AURICULAR has been sort of "out-of-net" for a while; there are MANY of us D.I.Y/networkers who are GLAD to see it BACK, & probably a few who are wondering WHERE you see it going in the next coupla'...

I am happy with the responses I have received so far after reappearing. Admittedly , we were gone for quite some time after the pain and suffering of closing down the Auricular retail store and recovering financially from the HUGE loss incurred there. I am not sure I have any really big expectations for Auricular in the next couple of years. I think, if anything, from the experience with the retail that I have learned not to expect much and keep the whole thing sort of on the back burner, more in the realms of fun instead of pure business. The primary element that I missed so much during the time we have been on our "hiatus" is the interaction with the artists. Once again there is a whole new crowd of DIYers out there amidst some of the same old faces and it will be nice to get back in the swing of things as far as networking with a lot of them again. I do feel bad for not being in touch with many people for so long and because a few very nice projects were put on hold for so long but we had basically been sucked dry and left for dead by the American Dream. I think it can all work well now as long as we maintain the DIY attitude again. There are a couple of things that we really would like to see happen with the rebirth and that is to start CD releases from Auricular. We have an amazing compilation that was culled several years back prior to our retail shutdown and subsequent mourning. It would be joyous to see that project come to light as the tracks I received were marvelous and I felt like I left everyone hanging with regards to it. I have this strange inkling (wink wink) that Auricular may move into a much more varied media realm as well.

You've mentioned a few thoughts/ideas on "distro"; do you think the "netz" will help indie "exposure"? Or, is it only an illusion?

Networking on every level helps indie exposure. Whether you are leaving cheesy Xeroxed flyers with information about your projects in every coffee house or record store in town or you are buying billboard space beside the freeway. Any way that you can get your word out and information about your projects is good. There are going to be plenty of people who don't see it and float right by without paying any attention but there is that 1 in 1000 person who notices and discovers they like what they see and hear and starts to network as well with regard to what they like. Networking amongst other artists and people who run DIY labels is really important as well. It seems like everyone scratches everyone else's back and enjoys doing it as well. Maybe it is just the joy you receive in finding someone as frustrated as yourself , who knows? In any case, the other artists and distributors are always supportive and fun people to stay in touch with. Many of them have a variety of interests outside of the DIY music arena as well and these interests are just as interesting to explore as well. I have always loved the fact that amongst the DIYers everyone has been so open to communication with one another. There is very little backstabbing and it functions much more as a family (a slightly dysfunctional one but a family nonetheless). Also, as listener, the DIY crowd is great. If you find someone whose work you enjoy and contact them odds are that they are going to write back to you and keep an open line of communication with you. You just don't get that if you are a Michael Jackson fan....

Is radio exposure more important to the D.I.Y. artist, or to the listener?

I would have to say that the response to this is a 50/50 split. Radio exposure serves as one of the best possible ways for a DIY artist to be heard. You never know who is going to stumble across your stuff as it is played on the radio and say, "Hey, that's great. Let me grab a pencil and jot this down." It is equally important for the listener as well. Without the radio to "prescreen" some of the DIY material that is out there no one would have any idea of what any of it sounded like. People have a major aversion to buying things when they have no idea what it sounds like. With DIY products people have to rely on reviews, interviews, articles, radio shows, live performances, etc. etc.. It is the same with DIY product as it is with major label product in that respect.

I've seen a LOT of controversy over CD's vs. "tapes" of late... any thoughts on that?

I would have to say that this is less of a controversy than it was about 5 years ago. 5 years ago it had gotten to the point where it was virtually impossible to sell enough tapes of a single DIY release to make it worthwhile because CD's had invaded the market. Many stores would not carry DIY cassettes and a lot of the distributors that would pick them up in the past just were not selling as many as they used to. I was hearing the line - "If you put this out on CD I could sell a ton of them." Well, at that point in time CD production was much more expensive and unreachable than it is now. With the lower prices in production and being able to press smaller runs of a release at a lower cost things are different. I think I should explain though that there are definitive levels of DIY production. The first level is where you make tapes and hand them out to your friends and cohorts. There are several levels after that leading up to the point where you are basically a small production company or nearly and independent commercial label. I would never recommend to a DIYer who has never made more than one tape or just started out to run out and blow off 1000 CDs. This would be quite the headache and expense. For a DIYer who has been around a bit and tested the waters with their tapes and music and knows what sort of marketability they have then CD would be a very good idea. The whole CD vs. cassette debate boils down to the fact that more people buy CDs than cassettes - this includes distributors, stores etc. (there are actually college radio stations that don't have cassette players). There is a higher profit margin for the artists as well so this is an added plus. I better go on to the next question because I am starting to sound like one of those "open a small business" courses. There is a financial and business side to DIY which is unfortunate. Wouldn't it be nice if there were as many patrons as there were artists in the world. I guess we can just keep dreaming.

Does the "day job" tend to get in the way of "networking"? Will that CHANGE, now that yer' back "in" to AURICULAR?

My day job doesn't get in the way of my networking at all. In fact my day job has helped it a lot. Being stuck in front of the computer all day really helps me to stay in touch with a lot of people via email. (shhhh don't tell the boss) When I am home at night I tend to be much quicker about responding to people than I was in the past. Working the nine to five clone shift makes me want to escape even more so I am more conscious about setting aside the time to work on music, network, improve upon the Auricular Web site or more when I am home. I would have to say that the day job has forced me to dive back into the DIY universe just to stay sane. I don't ever foresee it changing too much from where it stands at the moment other than me probably using more of my at home time to devote to networking as the need arises. The job is the primary source of support for my DIY projects. If I relied solely on money I made from the projects and didn't have some sort of back up I would be in very deep trouble and you would probably never see an Auricular project again. I feel this is true for most every DIYer on every level.

Since you've been "in" to the scene for a long time, is D.I.Y./experimental getting "better", "worse" or is it pretty much "status quo"?

In a lot of ways it has gotten better. I would have to say that the major improvement has been in production. Better recording equipment and production equipment is much more affordable than it was a while back and the quality of recordings directly reflects that. I would have to say that the whole DIY network has improved as well. Just the fact that a lot of the DIY music started to become available on CD and bigger stores started to carry it made a difference. I think the biggest improvement has been in the realm of ambient music. Both improvement in production and availability has bettered this area of DIY music considerably. Many Tower Records outlets even have ambient sections that are separate from the New Age sections now and you can find CDs by quite a few of three old as well as some of the new DIYers in these sections. This is also true of a lot of the new jazz that is being done as well as house/techno and industrial.

What really got you started with AURICULAR?

I would have to honestly say that it was frustration. I had always had rather eclectic taste in music and it never seemed like I could find everything I wanted and I knew it was out there. Auricular seemed like a good vehicle just to be able to find new music and share it with others who I knew were faced with the same situation.

Do you play? Instruments/bands/solos? What?

Why yes, in fact I do play. My first and foremost project I would have to say is Nux Vomica. Nux Vomica is an ambient sound art ensemble. There are three of us in the group and, for myself, this is the most enjoyable arrangement I have ever worked with. Most of my time musically is put into this project. Recently (the last two years) I have started to work on a solo project entitled Ultrasound. I have churned out a bunch of studio material and it is quite varied and of a different ilk than the Nux Vomica work. What will become of all of this material I am not sure as I have yet to really start to get the word out or try to sell it. The pieces composed for that project are much more reflective of the exact time they are created and the range of styles are really enormous. In the past I have worked with those merry pranksters of noize, Big City Orchestre as well as had involvement in several other projects and groups including Haters, Sense/Net, Lines of Magnetic Flux and a few more here and there. Some of these have been one off projects while some others are ongoing although sporadic.

What does your wife think about AURICULAR & this whole dedication to D.I.Y./networking? Since yer' kinda' "in it" together (I assume), what are the plans for the future?

Well, when Auricular was a retail store I think she tried to think about it as little as possible. Financially those were tough times. She is rather supportive of the label and the musical endeavors and has been very directly involved since day one. Jenny is, in fact, one of the three members of Nux Vomica. I am currently trying to convince her to venture into the realm of solo recording. She gets just as excited as I do about things when they are going well and just as irritated as I do when things are not. She has been a major influence and supportive personality behind most all of my projects musically and otherwise and I am quite thankful for that. She is also the unbiased opinion for all Auricular projects. I have come to respect and rely on her frankness and honesty as far as design and production choices are involved. The final stage of any project is usually the review and approval on Jenny's part. Not many people could be so lucky. As far as what the future holds in store I feel that we will continue to work together as that is what we do best.

Do you think there's any chance that INTERNET/D.I.Y./networking/etc. is (or is going to) make a "dent" in the music scene; or are we FOREVER stuck with "moguls"?

Like I said earlier in the interview, any exposure is good exposure. I would like to say yes, internet and DIY networking is going to make a dent. It already has. The availability and communication within the DIY network has improved and grown considerably over the past years. I would also like to hope that the Internet is just another step in getting the word out. Being addicted currently to WWW and email communication I would like to think that this can be the "every man's media and communication tool". Already it has surpassed television on the user level. I would have to pay a fortune to run my own TV show or commercial but I can post any idea I want to the world via news groups, my web site, email etc. etc. I think we do have to watch out for the corporate hedging that is going to be involved as big business recognizes the Internet as more and more of a viable and valuable media resource but until they drag me away from my terminal Auricular will be there on-line trying our best to poke the "moguls" in the butt with a sharp stick and offer some sort of alternative to the public and other artists. We are constantly updating our web site trying to make it more fun and interesting and adding more information, links, art and soon more and more sound files from Auricular releases. We have tossed around the idea of throwing together an on-line magazine for a while. I think the internet offers a great source for the distribution of your ideas and media...all you have to do is lure them in somehow.

Rotcod Zzaj - Editor, IMPROVIJAZZATION NATION 'zine & perpetrator of Zzaj Productions

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