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Thursday, January 29, 2009

Teh Internets / Gossip Fleet Foxes On Major Label Rumor, Haircuts

Posted by Eric Grandy on Thu, Jan 29, 2009 at 2:27 PM

(This one's for you, Nick.) From the Fleet Foxes' myspace blog:

Hullo!

So, I went to the (truly insane and heart-swelling) Dept of Eagles show at Neumo's tonight (sang along and bought a Tee) and a couple people said something about hearing we signed to Virgin Records and they are reissuing a "special edition" of the CD LP. This is false. I think a Seattle Weekly blog post started this fire, which I will now extinguish, with this statement - "Fleet Foxes will never, ever, under no circumstances, from now until the world chokes on gas fumes, sign to a major label. This includes all subsidiaries or permutations thereunder. Till we die."

I just don't see the point. Most major labels seem anti-music. We've pursued no such deal with Virgin (or been pursued to my knowledge, I think it was just a bit of news they reported) and would be idiots to be unhappy with our fam of label folks. It is true though that all copies of the CD LP will now include a free copy of the EP (like it is currently with the vinyl), but that's not a "special limited edition," it'll be that way in perpetuity, no extra cost or packaging change.

That's all! Also I cut all my hair off.
Robin

That incendiary Weekly blog post can be found here.

Update: It occurs to me, mightn't Sub Pop being partially owned (49% share) by Warner Bros technically fall under the rubric of "all subsidiaries or permutations thereunder"? Just wondering.

Comments (37) RSS

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Whoa! Most interesting part of that: the haircut! We need pics!

Posted by frank on January 29, 2009 at 2:59 PM

Here ye are, the pictures:

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cf…

Posted by Krissssss on January 29, 2009 at 3:10 PM

warner bros. owns 49% of Sub-Pop (is what I heard; I could be wrong). Isn't that kind of close to being on a major label?

Posted by jorge on January 29, 2009 at 3:12 PM

Thanks Krissssss;, Jorge, it looks like we had the same idea.

Posted by Eric Grandy on January 29, 2009 at 3:16 PM

He looks Amish. Word up.

Posted by Shundaze on January 29, 2009 at 3:44 PM

the fleet foxes are sooooo fucking boring...

Posted by your name here on January 29, 2009 at 3:56 PM

it's like finding out your favorite vegan food company is funded by tyson meats.

Posted by jorge on January 29, 2009 at 4:00 PM

or your favorite vegan food is boring ass adult contemporary ohhhing and ahhhhing thats been done before...

Posted by fuck me sideways on January 29, 2009 at 4:03 PM

thats pretty funny . did i mention i shaved my balls.

Posted by pmph on January 29, 2009 at 4:06 PM

@9 Are there pictures on your blog?

Everyone with short hair is a pussy

Posted by T.v. coahran on January 29, 2009 at 4:16 PM

I guess I opened a can o' worms here. The subsidiaries or permutations bit was more a reference to vanity labels and the huge network of labels under Universal whose performance are subject to shareholder review. Neither of our labels are at the mercy of a stock price, and Simon (Bella Union head) and JP (Sub Pop) have nobody above them to report to. I guess to me that disqualifies them from being subsidiaries in the way that Interscope, Red Ink, Blue Note, Parlophone, Columbia, Capitol, Hollywood, Astralwerks, Mute etc etc are at the mercy of their parent companies stock performance.

But maybe I'm in over my head here.

Posted by Robin Pecknold on January 29, 2009 at 4:34 PM

hey robin,
i'm pretty sure most of these comments are about you hair and how much your band sucks. No-one really cares you sold out.
didn't you used to work at american apparel.....

Posted by robin pecknold on January 29, 2009 at 4:51 PM

your hair

Posted by robin pecknold on January 29, 2009 at 4:52 PM

isn't robin a chicks name

Posted by bobbin neckmold on January 29, 2009 at 5:05 PM

wow, people are kind of assholes.

Posted by emie d. on January 29, 2009 at 5:34 PM

Robin stayed totally unnoticed at the show last night b/c of the new hair cut. He walked right by bunch of my friends and nobody noticed him.

Posted by haggard wood on January 29, 2009 at 6:09 PM

dude, i wanna defend the fleet foxes because they're local, but your little comments are really fucking annoying. you betray every precious moment of your cushy 22 years. it is no wonder your music is so uninteresting. you are uninteresting. as if the type of label you sign to somehow makes you 'cool'. grow the fuck up.

Posted by qwerty on January 29, 2009 at 7:14 PM

fuck all you seattle haters. Typical Northwest douchebags: Hating on the success of a rad, unique, and extremely talented band because you still can't even get a gig at The Comet. Oh, and T.V. Coahran? Anyone who listens to YOUR band is obviously either brain dead or deaf. Seriously, give it up. Are you the poster child for abortion?

Posted by viva les fleet foxes! on January 29, 2009 at 8:11 PM

anyone who says that fleetfoxes is boring must be actualy deaf. holy fuck it is possibly tHe most interesting music on the planet, i mean listen to all those dramatic key changes! songs like tiger mountain peasant song, your protector and he doesnt know why are so .....like..... great! CUM BAK TO FUCKING AUSTRALIA WE APPRECIATE YOU HERE!!!

Posted by sean byrne on January 30, 2009 at 12:25 AM

Blah blah blah "ROBIN SUCKS!" "NO YOU SUCK, YOU ASSHOLE" "FLEET FOXES IS WORSE THAN THE HOLOCAUST" "FLEET FOXES IS THE DEFINING ACHIEVEMENT OF THE HUMAN RACE"

Shhh. Yeah he was a little harsh but he's right. Signing to a major, especially now, would be stupid strategically and not so cool to Sub-Pop. THESE COLORS DON'T RUN! AMERICA!

Posted by Calm down brodeos on January 30, 2009 at 2:48 AM

@18 I really like fleet foxes, why am i getting dissed?

Posted by T.v. coahran on January 30, 2009 at 8:30 AM

sure not everyone is a fan of the Fleet Foxes, but you must admit their vocals are just amazing. Not saying it's something totally new. but mic'd up or not they are great singers. really are there real singers left anymore these days. now we have the britneys that sound like they sucked on helium and we call that singing.

but the fleet foxes are a good band that can sing.but i guess if you are a local band and get noticed by media we must start not liking the.

Fleet foxes i say you are doing great and wish nothing but the best

Posted by can't please them all on January 30, 2009 at 9:17 AM

Seriously people, if you don't like them don't listen to them. Is there really a need to be personal about it. Y'all have to be that big of dicks just for the fun of it? I don't get it at all.

FF sticking with a label that helped put Seattle on the fuckin' map is huge. Everybody else runs off to get huge contracts that they can never pay back and are generally pretty unhappy with their situation.

Props to the Fleet Foxes for all their HUGE FUCKIN' success. Piss off to all the haters.

Posted by Steven Severin on January 30, 2009 at 9:48 AM

I totally agree with Steven Severin, plus I find Pecknold's engagement (however colored by his youth, or not) admirable and appealing.

Keep on truckin', Fleet Foxes, and YOU KIDS STAY AWAY FROM NEEDLE DRUGS!

Posted by David Schmader on January 30, 2009 at 10:24 AM

Hey what a day this is when we get the intellects to put down Guitar Hero and post. Fleet Foxes are a great band and one that deserves the success they have achieved and the support of fellow musicians they have earned. If you don't like their music, don't listen to it; if you want to talk about it, your insights are interesting and worthy. However, ranting like a lunatic makes you sound like a moron and nobody puts any credit in what you say. The vegan comparison is dumb unless you grow your own produce from your own seeds --blah blah blah--shut up. And you missed the point. The point of the FF's blog was they would remain true to the label which is very admirable. I commend you for that. I love that. You guys have great spirit and make incredible music.

Posted by d.d. on January 30, 2009 at 11:16 AM

"YOU KIDS STAY AWAY FROM NEEDLE DRUGS!"

As if being a twitchy coke fiend or meth head is somehow better.

Posted by Theresnothinghipaboutcoke on January 30, 2009 at 12:09 PM

Naysayers, you're Boring! Robin, you are not. Love your hair.

Posted by Sarah on January 31, 2009 at 1:10 AM

Does everyone in Seattle get their jollies from being prickly contrarians?

Posted by give it a rest on January 31, 2009 at 12:05 PM

SLURP

Posted by EE on February 1, 2009 at 1:42 AM

Seattle is such a fuckin' lame city now. Fifteen to twenty years ago if, say, Nirvana or sunny day real estate wrote something like this, Seattleites would be supportive or at least keep their traps shut if they didn't care so much for a particular band (or at least have much better decorum at expressing it). It's a shame I have to spend my post-adolescence in a "cold" city where the musical snobbery is not the least bit charming. We all need to change our attitudes. What happened to the musical camaraderie that made Seattle a cool place to be a musician and to go shows? I have hope things will turn around, so I ain't leavin'...for now...

Posted by Brian on February 24, 2009 at 9:41 AM

i dunno...fleet foxes music sucks, whether indie, major label, no label...who cares? you're just another one of "those" bands anyway, trying to be so different and appeal to idiots who convince themselves to like music that no one ever listens to...only to find out that they're already SOMEONE ELSE's favorite band.

Posted by honest musician on March 4, 2009 at 12:46 AM

also, who really cares if someone sticks with a label? its only cuz the label hasn't gone under yet. seriously people, bands like these guys need to STOP TAKING THEMSELVES SO SERIOUSLY. bands like them is not about the music anymore, it's about making some retarded statement, as if people REALLY care. i, for one, don't, and i speak for just me and all the other people with at least half a brain to understand where i'm coming from.

Posted by another honest musician on March 4, 2009 at 12:49 AM

Listen to The Shins + My Morning Jacket, then attempt to sound like both.

There you have Fleet Foxes.

So boring and unoriginal.

Kids today are soo easy.

Posted by plagiarismiseasy on April 13, 2010 at 8:38 PM

Robin, you ARE on a major label subsidiary...

Warner Music owns 49% of Sub Pop.....

How could you not know this?

You can't run around calling bushels of grain form your field organic if 49% of each handful is made up of Monsanto GMO wheat

I am amazed at how little people in Seattle know what they consume...

Posted by some dude on October 9, 2010 at 10:45 AM