Can you start out with a little timeline/history of Melotov?
There isn’t much to it really, only because I just got it up and running. My senior year in high school, which was only last year for me (07-08), was when things really started coming together. I took out a DBA, contacted Charged, whom you interviewed not too long ago, and had asked Ark the bassist from LA punk band, Onewordsolution, to be my mentor basically. I released Charged’s record and have been relentlessly promoting them and the label ever since then…which was like July, that’s when the gears started turning.
When did you decide you wanted to start a label?
Before anything, I had just wanted to do A&R for a label, but in my junior year of high school I interned at Metal Blade Records (Metallica, Slayer, Unearth, As I Lay Dying) and that’s when I decided I wanted to start my own. Metal Blade is a big, yet still independent label, which is what I’m trying to achieve so it definitely inspired me. Michelle Ferraro who trained me there now is like a co-founder of Black Market Activities, a label Guy Kozowyk from The Red Chord started—she was a big help. And Patrick Pintavalle from The Absence who helped me get the gig at Metal Blade, he’s a cool dude. But yeah, working there after school every Tuesday and Thursday was really the defining moment for me.
What really got you in to punk rock?
Honestly, it was the catchiness and “explicit-ness” of Blink-182, which is like riding a bike with training wheels. That was back in 6th grade. 7th grade I got into harder stuff (metal, actually) because I started playing guitar and liked the challenge of learning something more difficult than “All the Small Things.” 9th grade was when I really got into all if it. I was always going to shows, seeing bands that were truly punk-as-fuck, and then that translated into this punk-hardcore scene out here in Santa Clarita, my home town.
Do you feel like the legacy of your area has been influential?
I’d say so. Influential on me at least. Charged is the first band whose CD I’ve put out, and they’re from my area. In terms of this scene as a whole, I feel a lot of it is still pretty much underground. There’s kids out here who go to the shows and don’t know who Infest were. So...
Do you feel like the DIY ethic is important to your work?
Absolutely. I’m a DIY label, so I kind of rely on the band’s ethics to help me help them. For example, everything I’ve done for Melotov so far has been out of my own pocket, so I don’t have much financially to put towards promotion for the label AND the band. I depend on them to book their own shows and make their own merch still. Right now, I’m putting out CDs and pushing promo.
How do you go about deciding what bands to put stuff out by?
Easy, if I like it, I’ll sign it. It doesn’t matter what genre. That’s what makes my label different. Yes, the majority is punk, hardcore, and metal, but hell, I love 2pac and Radiohead too. I have an eclectic taste in music, so that’ll be reflected in what I decide to sign. I’m not trying to put my finger in every pie, I just like what I like. That’s the beauty of no red tape so to say.
Ever had any legal troubles?
No, not yet either, but I am looking to redesign my logo because it isn’t mine. It’s a famous piece by Banksy, the street artist/stencil mastermind and I don’t own the rights to it or anything. I just needed a logo that represented what Melotov is about, and his stencil pretty much summed it up. It’s back to the drawing board for me though. I admire his work and don’t want to get into any legal battles with him.
Do you feel like the internet has had a big impact on how your label works?
It definitely has, both in good ways and not so good ways. The perk is that it makes promotion and networking incredibly easy. It’s simple, fast, and relatively inexpensive exposure for both the label and the bands on it. On the downside, it’s hard to compete with this age of technology. Every thing is digital these days, including distribution, which makes it all the easier for the DIY bands to literally do it themselves. The label is a dying breed, but not an extinct one. I feel that independent labels will outlive all the major ones though. Here’s to hoping Universal, Capitol, and Sony all have gilded parachutes.
What kind of stuff can we look out for from Melotov in the future?
Death-doom-NOLA-grindcore metal, and Tokyo J-Rock noiseXcore. Plus more of the same ol' hardcore/punk routine.
Where do you see your label being in 5 years time?
I see Melotov Records being in a position where I can afford to have my bands play festivals such as Sound & Fury and opening for bigger acts; beginning my own festival, and being able to afford multiple releases simultaneously.
Anyone you'd like to rep?
Dedicated Wreckers, 1917 Records, Destroy Destroy Destroy Productions, SCV Promotions, all the bands on the label’s Top 8 on myspace, Black Market Activities, and of course…Dimebag Darrell and GG Allin.
Any advice to finish?
Don’t pull out, you can always get an abortion. But more importantly, do what makes you happy. Success isn’t defined by a dollar amount.
Thanks very much to Melanie for getting in touch and for her awesome answers. Check out stuff by Charged and other Cali hardcore punx here.
