After getting turned down and dragged around by the hope of potential record deals, Ivan Pena, the frontman for Soulfound, is becoming The Man. Pena recently formed his own indie label, Mohawk Bomb Records. The first release is a compilation disc, No Lip Vol. 1.
We riddled Pena with a few questions about his new venture. Here's the final feedback:
What is Mohawk Bomb Records?
Mohawk Bomb Records is a new kind of records label, focused on sharing all music with the World using social networking and Web 2.0 technologies. Also, we are an artist-centric promotions and advertising house designed to help new and unsigned artists spread the word about their music. We are driven to succeed on our own terms and bring new texture to the bland pourage that is the pop music sonicscape. We believe in 1) open communication 2) transparent accounting 3) using technology to drive music distribution and 4) reinvesting in our bands. Our motto is "Enjoy. Share."
What motivated you to start up the label?
I have been playing in Soulfound for a long time, always trying to get the attention of the right record label. We always believed that if we had a machine behind us, we could make it big. But after years of failed meetings and bad deal offers, we decided it was time to take things into our own hands and not wait for someone to realize our potential. Once I got all the paperwork in place and a rough plan of what I wanted to do, I realized "Hey, I could probably do this and help other bands..." And here we are.
What's the initial goal with the label and the compilation disc?
The initial goal is promotions! We got a pressing of 1,000 discs that we are giving away all across the world. Each of the bands on the comp is receiving a care package with posters, stickers and CDs. Also, we have a small yet loyal street team in Tampa Bay that is helping pass the CDs out. We are focusing on spreading the word about the bands on the comp. Currently, we are gathering emails to kick off our "Free Song of the Day" newsletter, which will deliver one free mp3 download to all our subscriber's emails every week day. That way the new music can come to them every day!
Our bands are moving and shaking. For example, New Skool Kings out of Orange County, CA is currently on tour with punk legeneds Guttermouth, so they are spreading the word as they go.
How did you pick the bands and the songs on the disc?
We partnered up with Sonicbids which is known for connecting industry folks with bands for the compilation. We got about 50 submission from bands all around the world and a small group of us rated every submission. At the end of the rating session, we had the top 20 bands we wanted to pursue. 10 of the 13 bands were picked that way. The other three were local bands that I liked and wanted to partner up with.
What are you looking for in terms of success?
Ideally, I'd love to be able to fly around the world, find new music and spread the word about it. For now, its having at least one new thing to report back every day about either one of the bands on the comp or about the comp itself. Their success is our success.
You're also in Soulfound, anything new on that front you want to tell the folks at home about?
Yes I am, and we are currently finishing up our new album entitled "...Is a Rock Band" with Steve Connelly at Zen Recording. We have been working on this album for the last year or so and are very excited to finally be done with it. We have 10-11 songs that are ready for prime time. We hope to have a release party in August. For sure, we'll have a free download or two at www.soulfound.com soon. Also, we are working with several area artists on some experimental side-projects, including one called Rise of Saturn with Paul and Brad formerly of the band WeakSauce. We like to stay busy playing whenever we are no hustling for the label. All the guys in Soulfound have been great about supporting the label efforts and I couldn't not have gotten it off the ground without them.
From here, what's next for Ivan, for Soulfound, and for Mohawk Bomb?
For Ivan: I haven't slept for more than 4 hours a night since May, so getting on a regular, 8-hour sleeping schedule is paramount for me. Also, I am hoping to be able to secure some panelist slots on some upcoming music festivals to raise the profile for the label. I love talking about marketing, technology and music so I will pursue avenues to be able to do so.
For Soulfound: After the new album, we plan on working on another 3 or 4 song release before the end of the year and doing some light touring. With gas being so expensive and people not spending as much money on music as they used to, touring has become tougher and tougher to be able to do. We hope the label's success helps make some of those touring dreams possible. We miss being on the road and miss our fans across the US.
For Mohawk Bomb: After No Lip Vol. 1, we will be dropping the new Soulfound album. Also, we have already began scouting bands for No Lip Vol. 2 and hope to have it out by December. If anyone reading this is interested in submitting a song for the compilation, email us at info@mohawkbomb.com.
