Heck of a Deal!
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They're not spending a lot of money trying to teach us how to dance or how to, like, look onstage. There's input. They give us advice, you know, but we're self-contained in that regard. So, we sort of take care of that ourselves and we sort of show them [what we're doing] and then they say, "Well, you know you could step it up a notch. We can give you money, maybe, for a light show." Nobody's holding our hand and like tucking us in at night at the record label ... There are artists who have that, you know.
 Photo courtesy Antigone Rising and Lava Records Kristen and Dena on stage at Giant Stadium |
Antigone's relationship with Lava Records has so far been quite rewarding. They were lucky to be signed by a label that is truly interested in them and believe in their ability. Kristen describes the state of things:
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[When Jason Flom] made an offer, we looked at each other in so much shock 'cause we had always been like, "Eh," you know, we weren't looking for it. We looked at each other, and we went, "Do we want to do this?" And we were, like, "Yeah." ... The funny thing is, at that point, when he made the offer, we didn't have a lawyer. Because we weren't looking for a deal and there's no reason to have a lawyer ... [But] we didn't f--- around with other labels. We didn't -- we just went with Jason. We loved him. You could tell he loved the band. He really believed in it and he got it ... So far Lava has been amazing.
One of the challenges that now face Antigone Rising is that by signing the deal, they are no longer truly independent artists. For years, this has been one of their greatest qualities and has been a strong point that has helped earn the respect of both fans and critics. No self-respecting independent artist can sign a record deal without trembling at the whispers of those dreaded words: "Sell-out."
Antigone Rising is now in a precarious position where one of the most important selling points of any band can be damaged: their image.
