tri-riversrecords-blog

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Kill Vargas

 Their Sophomore release of “Tunnel Vision”

I remember when I first discovered Kill Vargas, a 3 piece punk band from Wichita, KS featuring 3 young high school aged guys, Logan Bush on drums, Austin Engler on Bass, and Griffin Bush on vocals and guitar. I remember thinking “Wow these guys are still in high school and making punk music, how sick is that” while listening to their debut album “Agitator”.  I knew these guys were special from the first time I saw them live. You could tell by their energy and passion on stage that Punk rock is what they are and what they love. They managed to get a pretty big following in Wichita, KS. Any show they were on people were bound to go crazy, because they weren’t just a 3 young guys in a punk rock band. They had creativity and their music was much more unique than the usual local punk rock band. They have influences from many other genres including emo and pop punk. That combination of influences has made Kill Vargas stick out in the music scene.

  I distinctly remember seeing them open for Balance and Composure at Crown Uptown in Wichita and I was very much impressed with their performance, especially in front of a crowd of 100+ people. An entire crowd here for just one band went crazy over an opening local, Kill Vargas. These guys are something special. Logan Bush, their drummer who is incredibly talented might I add,  has continuously pushed this band hard on social media. I would consistently receive a message from Logan on facebook whenever the band had a show coming up or released new music. I’ve talked to Logan numerous times at different shows Kill Vargas had been playing and each time he was very friendly and open to conversation about Kill Vargas and their music. When I was a promoter, I was in the process of setting up a house show for our friends from Oklahoma, Life Lessons, with Jeremy in Wichita and we were brainstorming bands that we wanted to play the show and we both came to the conclusion that not only should Kill Vargas play, they need to headline the show. We found out that night that our decision to add Kill Vargas to the show was a good decision. There were about 60 people attending the show and somehow managed to all fit in the living room of this house just to watch Kill Vargas. You could tell by the energy of the crowd that they were ready for their local punk rock teenagers to start. As soon as they started the crowd lost it, I remember being right up front and glancing behind me every now and then wondering if they people in the room would ever stop moving. I was amazed. I knew Kill Vargas had a big following in Wichita, but i was not expecting for an entire living room of 60 people to be moving around, moshing, and shouting lyrics. I knew from that moment that this band was something special. I’ve been to many house shows and only a few bands had an effect on the crowd like Kill Vargas did. I remember a discussion I was having with Jeremy shortly after about how impressed we were with the show. We made enough money to pay all the bands, the show had an amazing turnout, no police involvement, no fights, all the bands did really well and each one had a great reaction from the crowd. But we were especially impressed with Kill Vargas. Not only did they play an amazing set and had the ability to make the crowd go crazy. But when the schedule was messed up and they ended up play a lot later then we were expecting and they were incredibly professional about it. 

Fortunately, I’ve had the opportunity to listen to “Tunnel Vision” in it’s entirety a few weeks before it’s release. Just two songs in I realized that Kill Vargas not only got very creative on this new release but matured as musicians and evolved their sound all while still sticking to their Punk Rock roots.  This is especially present in their single “Anyways”. One of my favorites on “Tunnel Vision” would definitely have to be “Absolute Zero”, It’s one of their slower songs but it’s very groovy and an extremely creative style of punk. “Young Love” adds a little more emo to the album both with style and lyrically which makes for an incredible song and my second favorite song. My favorite part of “Tunnel Vision” is how they ended the album with the song “Follow My Head” just reminding everyone that although they’ve evolved their sound they’re still the young Punk rock band that everybody originally fell in love with. I also would like to add that their choice of album artwork is absolutely amazing. I think it’s a wonderful design and perfect representation of the album. The artwork was designed and made by Andrew Stephens, a graphic designer and illustrator in Wichita, KS. He is currently the Creative Director at BalanceComp, LLC. He previously designed the album artwork for Kill Vargas’ last album “Agitator”.  

I can say with full confidence that “Tunnel Vision” is already one of my favorite releases in 2017. Kill Vargas will be having their album release show and tour kick off at Mead’s Corner coffee shop in Wichita, KS on Friday, March 17th. I will also have the opportunity to sit down with Kill Vargas and interview them about “Tunnel Vision” and their upcoming tour. I strongly recommend attending this show if at all possible. I have the link below with more information about the show. The single “Anyways” will be release on February 24th and the album will drop on March 17th. 

https://www.facebook.com/events/638609492989918/

Check out the music Kill Vargas has already been released: https://killvargas.bandcamp.com

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People who have inspired me to get involved in music.

The following people are people who have inspired me or motivated me to be involved in music. Most of them started from nothing and made a name for themselves or are currently working their asses off to make a name for themselves.  

The first people I’m going to talk about are two very close friends of mine. People I’ve known for awhile and who are incredible musicians. Ethan Martin and Jeremy Bridges. Both are currently members of the RnB project I discussed in my first post named “AM”. They both have been a huge influence in the direction i want to go with my career. I first met Ethan when i started attending  local shows. My longtime friend Brady was in a band with Ethan which is when I first actually got to know Ethan. I could tell by just talking to him that this guy was very passionate about music. He had some very high but reasonable expectations for Forget About Tomorrow that he discussed with me a few times. I remember one time a fan from South Africa had actually messaged Forget About Tomorrow’s Facebook page stating how much their music meant to her and how it helped get her through a tough time and i remember seeing that make an impact on Ethan and i knew from that moment all he wanted was for people to listen to the music that he’s making and to have people relate to the music on a personal level. I still have yet to meet someone who as smart when it comes to music and songwriting as he is. Ethan is someone that I will always go to for advice on anything. 

Jeremy and I became friends my Sophomore year of high school and we’ve always had a pretty rocky friendship but that’s my dude. We’ve definitely had our ups and downs but i still consider him one of my best friends. I watched him develop into a very seasoned and intelligent musician from not knowing anything about music except that Slipknot was his favorite band. He’s a very determined and motivated guy who knows music is exactly where he belongs and where he’s gonna be for the rest of his life. He’s been a huge help with Tri-Rivers Records and helping me think this project and adventure through. Coming up with ideas and supporting my idea no matter how crazy the idea of starting an Independent Record Label in a highly corporate influenced industry. Seeing his drive to become the best possible musician he can be and to take AM on to do amazing things has inspired me to do that same thing with Tri-Rivers Records. AM’s plans for 2017 are to continue writing music and release it independently later this year after they spend a week writing in Colorado this summer.

I would not be working on this label if it wasn’t for both of these guys.

Check out what they’ve been working on.

https://www.facebook.com/AMrnbks/

The next person I’m gonna talk about is a pretty well-known rapper especially with the mixtape he released in 2016 and his work that’s done with the community in his home city of Chicago. 

Chance the motherfuckin’ Rapper. Not only did this guy take the world by storm by releasing Coloring Books arguably the best release of 2016, but he also was the first artist to release a mixtape that was stream-only and take over the charts for the majority of 2016. Chance has inspired me not only because he is a very successful musician and made himself into one of the best rappers of this generation he is also a political activist. He proved that you don’t need a big label and a lot of money to be a big artist. He did everything on his own with the help of a select few well-known people including Kanye West. “Acid Rap” and “Coloring Books” have both proved to me and the world how great a musician Chance the Rapper is. He is also very involved in his community and politics. The night of the November election he lead thousands on a march to the polls cleverly named “A Parade to the Polls” he also started a campaign and was able to get Chicago to go 42 hours without a single shooting on memorial weekend that was called “#SaveChicago”. He’s made it pretty clear that if you have influence and have the ability to fight for what’s right then you should. He inspires me to continue working independently on Tri-Rivers Records but to always fight for what you believe in and spread love and to just have fun with all of it at the same time. 

The next influence i’m going to talk about is actually a group of people in a band called Linkin Park.

They are the first band I ever liked and still my favorite band. I remember my dad listening to their songs when i was kid and i remember how fucking amazing it was listening to a combination of hip hop and metal which was its very own genre called “Nu Metal”. Not at all popular anymore but in it’s prime Nu-Metal took over the entire world. I consider Linkin Park the kings of that genre because I don’t think anyone has had a bigger influence or impact in Nu Metal besides maybe Rage Against the Machine or Slipknot but these guys definitely knew what they were doing was crazy. Mixing two different genres of music where the fans of each combined genre were very different people but it worked for them and it made them huge. No albums will ever be as good as Meteora or Hybrid Theory which was indefinitely the best era of their existence. I distinctly remember listening to the opening track of Hybrid Theory and knowing immediately that these guys were amazing and talented. Through out these two albums they tackled personal issues that people could relate to and social issues that were occurring during 2000′s. Although i’m not a very big fan of their following 4 albums I still consider them a huge influence for Tri-Rivers Records. They have a long list of helping out different regions of the world out with charity and raising money to help. I think what inspires me most is how different they are from any other band in the world and how they were able to make that work for their benefit and were dubbed by multiple people and magazines as the “Biggest Rock Band in the World”. 

The next person i’m going to talk about is Jake Round owner and founder of Pure Noise Records based in Berkeley, California.

When he started Pure Noise in the fall of 2008 it was to help some friends of his in the band called “No Bragging Rights” release their music and from that point he kept at it until it moved from his apartment to their very own office, just 4 years later. He has some pretty notable bands on his roster including: The Story So Far, Four Year Strong, Terror, and Senses Fail. He inspires me because he just took a risk and made it work and now owns and operates a very successful label. I’ve read plenty of interviews with him and he’s very open about where and how he started. It’s motivating to see where I can take Tri-River Records if I just continuously work at it and become obsessed.

Pure Noise have a pretty talented roster of bands I suggest everyone check it out and i’m sure you’ll find someone you’ll enjoy

My next influence is a man who owns many companies working in different parts of the music industry, the owner and founder of Third String Productions, Third String Records, Evolve Management, and the very successful So What?! Music Festival, Mike Ziemer.

Mike started over a decade ago as a small time promoter in Dallas, TX. Later moved to Los Angeles, California to expand his business. Third String Productions currently operates in not just one but six states across the country. Those states being California, Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. As I stated in my introduction post I am currently working for Third String Productions Kansas under Ryan McFarland bringing bands to Wichita, KS such as The Acacia Strain, Otep, King Lil G, Whitechapel, and The Black Dahlia Murder. Mike, in my opinion is a master in the music industry. Not just because he has some very successful companies but because his professionalism and his knowledge of what does or doesn’t work in the industry. He’s also a prime example of starting from nothing and turning that into something huge. When I first started promoting shows it was my dream to make a living off of doing just that but I saw no way to make enough money to live but then I found out about Third String Productions when I was 17 and studied how consistent he was with shows in Texas and Oklahoma and I realized it was very possible if I just worked hard and continued to remain motivated and inspired. Mike, from what I’ve seen on social media is a very humble guy and he continues to show passion for what he does. Based on the many long posts he’s made encouraging people to follow their dreams and openly giving advice to anyone who asks for it. If you have the chance to, check out what Mike Ziemer has been working on and who he is.

http://www.mikeziemer.com/

http://www.thirdstringproductions.com/

http://thirdstringrecords.com/

http://www.evolvemm.com/

http://sowhatmusicfestival.com/

My next and last influences I’m going to talk about are my amazing girlfriend Maggie and her son Rory. I know it’s typical to talk about someone incredibly close to you as your influence but without these two I would not be pursuing something this crazy. She continuously pushes me to chase my dream of owning a record label no matter how many times I get discouraged or get engulfed in self-doubt. Everyday Rory and her continue to motivate me and guide me on this project. Not only is Maggie an amazing girlfriend and mother but she is also an incredible artist, graphic designer, and activist for females, minorities, LGBTQ, and indigenous peoples rights. She’s currently going to school at Salina Technical University for Graphic Design. She works as a Barista and Events Manager at The Whitepeacock in Lindsborg, KS where we live. She also works for a local organization call Skeleton Crew working on bringing poetry and music events to Salina to positively impact the community. She also continuously works on her artwork and has art shows every few months. I’ve only known Maggie and Rory for 10 months but i can honestly say I have never been happier or more motivated to chase my dreams. They continue to inspire me and push me every single. Check out my girlfriends amazing artwork and graphic design using the link below.

https://www.instagram.com/maggiemaeartist/?hl=en

https://www.facebook.com/MaggieMaeArtist/

Each one of these people I talked about inspire and motivate me everyday to go and do something I love which is being involved in music. I want to run a successful record label. I want to make it easy for bands/artists to get their music heard. I want to be an icon for independent record labels, artists, and other people trying to make it in the industry independently.  I want to make a positive impact in not just my surrounding community but the industry itself. 

“Ask yourself why did you love music in the first place and what can you do to add to the story”  - Kanye West

[tri-riversrecords-blog]

651

I have not signed this project but “651″ is my friend Brady Mathews Nu-metal experiment that he has been working on for the past year or so and I admire what he’s doing so much I felt like it deserved to be talked about. He released his first EP titled “Ideas and Thought Processes” on September 25th of last year after a few months of writing and recording. Brady has been in a number of bands before this project such as, Forget About Tomorrow and Ninth Life. He currently attends Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS full time. I remember Brady stopped by my house a few weeks before he released it to show me the EP and falling in love with it instantly and I loved how it ended with the perfect closing track “Hoax of the Century”. Almost immediately giving me a nostalgic feeling because of the Nu-metal vibe that came with the EP. He takes influences from many bands that we both share a liking for including Deftones, Superheaven, and Armor for Sleep. I love the entire idea of 651,  how he strayed away from the norm and took influences from different genres and bands that he likes then added his own unique Nu-metal style to it. He also makes each and every song a different combination of styles that he enjoys then made it personal with lyrics describing different moments in his life and the way he views things. My favorite songs on this EP would have to be Domestic, Time Killer, and The Situation. 651 is definitely worth you time to check out. He’s currently writing and will be recording a new EP this Spring. 

FFO: Nu-metal, Deftones, Norma Jean, Superheaven, glassjaw, and Armor for Sleep

Bandcamp: https://651core.bandcamp.com/releases

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Intro to Tri-Rivers Records adventures.

Tri-Rivers Records, let me first begin with the origin of our name. Being a Central Kansas based record label i wanted to give the name and label overall a local vibe. I was born and raised in Salina, Kansas and we’re known to be surrounded by three rivers, the Smokey Hill River, Saline River, and Solomon River hence the name “Tri-Rivers”. I currently reside in Lindsborg, Kansas with my family.  I developed a deep interest in being involved with music my Junior year in high school in 2013 when I started attending local hardcore shows at a venue called Indian Rock Lodge. I started as a show goer and then I became a promoter about a year after being involved in the local scene. By that time a lot of the original show goers had grown up, made families, or moved else where and our local scene began to diminish. For awhile it was very hard to get even 20 people to go to my shows. When i realized that people weren’t interested in attending my shows and with graduation on the way i decided to take a break from promoting shows.  I then began working with my friends’ pop punk band Forget About Tomorrow mostly selling their merch. We went on one summer tour in 2014 and a few months after that they decided to call it quits due to the their different musical interests and directions they wanted to go with music. From then and all through 2015 i was not involved in anything musically and began to struggle both financially with myself personally. After that very rough year and a half i decided that i would start 2016 off being involved with music again and i started working with my friends Ethan Martin and Jeremy Bridges RnB project called AM. Some of my friends involved in that project were also apart of Forget About Tomorrow. They played variety of shows through out 2016 and worked on becoming better musicians and exploring different and creative ways to incorporate band instruments to make RnB music. They’re currently working on writing music and recording music to be released later this year. I also began working with Third String Productions Kansas, a branch off of Third String Productions based out of Los Angeles, CA. They’re a production company that book tours from all sorts of genres in cities through out the United States including Dallas/Fort Worth area, Houston, Wichita, and Omaha. We’ve managed to book some pretty big names in music all through out 2016 and we have some pretty big things planned for 2017. That’s a little background about myself and my involvement in music.

I want Tr-Rivers Records to be solid proof that you can start from absolutely nothing and be successful independent record label. I wanna promote the bands I love and help get their music heard. I wanna make a name for myself in the music industry. I will consistently post updates and talk about music through this adventure. I hope people will take an interest and give me a follow. I’ve got some plans for 2017 and it’s going to be a great year. 

- Brandon Burch