In the current state a music, seemingly more independent than ever, it may be easy to overlook certain bands, labels, etc. We are all looking for something new and yet we are all searching for something affordable in the modern day economy. When i researched purchasing a release by Fall of Efafra i stumbled onto one of the greatest finds i had unearthed in a long time. Immediately, i felt close to the crusty, punk, grind and doom drenched sounds i found smothered in an affordable package by an independent label that goes by the name Halo of Flies Records. It seemed almost immediate that i struck up common interests with Owner/Operator Cory von Bohlen. After consuming as much of the label as i could afford it seemed only natural that i should interview this person for Bog Gob so that i could share the wealth of music with the readers. PS. See the cd reviews section for more info on some of the releases available on Halo of Flies Records.
Q: Start by telling us a bit about Halo of Flies. (staff, location, type of music you carry, etc...)
A: Halo Of Flies Records is a DIY record label based in Milwaukee, Wi.
i handle all the communication with the bands, other labels, distros, pressing plants, etc.
that includes an insane amount of time dicking around on the computer. re: Myspace, msg boards, etc.
most of the art help i need i get from my friend Chris whom i am in a band with.
and while i am away at work, my girlfriend Tracy packs up 95% of the orders, trades, etc.
and somehow she can stuff 1000 records in the time it takes me to answer a few emails.
both of the above save me headaches, especially Tracy who also acts as a sounding board as i move from
one project to another. a few other pals of mine help where they can as well.
i mostly release heavier 'hardcore' records, though that is more a foundation than anything else.
you wont see me putting out pop records, but most of my releases have sounded different than the
one(s) before it. i try to help and release local bands where i think its a good idea, and i have released records for bands
all over who either came to me and i was stoked to help, or i sought out.
i try to release music i like, and think others should hear.
i hear bands all the time i wish i could be involved with, but
i try to keep the label focused on hardcore/punk/grindcore. its where i relate most musically and ideoligically.
Q: How and when did the label begin?
A: Well i guess i might as well try to be as personally interesting as i can.
a LONG TIME AGO, i distributed records for Profane Existence, Ebulltion, etc and did a zine.
this was the booming early 90's where there were far fewer records, labels, etc.
over the following 15 years i kept my eye on how punk labels were being run, costs, etc.
with a few years out of the punk/hc scene, i returned (i suppose) as part of a young, hungry grindcore band.
after a few years we disbanded and re-formed partially as Protestant, my current band.
we had a few records come out in 2006, and at the end of that year i decided i would release our future records,
as well as others i thought might be worthwhile. locally Milwaukee was seeing something of an explosion of
good to great bands, and it seemed my place to try and help them out. my first half dozen releases (or so) were local.
first release was in feb 2007. now its august 2008, and i have 14 releases with my name on them, with two more
to go by years end.
Q: Give us some incite on some of the bands you carry.
A: Well i may have stated some of this above, but i'll be more specific i suppose.
locals that were blowing me away (HALF GORILLA, ABADDON, PEOPLE AGAIN, MALACHI) and continue to, have records
out on Halo Of Flies. and i happened upon FALL OF EFRAFA (a good non-local example) through a random review and said record being in a distro box
at a show. i bought it and emailed them the same day about doing a record. the rest is history there i guess.
great folks those guys. PROTESTANT records (7",CD, LP/CD) are natural releases for me, as i am in the band, but i try to
treat them the same as i would anybody else.
Q: Does this include distribution stuff as well?
A: Well i distribute most of my releases through various channels, though trading with other labels is the primary source of my distribution. so i carry as many quality records as i can, as often as i can. i, like my releases, do mix it up a bit when i can. but i have to think of sales as well, just like when releasing my own records. i have to be able to get rid of them, or its more money sitting around in boxes going nowhere.
Q: What are some of your favorite releases you have been involved in?
(because of cool dudes, packaging or whatever reason)
A: Thats pretty hard to say. the PROTESTANT s/t 7" was my first release and the band (and others) really helped make it happen.
kinda started the label with that one, as well as the partial PROTESTANT discography CD. so it was all new then.
i have fond memories there. and finding FALL OF EFRAFA and getting to release their "Owsla" CD was exciting, though like all records,
it had its headaches. its funny, because almost every project has had its fuck-ups, mistakes, and problems.
its what happens when you do things this way. cant throw money at a problem, for instance.
i have a very small budget,and often do co-releases with other labels. so that, coupled with technical hiccups, can bring all sorts
of neat little problems my way.
but i was glad to get FALL OF EFRAFA exposed to the kids in the US, and am always happy to help PROTESTANT where i can.
think the END OF ALL 'the art of decadence' LP might be the best thing i have released. its the only thing i currently listen to.
Q: Although there is plenty to choose from in the discography, have you thought about branching into other genres in the future? I guess what i mean is, have you tried to keep it somewhat genre specific to certain areas of music and keep it that way?
A: Yes. i can only be so bold though. my favorite records over the last week or two have been from SEPTEMBER MALEVOLENCE and AUDREY.
neither band could be considered heavy in any way really, and i doubt i'll see either in a dingy basement.
its funny. sometimes, i'll be looking to sell / trade 'record A' to someone and my next release is nothing like it. these days everyone has
VERY specific tastes. i think, with a few exceptions, i cover the gamut of sub-genres in hardcore well, at least where i choose to.
i honestly have tastes outside hardcore/punk/etc, but i don't want to run a 'business' per se, and releasing the next Alternative Press
darlings (whom i may love), would require too much marketing bullshit and capitalism for me to stomach.
punk rock ruined me for doing things the right or smart way. i prefer the kind of hobby i have.
Q: Unless i am mistaken, most of the releases are small runs. Do you repress any of your releases after they are out of stock or when they are gone, they are gone for good?
A: Well, yes and no. most of my releases are co-releases. so between myself and another (or three), we split the copies up. re: i have small-ish quantities sometimes.
this especially helps to get records into other territories and eliminates the whole process of 'licensing', et al. kind of forces product/records into
countries where they might not appear so easily. and these days with shipping costs where they are (its a worldwide issue), it makes
the most sense to me.
that said, the 'splitting up' of copies also answers your other question. with so many bands, records and labels out there, the demand for records
is down. at least per release. too much out there to really see huge sales, unless you are a "big" band. and getting 100-300 copies into
each respective territory serves the demand well enough.
that said, records do go "out of print", though most of my releases can still be found floating around in distro boxes all over the world.
if i think 1) the record will sell more copies (foreseeable demand) or 2) there is a reason the band or i need them(tour or demand), i will re-press it.
the only example of that in my catalog is the PROTESTANT s/t 7". the band needed more copies, and i knew i could trade/sell a ton more. interest was there as well.
sometimes it takes awhile to see any real interest, and often the records are nearly gone by then. an example of that would be the
FALL OF EFRAFA "owlsa" CD. their UK label (sound devastation) repressed both the cd and lp, as interest in the record peaked as it
was going out of print and concurrently as the original CD version i helped release was selling out. by then there 2nd record was coming out,
and interest was high again. i would have helped re-press that but the money wasn't there, and honestly i think new records are better
than old ones. i try to put my cash and efforts towards new releases rather than more of the same ones i've grown tired of staring at.
Q: Shortly after we started our first communications, you turned me onto the band Protestant in which you are a current member. Give the readers some info about the band.
A: Well 3 of the 4 members have been playing together since 1999. we were in a grindcore band called LEVAL BLESSING from then (they started in like 1997) til 2004.
it was fun, but that scene was getting old (boy do my fingers hurt trying to imagine playing like that again) and we had had our fun.
so, with an idea to play 'hardcore' and be a band we wanted to see/hear, we formed PROTESTANT. went through a few bass players, and landed where we are now
line-up wise since 2006. released a cdr demo in 2005, appeared on a split 7" (600 pressed - go! records)with Rhino Charge (rip) from california
and released an LP ("make peace with the rope you hang from" - 425 pressed - fuck life records) in 2006. toured california/arizona in aug 2006.
released the s/t 7" (2 pressings of 500 - halo of flies) in feb 2007 as well as the aforementioned releases on a CD "as dead as we look" (1098 pressed - halo of flies).
in may of 2007 we toured the east coast a bit, appeared on a split 7" (1000 pressed - barbarian records) with GET RAD from milwaukee, wi.
in winter of 07/08 we played THIS IS FOR YOU FEST in daytona beach, fl (with a ltd to 50 covers/live cdr in tow) then recorded the latest lp/cd "the hate. the hollow." (1000 pressed of each format -
halo of flies/rust and machine records/rimbaud records - ireland). we did another east coasty thing in may 2008, and are set to record again in jan 09.
not sure what it will be yet. touring the east coast with FALL OF EFRAFA in march/april 09, and will try to get to europe late next year,
hopefully with a new LP out as well. we'll see.
bottom line for the band (as far as i see it), is that we try to do what we think is right about diy punk/hc. we play wherever, sell shit for cheap, are nice to folks,
help out other cool bands/people and do what we can for our friends. and when we started this band, we thought hardcore/punk was
getting too safe/ boring and business-like, and we wanted to stick it to the kids, the way it effected us at a young age.
no matter how old we get (we average about 33yrs in age), we still play our asses off. still work hard. we have little else to that matters as much to us
as music and hardcore/punk. its totally ruined us, and we are pretty proud of it.
Q: I noticed a few Protestant albums on HOF. Are all of your releases available through the label? (If not, give us some direction where to find them.)
A: Right. there might be copies of the Rhino Charge split under some kids bed, but fuck if i know. and the split with Get Rad is probably still available
thorugh Barbarian Records. its in some distros, etc. the band has a few copies left. the 1st LP might be floating around, but i havent seen one in ages, aside
from my personal copies. the rest is sitting in my house in varying qty's.
myspace. com/protestantmilwaukee is a good place to start looking for our records.
Q: As i have become familiar with Halo of Flies i have also become familiar with other projects involved. Which members are also involved in the band Northless?
A: Ahh NORTHLESS. Erik, the ex-bass player of Protestant (he left in 2006) is half of Northless. he also plays drums in Half Gorilla, who i have done records with.
its a small world here in milwaukee. Northless may just be the only local band (but don't tell Erik this) i haven't offered a record to yet, but should.
we'll see. i'm incredibly fond of Erik's talent and that band. pretty awesome stuff.
folks should really check them out.
Q: Is Northless a side project or full time for them?
A: Ahem! this is about me. hehe.
its both. he splits his time between NORTHLESS and HALF GORILLA.
Q: Are there any other bands that share personnel from Protestant?
A: Yes. DEAD ISSUE features the vocal talents of chris (guitar). EVENSTAR is the pop/rock band of (drummer) brian, and i play guitar in
PARTY BY THE SLICE, a sorta funny punk/thrash band. all three are on myspace/the internet of course. EVENSTAR is the most
serious of the three, as they have a real CD out. Dead Issue has a cdr out (sold out?), and PBTS is supposed to record for a demo or something
in december.
Q: Where do we go to get our hands on the Halo of Flies Release Catalog?
A: Catalog? oh, like where can you buy the releases?
myspace. com/halooffliesrcds is where the most up to date and pertinent info can be found. i promised myself i will get
a webstore/site soon, but who knows when it will happen. otherwise, INTERPUNK has most of my releases.
mostly my releases can be found through other DIY labels/distros like HARDCORE HOLOCAUST, PROFANE EXISTENCE,
VINYL JUNKIE, CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY, SIX WEEKS RECORDS, EBULLITION, etc etc etc. this applies worldwide.
there are certain places and people that are usually apt to carry/buy my records when they come out. i owe a lot to those people.
i should note that the myspace also has links to all the folks that have or currently trade with me and/or distribute my releases.
Q: Is there anything else you want to add that i haven't covered in my immediate questions?
A: Just that music, whether its punk rock or post rock, has a place in everyone's lives. we shouldn't have to step over each other to get it,
or see artists (ahem) die trying to get it to us. support people who treat you fairly and take the time out to let you into their world,
whether its through their records or their shows. like something you downloaded or heard? try to buy it or go see them. you'd be surprised
how effective honest enthusiasm can be. aloof as bands, label owners, etc can act, we eat up praise, support,etc like candy.
this is a hobby and not a job for me. i like what i do, and it gives me purpose. every day i have something to do.
i'm just glad a few people give a crap.
oh and thanks for the interview. i like doing them.
Thanks for your time and i hope everyone shows their support by purchasing something from Halo of Flies with the next paycheck they get. I know i did! Bobby
http://www.myspace.com/halooffliesrcds
Sunday, July 18, 2010 
Interview with Daniel Edlen by Bobby Rayfield;)