An Interview with Shawn Decker

by Hugh Schmidt

Middle-Man records is one of the most important labels in today's screamo/chaotic hardcore scene. Based in Lafayette, Indiana, USA, they've released and distributed music from bands all over the world and across genres, despite their focus on hardcore. Middle-Man boasts releases from some of the most acclaimed bands in the skramz/grind scene right now, including I Hate Sex, Massa Nera, Seeyouspacecowboy, Ostraca, and Soul Glo.

Provided by I Hate Sex

They've also put out records by older and less active groups, like Circle Takes The Square, Small Brow n Bike, Raein, and Tetola93. With the sheer amount of impressive releases the label puts out, it's hard to believe that it's run, mostly, by one person. Shawn Decker has been running Middle-Man for years now , all the while playing in count less bands/projects (Coma Regalia, Plague Walker, Deracine, Matter Field, etc). I'm a huge fan of their work both musically and with the label, so I reached out to Shawn via email to talk about their background, the label, and the upcoming Coma Regalia release.

Provided by Massa Nera

How old were you when you got involved in your local scene? How and where did that happen?

I booked my first DIY show in Port Charlotte, Florida a couple decades ago at this point. We rented a 10x10 storage space that we practiced in. It was in the middle of now here. I came up with the idea to build a small stage that would stick out of the storage space's opening and then be able to be taken apart and put back into the storage space when not in use.

Provided by Massa Nera

We did a few shows like that before police caught on. At that point some clubs had heard we were getting a bunch of kids to come out to these things so places that previously wouldn't give us the time of day started letting us book some shows at their spots. Some people who went to my high school that played those shows now play in the bands Junius and Circle Takes The Square.

What was your first band called and what did you sound like?

I think maybe the first band was called Mesh? This was before I played any shows but maybe we played a birthday party? I wanted to sound like the Descendents or Bad Religion but a couple of the other kids wanted to sound like Primus and one of them was really into Randy Rhoads era Ozzy. There were never any recordings, thank grodd.

How and when did Middle-Man start? Do you run it by yourself or do you have other people working with you?

MM started in high school. I had released a tape for a band I was in but didn't have a label or decide to do one yet . It wasn't until later that some friends asked me to help them release a tape that I asked "Oh, so you want me to be the middle man?" and came up with the name and idea to release a few records. I did a comp CD and a couple 7"s for an old band of mine and then took quite a bit of time before I did much else. It wasn't until about 2010 that I started to become active again. I do the label by myself but my wife Lauren helps a lot with printing and packaging records.

Provided by Ostraca

What's the hardest part of running a label?

Honestly that's a hard question to answer. A lot of it is hard. Pretty much all of my time and income goes into it. I'm fortunate to have such a supportive family and group of friends or I don't know how I'd manage. One day maybe the label will sustain itself financially but I don't know... I release screamy hardcore records.

Provided by Massa Nera

Do you have any thoughts on the term "skramz"? (hate it, love it, don't care?)

I think it started as a way to differentiate between the different kinds of bands that used screamed vocals and then went from a joke phrase to a kind of catch all term. I personally wouldn't call any of my bands that but it was the most searched tag on bandcamp at some point so there might be some records with that tag on it.

Provided by Ostraca

How do you have time to play in so many goddamn bands?

Sometimes I hear people say "I wish I had time to..." and it 's kind of funny when you think about it. As if some of us have unlocked a 30 hour day.

Provided by Luke Mouradian

No one of us actually has anymore time per day than any of the rest of us, we just use it differently. People prioritize different things and that 's what they spend their time doing. After my family, making music is what I love most in life so I just do that instead of a lot of other things that I also like to do but aren't as important to me. So the new Coma Regalia LP " The Mirror " comes out on March 10th. Did y'all have a concept in mind when writing it? Is there context or any not able lyrical themes your listeners should know about?

All of the Coma Regalia albums are concept albums that follow a non linear narrative. Some of our splits follow this narrative as well. There is a sort of waking world/spirit world element to it. That's as much as I really like to say at this point.

Provided by JJacobs Photography

Is emo a real genre?

As real as any other I suppose. It's kind of funny when I think about how differently that term has been used over the years. I get why people want to be sort of specific with terms like this but at the same time think it's not something that should always be taken too seriously.

Provided by Bobby Leonard

"The Mirror" by Coma Regalia comes out on March 10th, and the band is planning an east coast tour in June. You can find them and all other Middle-Man releases at middlemanrecords.bandcamp.com/music

Provided by Dani Rato