Sean Bleek, 25, started a record label in his teens. He has continued to be involved in music this way for almost ten years. If anyone can provide academic insight into the rich and complicated history of the independent underground, if only to illuminate the beaten path that has been trod by so many, to bring US to THIS, 2009 and all it’s underground splendor– it’s gotta be this casual man.
Casual Men: I’ve been really into Harvey Danger lately. Well, i guess just that song Flagpole Sitta
Sean: You should check out the cover they did of the English Beat for the Big Daddy soundtrack. Its a real gem.
CM: i actually remember that but i haven’t been able to find it anywhere. maybe i could see if it’s on ebay.
Sean: yea but you’ll overpay. unless you really want it. I dunno, i’ve mostly been into this old SR-71 song and then especially this band Marvelous 3. Their song is amazing. Oh, and duh, i’ve been obsessed with Battlflag by the Lo-Fi Allstars.
CM: are there any good compilations that came out, or like, which volume of NOW is the one to get these days?
Sean: Well every HFStival, they released a comp. of select bands that would play, my fav. comp is from 1999 because it has Soul Coughing on it as well as the Dub Pistols hit ‘Got Me Runnin in a Cyclone’. But the best volume of NOW is hard to say. I mean if you go way, way back to NOW 41, you got a little Eagle Eye Cherry on there, not to mention Robbie Williams song Millenium. But, ya know, most of my friends who i can really talk shop with are obsessed with NOW 44, and its so clear why: Six Pence None the Richer and Eiffel 65 are both on it.
CM: So, when about did you have this realization that you loved the NOW series as much as anything else?
Sean: It’s a realization that a lot of ‘music snobs’ i know are having. You get to a point of posturing yourself so intensely and being really annoying and then it just becomes clear: this has been one elaborate pantomime.
Sean, I miss you and I owe you something really special after that Spiritualized thing you pulled (god bless you).
Third Eye Blind. Nuff said.
the first t ime i met sean he made me listen to mambo no 5 for two whole hours, i emerged a different man and my riffs improved drastically