The Undying D.I.Y. Spirit of Convulse Records
Image courtesy of Che Hise-Gattone (@booji_boy)
In April this year, I made a choice to expand my horizons. I had grown a lot in my photography in the Fort Collins area and had only shot two shows in Denver up to that point — Youth of Today at The Oriental in September 2021, and Old Skin at the Hi-Dive in March. I had heard about this place called Seventh Circle, from bands like The Red Scare posting about their performances there. This show I saw featured FoCo’s own Sludgebroker, a touring band from Chicago called DIE, and two of Asa Wright’s bands: Smear Campaign and CYST.
Another name I had heard floating around before heading down there was of this guy named Adam Croft that ran a label called Convulse Records out of Denver. Being incredibly curious, I took time off from work to make it to this show. The decision was well worth it.
Like Fort Collins, Denver’s punk scene is vibrant. Maybe not as huge as it once was in past times, but it’s still alive and well. Upon getting to Seventh, I was greeted by a crowd of people talking amongst themselves in the courtyard area behind the house, right next to the painted metal walls of the garage where the music goes down. Right outside the door to the back was Adam. Standing behind a fold-up table, lined with boxes of records, t-shirts, cassettes, pins, and buttons.
Adam’s friendly demeanor and clear love for the music around him explained to me why this man was so heavily talked about, even in places an hour drive away from where he’s based.
That show in April was my first at Seventh, and since then, I have been back another four times, and shot three other shows at The Blue House in Boulder. My most recent trip to Boulder was August 6th, to catch Destiny Bond. A band featuring Adam Croft himself on drums, and a signee to Convulse Records.
I arrived at The Blue House an hour before the show started, greeted by all the familiar faces I had met at Seventh and shows at The Blue House. Adam and the rest of Destiny Bond arrived thirty or so minutes later, unloading the pounds of amps and instrument cables. I flagged Adam down to talk with him about all things Convulse Records. After situating in the back side of the house under a shaded tree, Adam and I begin talking.
Having grown up in Sundance, Wyoming, how did you stumble upon punk music?
I don't know, I feel like it was a really gradual process of finding the kind of shit that gets sold to you at the mall as a kid. Finding American Idiot or whatever. And then being like, “Well, this really can't be it,” being 11 years old or whatever, and loving American Idiot, and then sort of wondering, it's got to be the next thing. And then I just sort of kept going. And in Sundance, the only things I could really find were the big things that are not of our world, like, the things that were playing Warped Tour, or the things that were sort of really big.
But then eventually, I just got super into buying punk records, on interpunk.com with cash. I would mail cash to InterPunk to get records. Their site is just massive. It was just massive. So I would find screamo and hardcore on there. I heard Negative Approach for the first time because I was just like, “What is this bad Negative Approach on InterPunk?” Or, what is Pg. 99? And that got me into the real shit, like the shit that sort of came from DIY.
And so after that, my friend Mo, who was like two years older than me, played in a metalcore band at the time. Not in Sundance. It's a band in Rapid City, South Dakota an hour away, and [he] was like, “Hey, we're, we're gonna play these shows you should come to them.” So I would just hop in his Jeep and ride to these shows in Gillette, Wyoming, or Rapid City, South Dakota. And that's kind of how I found it.
What moment made you realize you needed to start a label?
I think I was always a nerd. I was always very label obsessed. I think a lot of people, even in punk and hardcore, know about labels. If they're in bands, they want to be on a label, but they don't always follow labels to the same extent that a nerd like me does. And from the very beginning, I remember initially being obsessed with Deathwish, or Bridge 9 records, when I first got into hardcore, just being like, “If this is on Deathwish, I have to listen to it.” I have to listen to the catalog, and just be a real completist and think labels were really interesting.
And then getting older, and still just being really into the idea. [I felt] like periods of my listening were defined by labels, like whether it's Taang, or whatever. So I just always kind of had this idea that a label was just a cool enterprise. It was something that I thought was worthwhile. But then, I just had this moment where I came into $4,000 from a teaching award that I got, and I was like, “Oh, this is enough to put out a seven inch.”
I felt like there were a lot of Denver bands that didn't get records pressed ever or didn't have a label that gave a shit, right? But it was worth commemorating in that way. And so I thought, “Well, maybe I'll just do like a local label that can commemorate some of these hardcore bands that I really like that I'm playing shows with.” And then I'm saying, “Maybe I’ll release my own bands.” And that's all it'll be. And then obviously, it grew. It turned into something else during the pandemic.
But that's how it started. It was just kind of this idea that I think labels are worthwhile and a really interesting way to curate and package artists together and build a community.
Adam, playing drums in his band Destiny Bond in Boulder. Image by me.
From being based in Laramie, when you were going to college, to now being in Denver, what made you want to relocate to Denver?
I was already playing in a band in Denver. I was driving from Laramie every week to play in this band Product Lust and touring in that band. Most of the shows I was going to were in Denver, and I had just lived in Laramie with my partner Emily, who plays in Destiny Bond, because that's where we went to school. So when time was up, when school was over, Wyoming has this crazy thing where if you graduate from a Wyoming High School, and your grades are okay, college is basically free. And my master's was basically free through the same program.
So it was like, I have no reason to leave. I should build and I should be a part of a DIY scene here and then get school done. But then when it's over, the plan kind of always was to move to Denver. And it kind of already felt like home when we moved because I had been going to so many shows here already.
How did this label and just the bands that you've been in, shape your connection with the community?
I think it got me into a mindset that I like to think I've always had, but I think it's become more established since I started the label. Which is this idea that high tide raises all ships. This is a community. This is about uplifting each other. The label helped me. The label started with a goal of doing that. It just made me prioritize that [goal] even more and it made it to where I am now.
That's just kind of how I think about this group of bands in this place, in this community. I think that in the past, any weird stupid impulses I have to be competitive or to shit on things locally, just kind of went away. Because I was really inspired by the community that I found through the label, and through helping bands. I also realized it's really really fulfilling to sort of offer up a support role.
It's in many ways, to me, more fulfilling than playing in a band. To be able to just help a band, find some resources, and find some ways to do the things they want to do. That's kind of a part of me that wasn't as expressed until I did the label.
From your start in 2019 obviously grew super super quickly. You had 40 releases and counting. Are there any releases you're most excited about?
Well, there's Raw Breed, who's playing tonight. The Raw Breed LP that we're about to announce. I am a fucking crazy person. All the time in my head, I'll sort of be like, “What are the greatest Denver hardcore LPS ever?” And I'd like to make a list or argue with people in my group chats about it. This Raw Breed LP is going to be on that list forever. I think it's perfect. I think Raw Breed has been my favorite Denver hardcore band for years now. They've just always been around. Everyone in that band is incredible.
They execute this Breakdown ‘87 style in a way I don't think anyone else does. Yet, Universal Paranoia by Raw Breed is going to be a record that we'll look back on as an important piece of Denver hardcore for a long time. So that's one that I'm really excited about. The Denver bands are always really really exciting.
On top of that, we have some releases that I think are going to be game changers for the label. We just did this split for GEL and Cold Brats and we're doing GEL’s upcoming LP, and that's going to be crazy. GEL is taking over the world. And we're doing this MSPAINT record. I think MSPAINT is one of the most interesting bands out there right now. I think what they're doing is insane. And Candy Apple, another Denver band, they've got a new seven inch coming out called Candy Apple Forever. Candy Apple was just this thing that I felt like was Denver's secret, best band. And now I think people know, and it's really cool.
And I think that this record is going to do really well. And on top of that, I just think like they've grown so much. And it's, it's just really fucking awesome to see what that band has become because they're incredible. So yeah, those are just a few off the top of my head. But those are all in the pipeline, and they're going to be amazing.
Well, I'm excited. And I think everyone else is going to be, too.
You have a lot of bands on your roster, and this kind of goes back towards what you were saying about being the anchor in the area. Does seeing these bands and artists attain success, make you feel that same success?
I think when there's success, that's the thing about this high tide that raises all ships attitude. When there's success, we all kind of feel it. Militarie Gun, a band that started on Convulse, now they're moving on to a huge label and experiencing all this great success. But their tour that they just announced is with Public Opinion and MSPAINT. So they're taking out Convulse bands on their tour. Yeah, we're all experiencing success. It's a family. It's this community of people and everyone respects each other and gets excited.
I would say yes. When success happens, it's awesome. Because that success isn't just one person that's gonna get that feeling, it's everyone. We're all gonna feel it in some small way. And I think that's the beautiful aspect of the label.
Image Courtesy of Cloe Madonna (@gothmommy)
In an interview you recently did with Westword, you stated that Convulse is “...still just a DIY hardcore and punk label that’s mostly just a bunch of boxes in my apartment and a storage unit.” Do you think this shapes how you run the label to this day?
I mean, it's always just been DIY. Doing things myself, or with a group of volunteers is really important to me. There are lots of labels, especially hardcore labels that are bigger than us that use a fulfillment company or do a lot of outsourcing. I think that makes total sense, because sometimes you just grow past that. But for me, it's really fulfilling to have it be this concrete thing that I get to experience. I get to touch the records. I get to put them in the boxes and send them to someone. Because when I was a kid and Sundance, opening up those boxes was fucking magic. Here was this little envoy from a place I couldn't even imagine. So I get something out of packing those boxes now.
Having it just be in my apartment or in a storage unit, and just a collection of volunteers. That just makes it feel more authentic and feel like it can be an expression of what I want to go into the label. Which is just a way of thanking this community of punk and hardcore for all the things I've gotten out of it. Being able to actually just do that tangible work every day, in my mess of an apartment with all these boxes, makes you feel worthwhile. And that's awesome.
In a sense, spreading the magic to other people, too.
Yeah, that's what it's all about. It's still the best feeling in the world to me. I got the new Combust record in the mail today, which is really cool. A New York hardcore band that's coming to Denver soon. I just can't replace that feeling of unwrapping it, putting it on, and looking at the Lyric sheet and spending intentional time with something someone made.
In that same Westword article, Justin Criado wrote that social media has helped in spreading the word about punk/underground music. Stating, “places such as Denver — and labels like Convulse — can birth a national underground movement.” Do you think social media has helped in growing the label overall?
It's undeniably helped. There's this really interesting thing in hardcore and punk where I think YouTube, Instagram, and all this shit is undeniably how all of us are finding a lot of this shit. But I think hardcore kind of has this attitude that I respect, which is, well, we can accept that this is a huge part of our community, but we can push back on it too. I think you see that right now with people being mad at TikTok punks, or whatever. Some of that, I think, is a stupid way of getting mad at new kids that are involved. That's dumb. But I do think there's a way.
One thing that we're kind of grappling with, is the fact that at the end of the day, I think all of that shit is brain poison. I don't like it. It's so central to us being able to sell records and show people things. So that's why we're starting this physical mailing list, with the postcards and a little newsletter that people can get, because it's a way to try to say “Hey, we're having to fight the algorithm. It's so hard to just show you a record. Can we just mail you a letter and tell you about a record?”
At the end of the day, all of this shit doesn't happen without physical fliers and conversations. It shows real people. I kind of am of two minds about the role that the internet plays and all this but obviously, we couldn't do this without Instagram.
What are some artists you’re proud of having had on the Convulse roster, either past or present?
I mean, there's so many. Looking at the way Militarie Gun are taking over the world. I'm really proud of the fact that started with me and Ian just talking about some demos he put up. That's really cool. That's an insane part of the label. Again, it started local first, Denver first. A lot of my thinking around the label was like, “Wow. We commemorated a band.” Blood Loss from Denver, that doesn't play that much now, that maybe a lot of people might forget about in a few years, but they'll always be a part of this Convulse catalog. That's really cool to be able to create this archive of what Denver is, and was, so I'm really proud of that stuff, too.
In recent stuff, I'm really proud of this MSPAINT record that we're doing. When I hear this new MSPAINT record, and when I see MSPAINT, I think, “Oh, this is a band that's going to transcend hardcore and punk.” They're doing this as just a bunch of sweet people that care about their community. They're coming from Hattiesburg, doing it their way. They've got a lot of integrity. They just got the right attitude about building things.
When I think about bands that are representative of the label, I couldn't feel better than being like, “Wow, this band MSPAINT that's about to take over the world with this message that's all about peace and love and community.” That's the most beautiful thing in the world. So that one makes me really happy.
Honestly, I am equally proud of every band on the label. I wouldn't put out a record if I wasn't really really proud of it. Everything we've done is like something I think is fucking amazing.
Image Courtesy of Cloe Madonna (@gothmommy)
Adding off of that, what’s an underrated EP, album, or single in your catalog that more people should know about?
Ooh, this is tough. Locally, I don't think the CYST demo is underrated, but because they haven't really toured yet, I worry that it's underrated. But they're about to go on tour. So maybe that's going to change. The CYST demo would be in the conversation. We've all seen CYST, so we kind of know how great it is live.
Underrated, I think that the Blood Loss seven inches are underrated. The first one is sold out now, so it's hard to say if that record is underrated, but the new one definitely. Clay from Blood Loss was, and is, a staple of Denver punk for over ten years now. He's one of my favorite guitar players. I think he's just really inventive, cool, and does a lot of different styles really well.
There's a lot of guitar work on the newest seven inch that I just think is fucking incredible. Obviously, some stuff happened. They weren't able to play a lot of shows on that new record. So I think that they're kind of underrated. And then weirdly, the local versus the world thing. GOON is the best hardcore punk band in the world to me. The GOON LP we did is perfect. And they didn't play shows because of COVID. So it's kind of hard for people to know, but I think that they're underrated because I think they should be the biggest punk band in the world.
Overall, what’s next for you, and for Convulse Records as a whole?
I'm still in graduate school at CU Denver. I'm working on a PhD. So I'm gonna try to finish that. Convulse is just going to keep putting out records. We've got a bigger volunteer team than we've ever had. We got a ton of people that help out.
Ideally, the long term vision of Convulse is that it's not Adams label, it's that collective of volunteers. At some point, I'll just sort of be like, “Alright, Young Nick, or whoever. Here you go, have fun, I'm going to take a year off from putting out records, but here's the logo, here's the bank account. Go crazy.”
It'll just be this community project forever. It'll be about this young community thriving and building something that's all their own, too. Without me being involved.
Leave a chance for others to be involved with that process. That’s awesome.
Or they start their own label, and I don’t need mine anymore. That’d be sweet, too.
We both laugh, and then continue.
For those reading who are wanting to start their own label, or get involved with music somehow, do you have any pieces of advice for them?
Yes. Several.
When starting a band, or a label, or a zine or anything like that, just embrace the idea that it's okay to be bad. It's okay to do something just to learn how to do something. And it might not be fun at first, because you're not good at it. The first time I was playing in bands, it wasn't fun, because I wasn't good. At some point, you just gotta acknowledge that some projects are just about getting you good enough for the project you were meant to do, right? Or the project that you're going to be the most proud of.
I would just say to be really comfortable with fucking sucking. Be really comfortable with failing, but know that this community- this world of hardcore and punk- is predicated on the idea that everyone just tries and fails. There's a low barrier to entry. We all just are kind of trying and failing together. And you don't need to be fucking perfect at anything right away.
The community of people need you to make that zine or make that band. You might not even realize it until you do it. But eventually it will matter. Even if it only matters because of what you do because of that experience. Just fucking do it. Let it suck. If it sucks, it sucks. Just try and fail, and then do the next step.
Our conversation ends there, as a sea of people flock in through the gates of The Blue House, ready for the concert at hand that night. The feedback whines of guitar noise bleed through the open door, signaling the crowd that the show is about to begin. Adam asks if I’ll be shooting the show, since Destiny Bond is up first, and I just raise my camera up, smile, and he gives me a nod of approval.
Thank you to Adam for talking to me before you played, even after getting there a little later than you intended. Special thanks to Taylor, Jerm, Jules and the other volunteers at the Blue House for letting me (and my girlfriend) lounge around the house before the show started, and for constantly hosting amazing shows in your living room.
You can find Adam and Convulse Records on Instagram as @convulserecords for upcoming releases, and @convulserecspresents for upcoming shows with Convulse bands on the rosters. You can also find merchandise, records, cassettes, and photos on convulserecords.com.
-M
