Fueled By Ramen- Record Label (Aaron)

Interviews | Feb 24th, 2005

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What is your name? what do you do at fueled by ramen? and who else works with you?
hi, im aaron. pleased to meet you. i keep the books here, do everything related to the web except create the website. leo and max chiao did that up in rochester, ny. they kick serious ass. in the office, john runs the show and tony, ryan, jason and i are pee-ons. we probably have an average of 3 people in here at once. vinnie is usually on the road with less than jake but its nice to see him here once in a while.

where is fueled by ramen located?
we’re in gainesville, florida… if mickey just popped in your head when i said “florida” then go read something else. this is a straight up college town. i think when you turn a certain age they make you leave. they gave the professors at the university a reservation about 10 miles outside of town and they’re all alcoholics and theres all these casinos… it’s really sad.

where did the name fueled by ramen come from…… and does it have anything to do with ramen noodles?
fueled by ramen is just this whole idea of being broke and in college, which is how the label started out. ramen (for anyone who doesn’t know) is this little brick of noodles with seasoning that you get at the store for like 11 cents. no, we don’t eat it at work. i’d eat it at home if my brother would do a single dish in his lifetime.

what are some of your favorite online zines? i heard you were a big fan of readjunk.com…..
i am a big fan of readjunk.com indeed. i love all the zines i work with. check out our links page, all the zines in there rock. i wish i knew how to read them.

how did you get your job at fueled by ramen? and what would you suggest to others looking to get into the music business such as yourself?
i started as an intern here and i was so good at the sucky sucky that they let me actually start using their computers… before you know it, here i am making important decisions, handling sensitive information, and making bad jokes. for anyone looking to get into the music business, stalking seems to work or just call up and say “hey gimme a job”. really though, i was asked to come in two days a week as an intern and i did five. now that i actually work here its more like 6 and you dont count hours unless its under 8. its all about work ethic.

what did you think about this years presidential election if florida….. were you one of the dumb ones the messed everything up?
the election was rigged. jeb bush is a cock. same with george bush, george w. bush, george p. bush and barbara. there, that ought to get me assasinated for sure. i voted for nader. a lot of people supported nader and got scared and voted for gore in the end. i dont think voting is a game of strategy the way that campaigning is. im not out to “block” anyone. if i had cast my vote for al gore, then to me that means i would have to feel he was the best candidate and it just wasn’t the case.

are there any bands you just can’t bring yourself to listen to? if so……. what are they and what can’t you stand?
well i cant really pinpoint what it is i dont like about these bands, being just a matter of taste, but i cant bring myself to listen to: at the drive in, modest mouse, the make up, blur, or atom and his package. im sure ill get sent about 5 mix tapes with all these bands now.

i know that vinny of less than jake is partial owner of the company…… but does less than jake have anything to do with the label at all and what’s vinny actual do for the company?
yeah vinnie is half owner here but hes usually so busy with ltj that we dont get a chance to talk to him or see him in here. we did some of their 7″ early in the label’s history and we distribute their “goodbye blue and white” they just put out on their own. vinnie helps out a lot though by for instance, splitting the less than jake booth at warped tour with us, signing blueline medic on a tour in australia. just neat odds and ends that only he’d be able to do.

does fueled by ramen actually listen to band demos that are sent to them? what does it take for a band to get signed? who makes the final choice?
it would be impossible to hear every demo but we really do try. theres not enough time in the day to hear the amount of stuff we get sent… there was one worth mentioning though. The Orange Conspiracy from so. cal. we won’t put them out but we enjoy the cd almost daily. thanks guys! to get signed, a band has to send a demo, include a bio citing who plays what instrument (knowing that johnny fiddledick plays bass is more important that you might think), and then call us every day hounding us with “have you listened to our demo yet?” we all choose together on bands becuase its really hard to push someone if youre not into their music. anyone that works in promotion or sales could tell you that.

who are all the bands on fueled by ramen?
pollen, jersey, the impossibles, recover, the stereo, blueline medic, cadillac blindside, frodus, and nirvana.

what’s the funniest/most interesting fueled by ramen experience you can share with the general public?
i have a feeling it might be coming up at macrock 2001.

do you think bill clinton really got it on with monica lewinsky? would you?
hell yeah he did. i dont want to beat a dead horse, though. i’d rather beat someone else. how about your mother?

what do you think of mullets? would you grow one?
mullets are cheap thrills. i have a good mullet wig but when it comes down to it, thats like tim allen level comedy. i’m way more into mustaches as comedy. bruce mcculloch would agree i’m sure.

why should someone reading this go out and buy one of fueled by ramens new releases? what are the newest releases and when are they coming out?
someone should buy our new releases cause they fucking rule. im not always a big swearer, but when i do, you know i mean business. for instance the blueline medic ep is really good… the full length in july is incredible. we have a master here. same with the impossibles… you like return? then the 4_song_brick_bomb ep is going to slap you silly. frodus is one of my personal favorites. the new stereo is the same great pop that their last album turned heads with. the cadillac blindside stuff sounds sweet and its not even mastered yet. the jersey ep will please the kids that like the straight up punk sound, and our newest band, recover, is going to absolutely turn things upside down in the rock world.

if you could choose a type of pizza that best expresses your personality…… what would it be and why?
mustache pizza. think about it!

if the blink 182 of today came to fueled by ramen and wanted to be signed, would fbr even consider them? why or why not?
you mean if some band came along that would be all over mtv and the radio, sell millions of albums and make the label some money? gee, we’d have to think over it a while. if you know any bands like that tell them to call me.

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