Kalistani Major History

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Dana Poppunks The Progeny Form new Record Label
Aimed at providing underground Dana groups wider distribution
Dana, Suldanor
April 4, 5049


The Progeny is still poppy, but offers a sharper edge to the Dana Punk scene than colleagues FStop

In the wake of the success of Dana poppunk band FStop, A&R executives from Kalistan's four main record companies, KMI, ARC, VDR, and LTD records have descended once more on the northern Suldanor town and surrounding environs looking for the next big hit. But one Dana punk band is not interested in competing with other members of their scene. Dana poppunks The Progeny have joined with recording Engineer Tomas Estrada to found Sulari-based Last Chance Records, specifically to promote Southern Kalistani punk and rock bands, and punk adjacent music.

"We looked back on the structure of Kalistani music," said The Progeny lead singer Dutch Gilbert, "and even the independent labels are no longer independents. The Kalistani Music Industry is ruled by four major labels and all independent labels are just imprints and vanity labels that are affiliated with the Four Majors. But at the end of the day, those majors focus primarily on the tastes of Kaliburg. The Radio plays what Kaliburg audiences want to hear. M7 plays what Kaliburg audiences want to hear. In Sulari and Dana, we get to hear what Kaliburg Audiences want to hear. Meanwhile, Kaliburg hasn't had a huge act since like (Jennifer) Stepanov, and she wasn't really all that big before she died. Meanwhile, Dana and Suldanor has dominated the music scene for almost a century and a half."

Cofounder Tomas Estrada, whose main experience is behind the boards, laid out the Label's focus. "We want to sign Punk and punk adjacent acts, and be the primary outlet for Punk, ska, and hardcore acts in Kalistan. Our ethic is DIY: We will give our artists free reign to make the kind of record they want. We'll make the facilities and equipment available for a nominal fee, because let's face it: punk bands aren't rich. We'll handle pressing, publicity and distribution. And we'll take a cut of the sales on the backend, so if the record does well, so does the band and so do we. But we want to give punks a chance to get heard, and get the message out about punk. So we'll operate a bit closer to our margin than the majors ever could, and project to make up any losses with scale."


LCR Logo

While Gilbert brings years of experience and credibility among the local Dana scene, Estrada brings a controlling interest in Dana Records, a local pressing company. "We're going for a vertical monopoly," said Estrada. "We'd like to have every punk band in Dana and Sulari on our label, but we won't just be signing bands: We're also pressing the records." Gilbert noted that the new company also has an aggressive PR Strategy. "Yeah, it involves guerilla marketing. Like hiring a gang of kids to promote our shows, going to records stores in every corner of the Republic and getting records placed, and playing LCR music on college radio stations. We aim to put a small army of kids on the payroll by year's end just to work promotions." LCR also has stakes in several clubs in Dana, and owns one punk rock venue outright in Sulari.

"We are bringing all this into the label so we can help these bands record and distribute their music without having to be rich," said Estrada. "Will all the music be great? No, of course. Punk rock is very often just garbage. But what matters is if our guys do it with heart. If a band comes in and doesn't leave everything in the booth, we're not going to be satisfied. We're not going to half ass anything! Punk is a call to revolution! Every single record we make will have that kind of intensity, or we won't release it."

The Progeny plans to begin recording their first record on LCR late this summer.