How to go
Who: Motel Beds with Good English and Smug Brothers
Where: Yellow Cab Building, 700 E. Fourth St., Dayton
When: 8 p.m. Saturday. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Cost: $8 admission or $18 for admission and vinyl album with hand-painted cover
More info: www.misrarecords.com
Artist info: www.brotelbeds.com
Misra Records, the new home for rockers Motel Beds, had been operating for a decade when Daytonian Leo DeLuca took over the label in 2010. While he hasn’t changed the approach of the label — which has released material from indie acts as diverse as The Black Swans, Phosphorescent and Southeast Engine — he has increased its focus on his hometown.
DeLuca recently answered some questions about his latest release, Dayton-based Motel Bed’s career-spanning Misra debut, “These Are the Days Gone By.” The album gets its official release during an all-ages show at the Yellow Cab Building in Dayton on Saturday.
Q: What attracted you to Motel Beds?
A: I’ve been following Motel Beds for a long time. After touring the continent over in a band called Southeast Engine, and playing alongside many, many different groups, I came to realize that Beds may actually be one of the greatest live acts out there. They also make great records. In addition to making fantastic music, in my mind, they’re the crowning jewel of the Gem City’s independent music scene these days. I want to at least try to endorse community-mindedness in running Misra. I love the community feel of working with a band in the label’s backyard. When I moved back home to Dayton via Durham, N.C., after being away many years, it just made sense to partner with Motel Beds.
Q: The hand-painted album covers are amazing. How did you come to partner with We Care Arts for those?
A: The idea to work with We Care Arts goes back to the notion of trying to be community-minded. We Care Arts just celebrated 30 years here in Dayton and they do fantastic and deeply important work. Their slogan says it all, “Turning disabilities into possibilities.” I want to support WCA. I want to endorse them and I hope to work with them in future days. Working with WCA’s Terry Schalnat, Shari Hignite and Teresa Lynne in all this has been so rewarding.
Q: Why host the show at Yellow Cab rather than a club?
A: I sound like a broken record, pun intended, but again, the answer is community. When I grew up in Dayton, my life was changed by Gem City all-ages shows. Seeing Brainiac play at the Lithuanian Club at age 14 was the show that gave me the fever for independent music. All-ages shows were so plentiful and they made the entry-level into the music/art scene very accessible. I really hope we see more and more of them here in Dayton. They’re extremely important.
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