A Rare Bird
We can kvetch all we want about the death of real indie rock, but less than a mile from the Style Section L.A. headquarters sits one of the music industry's most vibrant indie labels.
Dangerbird Records — equal parts label and artist management company — has become a tiny phenomenon since launching in 2004, delivering some of the best forward-thinking rock around, courtesy of thoughtfully raucous artists including Silversun Pickups, Sea Wolf, Division Day and The Dears.
And while "downsizing" is this year's buzzword for most businesses in L.A., the label — co-founded by owners Jeff Castelaz and Peter Walker — just moved into a newly renovated, streamlined compound adjacent to Sunset Junction in Silver Lake.
Designed by local architect Barbara Bestor (who also designed the Beastie Boys' Grand Royal headquarters in Atwater Village back in the day), the new digs feature two buildings with adjoining backyards that together create a clever multi-purpose outdoor space which will be used as, among other things, a private music performance space.
As the vinyl wrapping came off the building's facade, post-renovation, the 'hood was introduced to a distinctive blue building with subtle modern accents provided by black window louvers. But the heart and soul of the headquarters takes the form of a vibrant graphic in honor of Pablove, an awareness and fundraising organization Castelaz founded after tragically losing his 6-year-old son, Pablo, to cancer in May 2009.
We sat down with Walker and Castelaz to talk about the new pad, the neighborhood and the Dangerbird "look."
SIMPLE & SLEEK: The entrance of the new Dangerbird office, designed by Barbara Bestor.
SSLA: Describe the process of working with architect Barbara Bestor on the design of the building.
Walker: Barbara was great. She has that instinct for spaces and design that you just want to trust. We had a lot of fun fantasizing about how this place would turn out, and a little less fun realizing it through all the permitting and construction. We moved in before we had electricity, using extension cords that we hooked up to our temporary power. The important thing is that it's completed and we couldn't be happier.
Castelaz: Barbara and her colleague Cathy Johnson designed the building. We wanted the interior space to feel like a beehive where you could see everyone working, but where the buzz wouldn't be deafening. Prior to buying this building, we had been renting an open-plan two-story loft, where no one had physical or audio privacy. People had to walk outside to have private conversations. Cathy and Barbara helped us retain the good part of the loft experience by using glass in the office. Now, you can see everyone buzzing inside their offices, but without the audio mess.
SSLA: Who is behind Dangerbird’s visual aesthetic?
Walker: The visual aesthetic is as important to us as the audio aesthetic – I think they go hand in hand for all music lovers and culture connoisseurs. That being said, Jeff and my partnership is true in the sense that we both are heavily invested and have a hand in these areas. But I have a BFA so I'll throw that on the table if we ever need a tie-breaker.
Castelaz: I agree with Peter, and I want to say I'm proud of Dangerbird's contribution to the conversation between rock and roll music and visual arts. On a personal note, I just feel at ease in a well-designed world. The work we've done with Silversun Pickups is a great example of this. The band always has clear, bold ideas, and they are hands-on, right along with us. When we were all looking for the right piece of art to reconstitute for the Carnavas album cover, it was a fun time. Everyone was scouring their favorite art blogs and mags, and Brian Aubert ended up finding a Darren Waterston painting on the cover of a magazine that SSPU had been in a few years before. I called Darren, sent him a few songs off the album, and he was delighted to license us a huge pile of his paintings for that album, and all the singles. Over time, he's developed a personal relationship with the band and me, and when it came time to skin [album single] Swoon, the months-long process from the prior album was narrowed down to a single email. Darren sent a link to another giant group of new paintings, and our designer, Silver Lake resident Sara Cumings, got down to the task of narrowing the focus of Darren's expansive, wild works into the five-inch world of compact discs.
PLAY ROOM: The Dangerbird multi-purpose "Pit" which backs up to both buildings.
SSLA: Do you have a name for massive backyard?
Walker: We have some terms for the whole campus, but as far as the back yard is concerned it's pretty new to us so it's still developing an identity. The "pit" is working for me at this moment. We were calling it the "war zone" because it was a pile of dirt and rubble for so long.