Super Asbestos Records
Super Asbestos was Jim Zespy's baby, a studio and record label. Super Asbestos recorded and released a number of records for local and not-so-local bands in a converted building in a rather industrial area of Fargo. Jim left Fargo via Indiana and is currently in Chicago, running Essay Records (or SA records), which is probably just an extension of the original label. Maybe Zespy can stop by and set us straight.
wow radical, I just saw that the yahtzeen is back in full effect....
Some history edit if you like, I tend to blah blah blah…
Yeah, you’re mostly right about essay and super asbestos. I guess we started Super Asbestos Records, when jarod and I when to the mall tee shirt shop and had two dark blue shirts made. We had printed on my shirt, super (front), and dios (back) jared had asbestos (front) and stu (back) that way when we walked side by side we where super asbestos stu-dios.... mildly cleave nerds we where. Super Asbestos Records and Studios where both overly ambitious projects ment to feed each other. We could give our friends good, at least passable recordings, and do it our selves, and release some of those records, tour, take and ourselves over the world!!!! Jarod and I learned how to record bands together, both becoming ok engineers. The early records where fun as hell. So exiting, such a fun time. I miss those days under the Vinyl Connection, with the Seawhores, and Dag Island Ludes practicing next door, and the Velvut Lush rocking on the other side of the stone wall. It was amazing; I haven’t felt that same energy, or comradery since then. So inspiring to see my friends, new friends at the time, working. Really working the seawhores, danforth, kemmer, all those guys, no shit they still inspire me all the time. Its not the same, anywhere else ive been. The Mpls/St.p. Crew is great, they keep together, and work it to this day…. I miss that time though, Im sure nostalgia plays a big part. We, well at least I didn’t know any better, it was like, hey, there are these bands, they play music, and hey, there is this gear you can buy and record shit yourselves, and then, hey guess what you can just call these cd manufacturing plants and if you have $ they will work with you! Idealism, and little connection to distribution, and the “industryâ€. Running a label, well shit, I don’t claim to know much more now then I did then. I wish I could have done better for those first bands. I still listen to those records, they taught me a lot. I loved seeing those bands. I moved out of Fargo to work for Secretly Canadian, now becoming a giant in the distro/indie records business. They are from Fargo you know, well 2 of the 3 owners, and there first release was a June Panic record. However, I don’t think they have never claimed to be a “Fargo†record label.
Sorry I digress…
So as I sit here on my laptop in Chicago, drinking vodka on the rocks, listening to a huge ass pile of demos, some random, but pretty much the whole catalog of this labels catalog (one that I have just heard about and got all shit to check out…)†… most of it is crap, or just a c average derivative pile… hmmm so what do I like, what am I putting out, shit that is mostly related to that original crew!!! Weird, and Awesome!
Yeah so please, phil edit this shit!
Back to the SA and Essay
My last record as Super Asbestos was the record by The Post (Ben Swanson, owner of secretly Canadian records, and former Fargo kid played drums in this band) Then I took a long time off. I was working for Secretly Canadian, still making records, with who ever… June Panic of course, my main man, weird, we have gotten to a really good place working together. But, not really doing any label shit. I wasn’t to inspired. Then two things happen…I get Chris Danforth;s first record, wow, and I saw a band live called Rapider Then Horsepower. The Chris Danforth’s would be my first record under the name Essay. It was time for a change, S.A. and Essay had both ben on my mind, but this new stuff is all Essay, its different. The last band under the name Super Asbestos, had a member in it from fargo, not planed that way, but it makes sense to change then. So now my baby is Essay Records. We released the Danforths first record, and did a tour on it. Close to the same time we did 2 records by Rapider Than Horsepower, and one by Vaz (more fargo!) and the Seawhores (I cant believe I didn’t even drink when I met cody and adam, weird! Anyway We continue to release records, and we now relocated to Chicago. Same old, building a small studio space, and office as I write this. I still work in record distribution, managing the shipping/ warehouse/ returns department at Southern Records during the day, same old, and work Essay at night. Im lucky that I get to continue putting out records by people I love, friends that record themselves, that do good work, and a high persentage of them are all Fargo Related! (new danforths, and seawhores on the way!!!)
Discography
SA01 Floid Matrix - Stop the Technology MadnessSA02 [CTRL-D] - [cd] <p> SA03 Mothmus - le Bomb Nuetron SA04 June Panic - The Silver Sound Sessions SA05 Spoon / S@M - 7†SA06 The Post - Backwards SA07 The Chris Danforths - Outside Outer space SA08 Rapider Than Horsepower - Stagefright, Stagefright SA09 Rapider Than Horsepowe - This is My Big Night SA10 Vaz / Seawhores - Vazzed in a Sea of Whores SA11 Rapider Than Horsepower - Double CD SA12 The Licorice Roots - Licorice Root Orchestra (Jan '06') SA13 The Licorice Roots - Shades of Streamers (Summer '06) SA14 The Coke Dares - Here We Go With…. SA15 Essay Comp 1 - Tastemakers (Feb '06) SA16 The Chris Danforths - Look out for the wolves (Feb '06) SA17 Rapider Than Horsepower - What’s our visibility? (March '06) SA18 Jad and David Fair - 12 Dozen Cookies (Jan '06) SA19 The Seawhores - Forest (Feb '06)
