Artists & Music Elektra's Phish Back In The Water Improv Rock Act Has New Album, Tour BY CATHERINE APPLEFELD OLSON Venable says. "They have all the other pieces of the puzzle, but their airplay WASHINGTON, D.C. -"Billy Breathes" has been inconsistent. This is the one is an appropriate title for the latest that's going to change that." project from improvisational rock act On Sept. 3, Elektra will ship "Free" Phish. The album, due Oct. 15 from to triple -A, rock, alternative, and col- Elektra Entertainment, represents a lege radio. College campuses will play well- earned exhale for the tour- inten- a much larger role in the label's over- sive band. all marketing this time around, ac- After embarking 10 years ago on a cording to Venable, who notes that seemingly endless road trip that cul- PHISH Elektra hired an outside company to minated last year with the audio trav- blanket campuses and surrounding Universal Appeal. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan relaxes following his celebrity- studded elog "A Live One," comrades Trey areas with posters. The label also concert at Los Angeles' Universal Amphitheater. Shown, from left, are Melissa Anastasio, Jon Fishman, Page McCon- "After we had laid down some of the engaged a 35- member field staff to Miller, VP of talent, MCA Concerts; Khan; Alex Hodges, senior VP of talent, MCA nell, and Mike Gordon returned to tracks, we decided it was time to get work with local record outlets on in- Concerts; and Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea. their Vermont homes downright an outside perspective," he continues. (Continued on next page) fatigued. "It was like we had this giant "We called [co- producer] Steve Lilly- 18-wheeler we started driving in first white and said, `What are you doing gear in the mid -'80s and kept picking the day after tomorrow? Want to go up speed through the years, until last into the studio for the next six weeks ?' year, it ended up hurling down a moun- He said he had already booked the MEG Forms Hybrid Label, Home Vid Co.; tainside with no driver," Anastasio barn for later in the fall and just did- says. "We needed to park the truck n't have a specific project in mind and start walking again." yet." EMI's Enclave Takes A Spongebath The quartet parked itself at Bears- The simple approach exudes from ville Studios, where it started record- the titles of such tracks as "Talk," ing a series of discrete sounds that "Taste," and first single "Free," which A NEW HYBRID: Metropolitan Entertainment Group with Murfreesboro, Tenn. -based Spongebath Records to grew into what Anastasio calls a Elektra senior director of marketing (MEG) has launched a label and home video company invest an undisclosed sum in the indie and release select "blob." "No one was playing their reg- Dane Venable, who serves as Phish's called hybrid Recordings. The label will be overseen by Spongebath artists through the Enclave and EMI Music ular instrument," he says. "We had to product manager, says has gotten the John Scher, MEG president /CEO, and Michael Leon, Distribution. Additionally, Spongebath founder and co- get back to the spontaneity, the things strongest prerelease reaction ever for MEG senior VP Also on board are Foye Johnson, who owner Richard Williams becomes an A &R exec for the that take place when it's just the four a Phish single. "What's going to turn will oversee marketing and A &R functions, and Eric Enclave. of us in the room. the key with this album is the single," Levine, MEG VP of operations, who will handle business "This is the first enclave of the Enclave," says Zutaut. and legal affairs (Billboard, Sept. 16, 1995). "Richard has great ears; he's a fantastic A &R man." Coming this fall from hybrid will be "Across America," Williams will remain based in Tennessee. a video and audio recording of Art Garfunkel's Ellis "It's similar to a farm team, where Spongebath is going Time Is Ripe For TAG Island concert earlier this year, followed by a compilation to nurture artists the way it has been, and we're going from the artists who participated in to help them financially," explains this summer's Further Festival. Steven Ehrlick, head of business Set From Lemonheads Next spring, hybrid will release the affairs for the Enclave. "Where we soundtrack to the IMAX film "Ama- think something is ready for major - BY DAVID SPRAGUE staff that can concern itself with a zon." Scher expects to name a dis- league distribution, they will be small number of releases and give a tributor within weeks. moved up to the Enclave; the rest of NEW YORK- Lemonheads leader lot of attention to them. That's our MEG, which is half -owned by Spongebath's acts will go through Evan Dando has received a lot of intention with this album: to bring Ogden Corp., also includes a Broad- indie distribution." The Enclave is attention over the past few years, but people back to Evan's music, rather way and television production divi- not assuming an ownership stake in only a portion of it has had to do with than the fact that he dates models or sion; an artist management compa- Spongebath. his band's music. whatever else he does in his private ny with clients that include Rusted by Melinda Newman Spongebath previously had a TAG/Atlantic is life." Root, John Hiatt, Los Lobos, Lus- yearlong arrangement with Zoo hoping to refocus Dando grants that his extracurric- cious Jackson, and the Samples; Entertainment (Billboard, Sept. 16, eyes and ears in ular activities helped drag out the and a concert promotion firm. 1995). that direction downtime between Lemonheads re- "For us, hybrid is really part of a master plan as a full - Spongebath acts Self, Gumption, and Features are with the Oct. 15 leases: It has been three years since service entertainment company," says Scher. "I don't not included in the Enclave deal. Among the other acts release of "Car "Come On Feel The Lemonheads" think that in 1996, with the resources I have available to on the label are Fluid Ounces, the Roaries, and Jenny Button Cloth." came out. He says that acting in such me both financially and intellectually, I would try to do a Hall. As part of that films as "Heavy" and "Reality Bites" start -up label, but based as part of the pie [at MEG], it The new union came about after Williams played music effort, after three took some time but that more person- makes sense. Very often, product that we have coming out by a number of Spongebath acts for Zutaut. "Tom's def- albums on Atlan- DANDO al matters were the primary hin- will be attached to television shows or Broadway shows initely a music junkie -we just got together and start- tic proper (and drances. or tours or other parts of our company that we create and ing talking about it. He shares my philosophical views - four independent full -lengths before "There was a while when I was on work." For example, the Garfunkel video will be taken we both want to have very artist- intensive labels, not just that), the Lemonheads have been my last legs, and I really didn't think from a MEG -produced documentary that will first run on one-hit wonders," says Williams. shifted to TAG for the release of the I was going to make it," says Dando. the Disney Channel, and Ogden produced `Amazon." While the timing of the deal may seem odd to out- album. "I'd reached the end of my tether and Hybrid will put out no more than eight releases a year, siders, it makes perfect sense to the Enclave. "The think- "When TAG was launched, it was to started taking too many drugs, which says Scher. Two or three will be from artists directly ing was that it increases our talent pool geometrically, provide an environment for bands like I thought would help." signed to the label; the remainder will be connected to for not extravagant amounts of money," says Ehrlick. the Lemonheads to thrive," says Dar- Dando admits that it took a few shows or specific events. Adds Zutaut, "This deal gives artists time to develop ren Higman, GM at TAG. "We have a (Continued on next page) Scher believes that with MEG's strong network of con- without making six -figure records and make a base for nections through its concert operations and theatrical and themselves, and when they're ready, to go through a television division, hybrid can come up with alternative major." ways to promote its releases. "We believe that there is a Fluffy, the first act to be signed to the Enclave prop- way to drive software that isn't totally reliant on radio," er, will release its debut full -length album Sept. 17. he says. "We love radio, and it, MTV and VH1 are clear- ly the strongest media to drive something home, but there CHANGES: John Boulos, former VP of promotion at are unquestionably other ways to [push] projects. We're Virgin Records, has been named senior VP of promotion clearly not the powerhouse that most major labels are, but at Epic Records ... Adam Sexton, EMI Records' VP of we believe we have a leg up on alternative ways to market, international, has added VP of marketing to his title. He because we're thinking from an entertainment- industry takes over GM Larry Stessel's marketing duties. Stes- point of view, not just from a record -company point of sel left the label in July ... Jeremy Much has left his view" position as national director of publicity at Capricorn Records in Nashville. Much, who also has marketing and Please call for a EXPANDING THE ENCLAVE: Even before it has artist -development experience, The Look of Leather can be reached at 615- catalogon CAN -AM released a full -length album, new EMI label the Enclave 292 -1990 ... U2's new album, originally slated for an Oct. modúlàr storage cabinets - - fl is making deals with other record companies. 29 release, has been pushed back to next year. No word and home entertai: nment centers. CAN -AM The Tom Zutaut- headed Enclave 800-387-9790 orfax 905-475-1154 The Strength of Steel has inked a pact on if a single will come out this year.

16 BILLBOARD SEPTEMBER 7, 1996 www.americanradiohistory.com