|
Magic Bullet Records and Skateboards carries an array of music on vinyl and compact disc.
-
Brent Eyestone runs Magic Bullet Records, a local label with a history of putting out music that can be unusual and jarring, but is often incredible.
- |
BY RYAN MARR
FOR THE FREE LANCE-STAR
IN A TINY college apartment at Penn State University in 1997, Brent Eyestone dipped a timid toe into the record-label business.
"At the time, I was just thinking like maybe 30 years down the road, I'd be able to tell my grandkids that I put out a record once," he said.
What began as a one-off pressing of a Boysetsfire album quickly grew into a second pressing, and then a third, and eventually a 30th. It got to the point where punk labels and distributors Eyestone grew up idolizing were calling the North Stafford High School grad and ordering 150 copies at a time.
To meet the unexpected tidal wave of demand, Eyestone did what any self-respecting fan of do-it-yourself punk music in the late '90s did. He invited a couple friends over to assemble tens of thousands of records by hand in his living room.
Some 140 releases later, the stakes (and the profits) at Magic Bullet might be higher, but the fundamental D.I.Y. aesthetic underpinning of the label's humble beginning remains the same.
Since relocating to an unassuming Caroline Street storefront in 2004 (which he shares with his brother Mark's skateboard shop), Eyestone has been churning out some of the noisiest, weirdest, most breathtakingly adventurous releases you could expect to find anywhere.
The best way to get an idea of just how much musical ground the label has covered since its inception 15 years ago is to dig through the shop's vinyl bins.
There's the lovingly prepared discography of hardcore legends Jesuit, featuring a 32-page essay booklet, a bonus 7-inch disc, and eye-popping cover art that manages to replicate the intricate details of some sadistic zombie's sexual fantasy.
Flip through a couple more sleeves and you'll find a vinyl-only All-American Rejects release, a one-time favor Eyestone did for his friends in the band and the label's only certified gold recording. Tucked somewhere in between is a copy of Eyestone's own ambient solo project, Aughra, several releases by post-rock titans This Will Destroy You, and the latest batch of acoustic recordings from notorious cult figure Charles Manson.
Rarely do any Magic Bullet releases at the shop exceed $12.
"Putting out a broad range of stuff is what really keeps me interested," Eyestone said. "After you've been making records for this long, it's like eating. You don't have to think about it anymore. So doing something new is always exciting."
PUTTING MUSIC FIRST
Eyestone's longtime bandmate Graham Scala pointed out the Grand Canyon-size gap between "doing something new" and releasing music by one of the most polarizing figures in American pop culture. According to Scala, it's precisely that risk that drives Eyestone.
"I think that Brent understands that a life lived under the tyranny of good ideas is not a life worth living," Scala said. "I mean, how many people would be willing to take the risk of putting out four albums by Charles Manson?"
From Eyestone's perspective, releasing Manson's music on Magic Bullet was a no-brainer.
"It's just the sound of a guy playing guitar in prison," Eyestone said. "We didn't want it to be sensational, and we didn't want to make it a statement of guilt or innocence. We're just presenting his music as a cultural document for people to explore."
It's this music-first attitude that Scala cites as the key to Eyestone's success.
"What's really special about how Brent works is his unique sense of business acumen, without it seeming like business acumen." Scala said. "So many other label guys are all about the bottom line, to the point where it gets sorta soul-crushing after a while."
THE BRAD PITT CONNECTION
With a greeting that's more like a high-five than a handshake, and vocal inflections more reminiscent of a breathless teenager than a businessman, Eyestone, 35, comes across like the Peter Pan of independent record label bosses.
The secret to making ends meet, Eyestone explained, is licensing his label's music.
By selling the rights to play Magic Bullet earworms over everything from Olympics broadcasts to skateboarding video games to TV shows like "Teen Mom," Eyestone has been able to bring in more income than he could with digital and physical music sales alone.
"If it's something we're into, or maybe just something we think is funny, we'll usually sign off on it," Eyestone said. "We make sure
Most recently, Eyestone negotiated a licensing agreement that permits Columbia Pictures to use This Will Destroy You's slow-burning anthems throughout the major motion picture "Moneyball."
"When Brad Pitt is talking over your music, that's about as big as a small, weird, independent band is going to get," Eyestone said proudly.
A ONE-MAN OPERATION
Eyestone prefers to negotiate with artists under the loose, unbinding freedom of a verbal contract. And he still hand-assembles Magic Bullet orders in his Fredericksburg home--stuffing a mind-numbing number of records into vinyl sleeves and thumbing through his phone's speed-dial for help when things get too hectic for a one-man operation.
It helps too that, as a musician, graphic designer, and label head, Eyestone has hands-on experience with just about every aspect of putting out a record, from designing the packaging to booking tours.
Most of the label's daily challenges stem from the Internet, a resource that is just as responsible for the label's growth as it is for Eyestone's frustration with his occasionally impatient online customer base.
"There's this Amazon-type expectation of immediacy on the Internet now, because those guys have the capital and manpower to be so customer-friendly," Eyestone said. "We don't have that. Sometimes it seems like people forget that we're just a couple guys in a skate shop packing up boxes."
But Eyestone said that without the Internet, running a label in a town as far off the beaten touring path as Fredericksburg would have been a pipe dream.
In fact, it was the city's distance from major music scenes--along with its proximity to family and friends--that lured Eyestone to Fredericksburg at a pivotal, make-or-break moment in his label's financial development.
"I knew I'd need some degree of peace and quiet and isolation to manage my business," he said. "Fredericksburg has always been a nice place to get away from being everywhere else."
GOING FORWARD
Heading into the label's 15th anniversary year in 2012, Eyestone is going to need all the peace and quiet he can get. He already has 20 projects slated for release throughout the year, including a reissue of Magic Bullet's first release: "This Crying, This Screaming, My Voice is Being Born" by Boysetsfire.
Car company Scion has expressed interest in sponsoring an anniversary showcase for the label.
Still, Eyestone is content to make a living with a community of musicians and friends who all support and respect each other.
"Everyone reaches that classic guidance counselor moment, where they tell you you've got to quit with the art and make money," Eyestone says. "We're just fortunate enough to have found a way to stay happy doing both."
Ryan Marr is a freelance writer and Fredericksburg resident.
