Trey Livingston only came to Columbus from Stillwater, Oklahoma in 1998 because his wife was getting her masters at OSU. But he soon landed a job at Johnny Go's House of Music, and then played with three different bands: Fashionetta, Microphonics, and 60 Watt Jackass. The wife got her masters, and two kids, and they moved back to Bartlesville, OK to be near family.
But during the four years Livingston was in Cowtown, he discovered what he calls "the best music scene I've ever experienced." The "scene" he speaks of -- Columbus' 90's lo-fi sound -- was pretty much on the wane by the time he moved here. He's since been trying to dig on it vicariously through collection of everything indie rock Columbus. And now he's sharing that love in a pretty ingenious and flat-out fun way. He's concocted a series of home-cooked CD compilations called Please Don't Sue Me. The plan is to collect singles and other rarities from 90s Columbus bands, compile them onto one CD, and -- here's the coolest part -- give them away for free! And these aren't just burned-on-a-whim cheapies. Livingston's got a studio of his own, so he takes care in mastering, printing, and even shrink-wrapping the little beauties. The packaging includes band pictures, liner notes, and 7" cover art. Plus he's recently been in touch with Jay Brown, the photog of that scene (who now lives in Cleveland) who will provide unseen pics of bands for future releases.
So far, comps of Thomas Jefferson Slave Apts. and Gaunt have come and gone. Livingston only does pressings of 50. But the response has been big, so he expects to print more for the next one featuring Greenhorn. He does this all at his own expense, and always makes sure to send copies to the bands.
So how can you get 'em? Go to his website: www.chemicalwirerecords.com to order. Once you get the CD, there is a postcard inside which asks for future band comp suggestions and, once sent in, you are put on the mailing list to automatically receive all future Please Don't Sue Me CDs.
In an age where anyone with this idea could just slap some MP3s on a website, it's encouraging to find someone who delights in the tactile end of music-loving. "I have all this equipment, so I can produce the CDs, and I like cover art and pictures and all that."
This series is just part of Livingston's label effort, Chemical Wire Records. The rest of his catalog ain't free, but continues his excavation of newer Columbus sounds with CDs from Horsn and Fostoria. Somewhat higher profile projects are on the way including a 7" rerelease of the first Swearing at Motorists cassette-only single, and a CD from Dayton singer/songwriter Wil Cope. For now, all this can be had at his website, but he's close to nailing down a bigger distributer soon.
-- Eric Davidson
Press
From Oklahoma to Ohio
