“I’VE BEEN TO A LOT OF CONCERTS
– AND BOUGHT A LOT OF RECORDS
I remember when the record was released! UTAH. The release party was held at The Museum of Music History, but the same night the band had to play a show at Loppen, Christiania. Wim Wenders supplied the photo for the cover (for 167 symbolic German marks), which was printed upside down on the poster. It still looked good – also upside down. So there it hung all the way down the wall at the entrance to the venue, every second poster upside down. I still have it hanging in my kitchen. Right side up, though.
I remember when the second record was released. Daddy Steals Upon the West German Deutschmark. The release party was at Bådteatret in Nyhavn. It was damn fun! And the cover art was once more a story in itself, lifted from the legendary Victor B. Andersens Maskinfabrik that we thought was closed down. It turned out they were just taking a good long break.
I remember the time it hadn’t even turned into Crunchy Frog yet. We used to run the Propdenoppop-Klop in Stengade 30 at Nørrebro one Saturday each month. The same handful of bands played there so often it was easier for them to arrange the concerts themselves. It was always the same audience coming to the shows anyway. It was all about reinventing everything with happenings and noise-rock as the main cornerstones. The Christmas party was in July and there were summer drinks for all at Christmas time. Take it from me, it is pretty difficult to track down a good Christmas tree in the mid- dle of the summer holiday. Luckily the music was probably more original, in any case THAU, Death Tothe, Naked and Learning from Las Vegas were often on stage.
I remember the time when Death Tothe became famous and suddenly one evening managed to pack out Barbue in Huset – because they had been on a TV show where the host called them Black Tothe – that really made us laugh. Yebo had to explain why he was wearing a Public Enemy T-shirt. A rock musician listening to hip hop?
That in itself was too weird.
I remember when the same Death Tothe was playing a Christmas concert in Ungdomshuset on Jagtvej. It was in the days when German sausages in glass jars – the classic Bock- wurst – and cherry wine was an indispensable part of the stage show. Apart from a pathetic fake fistfight and a mem- ber of the audience sleeping in one of the speakers, the most memorable thing was the chorus of vegetarians chanting “Ingen kød i Ungeren!” (No meat in Ungdomshuset!).
I remember the time when The Mopeds and THAU played a musical football match at Stengade 30. The members of both bands on stage together, taking turns playing songs. The idea was quite fun but the truth is that it was a complete mess! It helped when the bands discovered that the fast songs made the best attack – and in the end the Swedes won a narrow victory.
I remember that Naked was always an intense experience. With enough cool and attitude for 4-5 street gangs they played with their feelings on the outside and reached out all the way to the back of the room. They played and sang as if their lives depended on it. It was either fly or die. They flew.
I remember when Düreforsög was playing with Death Tothe in Århus. They had one single released – which was sold out and listening to them blew us away. And we were just amazed how incredibly young the band and their audience was.
I remember the time when Yebo came by with some new stuff to listen to and decide upon. Superheroes. This was pop, after all. And from Skive in Jutland. And very, very young. And very, very good. But would it fit Crunchy Frog? Today it is obvious that it was here the frog took a leap. Because it dared go after the fly. Noise or pop, it doesn’t matter as long as it’s tasty.
I remember when Learning from Las Vegas turned up and played at a private Christmas lunch in a 3-room apartment. They hardly fitted into the living room and the neighbours must have heard the whole thing. Years later they appeared at a wedding and played a touching version of the bridal waltz.
I remember the time when we lived in an Østerbro apartment which the previous residents had used as the Crunchy Frog office. The phone sometimes decided to ring at 4 in the morning because somebody from Japan was trying to send a fax through. We relayed a lot of calls and I was offered to play some shows, but I politely declined. Even today, a couple of moves and changed telephone numbers later, they still call from the telephone company to ask if this is Crunchy Frog.
I remember when Junior Senior surprised everybody – just by being themselves! It wasn’t every day confetti was thrown at Stengade 30. The funniest part of watching them the second time was seeing how it surprised the audience.
I remember the time when The Tremolo Beer Gut played the new year in, unfortunately without Per Sunding but with an army of guest bassists. The band whose records have different colours because you obviously can’t remember the titles when you’re drunk… And we were psyched up when we heard that Jon Spencer was a fan – well, we still are.
I remember when it was rumoured that Sune Wagner’s new band – not yet named The Raveonettes – sounded like The Jesus and Mary Chain. It was just about half a year or more before the Americans reinvented rock for the umpteenth time. And Jesus and Mary Chain… that was about goddamned time!
I remember when Düreforsög opened the Orange stage at Roskilde Festival, and they could still blow you away. And when The Tremolo Beer Gut opened the same stage a few years later with theremin and male choir and crumpled ties. And especially when it was Superheroes’ turn, because the moment when the chorus starts in Johnny and I, at that exact moment the festival started that year.
I remember when PowerSolo said about themselves that where they came from was so far out in the country that people put potatoes on their pizza and meatballs are a kind of fruit. And because of that I loved them dearly even before I heard the first note of music – but also after- wards as it turned out.
I remember when we travelled to VibraCrunch in Malmö and heard epo-555 play as the sun set on the blue Pripps. It was something as rare as beautiful – the music, the Swedish folköl and the last taste of summer.
I remember back when it wasn’t “back when” anymore, not in the same way anyway. Crunchy Frog wasn’t a secret any more, but the talk of the town – in Texas! They said so themselves anyway. But there must be something to it – all of a sudden they were in the newspapers all the time.
Most of all I remember all the way back when there were no other indie labels than Cloudland. And when there are no others why not release that album yourselves? It was just one single little cd…
And then I remember that on New Years Eve 2001/02 I said that Crunchy Frog had made a mistake signing Junior Senior… It can be quite rewarding to not always be right.
With thanks to Dan Turèll for lending me the chorus – now play me something by Elvis!
Jacob Stærmose – or J. Poe fan & friend, Propdenoppop-accomplice & respected idiot.
10 CRUNCHY YEARS
At first we were only going to release our own album with THAU – back in ’94. But with the help from the good people from Pingo distribution we quickly grew more ambitious and started to help likeminded bands from the Copenhagen lo-fi noise-rock scene release their albums. It was pure idealism and 50/50 deals. One for all and all against the others (corporate rock still sucks). Now, years later, we still have the idealism but have perhaps become less of the rank amateurs we were in the beginning. Luckily the music was enough to pull us through, although for a lot of years we didn’t really know what we were doing. We just kept going in true DIY-style. Goddammit, we used to go around delivering promo records to journalists on our bikes (but only as far as Valby Bakke, thank you very much). It was 3 to 4 years before we even got a fax machine, let alone a modem. And the office was synonymous with Yebo’s changing apartments.
Even though the resources and the budgets were always small the ambitions were always great. Very early on we started to try to get international interest in our releases. It’s never been easy for us to sell a lot of records in our own home country because we’ve always signed artists and bands according to our own taste (and thereby no mainstream shit) and who we feel are original and have something new to say – also globally. On the other hand we have always enjoyed a great deal of support from the critics and a small but growing crowd of music lovers who have supported us and our bands.
Right from the start we had the ambition of building a “real label” that actually represented something – like the English and American record labels such as Creation, 4AD, Matador, Sub Pop etc that we ourselves respected as ordinary music fans. These companies are indeed labels for a particular musical taste and/or certain ideals.
Now it’s a great honour for us to meet people who have the same relationship with Crunchy Frog as we had with our favourite labels.
We’ve collected a bouquet of the crunchiest roses that we hope you’ll enjoy. We have enjoyed working with a group of extremely talented bands. We are proud to have released. their records. There’s an incredible amount of other people who have helped us from time to time, and we have written a thank you list elsewhere, but we send a special thought to Jessica who has helped us unpaid at first, underpaid now – through all the years. She is the 5th crunchy frog.
Looking forward to the sequel “2004-2014 The Golden Years”.
Love,
Roffe, Fzat, Nalna and Yebo
CRUNCHY FROG
It has been hard to choose and pick
the photos in this booklet. We have literally thousands of pictures
we’d like to include but space allowed only these. In the booklet you’ll find pictures taken by (among others): Jessica Tolf Vulpius, Søren Solkær Starbird, Marc Fluri, Klaus Thyman, Casper Sejersen, Rikke Petersen, lan Zaider, Jasper Carlberg, Thomas Busk and some of the band members. The front of the booklet show the cataloques we have printed through the years.
FROG 038-2″
“JEG HAR VÆRET TIL EN MASSE KONCERTER
– OG KØBT EN MASSE PLADER
Jeg kan huske dengang pladen kom ud! UTAH. Der var reception i Musikhistorisk Museum, men samme aften skulle der også spilles koncert på Loppen på Christiania. Wim Wenders havde lagt foto til coveret (for 167 symbol- ske tyske mark), som på plakaten var blevet vendt på hovedet, med det resultat, at den også så fed ud på hovedet. Der hang den så, hele vejen ned ad væggen i indgangen til spillestedet, hver anden gang på hovedet.
Har den stadig hængende ude i køkkenet dog ikke på hovedet.
Jeg kan huske dengang den anden plade kom ud. Daddy Steals Upon the West German Deutschmark. Der var reception på Bådteatret i Nyhavn. Det var fandeme sjovt! Og coveret var igen en historie for sig, løftet fra selveste Victor B. Andersens Maskinfabrik, som vi troede var lukket. Det skulle vise sig, at de bare tog en god, lang pause.
Jeg kan huske dengang det hele slet ikke var blevet til Crunchy Frog endnu, men samlede sig omkring Prop- denoppop-klop i Stengade 30 på Nørrebro en lørdag hver måned. Den samme lille håndfuld bands spillede så ofte på stedet, at det var nemmere, hvis de bare selv arran-
gerede koncerterne, og det var alligevel det samme publikum, der kom. Og så var det bare om at komme i gang med at genopfinde det hele med happenings og støjrock som hovedhjørnestenene. Der var julefest i juli, og der var sommerdrinks til jul, og vi skal hilse og sige, at det kan være hulens svært at opdrive et ordentligt juletræ
midt i sommerferien. Musikken var – heldigvis – nok det mest originale, i hvert fald stod THAU, Death Tothe, Naked og Learning from Las Vegas ofte på scenen.
Jeg kan huske dengang Death Tothe blev berømte og en aften pludselig fyldte Barbue i Huset, fordi de havde med-
virket i en tv-udsendelse, hvor værten havde kaldt dem
Black Tothe – det grinede vi meget af – og Yebo havde måtte forklare, hvorfor han var iført en Public Enemy- T-shirt. En rockmusiker, der hørte hip hop? Dét i sig selv var for underligt.
Jeg kan huske dengang selv samme Death Tothe skulle spille julen ind i Ungdomshuset på Jagtvej. Det var i de dage, da tyske pølser på glas – den klassiske Bockwurst – sammen med kirsebærvin var en uundværlig del af scene-
showet. Ud over et mislykket fingeret slagsmål og en publikummer, der sov inde i højttaleren, var højdepunktet koret af vegetarianere, der taktfast råbte “Ingen kød i Ungeren!”
Jeg kan huske dengang The Mopeds og Thau spillede landskamp på Stengade 30. Alle mand op på scenen og så skiftedes de til at spille et nummer. Idéen var ganske festlig, men sandheden er, at det fungerede ad helvede til! Det hjalp, da bandene opdagede, at de hurtige numre gav det bedste angreb – og svenskerne vandt samlet set en kneben sejr.
Jeg kan huske at Naked altid var en helvedes intens oplevelse. Med cool og attitude nok til de første 4-5 knallertbander var det med følelserne helt uden på og ned til bagvæggen. Der blev spillet og sunget igennem, hver gang. Så måtte det briste eller bære. Og det bar.
Jeg kan huske dengang Düreforsög skulle spille med Death Tothe i Århus. De havde en enkelt – udsolgt – single ude, og man blev helt forpustet i øregangene af at høre dem. Og vi var på røven over, hvor afsindigt unge de var. Og deres publikum var, ikke mindst.
Jeg kan huske dengang Yebo kom forbi med noget nyt, der skulle lyttes på og tages stilling til. Superheroes. Det
var jo pop. Og fra Skive. Og meget, meget ungt. Og meget, meget godt. Men ville det passe på Crunchy Frog? I dag er det åbenlyst, at det var her, frøen tog et hop, fordi den turde gå efter fluen, støj eller pop, bare det smager.
Jeg kan huske dengang Learning from Las Vegas dukkede op og spillede til en privat julefrokost i en treværelses lejlighed. De kunne dårligt være i stuen, og naboerne må have fået det hele med. År senere dukkede de op til en bryllupsfest og spillede en gribende udgave af Brudevalsen.
Jeg kan huske dengang vi boede i en lejlighed på Østerbro, der under tidligere beboere havde tjent som kontor for Crunchy Frog, og telefonen kunne finde på at ringe kl. 4 om morgenen, fordi nogen prøvede at få en fax igennem fra Japan. Vi fik videreformidlet en del opkald, og jeg blev tilbudt at komme ud at spille, men takkede pænt nej. I dag, et par flytninger og ændrede telefonnumre senere, ringer de af og til fra TDC for at spørge, om det er hos Crunchy Frog.
Jeg kan huske dengang Junior Senior overraskede alt og alle – ved at være sig selv! Det var ikke hver dag, der blev smidt med konfetti på Stengade 30. Det sjoveste ved at se dem anden gang var at lure på, hvor meget det hele kom bag på publikum.
Jeg kan huske dengang The Tremolo Beer Gut spillede nytåret ind, desværre uden Per Sunding på bas, men med en hær af gæstebassister. Bandet, hvis plader har forskel-
lig farve, fordi man jo alligevel ikke kan huske, hvad de hedder, når man er fuld… Og vi var helt oppe at køre, da det forlød, at Jon Spencer var fan – ja, det er vi stadig oppe at køre på.
Jeg kan huske dengang det forlød, at Sune Wagners nye band, der endnu ikke hed The Raveonettes, lød som The Jesus and Mary Chain. Det var lige et halvt år eller mere før amerikanerne genopfandt rocken for gud ved hvilken gang. Og Jesus and Mary Chain… det var sgu da på tide!
Jeg kan huske dengang Düreforsög åbnede Orange scene på Roskilde Festivalen, og det var stadig til at blive for- pustet af. Og da The Tremolo Beer Gut åbnede samme scene nogle år senere med theremin og mandekor og krøllede slips. Og især, da det blev Superheroes’ tur, for lige dér, hvor omkvædet sætter ind i Johnny and lige dér gik festivalen i gang det år.
Jeg kan huske dengang PowerSolo sagde om sig selv, at de kom fra helt derude på landet, hvor man putter kartofler på sin pizza og frikadellen er en frugt. Og at jeg derfor elskede dem højt, inden jeg havde hørt den første tone – men også efter, skulle det vise sig.
Jeg kan huske dengang vi drog til VibraCrunch i Malmö og hørte epo-555 spille mens solen gik ned over de blå Pripps. Det var noget så sjældent som smukt – musikken, den svenske folköl og det sidste vred af sommer.
Jeg kan huske dengang det pludselig ikke længere var dengang, i hvert fald ikke på samme måde. Crunchy Frog var ikke længere en hemmelighed, men talk of the town – i Texas! Det sagde de i hvert fald selv. Men der var jo nok noget om det – de var pludselig i avisen hele tiden.
Mest af alt kan jeg huske helt tilbage til dengang der vist ikke var andre danske indieselskaber end Cloudland. Og når der nu ikke var andre, der ville være med, hvorfor så ikke bare udgive den plade selv? Det var jo bare en enkelt lille cd…
Og så kan jeg huske, jeg nytårsaften 2001/02 sagde, at det var en fejl af Crunchy Frog at signe Junior Senior… Det kan være ganske givende ikke altid at have ret.
Med tak til Dan Turèll for lån af omkvæd
– og spil så noget med Elvis!
Jacob Stærmose – eller J. Poe
fan & ven, Propdenoppop-medskyldig & respekteret idiot.
10 SPRÖDE ÅR
Fra starten var det meningen at vi bare skulle udgive vores egen plade med THAU – tilbage i ’94. Men med hjælp fra de gode folk på Pingo distribution blev vi hurtigt lidt mere ambitiøse og begyndte at hjælpe ligesindede bands i det Københavnske lo-fi støjrockmiljø med at få udsendt albums. Det var med idealismen i højsædet og med 50/50 deals. En for alle og alle mod de andre (corporate rock still sucks). Nu, nogle år efter, har vi bibeholdt idealismen men måske blevet lidt mindre af de lallende amatører vi var i starten. Heldigvis var musikken
i stand til at trænge igennem, selvom vi i mange år ikke havde så megen forstand på det vi lavede, og bare kløede på i den bedste DIY-stil. Vi kørte for helvede selv ud – på cykel – med alle promoer til journalisterne (til og med Valby Bakke, jo tak). Der gik 3-4 år før vi fik en fax, endsige et modem. Og kontoret var synonymt
med Yebos skiftende lejligheder.
Selvom midlerne og budgetterne var små, var ambitionerne altid store. Meget tidligt begyndte vi at prøve at få udlandet interesseret i vores udgivelser. I kraft af at vi altid har signet artister efter vores egen smag (og dermed ikke main stream shit), og kun bands vi mener er originale og har noget nyt at sige – også globalt
set – har det aldrig været let for os at sælge mange plader i vores hjemland. Til gengæld har der herhjemme altid været stor opbakning fra anmeldere og en lille men voksende skare af dedikerede musikelskere, som har støttet os og vore bands.
Vi havde fra starten ambitionen om at opbygge et “rigtigt label” der rent faktisk står inde for noget – ligesom de
engelske og amerikanske plademærker som vi selv respekterede som almindelige musikfans, f.eks. Creation, 4AD, Matador, Sub Pop etc. Selskaber som netop er en etiket for en bestemt musiksmag og/eller specielle idealer.
Det er os en stor ære at vi nu støder på folk, som har et forhold til Crunchy Frog lig det vi selv havde til vore favoritlabels.
Vi har her samlet en buket af de sprödeste roser som vi håber du vil nyde. Vi har nydt at arbejde med en gruppe af enormt talentfulde bands. Vi er stolte af at have udgivet deres plader. Der er utroligt mange andre folk der har hjulpet os gennem tiderne, og vi har skrevet en takkeliste andetsteds, men en speciel tanke sender vi til Jessica som har hjulpet os – først ulønnet og nu dårligt lønnet – igennem alle årene. Hun er den 5. spröde frø.
Ser frem til efterfølgeren “2004-2014 The Golden Years”.
KH
Roffe, Fzat, Nalna og Yebo
CRUNCHY FROG”
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