See all in Music Features

Call it a comeback

Music Features

Sounds of the underground

Why do you feel you’re credited as a producer more than you deserve?
A lot of times I’ll see a band will send me a copy of their demo that I recorded in a weekend and it’ll say “Produced by Kurt Ballou” and that really bums me out. I very rarely record a band that I don’t like on some level, but I don’t really want to be credited as a producer on something that I haven’t left my mark on as a producer […] It’s like using my name as a selling feature of their record. I certainly don’t mind that if I’ve really made an impact on the record and I feel as though my contribution is something that is going to affect its sales, but I don’t like using my name when I haven’t made an impact on a record because I guess if you consider my name a “brand name,” it dilutes my “brand image.” I really only want to have my brand image associated with things that I 100% stand behind.

Do you consider yourself a brand name?
I don’t personally, but I feel as though judging from the way that I’ve been treated in the past I would say that some other people do. It comes with the territory. And certainly, it’s great for business, but I’m less concerned with business than I am with art. I feel like if you make good art that people appreciate, then business will follow.  If you focus on business you may have some short-term success but your long-term success will suffer. It sucks that you can’t stand on your own anymore, you’re not defining yourself in terms of yourself, in order to market your music you’re defining yourself in terms of someone else. It sucks that hardcore now is about marketability. It’s like all music in that the business goals are being put ahead of the artistic goals, which is something I really disagree with. That’s what I like about being on Epitaph, it’s more about putting out credible, artistic music with long term success than it is about flash-in-the-pan kind of stuff. 

Would you say that you’re a bit of a perfectionist?
I’m much less of a perfectionist than I probably give you the impression of. I mean, I’m not doing tons of takes on my guitar tracks, most of them are pretty raw, so I’m not really a perfectionist. I’m a control freak, but not a perfectionist. I want it to be my way, but I don’t necessarily want my way to be perfect. I’m more interested in creating something new.

• Share:
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•