Altered Zones

By Jenn Pelly

With a catalogue of early releases from the likes of Blank Dogs, Zola Jesus, and Gary War, Brooklyn’s Sacred Bones Records has established itself as one of independent music’s most enigmatic underground labels. Founded in 2007 by Denver transplant Caleb Braaten, now 33, the label has since grown to include partner Taylor Brode, 32, and a crew of generous creatives. Their releases range from Kosmiche-inspired soundscapes to straight-ahead cyberpunk, all bound with an elusive but tight, dark thread. From its goth-tinged music videos and occultish triangle logo to its signature white vinyl packaging, Sacred Bones has succeeded in shrouding itself in an aura of romance and mystery.

Sort of. During our interview outside Williamsburg café Bakeri on November 19th, this enigma was met mostly with laughter. “Hell yeah,” Caleb jokes, “That’s exactly it. It’s whatever you want it to be.” Caleb and Taylor spilled a few Sacred Bones secrets before heading to Bones HQ: the dark and dingy basement of Brooklyn’s Academy Records, ground-packed with Sharpie-marked “SBR-00X” cardboard boxes and a small Tom Petty photo. The next day, they left to catch up with label mainstays Zola Jesus and Gary War at a 1,200-year old castle in the medieval Italian town of Itri, where the artists recorded a collaborative record for Sacred Bones last week. Read on to learn more about their upcoming releases and European adventures, and to find out which of their artists are heading from bedroom to studio in 2011 to ditch the hiss.

AZ: Can you tell me about your backgrounds and what lead you to start Sacred Bones?

Caleb: I’m a high school graduate from Denver, Colorado. I moved to New York seven years ago and worked at Bleecker Bob’s in Manhattan, then at Academy Records in Brooklyn. The first Sacred Bones record was The Hunt, some of my best buds in the city. They recorded songs, and I was like, "Yeah, sure, I’ll put out a record." I didn’t know how to sell a record aside from at the store I worked at. The next record was Blank Dogs. I got lucky that people liked it and there was an Internet buzz.

Taylor: I’m from Chicago. Caleb and I became friends five years ago. I was a Sales Rep at Touch and Go, and Caleb was one of my buyers. Then Touch and Go laid off their whole staff. In 2009, I started working for Caleb remotely, and in early 2010, I came here to do Sacred Bones full-time. I also worked at Reckless Records in Chicago for almost nine years. Sacred Bones is an 80-hour-a-week job, but we both have night jobs. I work for Bowery Presents part-time, Caleb bartends.