“Celebrity” Interview with Jacob Bannon of Deathwish, Malfunction, Converge, and Irons

I am excited to bring your another volume of our “celebrity interviews”. This time around, Jacob Bannon of Deathwish, Malfunction, Converge, Irons, and about a million other projects was kind enough to answer some questions about why most of his bands put out vinyl, and you will be surprised to hear his answers to his most prized record, what he would kill to own, and his last 5 record purchases.

It should go without saying (but I will say it) that I have nothing but the upmost respect for Jacob, his labels, and pretty much everything he does. There are a lot of label owners and band members out there that just don’t get it. I can say without hesitation that not only does Jacob pay close attention to every detail of every decision he makes, he has adapted to the many changes that continue to occur in the music industry. Everything he is involved with is done with so much care. Look at their website, for example, and you can only imagine how much time and effort that was put into it. Look at the vast catalog of releases from his labels and from his bands and you will see that the not only are his releases well recorded and mind blowing, but the artwork and packaging are artistically beautiful. Besides being a label head and band member, Jacob handles the art for so many of his releases and releases on labels all over the world. He has a style all his own and you can usually identify a release he prepared the art for as it looks like nothing else out there. It is because of this that I recently asked if he might be interested in designing a future Vinyl Collective t-shirt and I am excited to say that sometime in 2008, we will have a Jacob Bannon Vinyl Collective T-shirt.

Thanks Jacob for taking the time to do this interview and I hope everyone out there takes a second to not only read the interview but to also check out his labels, his bands, and his artwork.

Oh and on a side note, Jacob Bannon is a member of the Vinyl Collective message board. How cool is that?

VC: Your name, the band/label you are in/work with, and where you guys are from?
JB: My name is Jacob Bannon. I am co-owner in Deathwish/Malfunction labels. I am also an artist/musician involved in a variety of projects; Converge, Irons, as well as my own solo work. I’ve also done a great deal of visual work for other bands and labels as well. I currently live North of Boston.

VC: How many records do you own?
JB: I own about 2500 albums or so in some format or another, at least that’s what my iTunes is telling me today.

VC: Why do you collect vinyl?
JB: I collect certain artist’s vinyl and other items related to them: J. Broadrick/Godflesh/Jesu, Michael Gira/Swans/Angels Of Light, Danzig, Leviathan, Sophia, The God Machine, etc. These are all artists that continue to interest me enough to collect vinyl from when I stumble upon it. I “collect” fine art and prints as well, probably more so than music these days. I also have a thing for band T-Shirts, which I’ve been obsessed with since I was in elementary school.

VC: Your band has had several vinyl releases; how important is it that your releases come out on vinyl?
JB: Extremely important in my opinion. Vinyl is a format with soul and character compared to other medias. I appreciate that a great deal.

VC: What is your most prized record in your collection?
JB: Honestly I would have no idea. I’m sure that I have releases/test presses that certain people would salivate over but I don’t see that kind of value in them. I tend to give away most of my “valued” releases to people who would appreciate them more than I would. Personally my vinyl copy of Starkweather’s “Crossbearer” album means a great deal to me. It is so warped, dog-eared and tattered at this point that it would be of no interest to purists/collectors. To me though it’s priceless. It was my best friend and changed my life when I was younger and I will always be appreciative of that.

VC: What release would you like to see come out on vinyl that hasn’t yet been released?
JB: Most music that I enjoy has had some sort of vinyl release. I suppose there are some limited CDR releases that I would enjoy seeing released on vinyl; Dead Raven Choir, Tarantula Hawk, etc.

VC: What is the most you have spent for a record?
JB: $10-$20 I suppose. Nothing too substantial as I am not that much of a collector, and I don’t purchase music too often. I get more satisfaction out of making things as oppose to collecting.

VC: What out of print record would you kill to own?
JB: I’m always looking for original Leviathan cassette demos, even duplicate copies to those I have. If you have one, get in touch.

VC: Your last 5 record that you purchased?
JB: Manes “How The World Came To An End” Digital
Ulver “Shadows Of The Sun” CD/T-Shirt Pre-order
PJ Harvey “White Chalk” Digital
Angels Of Light “We Are Him” CD
Jesu “Lifeline” CDEP