[There are only so many music columns one man can write in a
week, so while Ezra Ace Caraeff is covering for a vacationing Cary
Clarke’s Our Town Could Be Your Life (pg. TK), Mr. Tonry will be
filling in here on Once More with Feeling.]
Seminal Northwest indie label Kill Rock Stars—who have
released albums from Elliott Smith, the Decemberists, Sleater-Kinney,
and many more over their 17-year history—recently made Portland
their new home. Portia Sabin, who took over for husband and founder
Slim Moon in 2006, answers our questions about leaving Olympia, signing
Portland bands, and selling records in the digital age.
What brought about the move?
It was a serendipitous thing. I’d love to say that it was part of a
larger plan. Slim and I moved to New York right before I took over the
company. We thought we’d be in three offices around the country. When
we decided to move back to the West Coast, I decided that Portland was
probably a little more appropriate for the label headquarters because
there are more bands passing through here. Olympia has always been a
little bit of a weird place for bands to play. Our mail order is still
based in Olympia, and pretty much always will be. It remains the
stalwart part of KRS.
Does Slim still have input on the label’s direction?
Actually, you’d be surprised. The day he left it was like he just
dropped the ball and ran. He was really embracing his new job at
Nonesuch and he basically said, “Here you go, enjoy!” To this day, it’s
really hard for me to get him to even be able to remember a lot of the
stuff, like questions I might have about old stuff. He’s filled his
mind with other things.
You’ve signed a number of Portland acts recently (Panther, New
Bloods, Horse Feathers). Are you more interested in working with local
artists?
It’s funny. Elliott Smith, the Decemberists, and Sleater-Kinney are
all in some sense Portland acts. I feel like our ties to this city are
really close. In terms of new stuff, Portland has such a great music
scene that everyone passes through here on a regular basis. It is
probably true that there is a bit of an easier time [to sign] a local
band. That said, I don’t always know where bands are from. This band we
had a meeting with on Saturday that we’re very excited about signing, I
didn’t even know they were from here.
How has the rise of online music affected the
label?
It’s such a strange time. Definitely physical sales are down. We get
the feeling that a band that sells 5,000 units today, five years ago
they would’ve sold 15,000 to 20,000. The whole industry is shifting,
but that said, we’ve also experienced really excellent internet sales.
It’s kind of nice for us. We’re not having the problems that the majors
have. It’s very different for indies. Indies, in general, over the last
five years, have experienced kind of a boom.