Finding inspiring, worth-while new music is at times harrowing, at others tumultuous, and at all times a tremendous risk. Anyone who's spent a Saturday thumbing through record bins, has the paper cuts and "fool's gold" pile of sonic junk to prove this. But how much thought is given to the modest masterminds behind the scene's at independent record labels who struggle daily with choices that have the potential of adding thems to a long list of debtors at another credit card billing company? Perhaps the truly adventurous ones are those who empty their bank accounts, and spend countless hours haggling with distributors, to bring an artist's musical masterpiece to your ears.

Steve Thompson, and his What Else? Records label, has along history high-stakes gambling in an environment where the safe bet will ensure longevity and betting on the new horse means risking it all. While he has the figurative bruises and scars that prove he's endured some pitfalls along the way, he has also amassed a broad, fantastic line-up, and a spectacular list of releases that offers something tasty for a broad range of musical palates. From the hand-glued covers of their FIGURITAS series of 7"s, which has featured Discount, Haymarket Riot, (Young) Pioneers, Swearing at Motorists, etc., to newer releases like The Dream Is Dead's Letter of Resignation E.P., which features artwork by Shepard Fairey of "OBEY GIANT" fame, one can't help but wreckonize the What Else? camp's dedication to releasing records that the listener will enjoy for a long time to come.

We caught up with Steve to discuss W.E.'s rollercoaster history, his relationship with the bands on his label, and the labor-of-love that keeps him rolling the dice when it sometimes seems safer to cash in the chips.

Name: Steve Thompson
Label: What Else? Records

Interview conducted via e-mail by Tim Anderl, picture provided by Steve Thompson.

BW: Under what circumstances did What Else? start putting out records?

ST: The idea of doing a record label started in the Summer of 1993. My friends Dave (who later played guitar for Slingshot Episode) and Brad and myself went to high school together and Dave and I were back in Columbus on Summer break from college. All three of us had been listening to indie/hardcore/punk/etc for awhile and were really into what was going on in the punk scene at the time, specifically the whole East Bay SF thing. We kind of kicked around the idea of doing something productive, and a record label based on putting out records by friends' of ours is what was finally decided on.

BW: Who is involved and what was the first record you put out?

ST: When the label started there were three of us, but we hadn't really considered the logistics of three people in three different cities/states running one label. So the responsibilities were shuffled back and forth that first year. The first record we put out was by a band we were friends with called Lynyrd's Innards (whose three members were also living in three different states at the time as well). They were originally from Northern IN and Dave had met Jay from L.I. at school, and Jay had given us a demo they recorded while they were all home on Summer break. That recording eventually became the Your Ass Is Grass 7", which came out in December of 1993. By the Fall of 1994 Dave and Brad were busy with other things and I had moved the W.E. address to Dayton, OH where I was living at the time and started doing everything by myself.

BW: What are What Else's main principles of operation? What does your label offer bands that others don't?

ST: Our original point for starting a label was to put out records by bands we are friends with, and that's an idea we've stuck to. As far as what we offer bands; from conversations with other people that do labels our "deals" with bands are pretty similar to what most labels of our size give their bands. Obviously (and I think this goes for most smaller indie labels) the band has complete creative control of the record in all aspects including recording, artwork, etc. but I imagine that's par for the course.

BW: How do you discover bands? How many demos do you normally listen to a year?

ST: Like I said, 99 percent of the bands we've done records with are people we're friends with. We get an average of 3 or 4 demos a month probably, and an increasingly higher number of "check out my bands mp3s" emails, which I never listen to unless they have a really funny name. I am pretty bad about answering bands after receiving demos because I guess I'm of the opinion that if you're sending out unsolicited demos with generic "Listen to my band and get back to me" letters, you probably shouldn't be putting out a record yet anyway and I don't have time to get back to them. Its funny how many bands are like "Hi we're The Chuckleheads and we started our band seven months ago and recorded this CDR, we wanna do a record." If I get demos that are decent and have good packaging where it appears that the band actually spent some time on the aesthetics of the demo I will probably write them.

BW: Have you ever signed a band based on a demo?

ST: We kind of "signed" Sidecar based on a demo, but they were friends with my roommate and they had given him a tape and I heard him listening to it. I liked it, so I started asking about them.

BW: Do you think that vinyl is a dying medium because the cost is so much higher than releasing CDs?

ST: For some labels it is. For What Else? it definitely is, unfortunately. Unless you're putting out a record by a huge band that's going to sell tons, I think most distributors will opt to take a much higher number of CDs than LPs, which means you have to make a much smaller number of LPs, making it pretty much cost prohibitive to do vinyl. Of course there's always exceptions; some types of music seem to sell better on vinyl, and if you're doing something like a crazy sized/shaped record or whatever those usually do well. Vinyl will never be a "dead" medium because people are always going to want it, but it's definitely harder to sell.

BW: How do you feel about labels that cut corners, like not mastering a product, in order to put out records more frequently? Do you prefer quality or quantity?

ST: Mastering a CD is kinda weird because of the last several CDs on W.E., I actually thought the "pre-mastered" version sounded as good or better than the mastered one. But I like stuff that sounds kinda raw, so there you go. It's a label's prerogative to do things however the way they wanna do them; I guess if they're happy and the bands don't mind, whatever. I guess the people buying stuff on those other labels don't care. In the long run, the cost of mastering is not enough of a percentage in the process of putting out a record to make a label able to put out more records just by saving money by not mastering them. Cutting costs on packaging and promotion is a different story though.

BW: What is the worst experience you've ever had working with a band?

ST: There was this band we were putting out a full-length for, and we paid over a grand for them to record at the studio they wanted to record in with the engineer they wanted (which is not something we usually do - pay for bands to record), and after they'd exhausted all of the recording budget they were like "We're not happy with how it's turning out, we need more money". We told them we weren't paying any more and they'd have to work it out or pay the rest themselves. So after a few days they called and were like "We've decided to just scrap this recording and start fresh at a new studio. Oh, and this other label is going to pay the recording cost and we're putting it out with them." I was just completely dumbfounded, thinking "There's no way an "indie" band is actually pulling this crap," but they did. When I asked them about they money we paid for them to record they were like "Well we never signed anything saying we'd put it out with you". So I guess I should have learned my lesson there about the importance of contracts. But I didn't; I still don't work with any contracts other than what the band and I decide beforehand and there's no "signing" of anything. On the plus side though I hear the record really bombed, and then the band broke up.

BW: What is the most rewarding thing about working with bands and putting out records?

ST: Probably seeing records that W.E. has put out in record stores when we're in another city or state, or when friends tell me "I was on tour in Europe and I saw such-and-such records in these stores". I know that shouldn't surprise me seeing as how that's what a record label is supposed to do but it still does. Also I'm constantly inspired that there is this network of like-minded people putting out records, distributing records, writing zines or whatever, most of them for very little or no money and only because they really love independent music and the networks that disseminate it. As far as the most rewarding thing about working with bands I feel really fortunate to have been able to document music that I think is important and deserves to be heard by a lot of really cool people.

BW: What is your favorite record that What Else? has released?

ST: I dunno, probably the first record W.E. ever did, mostly because I had very little know-how about selling an independent record when it came out and it sold better and faster than anything that W.E. puts out now. Things were different then though….that was before the internet.

BW: If a genie granted you three wishes, who are the bands that you'd wish to work with?

ST: Like any band ever? Not just current bands? If it were any band ever I would have loved to put out a Tubeway Army record. I'd love to be able to put out a Blood Brothers record, they were probably the best band I saw last year. The Rapture come to mind, as well as Q and not U and Liars. That's more than three.

BW: Which records, your label or otherwise, did you spin the most in 2002?

ST: Oh man. I listened to the Interpol record a lot. All the bands I just mentioned in the last question. The Haymarket Riot LP. A CD of all the Le Shok singles that a friend made for me. Even though I didn't get it until late November, I listened to the Turn Pale full-length (that we're putting out in June 03) as much as I listened to anything I listened to the whole year prior. It's that good.

BW: If you were to write a book about your experiences, what would it be titled?

ST: Probably "Too Dumb To Quit" or something. And there'd probably be 999 unsold copies in the distributor's warehouse.

BW: What are a few things that you'd like to see happen for What Else? or What Else? bands in 2003?

ST: I'm really happy that the bands I'm doing records for now are touring in support of the records. That is really the most important thing I think, and I'm always stoked when bands on W.E. go on tour. I'd just be happy to see the records consistently selling as they have been for the last few years, and to keep doing things the way we have been doing them. So far so good I guess.