These days, as record labels are signing fewer and fewer acts, bands are forced more than ever to do it themselves. However, recording costs can still be expensive and management and touring resources can be hard to come by. In the case of New Jersey band, One Hundred Thousand, they have taken DIY to a whole new level.
Drummer Kurt Wubbenhorst put together the progressive/hard rock four-piece in 2011 by using all the resources available to him. He co-owns an established recording studio/management company/lesson studio/venue in Butler, NJ called Architekt Music along with friend and artist manager George Roskos. George, as it happens, also manages One Hundred Thousand (OHT) as well as the groups Thank You Scientist and Sevendust. The group is comprised of guitarist Alex Goldenthal, who was in Kurt’s previous band and bassist Andrew Magnotta, who worked with Kurt at a college radio station.
Vocalist Rich Matos, came about through another unique association. “Our lead singer, Rich, used to live with Sal from Thank You Scientist. And since TYS has recorded at Architekt, and my partner George is their manager, our whole relationship is this one complicated existence. Come to think of it, we’re great at complicated relationships. Alex is one of my best friends and bandmates, but I’m also his landlord and technically his boss.”
Kurt, who by high school was playing (and teaching) guitar, bass, drums and piano, credits owning a studio to his desire to be involved in all things music. “I’m fascinated by how things come together, and I want to have a deep understanding of how all those parts work. I think that’s how I came to owning a studio, too. I love the way that smaller pieces come together to make something great, whether that’s a business, a band, a song, etc.”
The group fashion themselves as equal parts hard rock and progressive rock calling in influences ranging from Porcupine Tree and Karnivool to Deftones and King’s X. You can hear all of these in their latest EP called Rise, which is out on iTunes and features the single Low. “We’ll be putting out a full length comprised of 3 EPs, titled The Forms In Which They Appear. Each EP represents Mind, Body, or Soul. We’ve been sitting on this for a while so we’re anxious to get it out. We’ll be likely releasing a short run of vinyl as well. We always write faster than we release, so it’s hard to say what’s beyond that at the moment!”
While the group are enjoying the access to all the resources they have they still keep their options open, “Since we’re married to a recording studio, we don’t really need a label to front costs, but we are definitely interested in entertaining a business relationship with a label that believes in us and wants to partner with a band that has tons of business savvy.”
Find out more at One Hundred Thousand’s Facebook page.
**Roie Avin is the Editor of The Prog Report website.
**
