How to go
Who: Smile Empty Soul with Acidic, Ra and Asayda
Where: McGuffy’s House of Rock, 5418 Burkhardt Road, Dayton
When: 8 p.m. Saturday. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Cost: $15
More info: (937) 256-3005 or www.mcguffy's.net
Artist info: www.smileemptysoul.com
For the 10 years Smile Empty Soul has been a recording act, the Los Angeles-based post-grunge band has had record company support. For the new album, “Chemicals,” members Sean Danielsen (vocals, guitar), Ryan Martin (bass) and Jake Kilmer (drums) formed their own independent label, Two Disciples Entertainment.
Danielsen recently answered some questions in advance of Smile Empty Soul’s return to McGuffy’s House of Rock in Dayton on Saturday.
Q: How did Two Disciples begin?
A: "We started the label with a really good friend of ours, who's now our business partner. Then we actually secured distribution through some other good friends at Pavement Entertainment. We've also assembled our own radio team and hired a publicist. We're doing it ourselves but it's still on a pretty decent level."
Q: What led to this decision?
A: "We've had quite a history when it comes to record companies. Pretty much every record we've released has been on a different label. We've had our ups and downs. We just haven't been able to find that real home some bands find where the label loves you, believes in you and just keeps pushing you. We've had the opposite scenario. As soon as anything isn't exactly this way or that way the label just seems to not care anymore and all of a sudden we're fighting for anything we can get. It's a terrible position to be in."
Q: The band also changed recording approaches for "Chemicals." What did you do differently?
A: "We actually got more of a live feel by recording the drums, bass and guitar together. Most records aren't made like that anymore. We wanted that feel so we went for it. We boycotted a lot of the crazy editing and left a little sloppiness in there for the human feel. It's raw. It's got a little griminess to it and we definitely wanted that."
Q: What's the plan for 2014?
A: "We'll take January off and then we'll hit it hard again. We have to stay real proactive and work as hard as we can. Rock music these days is a working class thing. It isn't like the old days. You definitely have to put in a full day's work every day to get anywhere. We're lucky, though, because we love music so much. It's our true passion. The struggles are the struggles and the way we look at it is, as long as we can do what we love to do for a living we're not going to stop."
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