Tuesday, May 3, 2011
National Skyline / Wow JEFF the Brotherhood and Infinity Cat Ink Deal With Warner Bros. [Updated]
Posted by Adam Gold on Tue, May 3, 2011 at 8:30 AM
OK, you’ve either heard the rumors, kept the open secret, or you’re sitting in front of your computer screen wondering if the headline you just read is real. Well, it is. They are.
Yesterday, JEFF singer-guitarist Jake Orrall and Infinity Cat co-founder Robert Ellis Orrall confirmed with the Scene that the local punk torch-bearers have — in conjunction with their literal and figurative parent label — signed a deal with Warner Music Group. The agreement will give the band global distribution through the conglomerate’s Alternative Distribution Alliance (aka the ADA) and Infinity Cat a place among WMG’s Independent Label Group (aka the ILG).
In other words, JEFF is bringing on the major leagues, as Stephen Malkmus might say. They got signed, and Infinity Cat is, at least to an extent, a major-label imprint.
Awesome.
“We’ve spent a really long time [on it],” Jake Orrall says of the deal. “We’re going to have the potential to reach a wider audience.”
The deal itself is essentially a joint venture between WMG, JEFF and Infinity Cat, in which the label will share ownership of the band’s masters with Warners, or one of its subsidiaries. The band will continue to self-produce their records and retain creative control over their output. “They still wanted to call the shots,” Robert Orrall says of sons Jake and Jamin (drums). “Within the structure of this deal, they can do that.”
JEFF’s forthcoming We Are the Champions LP — set for release June 21 — will still come out exclusively on Infinity cat, but with distribution via ADA, while a follow-up LP (tentatively slated for next year) will come out on Infinity Cat, but under the Warner/ILG umbrella.
So, what does this mean? According to the Orralls, it means both the band and the label are going to get to do what they’ve been doing for years: relentlessly build their brand of harum-scarum rock ’n’ roll, but on a grander scale and with greater exposure — and without compromising their methods and style. They’re still gonna do it their way; they’re just not gonna do it by themselves. “We are not changing as a label,” Robert Orrall says. “We’re just gonna have more help … We Are the Champions deserves to be heard by the world.”
As for other artists on the Infinity Cat roster, Robert Orrall says that, while the agreement they have pertains specifically to JEFF, WMG takes an overall interest in the label as a whole, saying "[They] really get what [JEFF] and the label are all about," and he's optimistic they will go on to express that interest “one band at a time.”
In related news: Having just returned from what was, by the band's account, an awesome one-off in Moscow (see photo above), JEFF hit the road today, appearing tonight at Atlanta's Drunken Unicorn with Heavy Cream before embarking on a three-week tour supporting The Greenhornes. Speaking of which, the two bands have joined forces for a split 7-inch they'll peddle exclusively at the gigs — while the limited 666-copy batch is still available, of course. JEFF will also sell pre-release tour copies of We Are the Champions on white opaque vinyl. Get the scoop on that and more over at Nashville's Dead.
Referenced in this post:
Infinity Cat honcho Robert Ellis Orrall offered the following as an official statement:
Just to be super clear, Infinity Cat is still a completely independent record label, distributed by ADA for the upcoming JEFF The Brotherhood release We Are the Champions. Future Bro-hood releases will be under the Warner/ILG umbrella. As far as the rest of the roster is concerned, we will continue to act independently, and we hope to build on that relationship, one band at a time.We are in our 9th year as a label, and the Greenhornes/JEFF tour split 7" is our 63rd release. We are grateful for the support the Nashville community has shown us, and we couldn't be more excited about the future.
Comments (16)
Showing 1-16 of 16
WB has been pretty good to BtS over the years, hopefully they will be to JEFF as well.
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Are you guys really surprised the band got signed with how well connected their dad is to major record labels?
A lot of people in this town have well connected dads. Where are their record deals? Sure, being connected helps. But I think how rigorously the band has toured and how hard they've worked to build their fan base is a greater factor. The surprise isn't that they got a deal. It's that they took it.
i guess at the end of the day, no matter how indie and underground you want to be, everybody is still trying to get rich and famous. even JEFF. too funny. i hope JEFF has better luck with WBR than a few other Nashville acts did, which turned out to be miserable failures.
anyone who thinks their dad can "get them a record deal" is an idiot.
JEFF didn't get "signed". They have been "signed" to infinity cat for the past 5 albums.
if their dad is so "connected", why did it take 6 years for them to "get a record deal"?
because connections mean shit. you have to build an audience and that takes time and hard work. you have to offer something no one else has. read bob lefsetz.
I have a tour copy of Champions and if you've heard it you know why it got picked up by WB.
It's classic.
@chuckles the cat, I have to totally agree. Seems a risky move for a band of that style. If they totally flop they will lose their credibility. Seems like the band appeals to an audience but a very limited one. Not to knock them at all, I've seen the live show and personally thought it was good but don't think it's a museum piece. What are they going to do when their audience out grows them? Just saying really.
@Ben there, isn't infinity cat their dads record label? Stating that fact, don't you think he's the one that shopped them around considering his experience with the record industry? Do you really believe getting a deal on a major is about them selecting the hardest working bands? If you didn't realize it major record labels are run by corporations who are simple seeking and selecting a product they think they can market that might sell. I can't disprove your statement that connections have nothing to do with getting a deal other than by stating that if you truly believe that you haven't been exposed to that side of it very much. Do you really believe the hardest working bands are called up to the majors like a pitcher from the farm leagues?
@ggallin'sghost. the more you open your mouth the more ignorant, arrogant and jealous you sound. "a museum piece"- what a douche!
Any time a local band (and these guys are actually local, not KOL local) elevates their profile, I think the rest of us stand to benefit. Plus playing a gig in Russia is really awesome.
If they've managed to get this far in the credibility game with a record label father, I don't think it'll stop them now. Indie isn't really indie anymore. They're a rock band.
Lastly, they're WAY better than the Pink Spiders!
I second that. They rule- their shows and their songs keep getting better. They're just a great rock band, it's that simple.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Colors_(Robert_Ellis_Orrall_album)
this is their dad. only surprise is that it took this long. dad wrote songs for lindsey lohan and taylor swift.
Listen, these fuckin kids have been exploding my favorite club The End for like 5 or 6 years and they have never never been better than they were w/ Hunx, etc. couple weeks ago. They are ON their game and I am proud they rock in the name of Nashville.
As someone who has been involved in one facet of JEFF's many moving parts for many years, I thought I'd add a little something to this long dead thread, because it bugs me to see these common misconceptions about two guys that have truly been D.I.Y. all their lives.
"isn't infinity cat their dads record label?" :no, the label is owned by Jake, Jamin, Holland Nix, and Bob.
"Stating that fact," :see above
"don't you think he's the one that shopped them around considering his experience with the record industry?" :no, he did not shop them at all. Not at all. They have had labels trying to sign them for the past two years. Holland Nix is their manager, and she's good at what she does.
"Do you really believe getting a deal on a major is about them selecting the hardest working bands?" :no, I don't believe that. There are thousands of hard working bands who never get heard for many reasons.
"If you didn't realize it major record labels are run by corporations who are simple seeking and selecting a product they think they can market that might sell." :true, except that they are more like corporations run by people. And if JEFF doesn't "sell" to WB's expectations, I'm sure they will just go back to doing it the way they've done it for the previous five albums. No harm in seeking a bigger audience. I wish you well JtB.
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