we are out of step: April 2011

Ever since i read about upset the rhythm in Plain B magazine i just thought it was the radist thing.They put on so many good show's and put out so many great records.In all honesty i get a musical boner just thinking about them and the bands they showcase.

Q and A with Chris Tipton

1.
Upset the Rhythm has been going strong for 6 years now ( i hope I'm right). Has your approach changed to the way you run the live events and is it easier?

I think after the first few events where we spent a lot of time learning how to run things, trail and error so to speak, we struck upon a good way to run shows focusing on making the band and audience happy and equals. It's important to us to always try out new things, especially when concerning venues and support ideas though, when you get bored, everyone does.

2.
How the hell did you get you get Deerhoof to play your first one?So rad you got them.

This was surprisingly easy actually! It was before Deerhoof had much profile and we were just a bunch of Kill Rock Stars nerds who desperately wanted to see them play in London, no one else wanted to put on the show and we realised if we were ever going to see them we should just get on with it and book a show ourselves. So Claire from UTR shot Deerhoof's booking agent an email about our intentions and to our delight we were given a green light and set up a show for them. We'd never done anything like this before but we pretty much live by the maxim nothing ventured nothing gained. In a lot of ways this show is still the template for what we do now, just follow your heart.

3.
Would you take UTR to another place or country?

We've done a bunch of Upset shows in the US, namely New york, Texas, Los Angeles and San Francisco in collaboration with like minded promoters such as The Smell, Todd P and Club Sandwich who all see things in the same light of enthuiasm. Other than that I suppose when we book tours across Europe we try to work with promoters with a similar ethos.

4.
What’s been the most proudest moment for you so far?

Woah - too many to mention, certainly releasing each record, our recent 300th show and our undying commitment to Trash Kit who last month played with their heroes The Raincoats and in doing so completed a lifelong ambition. I know this might sound lame but also whenever we meet someone inspired or appreciative of what we've tried to do over the years it's makes it all worth while. Being part of a community that didn't exist when we started makes us feel like we've achieved something worthwhile.

5.
What’s been the worst moment for you so far?

Everytime I forget the UTR banner and need to work all the way home to get it, we are very superstitious and without its grimy presence we fear unhappy consequences.

6.
Who does all the art-work for posters and shows,do you just let them do what they want and go with it?

I make the majority of them and they are usually inspired by knowing the band's music well and by knowing many of them as people now, I'm a stickler for the making a poster I know will make the band laugh or draw on something they'd appreciate. I'm not an artist in any way but somehow I can make vaguely decent posters that people respond well too. We're also lucky to work with a number of great illustraters who often cold call us and who far outweigh my expectations every time.

7.
Can you name a up and coming band to check-out out..

YES! too many, I don't wanna bore you to death, I'll make it simple and just give you one from the UK > No Womb from Manchester who sing deleriously of choas and the female way, it's multitude of joys and also pains.

8.
Miles Bradley and us would like to know if BARR are doing another Lp?

We're in touch with Brendan and at the moment BARR is on hold, he's working on other music/performance pieces and is also achieving considerable success in the artworld too. We cross our fingers daily.

9.
Your from Shrewsbury which is not a bad place it once had a Virgin which was the only place to get good stuff from, oh and an MVC which was more then Oswestry had. Anyway did you find like me you really had to dig hard and when you did find something truly great in the mass HMV racks it was like Indiana Jones or something. What was your experience like growing up there music wise?

Well this was very much a time pre-internet believe it or not. We used to spend an ordinate amount of time in the post office sending off for fanzine to find out about new music and also of course filling many weekends with trips to Manchester and Birmingham primaily for their independent record shops and helpful staff. Shrewsbury for all it's boredom certainly made us understand that if you wanted something really great to happen you only had yourself to rely on, the DIY spirit of UTR was born in the Old Post Office drinking abode and "entertainment" room of Shrewsbury town centre on many a night. I think now it's so much easier to find out about music online that I can sleep at night considering our forebears in proud Salopia and even in MVC once I found a Melt Banana CD!!!

10.
For a up and coming D.I.Y night like us any words of advice?

Have as much fun as possible, only organise a show if your heart is in it. Don't feel pressured by people telling you it's stupid and try and make everything as fair as possible, if that means paying bands well or keeping ticket prices reasonable, if you have any questions at all ask us at any time.

11.
What are the three records that changed and inspired your life so far?

OK tough question, first record I bought obviously which was They Might Be Giants (sorry!) - Birdhouse In Your Soul 7", um something gateway like Nirvana or Aphex Twin or Sonic Youth or Mogwai, you know those records which pull you deeper into the realms of musical obsession, and finally of course our first 10" mini LP by Death Sentence: Panda! Glorious as UTR001, our happiest child, I can't believe we're nearly 50 releases old now!!

Website Upset The Rhythm

Rc x