Mark MacDougall's 75orLess record label has been producing and churning out quality product for the past three years, the majority of which are Rhody-based acts. No Qualms, the latest 75orless double-disc compilation, features 43 bands, 32 hailing from Rhode Island, all for a recession-friendly $7. From the sugar-coated power-pop of Minky Starshine to the drunken sea shanties of Sharks Come Cruisin' to the stoned, electro-garage sounds of Guntaard, No Qualms covers a multitude of genres with no filler."Listening to the tracks, I'm shocked how much good stuff there is on here," said Bill Gorman of the renowned Von Doom, whose badass new single "Black Light" is included. "For a 43-song comp, you'd expect some garbage thrown in, but I think that shows how good and eclectic the 75orLess roster is."
MacDougall started 75orLess in 2000 as a music review outlet and garnered recognition from USA Today and Time magazine, which named the site as one of "15 great sites for musicians and fans."
"We would spend our spare time in our cubicles complaining about the lack of quality music journalism and decided we could do a better job ourselves," MacDougall recalled. "We decided on reviews of 75 words or less, writers started sending in reviews, and more and more submissions started coming in."
But, for all the national attention 75orLess initially received, MacDougall said the site fell on deaf ears 'round here.
"Locally, nobody really noticed us until I started up the label three years ago," MacDougall said. "I was getting these incredible submissions in the mail looking for reviews, and also seeing great local bands. I figured if we put all these bands under one roof, there was a greater chance for all of them to get more exposure rather than being scattered throughout the country. And since 75orLess already had 1000 readers per day, we already had an audience. It's really been non-stop since then."
While 75orLess has attracted bands from Cali (Kill Kill Kill) to Cincy (the Spectacular Fantastic) to Connecticut (Prison or the Moon), MacDougall is well-aware that the Brinks truck isn't pulling up to the 75orLess world headquarters in Warren anytime soon.
"Basically, they are people with jobs and families to support and make music for the love of it and have realistic expectations for financial success," he noted. "The label's goal is to stick to small budgets and reinvest the profits into the next project. I still have no clue how to make a lot of money running a label, but I do know how not to lose money."
The praise poured in for MacDougall from No Qualms participants, including local folk troubadour Ben Pilgrim. "For me, it's the greatest contribution 75orLess has given to this community," he said, "and it's exciting to see how all these bands from different genres can work together and succeed."
Rockabilly kingpins the Cobra-Matics lent their take on AC/DC's "Rocker" to No Qualms, and Johnny "The Colonel" Maguire chimed in via email:
"Mark MacDougall has been a very positive force in local music. In the somewhat dark times of the local music scene Mark has been a guiding light, and with more time and support Providence will be back on the map."
