On the internet, labels like Matador are singing HoZac’s praises. An LP from local skuzz glammers Mickey is in the works, as well as the Buddy Holly-inspired Indiana rock and roll of Eric and the Happy Thoughts. Įven with both Todd and Brett looking for full-time work in the ugliest recession of their lives, the label has managed to pay for itself. SONG: Wizzard Sleeve with the song “No Mongo” NOVAK: …unless you were to take like, you know… NOVAK: …are the first two albums we released and you couldn’t pick polar opposite bands really. So we kinda try to like to have both the good and the evil. NOVAK: I think most of the stuff has either got a pop angle to it or kind of a grimy psychedelic anti-social vibe to it. SONG: Smith Westerns with the song “Diamond Boys” And the contradictions in sound are a conscious effort by Todd and Brett. Nowhere is this more evident than in their first two LPs, released last year. HoZac Records is a reflection of the broader spectrum of underground music Todd and Brett now enjoy, beyond the neo-proto-garage punk label covered in their magazine. NOVAK: But a lot of those types of people that would be surprised are the types of people that would put out the best stuff anyway. SONG: Myelin Sheaths with the song “Do the Mental Twist” And then you know we’ll find them and we’ll be like, ‘Hey, you know we really like your stuff we’d really like to do a record,’ and most of the time the bands are surprised. Finding this band that has 8 MySpace friends – two of which are MySpace Music and Tom – and you know Tila Tequila or whatever. NOVAK: That’s the most thrilling part is introducing music to people. In much the same way childhood friends Todd and Brett discovered bands through trading tapes in the mid-’80s, they now send each other links to bands on MySpace, and that is often how they find bands to release. It would suck more if we were stumbling across these bands that we loved or whatever on the internet, and then putting it out and then crickets for months. I think Todd and I have been really fortunate and I think that’s what makes it more fun. NOVAK: Which is really fulfilling and it’s like the most rewarding thing.īRETT CROSS: Yeah. SONG: Cave Weddings with the song “Bring Your Love” NOVAK: We see in the PayPal receipts, the ‘Hey we’ve never heard these bands before but can’t wait to check them out.’ And it’s kind of a really crazy good feeling that some people are actually taking a chance on stuff without going out of the way to actually listen to it, based on the fact that we’ve devoted the time to release it. So fans from North American and across the pond bought the records, sometimes sound unheard. It folded in 2006.īut Todd and Brett’s reputations as tastemakers built trust and credibility in its readers. Horizontal Action was the place to learn about wild underground dirty damaged garage punk music that the indie-rock powers that be, dutifully ignored. HoZac is short for Horizontal Action, a magazine Todd and Brett created in 1997. Despite this setback, their efforts are gaining a wider recognition, even if they’re not quite eating gold yet with the profits. SONG: Medication with the song “Didn’t Wanna Know”įifty releases in such a short time is a remarkable achievement for a small record label, especially in an economic downturn that has cost both Todd and Brett their day jobs. They sip from PBR cans and listen to the psychedelic folk of Medication, HoZac’s third full-length album and their 50th release in just over three years. Todd and Brett sit at a desk in Todd’s Wicker Park apartment, folding covers, slipping sleeves over records to be shipped around the world. We were already eating gold, and now we’re at the point when we would love to have that gold and cash it in to pay some bills. That was back when the record label was just a twinkle in our eyes. When they could splurge on fancy, yet comedic condiments. It’s a chilly evening in Chicago, and Brett Cross and Todd Novak, co-founders of HoZac Records, are recalling a time before they started the label. TODD NOVAK: We had gold on hot dogs and didn’t we have gold on a peanut butter sandwich at one time? Chicago writer Brian Costello has this profile of the label HoZac Records hits the South by Southwest Festival with a showcase this Wednesday at Trailer Space in Austin, Texas. One of the new entrants this year is HoZac Records. Year after year at South by Southwest, Chicago bands, labels and venues play a significant role in the multi-day film and music festival. This week, bands from around the world will converge on Austin, Texas for the unofficial kickoff to Indie Rock Festival season. To stay up to date on the stories that matter. WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information.
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