Tess Brunet of Lagniappe Records and The Chambers musician Alex Abel. Photos by Collin Richie
Tess Brunet knows a thing or two about being a working musician. The 36-year-old played drums in Deadboy & the Elephantmen, Generationals and Twin Tigers (to name a few) before writing her own material with her band The Black Orchids.
Throughout her career, she realized that catering to record labels wasn’t her cup of tea.
“Based on my personal experience, if you’re going to play music, stay off a label as long as you possibly can,” she says.
This month, Brunet and her husband, Patrick Hodgkins, launch their do-it-yourself label, Lagniappe Records, the same namesake as their popular vinyl store on St. Joseph Street. The do-it-yourself concept means that a band, along with Hodgkins and Brunet, will be doing all of the legwork associated with the release. Together, they’ll schedule shows, send out press releases to regional publications and press their own vinyl.
The first release is a 7-inch single from The Chambers, a young rock duo with 17-year-old guitarist/vocalist Alex Abel and 19-year-old drummer Jordan Farho, recorded with sound engineer John Tulley at The Legendary Noise Floor.
Brunet knows creating a label sounds contradictory to her M.O., but her idea is more about mentoring younger area bands that are super-talented music makers but don’t quite know the ropes yet.
“I just wanted to, in some small way, put some time, energy and work into bands I genuinely love,” she says. “I wish I had someone like me around when I was younger, giving me advice about certain things like shows, sound checks and protocols. Things would have been very, very different.”
There are no contracts. She doesn’t own any of the band’s material. She deals in verbal agreements. The label focuses on getting regional attention, and she’s handling the releases one at a time.
“This isn’t about me,” she says. “I’m doing this because I want to see them do well. I believe in these kids. It blows my mind that there are kids here that are writing this type of music. They’re that good. They’re hungry. They’re the real deal.”
UPDATE: 225 got an exclusive peek at one of the tracks from The Chambers’ new release on Lagniappe Records’ label. Have a listen here.
Lagniappe Records’ DIY label lineup: Lagniappe Records’ first release is a 7-inch single from The Chambers, a rock duo featuring Alex Abel on guitar and vocals and Jordan Farho on drums. The single will be available at Lagniappe and other regional record stores Tuesday, March 17. The band celebrates the release Saturday, March 21, with an in-store performance at Lagniappe with Loudness War.
Up next: • Loudness War, a scorching rock band from Baton Rouge with a head-banging, ’70s psychedelic rock sound similar to Ty Segall. • Hartle Road, a theatrical rock band out of Columbus, Mississippi. The group was influenced by space rock, as well as the boyish charm of The Wonder Years’ Kevin Arnold and the toughness of Rocky Balboa.
No firm dates are set yet for the next Lagniappe Records releases.
