|  | Interview with Bob Richert GEMM Magazine’s first interview is the owner of Gulcher Records,Bob Richert. Allrecordlabels.com says “Back in the mid-70s, Gulcher was born in Bloomington, Indiana, as one of the earliest small independent labels and fanzines. Propelled to legendary status by the release of the first Gizmos EP, Gulcher championed the low-fi DIY revolution before it was even born. Genres include: Emo, New Wave, Noise, Psychedelic, Punk Now based in Orlando, Florida, Richert has defied the odds and outlasted many of his competitors and colleagues. With renewed enthusiasm he has issued live tapes from decades ago along with newer artists and posted them on his Gemm site http://gulcher.gemm.com/ | Please note, many of Bob’s answers to us from Monday, February 16, 2009 9:42 AM include information he previously gave to MRR back in 2005 when they did an oral history of Gulcher. This information is a response to specific questions by GemmZine to Bob. He has given us permission to use some of the same material again.
GEMM ZINE: Where is Bob Richert from?
BR: I grew up in Upstate New York, near Buffalo, and moved to Bloomington, Indiana in 1971 to attend grad school in geology. I soon realized rock’n'roll interested me more than rocks in the ground, and became heavily involved in the campus radio station. It was there that I was first exposed to rock fanzines–the Internet of the time–which eventually led to Gulcher magazine.
GEMM ZINE: Bob, when did you first start the label?
By 1976, Gulcher was undergoing a metamorphosis into an indie record label, and had recorded a 4-song EP by the Gizmos the prior spring. The timing was perfect, and eleven more releases followed, including more Gizmos, MX-80 Sound, the Panics, and even an EP of early John Cougar Mellencamp tracks! All the original Gulcher vinyl is long out-of-print, of course.
Anyway, there you have a very brief history– We’re at 48 CDs and counting!
Gemm Magazine: Label influences?
Growing up listening to 60s radio gave me very eclectic tastes. Music wasn’t all fragmented/hyphenated back then, and I think Gulcher’s willingness to release a variety of bands is a reflection of that openness.
My involvement with the various groups ran the gauntlet from the Gizmos where I was very involved in everything, to MX-80’s BIG HITS EP which was a reissue with new Gulcher packaging, to the Dancing Cigarettes who handed me a completed package. That same flexibility continues today with Gulcher’s revival in the compact disc era.
Gulcher was a logical outgrowth of being involved in college radio, becoming exposed to fanzines and starting my own, then realizing that having a label rather than writing about them would be even cooler. Everything was very spontaneous in the beginnning–we were clueless in our certainty of purpose.
Gemm Magazine: About the region?
Bloomington was coolest of course in the beginning. It was only in my last couple years there (1980-81) when anything approximating a scene started to develop; and critical mass wasn’t reached until both myself and the Gizmos had departed for Hoboken.
All the other midwestern cities and college towns had handfuls of groups which had released records, but beyond the Bloomington-Indianapolis-West Lafayette corridor interaction was relatively sporadic. Plus most everyone was still awed by the stuff coming out of New York and London, though Hoosier hysteria seemed to manage to surface no matter how many Ramones or Sex Pistols records you owned.
I was at the helm of Gulcher, both then and now. Of course none of it would have happened without the many bands involved. In particular Ken Highland and Eddie Flowers, both original Gizmos, were there from before the beginning of Gulcher magazine. Eddie now handles all the reissue graphics as well as some of the liner notes, as Kenne rocks on in Boston.
Gemm Magazine: And the name?
Gulcher actually came from Bloomington’s nickname of “The Gulch.” Many people have assumed it was named after Richard Meltzer’s book, particularly since Meltzer wrote for the first issue of Gulcher (#0), and penned the liner notes for the first three Gizmos EPs.
I arrived in Bloomington in September 1970 to attend grad school in geology–just to think I almost opted to attend the University of Buffalo instead! Anyway I gradually found myself spending more time spinning rock music at WIUS, the campus radio station, than studying rocks. By 1973, I’d discovered the rock fanzine scene and had started my own, a precursor to Gulcher magazine named Beyond Our Control. In a sense, fanzines were the internet of the day. That’s how I met Eddie Flowers, who put together the first issue of Gulcher with articles and reviews by several well-known rock writers (Meltzer, Lester Bangs, Metal Mike Saunders, Cub Koda). Zines were also where I connected with Ken “Gizmo” Highland, ironically from Brockport, New York. I’d graduated from Brockport State in 1970 but never knew Ken the two years I was there–we went to different schools together.
Gemm Magazine: Origins of your independent label?
Ihe original Gulcher label issued a dozen vinyl releases between 1976 and 1981, of which eight were 7″ EPs. Money was tight back then and EPs were far more affordable to record and manufacture, while showcasing a band with more depth than a single. Four of these were by the Gizmos…the debut Gizmos EP, Amerika First, Gizmos World Tour, and Never Mind The Sex Pistols Here’s The Gizmos. There was one each by MX-80 Sound (a reissue of their Big Hits EP on the BRBQ label), Johnny Cougar’s U.S. Male (four early tracks I purchased from Mr. Mellencamp), the Dancing Cigarettes EP, and Gulcher’s final vinyl, a self-titled triple-EP by the Social Climbers (reissued a year later in LP format as the sole release from my Hoboken Records label). |
Gulcher also released 7″ maxi-singles by the Panics and the Jetsons, the split Hooiser Hysteria album by the Gizmos and Dow Jones & The Industrials, and the 16-band Red Snerts compilation lp.
Our approach on reissues is archival/documentary, aiming as much as possible to include outtakes, demos, and live tracks to supplement the original vinyl, accompanied by detailed liner notes and rare photos. From the beginning the plan was to have a label with lots of bands, and Bloomington has always been a locale full of creativity. Our third release was a reissue of MX-80 Sound’s Big Hits–Hard Pop From The Hoosiers EP. The original pressing had sold out and the BRBQ imprint was inactive by then, so we whipped up a new picture sleeve and insert, and propelled MX-80 onto Island Records (UK). |  | The original Gizmos were never a real band that lived in the same town, rehearsed regularly, and played gigs. The rock writers and musicians who recorded the first three Gizmos EPs began meeting through the rock fanzine underground circa 1973, descended on Bloomington in March 1976 to record the debut Gizmos EP, then returned a year later for follow-up sessions and even a couple live shows with mx-80 sound. See Eddie Flowers’ liner notes for the 1976/1977: The Studio Recordings CD for more details on how it all happened.
After the April 1977 sessions Ted Niemiec wanted to put together a working band of Gizmos–the first EP was an underground hit and the punk rock wave was approaching Indiana. We ran some classified ads and recruited the line-up featured on the 1978 EP Never Mind The Sex Pistols Here’s The Gizmos. Then Ted realized the impossibility of being both a rock star and a doctor, but with a new EP to support and gigs to be played the remaining core of Dale Lawrence, Billy Nightshade, and Shadow Myers were joined by Tim Carroll as the 1979-1980 Hoosier Hysteria Gizmos. There were a few discussions about renaming the group, but it all seemed reasonably seamless at the time, which I feel is reflected in the progression of the music. Listen to the CD reissues in chronological order and see if you don’t agree.
In 1980 the punk/new wave scene wasn’t really happening on any sort of regular, widespread basis yet in Indiana. The Gizmos had some friends who had moved to Hoboken, New Jersey who encouraged them to relocate there too, and the idea that you needed to move to New York or Los Angeles to “make it” was still very much extant.
Of course shortly after they left–and I followed some months later–the whole Bloomington/Indianapolis scene totally erupted, while the Gizmos languished in the Big Apple–talk about bad timing!
Thinking the Gizmos could be big stars, after the first EP received rave reviews and sold so well back in 1976-1977, was another bad call, which resulted in an overemphasis on the business aspects of the label rather than simply letting the music and the fun keep on happening.
In May 1981, Gulcher’s final four were released–the Red Snerts comp, Dancing Cigarettes EP, Jetsons maxi-single, and Social Climbers triple-EP, but the economy was in serious decline. I’d been in Bloomington for nearly eleven years, the Gizmos were gone, the Panics broke up. The New Punk Nation was imminent, but I was already burnt out, and was happy to move back east where i grew up and gradually wind down my involvement in the music business for the next two decades.
Gulcher was pretty much deactivated by September 1981 when I left Bloomington for good; 13 years later Orlando was the choice when it was time to move again.
Back in the mid/late-90s people from Indiana and elsewhere started tracking me down looking for Gulcher material to reissue. But nothing really clicked–they either has no money or wanted to do vinyl which I thought was absurd in the age of compact discs. Then I retrieved a bunch of the original records and master tapes from the my mom’s attic in Upstate New York, heard them again for the first time in nearly 20 years, got caught up in how fun and exciting everything sounded, and decided to revive the label myself.
The Internet made it easy to track down many of the original participants. Fortunately Eddie Flowers was one of the first people I located. He’s been instrumental in these CD reissues, handling all the graphics, many of the liner notes, and generally keeping the aesthetics pointed in a cool direction.
I’d spent the better part of two decades doing graphic arts professionally so I was pretty tired of that, but quickly discovered plenty of PC applications for digitizing the original tapes and then editing, remixing, and mastering the material for CD release.
Fortunately I had almost all of the open reel masters, along with various outtakes, demos, and live shows, no worse for the wear of a quarter century. Other people dug up additional tapes, and we were on our way.
Even though it consumes major amounts of time, I strive to run Gulcher on the level of a hobby, while being reliable and fair about the business end. Of course as i said PCs and the Internet have yielded vast efficiencies and cost-savings compared to running a record label two decades ago.
We have a vinyl licensing arrangement with Hate Records in Rome, Italy, which to date has pressed six albums, one 12″ EP, and one 7″ maxi-single on the Vulcher imprint we set up.
I looked up the sales figures for the original Gulcher vinyl pressings and was surpised to find the Gizmos Never Mind The Sex Pistols EP tied with MX-80 Sound’s Big Hits EP for the top spot at 2500 copies each. Then there were 2000 copies each of the debut Gizmos EP, Red Snerts comp LP, Dancing Cigarettes EP, Jetsons maxi-single, and Social Climbers triple-EP. Less than 500 of the Climbers triple-EP were distributed when we realized part of the pressing was defective; the album reissue on Hoboken Records was 2000 copies. About a third of the Climbers album and the three other 1981 releases (Red Snerts, Dancing Cigarettes, Jetsons) ended up being sold to cutout distributors at 3/$1.00–live and learn! The remaining five vinyl records had pressings of 1000 copies each.
Gulcher has never carded, but my impression is there’s a wide range of ages interested in this stuff–people who remember it from when it was happening 25-30 years ago, slightly younger listeners who got turned on by those original fans, and then the punk archeologist kids of today. There’s been a great response in europe and japan too. It seems the only group not that excited are cliquish collectors of the original vinyl, some of whom have been involved in counterfeiting the recordings of gulcher and other independent labels over the years, so I’m more than happy to eliminate their monopoly.
We are definitely not confined to the bands originally recorded by Gulcher, or the 1976-1981 period of the label’s vinyl releases.
I think most CD purchasers want to reconnect with an exciting time from their youth. Others are archivists/archeologists, or simply collectors. The key thing is that there was something special going on a quarter-century ago, comparable perhaps to the 60s for the hippies. I was lucky to experience both, thoughof course these phenomena almost immediately lose their initial magic and charm as the “trend” takes hold. |
 Johnny Cougar - US Male | Gulcher CD Discography (February 2009)
02/28/09 Handglops / Ronk Ng Rool (Gulcher 615)
01/01/09 Meercaz / Meercaz (Gulcher 614)
08/30/08 Bon Vivants / Black Honey (Gulcher 613)
05/08/08 Mykal Xul / Johnson County Line (Gulcher 612)
05/05/08 The Gynecologists / Hoosier Psychopaths 1981-1994: The Official Recordings (Gulcher 432)
02/06/08 Kurt Vile / Constant Hitmaker (Gulcher 611)
10/22/07 Screamin’ Mee-Mees / Plastic Hong Kong Door Bell Finger (Gulcher 610)
08/03/07 Home Blitz / Home Blitz (Gulcher 609) 03/19/07 Screamin’ Mee-Mees & Hot Scott Fischer / Warp Sessions 1972-1973 Double-CD (Gulcher 431)
01/15/07 Joshua Jugband 5 / Damascus Doldrum (Gulcher608)
10/6/06 Crawlspace / The Spirit Of ‘76 (Gulcher 607) | 09/30/06 The Gizmos / Live In Bloomington: 1977-1978 Double-CD (Gulcher 430)
8/23/06 Mykal Xul / Gizmo My Way: Unsung Anthems Of Ken Highland & The Gizmos (Gulcher 606)
07/01/06 12 Cent Donkey / Where There Are No Roads (Gulcher 605)
1/19/06 Magik Markers / A Panegyric To The Things I Do Not Understand (Gulcher 604)
09/30/05 Hollywood Squaretet / Tet-Offensive (Gulcher 603)
06/28/05 Gays In The Military / “People Is Beautiful” (Gulcher 602)
05/27/05 Angel Corpus Christi / Louie Louie (Gulcher 601)
05/20/05 Lou Rone / Alone (Gulcher 429)
04/21/05 Fearless Leader / God Bless The Devil (Gulcher 428)
04/07/05 The Korps / Hello World! (Gulcher 427)
01/27/05 Chinaboise / The Greatest Story Ever Told (Gulcher 426)
11/26/04 The Gizmos / Rock & Roll Don’t Come From New York (Gulcher 425)
06/12/04 Thundertrain / Hell Tonite! (Gulcher 424)
06/20/04 Red Glance / Swirls Away (Gulcher 423)
04/22/04 Screamin’ Mee-Mees / Garbage Collage (Gulcher 422)
02/15/04 Angel Corpus Christi / The 80’s (Gulcher 421)
11/19/03 Various Reindeer / Xmas Snertz: Have A Very Gulcher Christmas! (Gulcher 420)
12/10/03 Angel Corpus Christi / Accordion Pop, Vol. 1 (Gulcher 419)
10/01/03 Screamin’ Mee-Mees / Live From The Basement 1975-1997 (Gulcher 418)
10/28/03 The Retreads / Highway To Helsinki (Gulcher 417)
08/28/03 Crawlspace / Law Where Prohibited By Void (Gulcher 416)
05/28/03 Angel Corpus Christi / Divine Healer (Gulcher 415)
05/01/03 Bill McCarter+Stalingrad Symphony / Secrets+Struggle (Gulcher 414)
04/10/03 Various Artists / Simply Good Taste–The Sounds Of Slippy Town (Gulcher 413)
03/14/03 Wooldridge Brothers / The Unreel Hits (Gulcher 412)
12/29/02 Thundertrain / Teenage Suicide (Gulcher 411)
09/06/02 The Dancing Cigarettes / 1980-1981: The Gulcher Recordings (Gulcher 410)
06/14/02 The Afrika Korps / Live At Cantone’s 1977 (Gulcher 409)
05/08/02 Walking Ruins / Fall Of The House Of Ruin (Gulcher 408)
3/13/02 MX-80 Sound / 1977 Live At The Library 1978 (Gulcher 407)
1/13/02 The Gizmos / 1978-1981: Never Mind The Gizmos Here’s The Gizmos (Gulcher 406)
11/8/01 The Afrika Korps / Music To Kill By (Gulcher 405)
7/19/01 Various Hoosiers / Red Snerts–The Sound Of Gulcher (Gulcher 404)
5/14/01 The Panics / 1980-1981: I Wanna Kill My Mom!!! (Gulcher 403)
03/04/01 The Gizmos / The Midwest Can Be Allright–1981 NYC Demos CD-EP (Gulcher 501)
12/19/00 The Gizmos / 1975-77: Demos & Rehearsals Double-CD (Gulcher 402)
5/1/00 The Gizmos / 1976-77: The Studio Recordings (Gulcher 401) |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment