Anybody expecting a big expansion for the Future Appletree record label is likely to be disappointed. The bands obviously hope to make a big splash, but the label itself is trying to keep things intimate.
"It started as a thing among friends, and with the exception of A Is Jump, it's pretty much stayed that way," said Pat Stolley, one of the label's founders and a member of The Marlboro Chorus.
And that's not likely to change, Stolley said. "I think it'll stay a thing among friends," he said. "This is a total co-op. The more cooks in the kitchen, the worse it would be." There might be new Future Appletree projects, he said, but they'll likely involve the usual Appletree suspects.
The Quad Cities-based label - which has been at the forefront of establishing a "Quad Cities sound" for the outside world - will be celebrating its two-year anniversary on Wednesday, November 24, with a showcase at RIBCO. A Is Jump, Driver of the Year, Chrash, and the Marlboro Chorus will be playing at the show.
In two years, Future Appletree has put out nine CDs from six different acts, including the recent releases of full-length records from A Is Jump (My Ice-Fingered Ghost), the Marlboro Chorus (Youth Medium), and Driver of the Year (Statik), as well as a compilation disc late last year. While the bands are diverse, they share offbeat sensibilities. I once described the label's sound as "an accessible, gentle rock music that regularly jars the listener with touches curious, strange, and wonderful," and I think those descriptors still apply; Future Appletree specializes in the space between pop music and the avant-garde.
After two years, Future Appletree has given the world three doses of The Marlboro Chorus and two shots of Driver of the Year, and Stolley said the lineup for 2005 is looking crowded, with releases from Driver of the Year (an EP), A Is Jump, Tenki, and Chrash. Also up is a split Future Appletree/Radical Turf release from Stolley and Jeff Konrad.
According to Stolley, the label has met its founders' expectations. "We knew we'd be completely obscure," he said. But with its second batch of releases, Future Appletree has gotten some play on independent radio, generated interest overseas, and sold relatively well - between 200 and 500 units per CD. Between 30 and 40 percent of sales have been from outside of the Quad Cities area, Stolley said.
A major goal is to get name recognition for the label. To that end, bands have chipped in to buy joint ads in national trade publications and music 'zines. A small ad in Magnet, for instance, costs $600, and three bands might split the cost. "The more people see it [the Future Appletree name], the more curious they are," Stolley said.
The Future Appletree Showcase will kick off at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 24. For more information about the label, visit (http://www.futureappletree.com).
And that's not likely to change, Stolley said. "I think it'll stay a thing among friends," he said. "This is a total co-op. The more cooks in the kitchen, the worse it would be." There might be new Future Appletree projects, he said, but they'll likely involve the usual Appletree suspects.
The Quad Cities-based label - which has been at the forefront of establishing a "Quad Cities sound" for the outside world - will be celebrating its two-year anniversary on Wednesday, November 24, with a showcase at RIBCO. A Is Jump, Driver of the Year, Chrash, and the Marlboro Chorus will be playing at the show.
In two years, Future Appletree has put out nine CDs from six different acts, including the recent releases of full-length records from A Is Jump (My Ice-Fingered Ghost), the Marlboro Chorus (Youth Medium), and Driver of the Year (Statik), as well as a compilation disc late last year. While the bands are diverse, they share offbeat sensibilities. I once described the label's sound as "an accessible, gentle rock music that regularly jars the listener with touches curious, strange, and wonderful," and I think those descriptors still apply; Future Appletree specializes in the space between pop music and the avant-garde.
After two years, Future Appletree has given the world three doses of The Marlboro Chorus and two shots of Driver of the Year, and Stolley said the lineup for 2005 is looking crowded, with releases from Driver of the Year (an EP), A Is Jump, Tenki, and Chrash. Also up is a split Future Appletree/Radical Turf release from Stolley and Jeff Konrad.
According to Stolley, the label has met its founders' expectations. "We knew we'd be completely obscure," he said. But with its second batch of releases, Future Appletree has gotten some play on independent radio, generated interest overseas, and sold relatively well - between 200 and 500 units per CD. Between 30 and 40 percent of sales have been from outside of the Quad Cities area, Stolley said.
A major goal is to get name recognition for the label. To that end, bands have chipped in to buy joint ads in national trade publications and music 'zines. A small ad in Magnet, for instance, costs $600, and three bands might split the cost. "The more people see it [the Future Appletree name], the more curious they are," Stolley said.
The Future Appletree Showcase will kick off at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 24. For more information about the label, visit (http://www.futureappletree.com).
