Interview: Art is Hard

As you may by now be aware, up and coming label Art is Hard have some simply awesome bands that we happen to be slightly enamoured with at the minute. The chaps behind the creative machine that is AiH have been kind enough to answer some questions for us.
SNH: So, who are you then?

AiH: Art Is Hard are Richard and David, two 20-something students from Dorset. We’re both at uni in P-mouth’s (Ports and Ply respectively) but since they’re at different ends of the South, about five hours apart, we show our broadband routers a whole lot of affection.

SNH: How did you start out?

AiH: We began putting on shows in our hometown about five years ago, simply because you had to travel 80 miles to get a sniff of a music scene and there was little else to do. We had a small following but I ended up losing a whole bunch of money because literally only those guys showed up at these shows. It was so much fun though, definitely gave us the confidence we needed to start putting out these records.

SNH: Where did the idea for your compilation come from?

AiH: We wanted our first release to be a little innovative and self-promotional, so something that people wear on a regular basis made sense. It sold out really quickly so I think we’re going to do another in the summer.

SNH: You’ve put out records for a number of bands we’ve put on, so you clearly have good taste; where do you find your acts?

AiH: David used to run a new music blog and kept an ear real close to the wall in that respect. We actually used to scrawl through Myspace and search for artists in our area, a lot ended up on our first release that way - very intimate bedroom lo-fi. For every gem found there were a hundred terrible metal bands polluting our ears, it’s a painful process!

SNH: What sets you apart from other small independent labels?

AiH: We definitely try to make our releases that extra bit innovative. I wouldn’t say we work harder than any other indie labels though; it’s just a labour of love.

SNH: How would you compare the music scene in the Southwest to the rest of the UK?

AiH: There’s a whole bunch of winning musicians ready to go but there haven’t ever been any major movements. It’s a bit of a shame. Just makes us that much more determined to push our guys!

SNH: Who are you listening to at the moment?

AiH: Nodzzz are great. And Mazes. I’m ALWAYS listening to Weezer, I think it’s an illness.

SNH: Dream signing?

AiH: We chased Fanzine for a little while because they’re just so good but I think they have been, or at least were, holding out for a larger sort of deal. They’re Yuck’s touring buddies so they’ll go far.

SNH: What’s next for AiH?

AiH: We’re toying with some ideas for a series of EP/zine combos. Think we’ll do another 7” in early June too - Breathe Out have an amazing track called ‘Champion’ that can only be heard in temperatures of 25c+.