OAK APPLE RECORDS
By Chris Schieman
As the age of mp3s quickly kills the CD, some individuals keep the faith with the obsolescing form of music.
“It’s like how my parents are with vinyl, that’s how I am with CDs,” begins Nathaniel Sutton, the mastermind behind Edmonton’s newest independent record label, Oak Apple Records. “I might not have a choice in the future to go digital, but I’m there to the bitter end with CDs.”
The 27-year-old Edmonton native began playing music 15 years ago. He started recording his own songs on his mother’s old computer. Soon, he moved on to playing in cover bands, but that just wasn’t his thing. From there, Sutton began writing and recording his solo material that was soon picked up by Engineer Records in the U.S.
“I had always been interested in starting a label and my experiences with Engineer Records only got me more interested,” Sutton comments on his previous label experience. “So, when it came around to doing my second CD, I figured that I’d put it out on my own label.”
It wasn’t long before Sutton was on the Internet looking up different things, trying to come up with a name for his label.
“I had looked up a list of different insects and I had found one called an ‘oak apple gall wasp,’ ” Sutton reports about how the name came about. “Something about the name really clicked with me.”
Once Sutton was able to establish Oak Apple Records, it seemed like a no brainer to also sign the two other bands with which he is heavily involved: Taking Medication and Making a Monster.
“I don’t find it overwhelming to be in so many different bands. I was in all of these bands before I started the label,” Sutton furthers about his musical endeavours. “If one band were to get busier, I would probably have to drop out. I want the label to be my full-time commitment.”
And committed Sutton certainly has been with Oak Apple Records as the label’s roster now consists of six bands, including the newest signing, Fear of Crime.
“(Fear of Crime) are actually releasing their EP at the Brixx Bar and Grill in Edmonton on December 17,” Sutton says. “Actually, every Oak Apple Records band, except for my solo material, is playing that weekend. Opening the Fear of Crime EP release is my sister, Bailey Sutton, and Making a Monster. Then the next night is the Fresh Fruit release show.”
Fresh Fruit: Volume One is a sampler disc that Sutton assembled to not only showcase the Oak Apple Records bands, but also some of the best bands currently in Edmonton.
“I put this sampler together because, growing up, I was really into Deep Elm Records’ The Emo Diaries CDs,” explains Sutton about the compilation that took him close to a year to assemble. “I wanted to showcase the local talent and show people that there is great local music in Edmonton; there is so much talent in this city.”
A lot of the potential that Sutton is talking about includes the Sky Life, Raptors, Desert Boys, Hotel of the Laughing Tree and Fools Tongue, who are all featured on the compilation.
“Sometimes, people forget how important it is to support local artists,” observes Sutton. “My hope is that in this process, someone else can discover these bands and help them out with things that are far greater than my abilities.”
Sutton remains busy juggling being married, working as a roofer with the City of Edmonton, performing in three separate projects and running a record label, but it’s all worth it.
“Right now, I’m just a stepping stone as a label, but I want it to be so much more,” Sutton concludes about Oak Apple Records’ current role. “I want this label’s roster to grow. I’m not expecting money for fame. I just want to be able to have a job I actually like. It’s the mindset you got to be in.”
