Many bands would kill to get signed by a major label. But renowned rock band …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead said it feels like prison.
The band played Wednesday night at The Spanish Moon for the first time in five years.
The Trail of the Dead put on a lively concert, a show band member Jason Reece said was better than the band’s performance this past year at the House of Blues in New Orleans.
Earlier this year, the band chose to leave Interscope Records after recording three albums with the label.
Conrad Keely, band frontman, is content with this.
“Now I’m free to do what I want,” Keely said.
He said the band is in negotiations with a few labels but is considering working alone because of the artistic freedom it will allow.
Keely said there are advantages and disadvantages of working with a major label.
While signing with a major label would help a band receive increased exposure, it can also limit a band’s creative freedom, Keely said.
“[Interscope] was cool about letting us do what we want to do in the studio,” Reece said. “When it came to promoting our music after it was done – that’s where the problem lied.”
After having an office at Interscope Record’s headquarters in New York, Keely said he has a better understanding of why his band had that problem. Keely saw this coming and could see that things were not going well with the company.
He said many of the problems were caused by the state of the recording industry as a whole.
Keely said Interscope did not embrace the Internet enough, choosing to promote the band through traditional means instead of embracing the digital age.
“They just don’t want to let go,” Reece said.
The record companies have a mode of operation that restricts their creativity, Keely said. He said major labels have been buying independent labels since the ’90s, giving them control of many of the more creative outlets.
Keely and Reece said they would like to see a change in music, not just the industry.
Keely said he would like to hear more politically driven and socially relevant music. Reece said today’s music is more focused on style than relevance.
Jude Durousseau, visual arts senior at The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, said the band is energetic and put forth a lot of effort in their act Wednesday night.
He said it’s a shame they aren’t at the top of the music charts and is disappointed more people aren’t interested in their music.
——Contact Adam Pfleider at [email protected]