Get Hip launches Folk Series with Some Kind of Animal
Get Hip Records, a pillar of garage rock excellence since 1986, is going acoustic. At least in part. The label, founded by guitarist Gregg Kostelich of garage kings The Cynics, has boasted an extensive roster that has included the Fleshtones, New Bomb Turks, The Beat and Gore Gore Girls as well as Pittsburgh's own Mount McKinleys, Breakup Society and Meeting of Important People.
It was one of Get Hip’s more recent signings, Pittsburgh teen garage band The Nox Boys, that inspired the label to spin off a new Get Hip Folk Series. It began with Zack Keim, who works at Get Hip, taking a tangent from The Nox Boys to work on his Dylan-inspired folk material.
“The original idea — it never comes out that way — was to do a folk compilation, gather a lot of locals and some internationals to introduce the label,” Mr. Kostelich says. “But that won’t happen till after.”
Instead, Mr. Keim will release his solo album soon, and Pittsburgh’s own Slim Forsythe has signed on to the label for his next album, but first Get Hip will launch the Folk Series with the debut release from the Pittsburgh band Some Kind of Animal. Working in the vein of Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses and like-minded neo-folk-rock groups, SKOA features high-lonesome harmonies and intimate songwriting in an atmospheric, reverbdrenched setting.
Mr. Kostelich first encountered Some Kind of Animal last summer at the Deutschland Festival, and, says, “The minute they started playing, [my wife and I] turned to each other and said, ‘They’re really good.’ That’s always a good sign. They have other references, but I’m gonna go old-school here and say they kind of reminded me of The Band.”
Some Kind of Animal began with the demise of These Lions, a local band led by singer-guitarist-pianist Anthony Jardine that he describes as a “Manchester Orchestra-ish.” Tim Mulhern, formerly of Looseleaf, joined near the end of that run, after which the two began working together as a songwriting duo with a mutual interest in tragic singer-songwriters Nick Drake, Elliott Smith and Jeff Buckley, compiling nearly 30 songs.
“I come up with melodies, and we would discuss what we were writing about, and we’d both see eye to eye on that tragic story,” Mr. Jardine says. “It was a masochistic version of writing. We’ve always been deep and dark into that kind of realm of songwriting, whether it be from personal experience or traveling that road of experience where you feel more alive thinking about deeper stuff than the typical poppy ballad stuff.”
Joined by drummer Dave Rocco (and now bassist Rich Condon, of Bear Cub), they ventured to Postal Recording Studio in Indianapolis to record with Margot & The Nuclear So & So's bassist/producer Tyler Watkins, who was looking for new artists to work with.
“He definitely challenged us as musicians. Intimidating guy,” Mr. Jardine says. “As soon as we got there, he was like, ‘All right, guys, play me a song.’ We’re sitting in our booths. Played the song. There was a pause, for like 20 seconds. He was like, ‘All right guys, play it again.’ ”
Recording to tape, they emerged with a rich album that has both a bright sound and melancholy feel.
“Songwriting, songwriting, songwriting,” Mr. Kostelich says. “That’s how I look at this. The emotional roller coaster of the record worked well with me. It got me through the winter. I told Tony, ‘ Your record’s making me cry.’”
They’re happy to have it land on Mr. Kostelich’s new series on Get Hip.
“Gregg’s always been a huge advocate of the Pittsburgh scene and trying to make something of it, and you need people like that in Pittsburgh. The music scene here is huge, but we don’t get the credit of Austin or Nashville. Here you have somebody standing up for the music scene in Pittsburgh and trying to turn it into something bigger.”