Your new favorite day
Ypsilanti Records' Tuesday series
by Scott Sellwood

Tuesdays rule. At least they have since March, when local label Ypsilanti Records began releasing artfully packaged, limited edition CDs (only 30-50 copies) every Tuesday. This “Tuesday Series,” for lack of a more official title, continues a well-established tradition of local, small-run musical releases. As Ypsilanti Records founder Fred Thomas is quick to note, Ann Arbor has long boasted several tiny, homespun independent labels dedicating (i.e. donating) their time and money to releasing music by and for the citizens of Ann Arbor. Local imprints like Cassanova Temptations, American Tapes, We’re Twins Records and Fag Tapes have collectively generated innumerable small-runs of cassettes, 45s, and CDRs spanning the universe of musical genres. All of these labels appear unified in the recognition that the best music is often forged in living rooms and during van rides or impromptu jams far removed from the conventions and constraints of commercial music.

The first round of music in the series has been wonderful. From the bittersweet, contemplative sing-along of a Fred Thomas solo effort, to Beak Full of Rubies’ crackling, shimmering noise improvisation, or the subtle electro-folk of Scattered Light, the Tuesday Series has proven to be at least a small testament to the wealth of talented artists in and around Ann Arbor. With releases from Patrick Elkins and a pre-release of the upcoming His Name Is Alive record scheduled for this month, the Tuesday Series appears to be hitting its stride. True to the DIY ethos, special attention is also given to the artwork, which is handcrafted to accentuate the individuality of each release.
We recently caught up with Thomas, who described the motivation behind the Tuesday Series, how it evolved, and the importance of contributing to the musical community.

Ann Arbor Paper: Before we start, can you introduce us to Ypsilanti Records?
Fred Thomas: Ypsilanti Records began in 2000 as an imprint for small-run cdrs and one-off 45s or other tiny projects.The artistic focus has always been on self-sufficient sounds and the sonic development of a group of friends and like-minded musicians.

A2P: What, if anything, were your goals for the Tuesday Series?
FT: There are a couple of hopes for this series. The most important goal is to create a space for music that might not make sense as a bigger production. In that, there’s also a challenge for both artist and label to create something really beautiful and unique, even if, or maybe especially if, only 30 or 50 or so people will ever hear it or see it.

A2P: How are the releases chosen?
FT: The selection process doesn’t adhere to specific guidelines, really. The original idea was to get a bunch of friends together every Sunday night, record a bunch of music, mix it and make some artwork on Monday and have it in the stores by Tuesday, kind of just working with whoever came over or whatever materialized each week. That initial idea kind of gave way to a more random selection. This kid I met in Sweden gave me a rad mini-album he’d recorded and I was like, “Mind if I put this out on my label?” And he was stoked on it. [Likewise], by the time this article comes out, I might have re-mixed and added a bunch of instruments to this demo my friends gave me of their band and hopefully will have put it out without telling them. It’s kind of whatever’s around in that way, still.

A2P: Most of the artists are local, right? Is part of the idea to contribute to the local musical community?
FT: Well, the idea came about when I was talking to my friend and he was bummed out on the chore of making copies of the new cassette release on his label. Somehow the conversation turned into me freaking out about the wealth of talented people we’re surrounded by. Seriously, the main point is that there’s so much good Ann Arbor or even Michigan music that it isn’t hard to make a new record every week. The artists who aren’t based in Michigan are somehow connected to it through their affiliation with the Ann Arbor wildlife.

A2P: What has been the response thus far?
FT: Super good so far. I tried to keep it kinda low profile, until now, I guess, because I didn’t want it to be some weird exclusionary collector’s item bullshit. A few people have wanted to make sure I hold them copies of everything, but mostly people are just like “Oh, cool idea,” or “I like this band, I’ll check out their addition to the series,” or mostly, “This one looks cool.”A2P

Due to the limited nature of the releases, the Tuesday Series is available only at local shops Encore Recordings and Schoolkids Records and Tapes and is slated to continue at least through April.

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MUSIC
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Fred Thomas The hero of the Tuesday series of local CDs. By Scott Sellwood
Kelli Hicks A singer/songwriter with sad, dreamlike work. By Davy Rothbart
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