If you haven’t been to Graveface Records & Curiosities at 5 West 40th St. (right behind Back in the Day Bakery), you’re in for a treat. There are plenty of records and the place is, well, plenty curious.
The physical store and the Graveface record label are both operated by Ryan Graveface, who moved to Savannah a few years ago following a flood that destroyed much of his label’s inventory.
Now, with the lawsuit over and some of the surviving inventory available, Graveface Records has launched a $33,200 fundraising campaign on IndieGoGo. As I write this, campaign is almost halfway to the goal.
But this isn’t fundraising in a charitable sense really, since supporters are getting some pretty awesome rewards for their contributions/purchases. I’m considering the $30 option, for example:
New/sealed copy of ‘Shrieks/Creaks’ from 2009. Limited to 500 hand-numbered copies. 7″ hypnotic picture disc with glow packaging. Comes with the exclusive Marshmallow Ghosts 2013 10″ and a die cut GF logo sticker. Includes shipping AND insurance in the US.
All that for just $30? No wonder the campaign is going so well. (Btw, unlike Kickstarter, IndieGoGo campaigns don’t require reaching the goal for any funding at all. So whatever you buy from Graveface, that’s what you’ll get.)
From the campaign description:
In 2010 I endured an awful flood in the warehouse of my former distributor. They were contractually obliged to have insurance, but in real life, they chose not to carry any. This started a 3-year-long legal back and forth that finally ended in late June. The end result of this for Graveface is twofold: 1) I have gotten back an incredible amount of stock that I haven’t had in years and 2) I owe a disturbing amount in legal fees. So, enter you guys – both fans of what I do and complete strangers that are just looking for specific releases/rarities that pique your interest. I thought a crowd-funding platform would make the most amount of sense for this purpose. There are a ton of tiers.
And here’s Ryan Graveface himself:
Ryan has proven a huge asset to the music scene in Savannah — he is responsible for everything from Graveface Fest to smaller events like the show with Nothing, Sauna Heat and Blackrune just a few nights ago at Hang Fire.
For more about Graveface himself, check out this interview and feature from the Pittsburgh City Paper in late 2012.
There’s also a great interview at Think Like a Label, including this snippet:
After experiencing a natural disaster at your original Chicago, IL headquarters, you relocated to Savannah, GA to “seek out a smaller sceneâ€: Why did you find this aesthetic appealing? Are you using it to your advantage?
I’ve always wanted to live in the south so it just made sense. The lowcountry is the perfect amount of fucked for me. Nothing makes any sense, the people I’ve met are mostly loyal and great, there’s not a ton happening here (which allows me to experiment) and it’s warm. I would say I’m certainly using it to my advantage.
In addition to running the store and the label, Ryan Graveface is also a member of multiple bands, including Dreamend, Black Moth Super Rainbow, and the Casket Girls.