Kind Turkey

So we just got done telling you how awesome the new LP by Yussuf Jerusalem on Florida’s Dying is. And now we’ve got a nice interview with the man behind the label, Rich Evans! There’s another great interview with a lot more biography and even a discography out there with him on Termbo, you can find it here

Nevertheless, here’s the Kind Turkey Interview:

Kind Turkey:

Introduce yrself. List some projects you’ve been involved in/what keeps you busy!

Rich Evans:

My name is Rich. I run the record label / online store Floridas Dying. I also have recently started two new labels: Total Punk (so far a singles-only label), and Floridas Dead (a reissue label concentrating solely on old Florida bands). I was in Slippery Slopes but we just went on hiatus because our guitarist had to concentrate on gaining more Mortal Kombat achievements. I was also in Garbo’s Daughter, but they kicked me out when they discovered I was a man. Currently I play drums in Hungry Gayze and Sexcapades. I also run a failing record store called Vinyl Richie’s Wiggly World. We haven’t had our power turned off yet, which I am quite proud of. I am always busy. Right now I have a 100+ degree fever and I’m still working.

KT:
So what made you start Florida’s Dying?
RE:
Boredom, shitty local record stores, shitty local bands. I wanted to provide people with some culture. I’m a by god patriot. Basically I was inspired by the whole “if your city sucks fix it” mindset.

KT:
What’s the ultimate goal of the label? When you started it, was the goal the same as it is now? Or as time has gone on has the purpose morphed?
RE:
When I started my goal was just basically to alleviate my own boredom and to put out my friends records. At the time I also had a van so the idea was put out a record, book the bands tours, and take them on the road. First record I put out was Creteens (Benji from Yussuf Jerusalem). He flew over I found him a backing band and took him around the states. I did that for him the first three times he came over. Fashion Fashion and the Image Boys, Hex Tremors, Jeanie and the Tits, Hibachi Stranglers. I booked all those bands tours and all used my van. The van finally died on the first Jacuzzi Boys tour. It died the very first day or tour in Ashburn, Georgia. We had to leave the van in front of a CVS and rent a van for the remainder of the tour. We spray painted Jacuzzi Boys down the side and got a ride from some old black guy named Lightning to the closest rental center, which was 40 miles away. Now the goal is to keep my bills paid, keep my doors open, and still to put out my friends bands and travel. I’ve fixed the boredom problem that’s for sure. Now I would give anything to be bored. Only difference between now and then is it’s not my van that we travel in, and now that it has become my main source of income it’s a lot more stressful.

KT:
So now you’ve got a shop, and have had one for a while, right? How is that?
RE:
It’s all right. If I could go back I would probably pass on that one. I hate set hours, and it’s an unneeded expense. Much preferred working from home. Lower overhead, more freedom. I like having my own clubhouse but weighing things out I’m not sure it’s worth it. I’m stubborn so its hard for me to put something down once I’ve started it, but I think I’m about to ready to move forward and leave the profession of shop owner behind me. However, I have turned a lot of people on to cool new shit with the shop, and made some new friends so it’s not a total loss.

KT:
What are a few of your favorite releases you’ve done?
RE:
Both Yussuf Jerusalem LPs have a place very near and dear to my heart. Benji has been like a little brother to me since the very beginning and he is a really amazing songwriter. It was really strange to me when I first heard the first recordings how mature they were. This was the same kid who just two years earlier was singing songs about Taco Bell, storing bottles of flem in the van, and testing the limits of just how much he could get away with just because he is French, which surprisingly is quite a lot. Now here he was writing these really moving songs about love and heartbreak. He’s all grown up.
Hibachi Stranglers- Parking Lot is another one of my favorites. Still waiting on Neil to finish recording that LP. Should be out sometime in 2016.
Also the Jacuzzi Boys LP, Cop City LP, Electric Bunnies LP (I spent enough on it).

KT:
What labels did you and do you currently look to for inspiration for your label?
RE:
Well when I was a kid I was way into collecting early Florida punk so my main hope with Floridas Dying was that someday some kids would collect my releases.
I started Total Punk wanting a real direction and look for the label. My main inspiration with that would have to be the early Rip Off singles.

KT:
Give us a typical day in the life of Rich Evans!
RE:
I think my typical day starts with confusion. Where am I? How did I get here? Where is my car? From there I walk to the shop. Spend most of my day hoping that most of the people walking by don’t come in, update the site, put packages together, lurk girls facebooks. I shuffle through piles of paper looking for my keys at least three times a day. After work its band practice, the bar, and then everything goes black.

KT:
What releases do you have planned for the rest of the year/next year?
RE:
I don’t honestly know right now. I can’t really tell you any further than what I have on the horizon. I spread myself pretty thin, so after I get out these next few records it time to recoup. What is coming out is Hungry Gayze 7”, Outdoorsmen 7”, Really Loud Hamburgers 7”, and then the Roach Motel LP. The Roach Motel LP is something I’ve dreamed about doing since I was kid so I am totally stoked. One of the best early hardcore bands hands down and Floridians at that. The LP will be 21 tracks. All recorded between 1981-1984. Look for an interview in an upcoming MRR.

Hear the Hungry Gayze leadoff track, “Road Kill” below:
Road Kill by HUNGRY GAYZE on FLORIDA’S DYING RECORDS by kindturkeyrecords

KT:
What tours are you looking forward to coming to your neck of the woods?
RE:
I honestly don’t even know whats coming down soon. September Paul Collins, Hunx, and Acid Baby Jesus are coming but I will be on tour so I am going to miss them.

KT:
Is Florida really dying?
RE:
No but this fever has me thinking I am. Hopefully some of what I have said makes sense.

KT:
How would you describe the scene in Orlando? How are shows in Orlando? What scene tends to have the biggest draw?
RE:
It’s a rag tag bunch of misfits. Crowd surfing mongoloids, bitter beer drenched middle-aged men, well-intentioned chuckleheads, dope fiends, and bike punks. I wouldn’t say we have the hippest or most attractive group of individuals, but shows are almost always a party. Lots of dancing, and even more beer spillage. If you bring nice gear I would also bring a garbage bag. This really isn’t a thinking man’s town. Bands are pretty incestuous. They seem to break up almost as soon as they are formed, but there is always another to take their place. I have no idea what scene has the biggest draw because I don’t go see the shitty bands.

KT:
Last year at some point you went on a tour to support your releases and I think just to have a blast with friends from around the country. Tell us about it! Favorite place/people to party with? Memorable shows from the tour? Did you sell a lot of records?
RE:
That trip was truly amazing, and somehow completely financed itself. Still haven’t figured out how I pulled that off. The shows were all great. The highlights would have to be the Milwaukee show (Timmy’s Organism, AluminumKnotEye, Drugs Dragons), Harry and the Commish in New York, and Pizza Fest in Seattle. My band the Slippery Slopes met me in Seattle, and did the entire west coast with me. Within 20 minutes of meeting up with them I managed to throw the car keys in a dumpster. That was the second time on the trip I lost my keys. The first time being when I left them in a liquor store in New York. Honestly though the best part of the trip was seeing friends, and the scenery. Slept in a tent and cooked a can of beans over an open fire on the side of the road in Pennsylvania. Got to see Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Crater Lake, the Bad Lands, Grand Canyon, Salton Sea, Slab City, and Salvation Mountain. Almost had a rattlesnake scare me off a cliff in Wyoming. Ernie from El Centro California took us down to a strip club in Mexicali. That was truly an experience. An awesome BBQ in Algoma (thanks Casey, and Gus), toured with the Pizzas for 5 days in the northwest. Saw my boy BD Biz in Chicago. Hung with Pete, Ruben, and Lacey in Seattle. Watched Harry Howes upstairs neighbor kick his door down in New York. Was introduced to the amazing porcharita in Huntsville. This is was life is about.

KT:
What records are you jealous of/wish you would have put out?
RE:
The one that would have made me enough money to retire.

KT:
Ever been shopped a record that you ultimately regretted passing on?
RE:
The Wax Museums kept sending me recordings that ended up being singles but the timing was never right. Really would have liked to put one out. There is talks of a Wax Museums Total Punk release though so all hope is not lost. Also would love to put out a Live Fast Die single. Come on Ethan.

Thanks to Rich!

Buy Records from him at Florida’s Dying
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