Goldmine December Issue 2013 WITH HOUSECORE RECORDS, PANTERA’S PHIL ANSELMO TAKES A SHOT AT LAUNCHING A LABEL AS THE LEAD SINGER fronting the popular heavy metal bands Pantera and Down, Phil Anselmo has always been a supporter of underground music — particularly the experimental and extreme forms. So it seems like it was predestined that Anselmo would channel his support into creating his own record label, Housecore Records. Independently run by Anselmo, Housecore pushes its bands to take full advantage of their creative liberty. “I wanted to start a label that was musician-friendly, first and foremost,” explains Anselmo. And he wanted to give underground music fans the choice to enjoy tangible album releases that promote collectibility —"whether it be colored vinyl records or intense artwork. Recently, the record label put out “Walk # rough Exits Only” by Anselmo’s own band, Phil Anselmo and the Illegals, and it is the epitome of what Housecore stands for: music at its most extreme —"borderless and unrestricted. Goldmine spoke with Anselmo about Housecore Records and his passion for underground music. GM: What made you think about starting your own record label? PHIL ANSELMO: Well, I’ve been through all the major record-label contracts. You know, when you’re a young guy and you get signed to a major label — at least to me as a youngster — it was believed and felt in the Pantera camp that when a major label asks you to sign with them and they want you for seven albums and this and that, at first, you feel flattered. And then three of four records into the contract that chewed up a great deal of years of your life, you realize maybe this is a curse, not a blessing here. This is tough work, and they’re asking a lot of you. Plus they put so many restrictions on you. It’s not like you can turn around and really be what I consider myself to be: an exploratory type of musician. I love so many different styles of music. I love making a lot of different styles of music and enjoy releasing it. So, for me, I wanted to start a label that was musician-friendly, first and foremost. A very basic and simple contract, one album at a time, and, honestly, as long as you deliver said album to me after signing a contract, you have the freedom as a musician to turn around and record with whoever you want. It’s for musicians with similar aspirations that I have, who delve into different territories and stuff like that, to find the right record label for any project. A contract that you’ve signed with Housecore for, say, a heavymetal album, and the next album you want to put out is acoustic rock or folk rock or something like that, we might not be the best label to choose. So I want the artist to have, honestly, the freedom to do what they want to do — without restraints, without legalities, without too much bullsh*t, you know. Perhaps best known as the lead singer of Pantera (right), Phil Anselmo’s passions for artistic freedom and underground music promted him to start his own record label, Housecore Records. GM: How do you feel about vinyl making a comeback? Do you think it’s for real or just a fad? PA: Well, I think to a certain degree, it’s very “for real.” Especially for those of us who really, really enjoy collecting it. I love vinyl. I don’t know why; maybe because of the household I was raised in where there was nothing but vinyl. I was always a vinyl-first kind of guy. I didn’t even consider buying cassettes until it became more convenient to bring cassettes on tour, or I would take my vinyl and make mix tapes, you know. It may be a fad to a certain degree with the new school or today’s generation, but, truth be told, vinyl sounds better — way more explosive off the needle. For me, the sound quality is so much better. So if you really want top-notch sound and stuff you can really delve into, vinyl’s the way to go, as far as I’m concerned. GM: Do you fi nd that Housecore Records gets a lot more requests for vinyl than anything else? PA: It’s interesting you ask that, because we do get a lot of requests for vinyl. And presales on vinyl are just about equal with CDs — maybe a little bit more. Time will tell, but right now, vinyl is going pretty well. GM: And you put out colored vinyl and stuff that gives more of an experience for the listener. PA: Absolutely, because I believe in vinyl. I really do. And once again, it’s hard to deny when the vinyl is neck ’n’ neck with the CDs in the presales. And I’m a firm believer, man. GM: Obviously, you get into the collectibility of it. Does Housecore Records ever print up only a certain amount of copies so it becomes a collector’s edition? PA: Let’s put it this way. I’m very prudent about bands that I sign. I haven’t signed a band for a very long time, partly because I’ve been very busy with Down, but I do have my eyeball on four to fi ve bands where it’s them themselves that say “You know what? we just want to do a limited-edition vinyl.” And if it turns over and people still want it, then we can reprint. But there are bands that just want that limited vinyl, and I respect that greatly. GM: What’s your opinion of Record Store Day? How does the label take part in that? PA: Well, I just did an interview with Forbes magazine about Record Store Day, and I think it’s a great idea ,and I think it’s a great thing. I have been busy out of my mind when it comes to Record Store Day (laughs) in the past. But I know for a fact that it’s one of the high priorities in the near future, for sure. GM: It’s taken off. You see people standing in line for hours, trying to get these limited editions that may never be seen again. It draws a lot of excitement. PA: For me, growing up — and I guess for yourself, as well — you can identify with actually wanting to hold a tangible copy of something in your hands. And when you’re growing up with bands like KISS, where you can get something extra with the vinyl — if you get a poster or something a little bit special from the band, that’s not even expected, that’s a winner. That’s a thumbs up, and I’ve always loved that. Even with Venom on the “Black Metal” record — that came with an awesome poster which is obviously today a big collector’s item, so ... And not to mention, just the packaging in general! Bands like The Rolling Stones had fantastic packaging with albums like “Some Girls” and then Led Zeppelin’s “Physical Graffiti” with its interslideable windows. Everybody’s kind of touched upon it, but to me, it’s just having hat thing I can hold in my hands, and look at and read the lyrics and having this awesome package, always meant a lot to me. GM: Something easy to hate about “Oh, I think I’ll just get the MP3.” It’s kind of boring. PA: You know what? I think it almost deters from being able to actually get into a record in a complete way. When you have vinyl, you could sit there and skim through everything haphazardly but still eventually get into the whole thing in time, whereas today with MP3s, you don’t have the artwork to hold in your hands. You don’t have a booklet to flip through. You don’t have the specialty. It’s not as realistic as holding that damn album jacket and having everything right there in front of you. GM: Would you ever think of Housecore having its own record store, like Jack White has with Third Man Records? PA: If I did, it would have to be something way in the future. That’s an interesting prospect, but, you know, fi rst off we would have to build up our library a whole lot more, and we don’t have that many bands that are in existence any more, which might work to my advantage when you talk about collectibles. Maybe in the future, but right now my hands are friggin’ full. GM: Your own latest release “Walk Through Exits Only” is out on vinyl and in different-colored vinyl. Do you think it will come out with something even more collectible? PA: We’ll see how sales go and how people receive the record and whatnot. Honestly, I’m a pessimist to the max when it comes to whatever releases coming out, and I’ve always been this way since the Pantera days, and it’s not anything to do with lack of confidence or anything like that. These days I don’t like to count the ol’ chickens before they’re hatched. It’s just not my style. GM: You should feel good about this release, though. PA: I appreciate that, but you never know what the youth of today are really after and stuff. I just did a bunch of award shows, and there are so many bands out today that I’m not even aware of on, I guess, a more popular level. I’m more of a type of guy who really thrives in the underground, because it’s just my style. I love extremities, and I love intense — and I’m talking about heavy metal here, or extreme music. I’m the type of guy who’s not very interested in very high-dollar, glossy production and sh*t like that. I prefer records to be very creative within their own genre. No matter how beat to death some of the genres may be, there are still bands out there that are doing things that are extremely innovative. That’s kind of where my concentration lies. I can’t care less about popularity contests or who’s selling what or whatever. It’s pretty f**king boring, actually. I know people hold me to a certain standard, but in a way I’m here to break that myth. Although I’ve had some damn good success in the past with Pantera and various bands — none moreso than Pantera — I’ve always touted the underground. I was a champion and still am a champion of the underground bands out there, and I’m gonna stay true to it.