Date Signed: March 15, 2020
Label: No Sleep Records
Band Members: Rich Weinberger, vocals; Anthony Gesa, guitar; Adam
Chichocki, drums; Rob Talalai, guitar; Siddhu Anandalingam, bass
Type of Music: Post Hardcore/Rock
Management: Anthony Gesa - Lesser Matters
Booking: N/A
Legal: N/A
Publicity: Becky Kovach - Big Picture Media
Web: facebook.com/gatherersband
A&R: Chris Hanson, No Sleep Records
Since forming in Bayonne, NJ, in 2011, Gatherers released two full-length records on Equal Vision before parting ways to reconsider options. After spending most of a year writing and recording, the band chose to sign with Southern California-based No Sleep Records to release their current single “Ad Nauseum, I Drown,” and a forthcoming full-length release.
“Equal Vision was great,” says Gatherers vocalist Rich Weinberger. “We had an option on the table, but we just wanted a different environment.”
As Weinberger recounts, “I had never really met Chris Hanson from No Sleep, but I had done some artwork for the label, and our guitar player (and manager) Anthony Gesa, knew him from his management experience.” While circulating demos, Hanson heard some and responded.
“We had spoken with a few other labels, some were interested, and just didn’t come to fruition. With No Sleep, it was just easy. Chris recognized that we are a very autonomous, working band. We have a studio, we have a producer (drummer Adam Cichocki provides both services). So we didn’t have to have that very weird conversation about budget.” The band received a working budget to use at their discretion for videos, art, etc. Weinberger describes the terms of the deal as “very lax,” and essentially dependent on the success of the release to determine future opportunities. And while one of their camp is attending law school, they did have a real contract reviewed by a real attorney.
In addition to having a built-in manager, as well as a band member who is an experienced producer with a professional recording studio, Weinberger himself handles all the artwork. “The compartmentalization allows a real efficiency, which is one thing we were looking for when we decided to leave Equal Vision,” noted Weinberger. “We’re a farm-to-table band!”
So why sign with a label at all? “We definitely had the humility to kind of say, ‘We don’t really want to deal with a label, but we know we need one.’ We did tour much of the time; we had just toured Europe, and we knew an efficient label would just provide those avenues.”
Parting advice from Weinberger for young bands: “Have humility, but at the same time have enough confidence to manage your expectations of what you can get out of a label and what you can ask for. The romanticism of DIY is great and all, but you need to think structurally if you want to grow your band and your audience.”
