ReadysetDC A CREATIVE URBAN ENTERPRISE

Words w/ Sean Peoples [Sockets Records]

I really love how complicated this town is. I still haven’t figured it out, so it keeps calling me to stay. This is home now.

JY: So what brought you to DC?

SeanP: I’m originally from New Jersey. A very rural town with lots of farmland, but we were 30 minutes away from everything, so it was a really cool place to grow up. You could be in the country, but have access to two great cities (Philadelphia, New York).

I originally came to Washington, DC to attend American University. I studied political science. And I think I’m using that degree with my day job, although I wonder sometimes. I fell in love with DC even before I got here. The music scene in the 90s was something I admired from my small town in New Jersey, so I was really happy to go to shows and feel like I was a part of a city oozing great music in the late 90s and early 00s.

JY: Sockets, Fatback and more recently District Calling. You are one busy man.

SeanP: I’m definitely busy, but I love doing this stuff, so the work involved always pays off. Also, all these projects include my friends, so I’m getting to create art/throw parties/support the people I respect and want to spend time with anyway. Fatback, the monthly dance night I started with my friends just celebrated its 2 year anniversary this past week, so it’s been a month full of nostalgia. District Calling was a great way to expand my network of folks and show the blooming collaborative spirit of Washington, DC. And Sockets has been around for a little while, but is really coming into its own these days given the hard of the bands on to label’s roster and the excitement around DC’s creative economy these days.

JY: When did you start Sockets?

SeanP: The label started as a very small-scale way to document what my friends and I were doing musically back in December of 2004. I had a radio show back then and some friends would come by to perform live in the studio. I started recording these performances and after a while discovered that it might be worth sharing these performances with a wider audience. So I started collecting audio from friends that would be an audio compilation of all stripes – spoken word, documentaries, noise, pop music, sound textures. I called the first one an Audio Zine.

JY: What motivated you to start the label?

SeanP: There were a lot of very weird and interesting sounds emanating from DC in 2004/2005, but so many great bands broke up around that time here in DC. And there weren’t many labels in town looking to do small run CDRs of experimental music. I thought I could fill that gap. It was an interesting time that was in danger of not being documented.

JY: What are the pros/cons about being based in DC?

SeanP: I think being based in DC is almost exclusively positive. I have my friends here and can really rely on that support for whatever I do. There’s a community here that is supportive and a label like this (small, but growing) cannot do it without that support. There’s always something happening in another city, but I really like that Washington, DC is finding a new sound for itself these days. I want to be here during that time to help document and take part in the process.

JY: What do you hope that people take from Sockets artists?

SeanP: First and foremost I hope people connect with the bands musically. But I think most of the stuff on the label has a quality of experimentation. So I hope people keep an open mind. I think each band is different, which is important to me. I want to have a diverse sounding roster.

JY: What is exciting right now at Sockets, and what should we look out for in 2010?

SeanP: It is such an exciting time in DC and at the label. The new Imperial China album Phosphenes is about to drop in February. Big Gold Belt, a band that’s playing the showcase on Friday, will be releasing an 12” EP. I’m working with guitarist Aaron Thompson on his debut full length. The band Hume is about to unleash a bunch of music and touring in 2010. So 2010 is going to be a big year for Sockets.

JY: What do you love about DC?

SeanP: I really love how complicated this town is. I still haven’t figured it out, so it keeps calling me to stay. This is home now. I’ve lived here for 11 years.

JY: What do you hate about DC?

SeanP: Sometimes it’s a really small town. It’s vertically challenged, so it doesn’t quite feel like a proper city. But those things only flare up once in a while in my assessment of DC.

JY: What’s in store for us on Friday?

SeanP: Five of my favorite bands are going to be playing the Black Cat Mainstage. I couldn’t ask for a better anniversary party. I’m also excited to see some new people who haven’t necessarily been exposed to
the label. Friday marks the work of the last few years, but will also be sign of things to come.

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Make sure you check out the Sockets Records Showcase TONIGHT at Black Cat. The Cornel West Theory, HUME, Buildings, Imperial China and Big Gold Belt will all perform. Starts at 9PM!

Photography by: Tracy Clayton