Local Record Label Pacific Records are rising up the Charts with Talent
So I’m sitting here with Pat Pickslay President of Pacific Records. I have known Pat for over 10 years and done many musical projects with him over the years.
Gary Hyde (GH): Pat, what kind of things were you doing in the music business before Pacific Records?
Pat Pickslay (PP): Before Pacific Records, I was working as a freelance producer and music instructor. I had a home studio where I did most of my work. On occasion I did songwriting & production workshops, too.
GH: How did Pacific Records come about?
PP: In 1999, my partner and CEO of Pacific launched Rea2Reel Records and in 2004 they couldn’t get the trademark, so they tried for Pacific and were able to get the Pacific Records the trademark. After a re-organization process about five years ago, Brian asked me to come aboard as President and head of Creative Operations.
GH: Who are the people on the team at the label?
PP: Well, I’m talking to our new head of A&R right now, Mr. Gary Hyde. Also, one of our V.P.’s Drake Williams has been an indispensable addition to our studio/office. He started as an intern and is now a recording engineer and V.P. of Creative Operations. Our IP attorney Barry Irwin is out of Chicago and teaches a music business class at Notre Dame. Our primary counsel Elliot Cahn is the former manager of Green Day, Offspring, and a few other notable acts. Our CFO, Mike Dobrovic and COO, Doug Foxworthy are veterans in their respective fields. Although we work with many strategic partners and collaborators, that is the core of our team at Pacific Records.
GH: What kinds of things are you doing at Pacific Records that sets you apart from other Indie labels?
PP: I’m not really an expert on what other Indies are doing; but, I do know that we at Pacific distinguish ourselves by being a very artist-friendly label. We are focused on all aspects of the artist, from songwriting to live performance to marketing strategy. We see that as the future of our industry. We also have the ability to record in house, which does set us apart from many other record labels that have to outsource to record their talent.
GH: I hear you guys are very interested in great songwriting like labels in the good old days. How are you incorporating that into 2014-2015?
PP: Well, in general, we put great value on artist development itself. A big part of that is songwriting. We still believe that the core of any artist is tunes. In addition to that we have launched a venture called “The Search” by Pacific Records. Aspiring artists can access songs from our online Song Bank, produce them and submit them for consideration. The best submissions well be released to the public on Pacific Records. More details are online at: http://pacificrecords.com/search.
GH: Tell us about some of your new artists?
PP: We recently signed model & surfer, Lindsay Perry. She is a Taylor Guitars artist who also has sponsorships with Billabong, Nixon Watches and Spy Sunglasses. She’s an old soul with the voice of a Delta Bluesman and the looks of an angel. Another beauty we signed last month was Felice Garcia. She’s on the other side of the spectrum; a consummate entertainer. She has honed her skills in Las Vegas performing and starring in the hit show, “The Million Dollar Quartet”. We’re very excited about recording her new record in 2015!
GH: What’s in the works for 2015?
PP: We have a slew of exciting releases in a variety of styles set for early in the year. We actually have a record that was produced in partnership at Atlantic Record’s Studio in L.A. coming out. The artist, Wes James is a dynamic hip-hop artist that has serious chops on guitar.
We’re also expanding our studio facilities. We’d like to handle almost any recording need in-house. Beyond that, we expect to do more studio work with our colleague, Alan Sanderson of Pacific Beat. He’s an award-winning producer/engineer and a joy to work with.
Lastly, we will be continuing to foster our relationships with our strategic partnerships, especially in the area of Live Performance. One of these is The Valley View Casino Center where we have been working with GM, Ernie Hahn to bring in Pacific Records artists to perform in the venue’s “Player’s Lounge” before major shows of likes of The Who, Neil Diamond and Eric Church (up for a Grammy this year).
Another outfit we’ve been working with is Gig Town, an innovative startup in the area of live events. In fact, recently they collaborated with us to bring our band, Super Groupie to the Poinsettia Bowl event at the Qualcomm Stadium. It was a smashing success!
GH: Lot of great information Pat, thanks for taking the time to talk about Pacific Records. If people want to learn more, how can they contact you?
PP: Thanks Gary. Yes we are local company our HQ is located behind the Valley View Casino Center (formerly the Sports Arena). Our direct number is (858) 324-1820 or you can email us atinfo@pacificrecords.com or visit us online at www.pacificrecords.com
Talk to you next month. Want to talk sooner? Email me at gary@clairemonttimes.com
