Rubin Recommends

(Part of The Weekly Check In series)

So the story goes… I played a BELL song on the Day Late Dollar Short radio show a few weeks ago, told Anna G, she said her friend Brian was putting out her new 7″, we all went to SXSW, we hung, the rest is history.

So I introduce you to my new buddy, Brian Kerr. He and his friend Zach are running a really great label, Twosyllable Records, out of Brooklyn, NY.

RR: What are you currently working on or just finished that you’re excited about?

Kerr: Working with BELL has been a blast. She is one of my nearest and dearest, so being a part of what is going to be a very lengthy and special career has been a real blessing (blessing without all the religious undertones, or overtones…no tones). The 7″ just came out on 3/24, and some great press has been rolling in along with a good amount of orders. The way things are going, we’ll have sold out of the 500 limited pressing by the time summer reaches its peak. The live show is where it’s at though; Gunnar and Jason really bring the performance to a whole new level.

New Villager has really taken off beyond our wildest dreams. People from all over the world are contacting us to work with them, and I can see why. Their songs are so catchy and well-produced. They have an epic tour lined up in the UK for early fall. They’re just really fantastic people who deserve everything that comes to them.

I’m still very proud of the first record we put out last year–That Ghost – Young Fridays. He just killed it at SXSW, and people took note. That album has really been a slow burn for a lot of people, but I am so happy that there’s life still in it because it’s such a special record and Ryan (who recorded everything on the album when he was eighteen) is an unbelievable talent. When I was eighteen I was hanging out with my girlfriend at Steak n Shake, not writing beautiful bedroom pop records.

Also, watch out for Continental Divide this summer! Zach, who runs twosyllable with me, discovered them on Coolhunting.com one day. We just got the mixes for their record that we are putting out in June…holy crap. I could sit here and try to explain to you how wonderful the album is, but I think the best solution would be to go to their myspace and check out the stuff from their self-released EP.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, I am building a rooftop garden. My grandpa had a big plot of land that he farmed on with chickens and the whole deal. But then they built this huge mall that backed up to his property…this was years ago. But he seriously still dedicates all his time to this garden–him and my grandma. He’s in his nineties now, and still works on it. It makes me feel like there is something I am missing out on, plus tomatoes and peppers are my two fave things. yumyum.

RR: Where have you traveled so far this month?

Kerr: SXSW in Austin, TX is the best, albeit most dangerous, thing anyone has ever thought of. “Let’s give all these people in their twenties endless amounts of free alcohol, loud music, spicy/greasy food, low amounts of water, and the hottest temperatures they have seen in months.” If you can come away from SXSW without feeling like you are 67% dead inside, then you are a better man than I.

RR: What’s your favorite music right now?

Kerr: Other than the bands that I work with:

The Tallest Man on Earth – I wanna drive around in a car and listen to this with the windows down at 9pm in early summer, and I want a pretty girl to be holding my hand.

Girls – Have you heard the song Lust For Life? Well, do yourself a favor. I bought that 7″ and seriously did not take it off my record player for a week. I sing it a lot, so much so that my friend Anna says she only hears my version in her head when she thinks about the song.

Numero Group – Anything this label puts out I would like to buy. They do all reissues; the closest to my heart are the soul comps. My lovely friends bought me the Twinight’s Lunar Rotation vinyl box set for my birthday and I think it might be the coolest thing I own.

Dirty Projectors – You know that scene in “Look Who’s Talking?” where the baby (voiced by Bruce Willis) is still in the womb and he looks at his hand and he is just BLOWN AWAY by it? I mean, sitting there staring at his moving fingers in sheer amazement…in utter disbelief that it exists. This is how I feel when I see the Dirty Projectors live.

RR: Best food you’ve had in your neighborhood lately or while you were traveling?

Kerr: Torchy’s tacos were awesome in Austin. Green Chili queso…dear god. Also I crave DuMont Burger in Brooklyn everyday. My friend Tom and his girlfriend had some people over for dinner about a month ago and it was really fantastic. He made homemade pasta!! What a guy.

RR: Anything else you want to mention?

Kerr: I’m a big Louisville Cardinals basketball fan, and I just want everyone to know how special this year is to me. All those Saturday afternoons spent with my Dad watching Louisville lose have finally paid off! If anyone feels like busting the kneecaps of any North Carolina, Pittsburg, or Connecticut team members (preferably Hansbrough, Blair, and Thabeet, respectively) that would be just fine with me. There might be some free 7″s in it for you!