We’re demo listening today.  I have likened this activity to watching an amateur ice skating competition.  In principle, you want to lend your support by watching.  The optimist inside you thinks there might be a beautiful performance of grace and style that might stay with you past that day.  The experienced pragmatist inside knows that you’d be lucky to get that, but you must steel your resolve because every misstep, awkward leap, unbalanced landing and heartbreaking fall chips a little bit at your heart.  Please demos, don’t suck.  Furthermore, please don’t suck in manufactured shrink-wrapped digi-paks (representing sucking x 1000 + horribly wasted carbon footprint). 

A few weeks ago, Maren tried to calculate what percentage of demos I’ve signed in the last 12 years.  Suffice to say, it’s less than 1%.  Bottom of the Hudson, Summer At Shatter Creek, The Affair, Pidgeon and most recently Laarks are the only bands I’ve ever signed from unsolicited demos (not including those from bands that were brought to us by folks on the label).   All great acts, only one of which is still making music (Laarks) though a few members are in other bands.  Eli Simon from Bottom of the Hudson is now working on the new Jukeboxer album with Noah Wall.  I’m pretty excited to hear that!

Today’s favorite demo who we will sadly not be signing but who you should check out is Shark Speed from Utah.  Reminds me a little of the Jam.  We also like Kronotsky from Pennsylvania.  Elaborate and sort of gothy.

Please, demos, don’t suck.