my life since starting the label. That make me quickly realize that actually I don’t have something “ more important” to do. My label is still really small, so I can devote one day a week to catching up on distros and mail order. I’m not so sure that I want the label to get too big, because I would like to focus on starting a new career in personal training. I have been certified to train for almost a year. Instead of focusing on transitioning my jobs this year, I was doing the label in my spare time.
As for starting a hardcore label at 28, you are right, it is a bit late in the game. I admit that I have that feeling too. But, I always wanted to be more than just a fan of the core. I just never knew how to go about it. I didn’t want to be in a band, nor have a zine. I’ve booked a couple of shows, but didn’t see that as doing much. Basically, I was getting really tired of just being a hardcore fan, I was feeling older at shows and loosing interest and that scared me. I knew that slowly fading away as I inch closer to 30 was not an option. With the label, its adds a whole new, refreshing dynamic to hardcore. Its renewed my desire to stay involved.
How much do you rely on help from others while administering the duties of running a label?
The one blessing to starting a label at 28, is that I know a lot of people who have done everything that I need to learn how to do. So when I need help my friends are always there for me. The first release I did I had help just about every step of the way. I had no clue how to press a record. Now that I have 3 releases done, I know the dynamics of pressing a release. I need to work on public relations side of things more. Like sending out promos, getting distro contacts, that kind of stuff. The boring stuff that makes me be on the computer for hours.
However, now that just about everything you need to do to run a label is done on a computer, I have Alex Kantarelis (I Rise) help me a lot. I’m looking into taking a couple basic graphic design/ website classes so that I can do it myself. I’m very independent and creative and it’s really frustrating to have to ask for help to execute the ideas in my head.
The bands on Eightfold Path Records seem to advert a style and approach to Hardcore-Punk that I found to be quite distinctive to the 1990s sounds, concepts, aesthetics and approaches to this subculture. How consciously are these components being taken into consideration when choosing to work with a band? How much do look to be on the “same page” with any of the bands on the roster?
I never set out to start a label, let alone start a label that would be have an agenda of mid 90s hardcore conditions. If kids see that in my label, it just by me being me. I’m a product of that 90s era, so I must just gravitate to that without saying “ hey I’m going to start a label that has bands that are a throw back to the 90s” Because that to me would be fabricating something, the opposite of being genuine.
When choosing to work with a band, I’m would say that I am most picky about lyrics and vocal style. I expect the have nothing less than a band that makes you want to fucking mosh in your car with unique, dynamic, thought provoking lyrics that will make you feel like someone just tore your heart out and made you completely vulnerable to the world.
What is the Eightfold Path? (Obviously I have some understanding of it my idea is to go into your affiliation with Buddhism here. Most likely I will send you some more specific questions.)
Right view
Right intention
Right speech
Right action
Right livelihood
Right effort
Right mindfulness
Right concentration
Please understand you do not have to be Buddhist to relate to this teaching. All humans at one point or another have dealt with working with these eight factors. I did not choose this name to get kids “ into Buddhism”. That was never my goal. I choose it because it makes people stop and think to go deeper.
They are not a set of rules. They are no independent of each other. When practicing with one you inevitably are working on others. That is why the Dharma wheel represents them.
In Buddhism one is not seen as having greater importance than the other. They are all interconnected. If you are on a spiritual path, it is important to realize that your mind can only go so far with gaining intellectual knowledge. Its through meditation combined with intellectual knowledge where your practice becomes much deeper and genuine.
A lot of people say that religion and metaphysical things don’t belong to Hardcore and Punk and that it is a contradiction to incorporate these ideas into Hardcore, because it is supposed to be rebellious, anti-governmental, and critical towards hierarchy. So now, it is my understanding that you are affiliated with Buddhist philosophies and Dharma teachings. How do you respond to these supposed contradictions? How do you think the rebellious attitudes correspond with Dharma teachings? Do you think there are correlations between the Dharma and Hardcore-Punk, as you understand it? And if so, what would those be?
These supposed contradictions in punk and hardcore are just that, supposed. The Bad Brains started because they were interested in spirituality and metaphysical powers of the mind. Not to mention bands like the Cro-Mags, Shelter, 108…. I could go on
I bet if you just pick up any record from some band that is in you local scene right now, and you can see how the lyrics are sharing something deeply personal from their heart, and I could argue that it has spiritual aspects in it just because it come from that kids heart. Seriously, who would want a scene filled with heartless, uninspiring, cookie cutter people? Isn’t the whole point of punk/ hardcore is that we are saying is really true from our hearts? And more importantly as you stay in the scene longer, remind and teach the newer kids thats where we move from. keep the standards high or else what will we become?
Dharma and punk have very different energies. In Buddhism, anger, even the smallest bit of anger is seem as very harmful from a karmic standpoint. In punk and hardcore the energy is very hot. It can be very violent and angry. We all know that this isn’t true all time; I mean take for example all the countless songs about unity and community. But, I think that kids get into the scene because they are angry and punk serves as the outlet for that anger. The problem is, those kids might start getting older and stay angry, it’s still there. For me, I go to a show because it’s like going to see family. I don’t use hardcore and punk and an outlet for my anger like I used to when I was a teenager. Through meditation and my spiritual path, I have genuinely started to work on that inner child angst. Not to say that I don’t experience anger arising at all anymore. I do!!! But I don't need a show as an outlet anymore. Shows are just fun times and stage dives. Sitting on the cushion and just breathing in complete silence is how I try to reach resolve with my demons now.
A couple of great books to check out are
“ Hardcore Zen” by Brad Warner. http://www.hardcorezen.blogspot.com/
“ Dharma Punx” by Noah Levine. http://www.dharmapunx.com/
I will close with this story. Just yesterday I finished doing an interview with a woman in Australia, her name is Bianca Valentino. She has been working on a book called Conversations With Punx: A Spiritual Dialogue for the past five years. It is almost finished.
The book is a collection of conversations with people involved in punk/hc community about their thoughts and feelings on and experiences with spirituality. She has spoken to 40 people including Henry Rollins, Ian Mackaye, John Joseph and many more. Needless to say I was giddy at the thought of being included.
Meeting Bianca is the perfect example of why I am doing this. When I feel like giving up, a shining force of energy like her comes into my life and gives me the inspiration to keep it up. Now if I break even and actually make enough money to fund the next release, well that is just icing on the cake. ϑ
With metta for all beings,
Erika