Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Whatley and Sunday Lain
Hi Jason and Sunday, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
It started when we both worked at Piranha Records in Round Rock, TX. The owner, John Aleman, is a mentor for us both. Truly a catalyst character that sent us into this line of work. Jason and I (Sunday) had an instant friendship and it continued to grow as time went on. The need to collect, archive and preserve music (vinyl, cassettes, cd, etc. included) became a desire to make our own. Having the art of physical media be a passion shared between us accelerated our relationship into becoming business partners.
Doom Records sorta was just a placeholder name for a hustle on Discogs to get by as the “starving artist” couple but Jason, being the gear head and logistic man he is, started coming up with the idea of making tapes for local bands! It was hard finding a balance between day job, social life and being in a relationship—still is from time-to-time, but we both slammed our heads together and created our first grand slam— “Doomsday 2024”. For me, it’s an honor to have my art be the cover and design of our first compilation tape with local bands Mental Warfare, Gørger, Rasputin, Shysters, Needlefreak and Asbestosis. For Jason, it was a huge turn for his outlet of creativity and making his own legacy.
For the both of us, it’s the key to escape the cubicle.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Merch Perfecting the making of merch, like having to screen print your own shirts when you’ve never done anything like that before was insane.
Time management. Scheduling was a huge hurtle. Having to go to shows basically every weekend with a 45 minute drive there and back, exhausted and socially drained us—just to hit your 9-5 the very next morning… yeah.
Communication. Either between locals or each other. At the end of the day, we’d rather drive to meet our artists to have a face-to-face. For us, it’s a learning curve to finding the balance between being partners and being co-owners.
Gear. Crazy how much stuff you need to make so little as a peep on stage.
We’re extremely grateful for the hustle and bustle, the mistakes and true screw-ups, still. We need that to learn and better the craft.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Jason takes care of the process of building the cassette.
It starts with the delivery of the blank tapes. Once we have demos sent from our artists, we send the digital file to the machine and run the blank through.
Precision is key. Know when the cassette will cut. We do it manually with two machines, recording four cassettes at a time. It’s a lengthy process. No matter how good the music is, it can drain a lesser man listening for hours as long as 16 hours straight! Jason does it anyway with full enthusiasm.
The J-Card is the fun part. It’s where Jason gets to play around with designs, alignment and typography. We both love to add little things. With the latest comp. tape, we had an insert with the acts listed as well as a huge commemoration to all who had a hand in its production. It’s the little things.
Jason’s seal of approval is a literal seal—of plastic. We finish the project with plastic film for a professional look. People seem to dig it.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Sunday: I grew up in New Jersey, Burlington City, Camden. It’s a small, rough town, usually grey but the greenery from the trees all around made up for it.
I’ve always been an artist. Love my graphic novels, dystopian illustrations and graffiti.
My mom is a New Yorker and my dad is from South Korea. My family is very animal oriented. Never did the house not have less than ten animals at a time. We weren’t the most lovey-dovey, or the quietest, but we’re loyal to one another.
I’m the oldest of three. There was a lot of pressure, I think. With the expectations surrounding me, I escaped into my sketch books, novels, and niche hobbies here and there.
Music Wise: My dad is the musically expressive one. He always had something playing in his office or into the house. Usually, it’s Mad Season, Alice In Chains, Black Sabbath, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, and all true classics you can imagine. My taste mutated from dad rock (still a loyal listener) into sludge, crust punk, grind, hardcore, metal, and a lot of Ozzy.
Jason:
I was born and raised in Austin, Texas. As an only child my imagination kept me company. My curiosity brought me to tinkering. I love to take apart machines and see how they work. The biggest challenge—to see if I could put them back together. I spent a lot of time outside with my scout troop growing up. My dad is a huge inspiration—helped me strive to becoming an Eagle Scout. He was always there with my projects and excursions.
Music wise, I grew up listening to a lot of country and classic rock: George Straight, Boston, Willie Nelson, Bonjovi—even disco. I discovered a more diverse range of music in middle school. Thanks to my friends, I was introduced to bands like Primus and Slipknot. My knowledge really began to blossom at Piranha Records. John gave me a whole life’s worth of music and its history. Alongside my music taste, John bestowed me the framework of a successful business.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
Most photos by
Kendra Lynn
@photossbykendra
