I met Dandy after Viciously hunting down The Exploration - Demography tape. He's collects action figures like me, and that automatically makes him a cool dude. He's got an awesome label going, considering he's merely twenty years old. Driftwood is basically heaven for a tape collector, and he has lots of undiscovered gems in his collection of bands. I'm just going to have him start sending me tapes at random, although i'm particularly partial to Among Giants, Righteous Cycles, Oh Dae Su, and of course, The motherfucking Exploration. Although he has an enormous number of artists involved with Driftwood, the majority of them are seemingly friends or Local. Lots of good stuff is coming from there, and I'm looking forward to figuring out what to order next from Mr. Dandy. He was kind enough to let me pick his brain, so here's what a drunken Dandy had to say on a Saturday night / Sunday morning. He's currently making a few J-cards and not nursing a hangover. If you plan on checking out Driftwood, please consider purchasing The Exploration - For Cabana 7"
Dandy and A bird, Yay!
J: Hi, Dandy. Tell me the story of how Driftwood got started, and who Driftwood consists of?
well,
while I was in college, I was super depressed and had no friends, so I decided to start a label as a joke, and called it interskramz, which was just an inside joke. Eventually, when it actually started being a thing, and some shit had gone down between me and another person who was helping out,rename the label. kehan, who now runs don't livce like me records, decided to call the label driftwood, after a cursive song or something. A lot of people have come and gone in helping out
but right now, it's me doing most of the work, with help from dube, t-chat, leland, and drew.
J: I have to know, how'd you acquire the name Dandy-Candy?
dandy candy is a reference to my junk, but the nickname dandy came from the apple juice, apple dandy, which my best friend started calling me. That's not the full story, but I can't tell the full story without revealing my name, so butts.
J: Okay, now tell me about yourself as a Dandy
I sit on my couch all day and annoy people on the internet
J: What do you do when you aren't working on distro stuff?
i'm rarely working on distro stuff. when i'm not working on releases, I play with my cat, try to have sex with girls, drink apple juice, and play computer games.
J: Where do you get the moneys to finance everything?
I have no fucking clue. Up until recently, i lived at my parents, so any money I made went into the label
at this point it's basically just sales and such.
J: What are the fun/rewarding parts about running a label?
I get to help people, basically. The rest isn't all that great.
I get shit from people for not being punk or DIY enough, and for taking too long on orders sometimes
it's like dude, I do this all myself, if you don't have something within a week of ordering, especially if it's a pre-order, chill the fuck out.
J: What do you feel is the biggest waste of your time running the label?
listening to submissions from shitty bands, people asking me to listen to their bands first demo that I have no interest in, and keeping up with pressing info and variations and all that shit
also keeping everything in order online. it sucks dick.
J: What are some labels you admire or feel a kinship to?
well, i've done split releases with a lot of awesome labels, but the label I look up to the most is square of opposition, and the labels who have helped me out the most are middle man and it's a trap.
J: What makes your label special & unique?
ummm. I have a fuckton of tape releases, I guess.
i think i'm on like, 153 releases total, between tapes, vinyl, lathe, and cd, and some on multiple formats.
J: Biggest Letdown?
The label doesn't get me hookers and blow
J: Where do you find your artists, and how do you pick them?
Almost every single band has come to me, with the exception of bands who I was friends with already, and the concrete summer, the only band i have actually approached, up to this point
if the band is good, the members aren't assholes, and they're into how I do things, i'm usually down to do the release.
J: Do you play favorites with your artists?
Basically like, I do as much as the band asks that I can do. As far as vinyl, you have to play favorites, based on whether it'll sell or not. I do like some bands more than others, based on my relationships with the members, though
J: When are you making my get sad, not laid shirts?
Probably when someone designs one?
also when i can use my silk screen again
the room i was using now has someone living in it
J: Do you enjoy music as much now as you used to & how has running a label effected how you listen to/hear music?
I really haven't been super into music for a few years, but running the label has made me not even bother caring about most bands, or listening to new bands, unless i'm involved with the release or something
J: What are some things that make you want to work with a band?
Them not being twinkly
J: What are some things that make you hate a band?
If they're assholes or full of themselves
J: So, what ARE you listening to right now? Quick, top five!
when I drive, I listen to ramshackle glory, wingnut dishwashers union, andrew jackson jihad, and paul baribeau. When not driving, I don't listen to music
J: How involved do you like to be in the artwork design for a release?
I leave it up to the band. usually, bands will have their artwork already, and I give them the option of them designing their j-card for the tape, or us taking care of it. I've only taken care of the art fully in a few cases, including the nakusa/chinesedream split, the southtownbe lanes/place called home split, I did the back cover of, and there's a few others i've done, thought i've designed a bunch of j-cards
really, it's up to the band to decide what they wanna do.
J: What song best describes your work ethic?
I have no idea
I do what I gotta do, cause otherwise i'd kill myself because i'd have nothing else to do
J: Do you take a cut of a band’s publishing?
no. the bands usually pay for their copies of tapes/cds at a price below wholesale, and they get 100% of the profit from those they buy. I pay for all the copies that I sell in my store, and give them 15% of the profit made. As for digital sales, they receive 15% of any sales through my bandcamp
J: Do you have intern & street team programs & if so, how do they operate?
i do most of the work myself, dube does a lot of the website design, some graphic work, and stuff like that. Other people come and go, helping out with stuff when I really need it.
J: Do you think the return of vinyl & cassettes is a fad?
I fucking hate physical media. shit is dumb as dick. but people like it, and it's cool to have, so whatever.
J: What’s something you see other labels do that you think of as borderline unethical?
glass nail records. that's really all I have to say.
J: In 20 years what do you think/hope your label will be known/remembered for?
for not fucking over tons of people
Lastly, here's a link to Driftwood's summer sampler, courtesy of Dandy. Thanks for the interview and letting me rant about random shit all the time, Dandy. I haven't forgotten about the Llama socks.
Dandy: i was drunk while doing this, punk lyfe.
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