Cow Tool Records — DIY BABES ZINE

What if You Want to Get Involved but Cannot Play Music?

Cow Tool Records began as a slightly selfish project. El was young in the underground music scene, didn’t know how to play music, and wanted to jump into the chaos instead of sitting on the sidelines.

By Billie Estrine

Sun. Aug 18 2024

Where did you grow up?

In Footscray, fucking Victoria, Australia. There for all of 18 years. Good food, I'll give it that; Vietnamese fucking incredible. It's definitely gotten nicer [since] when I was first growing up there, it was fucking nasty. A lot of drug addiction and violence. I'm not sure if it passed for good or bad, but that's what it is.

How did you get into music?

Through my parents, [I] grew up listening to tons of Elliot Smith, Radiohead, The Stone Roses, loads of nineties indie stuff. Then over lockdown, [I] got really into the punk stuff and found out that Melbourne actually has a music scene, which is fucking insane. The rest is history.

On that note. When was your introduction to the Naarm/Melbourne underground music scene?

Over lockdown; so, 2020. The story goes, I was in the car with my dad one time, just as I was starting to collect records, and I passed Record Paradise in Brunswick and was like, "Oh, this looks like a fucking cool spot." So I looked it up and found Disco Junk live at Record Paradise. That was the first time that I found out there was weird, cool punk music being made in Melbourne. [I] hit up Bill and was like, "Ayo, I got a bunch of blank tapes that I'm not using. Do you want to use them?" He was like, "Fuck yeah." I gave them to him and thus started a beautiful friendship. He took me to a bunch of shows and introduced me to everyone. As he seems to do for everyone.

Yes, I think that's his beautiful trick.

A friendly little fella.

When did you start Cow Tool Records?

[The] start of 2021 was when the idea was conceived. Then mid 2022 was when we got our first release out.

Who else is behind the label?

[It's] Jack and I.

How do you know Jack?

Another Billiam one. Not that he introduced me, but we met at one of the two or three first Billiam Band shows. He bought a tape by PENSIONER, which is a fucking awesome tape on Under Heat Records. He came and sat down at the same table I was at, and I was like, "Fuck yeah, sick tape." And we just started chatting shit.

How did you come up with the idea of starting a DIY label?

It was partly a selfish thing because, at the time, I wasn't playing any music, didn't play any instruments, and I was watching all my friends do this awesome shit. I was like, "Well, I want to get into this. I want to be a part of everything. If I can't make the music myself, I might as well help my friends put it out and work with them from that end of things instead." I can't speak for Jack, but he wanted to do it as well, and I was like, "Well, why the fuck not?"

Why are DIY labels important in an underground music scene?

The obvious [is] helping put money behind people's projects. It takes stress [away from the] band's not having to invest as much [money], put the time into making all the physical media, and promote [their project]. Helping get smaller artists heard is something that is important, when doing Cow Tool.

How are you able to help with the finances as a DIY record label? Where do you get the money from?

Fucking sink money, that's about it. It's a slightly painful thing to start up, but it's not that bad when you're making cassettes because they're relatively cheap to produce. So, you can put money behind it. [I] wish there was something more profound there, but just sink money into it.

How do you dub the tapes?

Jack and I have single tape decks. With many of the earlier releases, we'd dub each tape fucking individually. I'd run my computer through the tape deck [to] get the music on. We've moved to get them pro-dubbed, so we can outsource ourselves to Dex or Dupe Shop, one of those places. It's quicker and sounds a lot better, which is nice.

That's really great. Is there a reason you almost exclusively release on cassettes instead of vinyl?

Absolutely, [it's because of] money. [It's] so expensive to make vinyl, and unless you know it's going to sell, it's just not doable. 'Cause with tapes, I don't mind if the money doesn't come back. I want to push the music out there, but with vinyl, you actually have to think about it. Which sucks because I'd like to do a lot more of it. Also, it's a faff to post, but that's neither here nor there.

How does the ratio compare for tapes sold at gigs and those sold on Bandcamp?

I can't give a strict reel for it. I've had tapes where I bring them to [a] launch, and almost all of them sell out, and other shows where you go, and only one tape, two tapes sell. So that one's painful. The good thing about Bandcamp is the people buying them generally have tape players. People often buy them as collector's items to support the band, which is great, but [it's] also nice to have it heard.

Do you create the art on Cow Tool Records socials, or do the bands bring that to you?

I wish I could take credit for any of that. I'm not a [visual] artist; it's not my strong suit. [I] get the bands to do that generally, and shoutouts to Billiam again for putting the logo on half of our releases. 'Cause I don't even know how to use Photoshop.

Now, we are going more towards the community aspect of the scene. How would you describe the community created by the Naarm/Melbourne underground music scene?

[It's] absolutely beautiful. It's such an accepting space, and that fosters a lot of really incredible projects. No matter what you enjoy listening to, you'll be able to find something. [There's] such a beautiful sense of community, and it's hard to put into words.

Do you think there's something political about creating a community?

Absolutely, yes. You can't create a community without having some shared ideals or views, whether that's politically or not.

Has music helped you build community.

It really, really has. I came into this scene as a fucking child at the age of about 15. Before that, it's no stretch to say that I did not have any friends. I was on a fucking sad girl arc, listening to Radiohead on my own every day at school, which is slightly embarrassing to admit. Coming into this scene has been one of my most important, life-changing moments. I've met so many beautiful people. I've been able to start this label. I can play music now, which is fun.

Coming together over the shared love of stupid punk shit [is how music helps bring this community together]. It's as simple as that. We all have a passion for the same thing, and I feel honoured that it's [brought] all of us together.

Can you tell me about the two gigs you've organized, Cow Tool and Friends?

They were both a lot of fucking fun, and I love taking opportunities to show off my friends' cool bands.

How did you organize them?

I hit up Retreat. [I was] like, "Yeah, I wanna book a mini festival. Can I do that?" They're like, "Hell yeah, why not?" Shoutouts to James Lynch, who plays in various incredible bands, [including] Delivery, for booking [the festival].

[The second one was] a highlight. [Cow Tool was asked], "Hey, do you want to put this show on for Brunswick Music Festival?" That was fucking sick. Other than that, it's a lot of networking.

Can you tell me what networking as a DIY label is like?

[It's] talking to as many people as I possibly can.

Constantly, at all gigs?

Pretty much. It's partially networking, but it happens organically, which is nice. At this point, I have met so many goddamn people that it starts to become a lot easier to facilitate. It was a lot harder when we [started], not knowing as many people as we do now. Over time you build new connections and meet new people, and it just happens organically, which is fucking awesome. All I could ask for.

With so much live music in Naarm, does the ethos of these gigs differ from others? Or is it similar?

It's similar. As far as I'm concerned in the punk scene, every show I go to has a beautiful community aspect. Everyone's happy to be brought together by this shared love of music [and] passion. It differs in terms of length. Barring that, it's pretty fucking similar.

Check out Cow Tool Records on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cowtoolrecords/#
And Bandcamp: https://cowtoolrecords.bandcamp.com

Billie Estrine

Naarm/Melbourne, Australia

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