By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
December 20, 1996
Got the itch to party? The place to be on Saturday is the Metro, where Scratchie Records will host its Christmas party. Fulflej, Chainsaw Kittens, Fountains of Wayne and Kid Million are the headliners, but the evening’s hosts are pretty fabulous, too. The Smashing Pumpkins’ James Iha and D’Arcy Wretzky-Brown – who goes by D’Arcy – are co-owners of the Chicago-based record label and likely will jam with their friends.
“We’re having a lot of fun with Scratchie, finding new bands to work with and all,” Iha said of his 1½-year-old company. “It’s also a great outlet for us to expand beyond the Pumpkins.”
While the eight bands on the roster – including Chicagoans Fondly and Pancho Kryztal – don’t sound like the Pumpkins, there is an incestuous quality to the label. Iha and D’Arcy are bandmates and former lovers. One co-owner is D’Arcy’s husband, Kerry Brown (of Catherine). Another is D’Arcy’s brother-in-law, Jeremy Freeman. Freeman’s childhood buddy Adam Schlesinger also is a partner, as is Freeman’s friend, Jamie Stewart.
Notably missing is Pumpkins’ frontman Billy Corgan, who did end up producing the Frogs’ record for the label.
“Yeah, we knew there was always the danger of being called `The Smashing Pumpkins Label,’ ” Freeman said. “This guy in RIP (magazine) referred to (Scratchie) as a vanity label. People will say whatever they want and there’s nothing I can do about that. But I think the diversity of our material speaks for itself.”
Diversity is the main reason the partners formed Scratchie, which is distributed through Mercury Records.
“There’s this misconception that people only listen to certain things,” Freeman said. “We always believed that people have records at home that don’t seem to go together, so we wanted a label that had all types of music on it – punk, rock, dancehall, ambient, everything. . . .”
Asked what the Pumpkins’ stars actually do at the label, Freeman said, “Because of their touring schedule, they’re not in the trenches on a day-to-day basis, but there’s not a day that goes by where I don’t talk to one of them and get their input. They produced Fulflej’s record, help promote the records by talking to radio stations, listen to the demos we get and help select which bands will record for us. And they go to all our big meetings at Mercury. They really do a lot of stuff.”
FYI: Saturday also marks Freeman’s 28th birthday, so expect to hear “Happy Birthday.” With all those musicians around, the song is guaranteed to be in tune.
The Scratchie Records Christmas Party is at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Metro, 3730 N. Clark (312-559-1212); $7. The show will include a collection for Toys for Tots.
MIGHTY BIG WEEKEND: The superb Mighty Blue Kings headline Sunday at the House of Blues, playing ’50s-style swing and blues. Their average age is barely 30, and only two of the seven members were even born in that era.
“I don’t think people expect a 24-year-old to be so into what we’re doing,” said singer Ross Bon, 24. “This music isn’t something that’s considered normal for guys our age to be doing and we’ve been accused of ripping off artists. But we’re not. We’re trying to take something and revive it. And we pay tribute to it with our own material, too.”
Growing up in Chicago, Bon was weaned on Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, courtesy of his elder siblings. He loved the rock elements, but what really captured his attention was the blues beat.
“I was always attracted to the sound of a harmonica,” he recalled, laughing. “And it never sounded prettier than in a blues song.”
The Mighty Blue Kings play at 9 p.m. Sunday at the House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn (312-559-1212). Citizen King opens; $15.
