Dromedary Records was was one of the lesser known indie labels of the 1990's but the small New Jersey label has a strong following and was run with passion by one man: Al Crisafulli. Al "retired" from the indie music biz a decade ago and decided to focus on other interests (like raising a family). The magic came back and Al decided to restart the label earlier this year and has big plans for the future. Al took some time out to answer my questions.

When did the label originally begin? What was the first release?
The label originally got started in late 1992. Our first release was an utterly forgettable compilation of New Jersey bands called …Nothing Smells Quite Like Elizabeth, which was released in February of 1993.

Why start a record label anyway? What labels influenced you in the beginning?
I’ve always been that guy who wants to sit his friends down and play them some great band they’ve never heard before. When we were young and stupid, my wife Sandy and I decided that there was really nothing stopping us from doing it on a bigger scale by starting our own label. The more we poked around, trying to find reasons not to do it, the more interesting the idea became – until we finally decided to give it a shot.

Our early influences were the companies that, at the time, were mid-sized indies that had sprung up out of regional scenes around the country and were documenting those scenes in an interesting way – labels like Merge, Scat, C/Z, Teen Beat – basically the indies that we felt at the time were getting records out there on shoestring budgets, out of a love for music and a desire to give bands the ability to succeed outside the mainstream.

What was the climate like in the indie rock scene at the time?
I think the early 90s was an exciting time for indie music. Small DIY labels were springing up everywhere, and there was a great network of clubs, noncommercial radio stations and zines that all shared similar ideals. There were a lot of super-creative people making beautiful, meaningful things – whether they were great records, compelling zines, creative packaging, cool shows, regional indie festivals, whatever. I think it was an incredibly creative period.

Did you feel a kinship with any other labels out there at the time? If so, why?
No question. There was a small group of indies that we got to know to varying degrees, and I felt that we had a lot in common – in terms of ideals, if not music. There was Ratfish Records, Mag Wheel, Pop Narcotic, and Harriet Records, all in New England. On the West Coast there was a small label called Silver Girl, and in the Chicago there was Carrot Top. There were a handful of others as well, scattered around the country.

I watched everything those labels did – first, because they put out a lot of great music, and second, because we did a lot of things the same way, so it was a great way for me to learn. All those labels were very supportive of each other, sharing resources and ideas, introducing each other to bands and distributors, helping each other’s bands book local shows, basically helping and encouraging one another. One time I just showed up in San Diego, picked up the phone and introduced myself to the guys from Silver Girl, and with no advance notice they spent two days with me, sitting in bars and talking music. Before I left, they took a big stack of our records and consigned them to record stores all over town.

Another time I latched on to something like 70,000 of those little yellow 7” adapters, and sent them to every micro-indie I knew. You may have never bought a record from Dromedary, but if you bought a 7” from a tiny label in the early 90s, chances are that it came with a free adapter that I pulled out of the dumpster at my dayjob. Everyone sort of helped one another out like that.

There were a number of times during that period where I ran into dilemmas that I didn’t know how to resolve – issues with bands, problems with printers or distributors, things like that – and it seemed there was always someone out there to help me navigate through those issues. Even today I have no idea what I’m doing, so its always nice to be able to ask questions of people who are supportive and willing to share their knowledge.

How did the records do? Were people supportive of the label?
For a micro-indie with no budget and weak distribution, we did about as well as could be expected. Some of our titles sold pretty well, others not. But people were always very supportive – it still blows my mind to think of some of the bands that we were getting to know, or some of the great letters we received from people who fell in love with our records. To me, while I always wanted to sell more records, that was mainly so that we could keep growing – the best part of it was always knowing that we’d helped turn someone on to a band like Cuppa Joe or The Mommyheads.

When we released The Mommyheads’ Flying Suit in 1994, it opened a lot of doors – it was a great record by an excellent band with a big cult following. After that, we became better recognized as a label. At the same time, it was a mixed blessing, since we weren’t able to grow quickly enough to keep up with all the opportunities that came our way after that record.

Why did you decide to quit (or at least go in indefinite hiatus)?
There were a variety of factors involved. Initially, I got really frustrated with the way our records were being distributed – or not being distributed. It got to be a big expense, financially and otherwise, and at the same time Sandy and I were young and starting a family. Our priorities started to lean a bit more in the direction of wanting to be a little more financially secure, and with a new baby we were no longer able to spend our nights running around to shows and running the label. I’d work til one, two in the morning on Dromedary and then just sit and stare at my baby boy in his crib, wondering what he did that I missed that day. It got to be a huge emotional drain. I sort of lost track of why I was doing Dromedary, and I was a basket case because of it.

Then, once we’d taken some time off and recharged a bit, my best friend (and a big piece of Dromedary) Rich Grasso got ill and ultimately passed away. He was the smartest, most creative and talented guy I’d ever met, and he got taken away at just 32 years old. When that happened, it just sort of squashed any desire I had to give it another shot. I lost most of my interest in music for a long time.

Why did you decide to return?
Over the years, we found ourselves telling various stories about things that happened with Dromedary, and the stories were always fun to tell. In 2009, as a New Years’ resolution, I decided to slowly start putting the whole story of the label down in writing. I’m sort of a pack rat, so I pulled together all the things I’d saved over the years, laid them out chronologically, and began telling the story in blog format (dromedaryrecords.wordpress.com).

The whole thing was just supposed to be a cathartic sort of creative exercise for me, but as more people interacted with it, and we started re-kindling relationships with people from that time, I started to get the bug again. People were reading the stories in the blog, and emailing me to ask why they couldn’t get the music I was writing about, since it had all gone out of print. And as I was writing down these stories, I started to remember how much fun it was – all the memories that lasted were positive ones; the negative ones sort of seemed unimportant. By the summer I was thinking about how we might re-frame the way we did things, maybe do it again, utilizing technology a bit better, maybe prioritizing things a bit differently.

What crystallized it all was when Sandy somehow got Footstone to reunite and play a show for my 40thbirthday. They had broken up in 1999 under shitty circumstances, and here they were, playing together for the first time in a decade – they sounded great, and the music had held up so well. It was an unbelievably fun day. At that point I sort of realized that there was still a lot we could do, in terms of getting music out there. I’m a little older now, and it’s no longer my desire to do indie rock for a living – I already have a career. So with that pressure no longer an issue, it’s a lot easier to focus solely on the music, and the fun of it. And obviously, technology has evolved to the point where we can do a lot of this stuff less expensively and more efficiently than in the past.

Plus my little baby is in high school now, and he thinks its cool that his mom and dad run an indie label.

How have things changed in the ensuing years that the label was dormant?
Basically, it’s a completely different business than it was when we shut down. We’re learning everything all over again. So much has changed that it’s a lot like starting a brand-new indie from scratch. The only thing that hasn’t changed is the fact that we love music and want to get it out there for people to hear.

When we shut things down it was 1996. The MP3 was just beginning to take hold as a viable format, and things like Napster had just begun to change the dynamic of how music could be distributed. Obviously it’s a totally different world now.

But beyond the obvious stuff like ‘oh, you can download music off the net now,’ I think the biggest change has been in the way that bands and fans can build relationships. Today, people can read something about a band, or hear a song somewhere, and then learn about that band almost immediately. They can read their bio, watch some video, get on the band’s mailing list, check out their tour itinerary, send them an email.

In a way, this is great, because it really closes the gap between the artist and the consumer. It allows bands to build relationships directly with fans, and it allows labels to do the same. It’s my sincere hope that this will force the record industry to adapt and stop putting out so much awful music, because music fans can engage directly with the band, and hear the music before they buy it. So in theory, they’re less likely to shell out the cash to buy a bad album, or waste their time with a shitty band.

At the same time, the nature of the glut has completely changed, as bands can now record their music at home for virtually nothing, and then distribute it online themselves. There are literally thousands of music blogs, and even more bands and labels out there, and it’s tougher to find the best stuff since the signal-to-noise ratio is so high. And since the music is pretty easy to pirate and distribute via the torrent sites and such, labels have a tougher time actually selling their music. Since we’ve been back, I’ve spoken to guys at decent-sized indies and in excellent bands who are selling just a fraction of what they’d sell ten years ago. Bands selling a few hundred copies of records – or less - that previously would sell in the thousands.

So the challenge is to figure out ways to embrace technology to make you cheaper, more efficient, and build better relationships with fans, while not having it kill you on the back end because your music is now flowing freely among those people that don’t want to pay for it. It’s an interesting time for indie rock, that’s for sure.

What is upcoming for the label? Any surprises?
We’re just about to release a digital-only EP from an unbelievable power-pop band called Stuyvesant, calledJihad Me At Hello. Stuyvesant is, right now, my favorite band, and we really think everyone who loves guitar-based indie rock needs to hear them. So we’ll be giving the EP away for free, just in exchange for an email address.

Then in the fall, we’re coming back with a new record from The Mommyheads. They’re such a phenomenal band, and they had such rabid fans, but unfortunately so much of their music has gone out of print over the years. So we’ll be releasing Finest Specimens, which is a collection of fan favorites and the band’s best work from their entire catalog – kind of a “Best Of The Mommyheads” sort of thing. It’s a great representation of the band, and includes some live tracks that have never been released before. That one will come out in October, and will be accompanied by some US gigs.

We’ve also got a few other surprises planned, but if I told you what they were, they would no longer be surprises.

What is some advice you would give to a label starting out?
Do it because you love it. Be friends with your bands, but even if you’re friends, it is critical that you spell out your mutual responsibilities and set expectations. Even if it has to be in writing. It’s awkward and uncomfortable, but nowhere near as awkward and uncomfortable as it will be when you have a disagreement over something that’s not explicitly spelled out.

What is one record you wish you would have released?
Wanna Drag? by Jenifer Convertible. Jenifer Convertible were an outstanding East Village noise pop band in the mid 90s – one of my favorite bands ever. We were friends with them back in the day, and signed them in 1995. Unfortunately, I shut down Dromedary just before we were supposed to pick up the final masters of this album from them – so we never released the record. Ultimately it came out on another label, and it wasfantastic, but not releasing it on Dromedary before we went on hiatus was the only real regret that I have.

Thankfully I’ve got a chance to right that wrong, as we’ve reconnected with the guys from Jenifer Convertible and will be reissuing some of their music in 2011.

What is one current band you would love to work with?
Lions.Chase.Tigers. They’re an awesome band from Scotland that appeared on our Haiti benefit compilation in January – they write super-powerful, noise-flavored heavy, emotional pop songs with a tinge of post-rock. They’re excellent musicians and their singer has a really distinctive, expressive voice. I’d love to put out their next record and help expose people to them in the States.

What would be your top 10 desert island discs?

Al Dromedary’s Top 10 Early ‘90s Regional Micro-Indie Releases

1) Various Artists: Why Do You Think They Call It Pop? (Pop Narcotic) – the best compilation ever. EVER.
2) Moviola: The Year You Were Born (Anyway) – magnificent low-fi indie rock from Columbus, this band evolved into one of the greatest roots-oriented bands going.
3) Toast: Beatriz EP (Ratfish) – Toast were a fantastic indie rock band from Portsmouth, NH, members of which moved on to Kittywinder and Unbunny.
4) Gapeseed: Lo Cell (Silver Girl) – Noisy math rock from NYC. If you can find this record, BUY IT.
5) Ff: “I’m Happy” 7” (Grid) – a wall of fuzz and pop from Brooklyn; “I” is still one of my all-time favorite songs.
6) Various Artists: Follow The Bouncing Ball (BaDaBing). Brilliant, mellow compilation featuring Spent, Bardo Pond, Jessamine, and more.
7) Wimp Factor 14: Ankle Deep (Harriet). Literate indie pop.
8) Jenifer Convertible: “Car Song” 7” (Puddle). Powerful, aggressive noise pop.
9) The Mommyheads: Bingham’s Hole (Dot Dot Dash). Assuming it’s bad form to put Dromedary releases on such a list as this, Bingham’s Hole was equally masterful. Plus it had a funkier groove.
10) Scrawl: Velvet Hammer (Simple Machines). Arguably the best record on a label run by the nicest people, who influenced and encouraged so many other indies.

Dromedary discography?
DCD001/DRT001: Various Artists: Nothing Smells Quite Like Elizabeth (1993) – hit or miss compilation of NJ bands from the early ‘90s.

DRM001: Melting Hopefuls: “Suck My Heart” 7” (1993) – this was a 7” that the band self-released in 1992, that we added to our catalog in early ’93.

DRM002: cuppa joe: busy work e.p. 7” (1993) – three-song 7” from a great indie pop band from Trenton. First pressing of 500 on cherry-red vinyl with hand-colored, hand-numbered sleeves. Second pressing of 250 on black vinyl.

DRM003: Melting Hopefuls: “Pulling an Allnighter on Myself” 7” (1993) – two great songs from the band that eventually evolved into Elk City.

DRM004: Footstone: Wobbles From Side To Side 7” (1994) – debut 7” from what became a great NJ/NY pop/punk band.

DRM005: cuppa joe: Nurture CD – (1994) fantastic CD with great original artwork by drummer/illustrator Steve Spatucci, which we irreparably mangled with an awful silkscreen job.

DRM006: The Mommyheads: Flying Suit CD (1994) – outstanding indie pop CD that many call one of the finest indie releases of the 90s.

DRM007: Footstone: Lippy CD (1995) – huge-sounding CD that only hinted at the band’s eventual greatness. Unfortunately, though, this was their final indie release. Next year we’ll be putting out a bunch of their stuff that never saw the light of day. They were one of the best bands ever to come out of New Jersey.

DRM008: Footsone: Wobbles From Side To Side EP (remastered – 2010) – remastered, digital-only version of the band’s 7”, with one previously unreleased track. Available free online from Dromedary.

DRM009: Cuppa Joe: Nurture (2010) – Reissue of the band’s debut CD, containing a new mix of one track, plus four previously unreleased tracks from the same era. Digital-only release.

DRM010: Friends, Romans, Countrymen: I Am Spartacus CD (2010) – Reissue from this well-known NJ pop-core band, available via download or on CD.

DRM011: Various Artists: Make The Load Lighter: Indie Rock for Haiti (2010) – Benefit compilation for Haiti quake victims, download-only. Features tracks from There Will Be Fireworks, The Mommyheads, Moviola, Footstone, Cuppa Joe, Gena Rowlands Band, Lions.Chase.Tigers, and more.

DRM012: The Mommyheads: Flying Suit (remastered) (2010): Beautifully remastered version of their classic CD, containing three bonus tracks not available on the original release. Available via download and on CD-R.

DRM013: Stuyvesant: Jihad Me At Hello (2010): Free digital-only EP to serve as an introduction to this phenomenal NJ crunch-pop band

Final thoughts? Words of wisdom?
If you’re a fan of music, I totally understand the inclination to jump online and grab a pirated copy of some record you’re into. But if you’re going to do that, please take a minute and think about the people making the music. If you like the music, keep in mind that the guys who made it can’t work for free forever. If they can’t sell their work, eventually it will become too costly for them to make, and then you lose out on hearing more music from a band you like. So if you like it, please pay for the record, or at least go buy a T-shirt, or see them live, or do something to put a few dollars in that band’s pockets.