Create to Destroy! Halo of Flies Records
I first met Cory when booking a show at ABC No Rio for FALL OF EFRAFA and PROTESTANT. The show sold out and both bands were the nicest guys you’d ever want to meet. I’ve watched Cory and his label, Halo of Flies, take off since then. He releases a lot of epic international crust. If this is up your alley then Halo of Lies is your label. Read on!
—Amelia
What was your first punk show?
I saw THE VANDALS at the Odd Rock Cafe (Milwaukee, WI) in 1988.
What was the first record you bought?
DEF LEPPARD’s Pyromania.
Where are you from? Where are you now?
I grew up in Waukesha, WI. I’m in Milwaukee, WI now. I’ve moved all of 30 minutes (with a few brief exceptions) from where I spent most of my youth.
Do you think your label is “Midwest centric”?
No, not at all really. It sort of began that way as bands here were all starting up at the same time as the label and I was stoked to be a part of it. Aside from PROTESTANT, NORTHLESS, and recent releases from CLOUD RAT and MULTIPLE TRUTHS, I’m somewhat all over the map.
How did you start doing a label?
A conversation on tour in 2006 kind of got me excited to start one. My band, PROTESTANT, had an LP and a split 7″ come out a bit earlier and we were all discussing what to do next. It was suggested that I just go ahead and put it out. We all chipped in and got another two releases out and it started from there in early 2007. I had been trading and wholesaling our records already, so I was making contacts, gaining real time knowledge, etc. It made sense I suppose.
When did you first become interested?
Interested in putting out records? Probably 1990 or so. I did a zine back then and started selling records at shows a bit. I would call Dan at Profane or Kent at Ebullition and we’d hash out a deal. I never got around to really doing much after that, as I never really had a decent band or decent money. Those early conversations and opportunities were important ones though.
What were your first releases?
PROTESTANT s/t 7″. We all chipped in on it and I slowly bought the others out. The second one, though released simultaneously, was a collection of all previous PROTESTANT stuff on CD, which our bass player fronted the cash for. I paid him back, repressed the 7″, and went on from there.
How many releases have you done?
I’ve released or helped release over 65 records, CDs and tapes since February of 2007.
Do you primarily do vinyl, CD, or cassette?
Vinyl primarily. Tapes on occasion. I’ve done a few CDs in the past, but they are such a dead format these days and I never liked them. Even when I was young (when they started to appear) I thought they were kind of garbage.
What benefits are there to doing certain types of releases?
I’ll take that as a question about format. Cassettes are fast and rather cheap to make. Perfect for last minute things or records that aren’t ready for vinyl I guess. I think these days demos should be on cassette like they were before CDRs, and vinyl is the next step up. Same applies to the 7″ I suppose. It’s less risk financially, generally faster to produce than an LP and a good way for a young band to get an affordable record out there. I think 7″s are a great way to do splits, take advantage of cool packaging ideas, and so on. I prefer LPs over all of them though, as I would rather hear more versus less and I definitely prefer them visually. They cost way more money to produce, but I think all parties get more out of them in the end.
Who do you distribute to? Do you have a strong international network?
I send my releases to Ebullition, RevHq, Robotic Empire and a few others from time to time. I also trade all over the place constantly. I once tried to list all the countries I’ve sent records to, and it kind of amazed me. I wish all the small labels of the world had more guaranteed places to send to or trade with, but alas not everything sells well everywhere (or at all) and there’s places I wish I had more contacts, etc. Regardless, I am very pleased with all the friends, trade partners and weirdos I have dealt with all over the met.
Any upcoming releases?
As of early July, I have the following upcoming: CLOUD RAT Moksha LP (repress), RORCAL Vilagvege LP , JUNGBLUTH Part Ache LP and NORTHLESS World Keeps Sinking Double LP. All are co releases of some sort and that’s doubly awesome. After that, a split 7″ from SUFFERING MIND/SIX BREW BANTHA is likely next and then some more before the year is out.
Any last words?
Thanks to MRR for the interview, and for being one of the big reasons I got into all of this 25 years ago.
How can we best stay up to date on your releases?
The website is best, I suppose: www.halooffliesrecords.com
