NOVEMBER 2008 - Sure, he may look like a regular Joe, but Mike Crow has some pretty deranged taste in music. Founder of Seattle's excellent INIMICAL RECORDS label, Mike's bands have won an unprecedented level of gushing kudos from our staff at the dog site with releases from SOD HAULER, JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, FUNEROT, and the like. Peacedogman's John Wisniewski was able to get a little background info from Crow to find out what makes Inimical tick.

John Wisniewski: Thanks for taking a few minutes, Mike. Lets start off with some of your favorite artists.

Mike Crow: This is such a hard question for me, but I will try: NEUROSIS, RESIST, RUDIMENTARY PENI, AMEBIX, WIRE, WIPERS, DIE KREUZEN, THE FIX, HUSKER DU, DEVO, DIRT, EL DOPA, LOGICAL NONSENSE, TELEVISION, THE STTOGES, INITIAL STATE, DISSECTION, EMPEROR, MAYHEM, SLAYER, WHIPLASH, IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, SUFFOCATION, ROKY ERICKSON, JOY DIVISION. I should probably stop. The list doesn't make sense, but yeah a tip of my personal iceberg.

Wisniewski: Tell us a little about how you started Inimical Records.

Crow: Inimical Records began as an idea late in 2001, while I was in school for Audio Production. The realities of making a living working in a studio just sounded kind of shitty, you need to do a lot of weekend type bands and voice-overs and high school bands to pay the bills. It just didn't seem that great to me. At the same time, I had some classes kind of about other types of music businesses. Basically, I figured I know some bands, why don't I just start a label. So that is how the idea was planted. After a few (three I think) aborted releases I decided to go back to SOD HAULER who I had recorded in school. Over many beers we put together a plan to put out their first CD. It being my first release and their's it probably could have done better, I still have a good amount of them. But I am proud of that one, as I am all of them. That was summer of 2003, it would be another year until I did SKARP's "Bury Your Dead" which was my first really successful release.

Wisniewski: What does Inimical mean, anyway?

Crow: The definition of inimical is harmful or hostile and it is pronounced \i-'ni-mi-k?l\, I have heard highly educated people butcher the word in so many ways!

Wisniewski: What advice would you offer someone wanting to start their own label?

Crow: My advice is make sure it is necessary. Right now production cost on vinyl is way up, so pressing your buddy's demo might not be the smartest way of doing things. Of course, if your buddy is in high demand, touring and actually doing his part to get people to care about the record, I could be wrong. I see a massive difference between doing a DIY record where you have cool packaging and put in a lot of effort and someone who just says "Hey, I have some extra money, I will put out a record for you," they always seem so half assed. There is so much involved with releasing records, coordinating distribution, advertising, promos, artwork and just getting the band to hopefully match your efforts, that it isn't something to approach lightly. I have seen within Inimical, both ends of it. Great records that don't do very well and good records that sell like crazy (I won't call any of my records bad, I love them all.) So just make sure you are ready for what you intend to do.

Wisniewski: Yes, we review some bands like that the dog site!

Crow: There are thousands of records released every year, do you have that message that needs to get out? Sorry about the rant. I also look for bands that, while not overtly necessarily political, match my own views. That just means the usual no racist, sexist, fascist etc. that comes with most labels with any ties to punk. Beyond that, I just look for stuff that excites me. A new sound I haven't already done, or someone with a sound that sticks with me after the beer has gone and the ringing in my ears stops. So if anyone reads that, thinks they fit it, listen to my other bands. If you do something different, and you do it well, send me a CD in the mail. I don't check links on MySpace.

Wisniewski: What was the first band you ever signed to Inimical?

Crow: The first artist I released a record for was SOD HAULER. I met them while going to school for audio production, they were one of my projects. Originally I approached STATE OF THE UNION about coming into the studio for some free recording time. They had broken up, so Joey's new band at the time, Procession of Vultures, came in instead. Brandon from Wormwood and I would later remix the two songs and release them on Inimical. So when it came time to do another project I asked Joey if Wormwood could come in, they couldn't but he told me the rest of STATE OF THE UNION had a band called 20 UNITS OF DOPE. I set them up to come in, they told me they had changed their name to SOD HAULER (like transporting grass, a drug reference, get it? ha!) They recorded the song SOD HAULER, which at the time was 11 minutes long and another song called 7 years, which had a bit more of a black metal vibe. Anyway, fast forward a year or two and I was starting the label and drinking with the SOD HAULER guys a lot, so it seemed natural that we do a record (technically a CD, still my only release to never see vinyl. If anyone is interested in fixing that, let me know). We went into Ironwood studios which had done a lot of grunge a decade earlier and got the sound we were looking for. I am slightly less happy with the mastering but what can you do 5 years later? As for SH, they are a mix between stoner rock and doom. It has that groove occasionally and sometimes just crushes and suffocates. It was a lot of fun doing that 4 song CD, I got to know some distributors that I still use and booked a tour and met a lot of good people. Before we would release the split LP SH would get to play with YOB, GRAVES AT SEA, ALDEBARAN and other. SH continues on to this day, finally having straightened out the lineup, losing people to marriage, a drummer going to the BOSS MARTIANS, a couple of breakdowns but they are strong once again. Musically they are still amazing but I just feel it is time for them to work with someone with more knowledge of that scene to really take them to another level. What a selfless guy I am.

Wisniewski: Could you tell us about the current release of "COP ON FIRE" ?

Crow: The Current release is a domestic press of their early discography, for the two month US tour they will be finishing up here on Oct 31st. I remastered it with Dan Randall for a CD release as well. My first non-jewel case CD. COP ON FIRE is essentially a straight forward d-beat crust band, most of the band lives in Europe, the drummer lives here in Seattle. They have a long list of ex- and current members of other bands such as DECREPIT, CONSUME, SNUGGLE, STATE OF FEAR, EKKAIA, MADAME GERMANE and LEADERSHIT . A formidable list for anyone whose is deep into that genre. It was a limited press of 700 LPs split between myself and the label Dogma Destroyer in Mexico, I am basically down to 75 copies as of this moment. At this point in time, you have to keep presses small to keep things fluid. Once the tour ends it will probably be a while until they play again, so sitting on a huge press would be kind of foolish. This will also mark my next to last CD. After I do a press of the JESUS FUCKING CHRIST "Life's Hateful Seed" CD, I am going to switch to the LP+mp3 download way. CD sales have dropped significantly and vinyl production costs have gone up. It just seems to make the most cost effective sense. Anyway, COP ON FIRE: They are fucking raging. Hard shit. Get it (CD or LP) before they are gone, because that won't be far from now.

Wisniewski: Great stuff, Mike. Thanks for the time!

Find out more about Mike and Inimical at www.inimical.com or myspace.com/inimicalrecords.