All photos courtesy of Dim Horse Coffee Roasters.
The passion for music tends to run deeper in coffee shops than in most workplaces.
San Diego Dark Horse Coffee RoasteryFounded by musician and sound engineer Bryan Charlson, the label has always worn its musical passion on its sleeve, literally. Its merchandise section includes a variety of T-shirts that mimic album covers from bands like The Clash, the Adolescents and the Descendents, as well as other figures from the worlds of music, television and sports.
Now, the coffee roasting company has taken that passion from idolatrous fantasy to reality with the launch of a modern, complementary sub-brand and product line: Dim Horse Coffee Records, a vinyl record label that will release and sell modern LPs featuring music from local bands.
“There are a lot of musicians at Dim Horse and in the coffee industry in general,” Charlson recently told the Daily Coffee News. “I love making music as much as we love coffee.”
Charlson said he had to put music, his first love, on the shelf so Dim Horse could get going, even going so far as to liquidate some of his recording equipment to aid finance the initial store and roastery. But at the same time, he never forgot the example of Starbucks when he dipped his green, high-flying toe into the music industry by starting his own record label, Hear the music.
Although Starbucks stopped selling CDs in its stores three years ago, Hear Music still exists and was at least initially significant enough to sign such major artists as Paul McCartney, Carly Simon and underground rock heroes Sonic Youth, whose 1990 Goo album cover inspired a Dim Horse Coffee T-shirt. Now with five coffee shops, two on the way, a cold-drink distribution deal and a sprawling modern headquarters where the 75-pound Loring Kestrel supports a robust wholesale business, Charlson felt free to let the music bug take hold again.
Like Green Siren, Dim Horse will publish modern music from vigorous artists and will sell and lightly promote the albums in its stores. Unlike Starbucks, however, Dim Horse does not profit from the venture. After expenses, all proceeds go directly to the bands, according to Charlson.
Dim Horse Coffee Records’ first album was released last month on November 9th. The album Wild Adolescent Love is a six-song 12-inch EP from the San Diego band Little Saintswhose guitarist, Brett Reeves, has a close friend who works for a coffee company. Albums for sale directly by the band are pressed on white vinyl, while the vinyl for sale at Dim Horse coffee shops is green with pink speckles. Daily Coffee News caught up with Bryan Charlson to find out more.
Have you signed with any other bands yet? Do you plan on doing so?
Bryan Charlson: We haven’t signed anyone modern yet. We’ve got some really great demos, but we haven’t decided on a release yet. Our second record is ready, it’s going to be announced in January and will be out in early spring. It’s a six-song concept album about coffee, written by Matt Pryor (from Get up kids AND New Amsterdams). We have also started work on a full-length The Petty Saints album, which we hope to release in early summer.
Do you plan for Dim Horse Coffee Records to only release albums by San Diego bands?
PNE: We want to work primarily with San Diego bands, but we don’t plan on being exclusive to San Diego. Our second record is not by a San Diego artist. Matt Pryor is from Lawrence, Kansas.
Have you put a lot of thought into a specific sound and aesthetic direction for the label, or is it just a loose, open-ended idea at this point?
PNE: At this point, it’s all about the song. If the songs are great and we can aid, then we want to do whatever it takes to take those songs to the next level.
Have you had random people bring you demos since you put the records up for sale?
PNE: Yeah and I love it. We listen to every demo. I remember giving demos to labels and bands. I really appreciated it when someone took the time to listen and give feedback.
Do you have a plan or timeline for how many records you want/can release in a certain time frame or in conjunction with other events or expansions?
PNE: We’re so busy with coffee right now. I’d like to put out four records a year, but I think it’s going to be a sluggish process. For the modern Petty Saints record, I’ll be working at Dim Horse Coffee all day and recording all night. I don’t think I’ll be able to do it more than four times a year because of all the trips to the sources and opening modern stores.
Do you plan to apply coffee for sales and promotions, e.g. offering a discount on beans with the purchase of a vinyl record and vice versa?
PNE: Of course I do. I need to do this. Thanks for the reminder!
Why vinyl only? Do you or the band include a digital download code with the LP?
Do you intentionally play Petty Saints music a lot in Dim Horse coffee shops?
PNE: We purposely play it because it kicks ass. We let the stores play whatever they want, and when I hear The Petty Saints playing in our stores, it just gets me so excited.
Howard Bryman
Howard Bryman is the deputy editor of Daily Coffee News at Roast Magazine. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
