DM) What's the story of the foundation of Seedless Records?
SS) Our record company motto is, When you hear Seedless...you
think quality. The foundation of Seedless Records can be traced
back to a simpler time when I just had a bunch of songs and needed
a place to put them. So after many years of extensive research
in the music business & other related areas, I decided that
my best chance for recording, releasing, & promoting this
material was to take on the challenge myself & utilize the
vast amount of knowledge I had accumulated over the years. Hence,
the label Seedless Records was initially started for the sole
reason to release Cowboy Surfer "Surf Saloon". I used
Indie Guru Tim Sweeney's "Guide To Releasing Independent
Records" as a blueprint for forming the necessary framework
to accomplish my goal and was willing to do the work to bring
it to completion. And it's a lot of work. It was kind of like
18 months of boot camp in the music business. You either made
it or you quit! I made it in that respect and the self-confidence
it has built in me will last forever.
DM) You based a lot of the company on the book?
SS) Yes...A lot of the mechanics of starting a record company
successfully were gleaned from the pages of Tim's Book. It gives
you the framework from with which to build upon. A blueprint
so to speak, but the work must be done by you. The book will
not tell you everything you need to know. You must have a strong
will and be prepared to sacrifice greatly unless you are independently
wealthy and can afford to have people do the tremendous amount
of work necessary to achieve operational status.
DM) What kind of sacrifices have you had to make?
SS) I have had to sacrifice a lot for my dreams. Basic necessities
like money, food, medical insurance, going to movies, vacations
have been put on hold. I have had to sink into the depths of
poverty. But everyone seems to think I'm independently wealthy
because of the way I carry myself and the things I have accomplished
without money. People just assume you have it when you have your
dignity. We live in such an appearance based, judgmental society.
But it has already paid off for me in many ways other than money.
I have literally hundreds of letters from people who say I have
inspired them in a positive way & inspire me to continue
on with my vision & artistry.
DM) How did you get involved with the "Save the Bluffs"
project in Carpinteria?
SS) Living in Carpinteria, I have a special feeling towards our
natural treasure, the Bluffs of Carpinteria. It is a special
place where the Chumash Indians once called home and is a sacred
grounds to their culture. The first surfers were Indians surfing
the Rincon Point on long boards fashioned out of local wood.
The missionaries who first came here noticed that the Chumash
were excellent wood workers, canoe builders, hence the name was
changed to La Carpinteria. Knowing the importance & heritage
of the area and with developers breathing down the neck of the
city, I heard about the opportunity that had presented itself
to the Citizens for the Carpinteria Bluffs, a non-profit citizens
group. If they could raise a hefty $4mil in 4 mos., a small window
of opportunity would exist to purchase the property from developers,
Shea/Vickers & thus Save the Bluffs in perpetuity. So I took
it upon myself to take charge of the media campaign as no one
else had the savvy to do it. I started my media onslaught by
building the famous Bluffs website overnight with my friend Steve
Powell of SevenSouth Record Shop (it's linked to my site) which
was responsible for bringing in tens if not hundreds of thousands
of dollars in donations. I then planned the Bluffs Benefit Concert
at the Plaza Theatre in Carpinteria and got my friends, Brad
& DM, morning DJ's on 92.9 KJEE to publicize the cause. This
led to me being invited down to be live on the air, which led
to me convincing them to let me record a 30sec P.S.A. which ran
constantly and led to a 30 minute talk show appearance.
I then took the radio spot to all the other stations &
was interviewed about the Bluffs. I also was responsible for
finding funding at the last minute for a boat ride that we were
taking the California Coastal Conservancy on. A newspaper article
was written about this in the Coastal View & it led to us
receiving a $1 million dollar bridge loan and a $500,000 grant
from the conservancy. I got to go on the boat ride and some of
them were surfers! I also organized community service for the
local high school to clean the litter on the bluffs before the
conservancy tour. But I think the most impact I had on the campaign
was the television commercial I produced with Larry Nimmer. I
came up with the idea of a TV spot utilizing an edited version
of the radio copy mixed with stock footage of the bluffs that
Larry had. I then narrated the spot at Larry's studio and arranged
with David Edelman of Cox Communications to run the ad &
it aired over 500 times in the last, most critical month of the
campaign when over $2 million dollars came in. We made the deadline
& celebrated by toasting champagne under a full moon on the
bluffs at midnight on New Years Eve. It has raised the level
of media awareness about me & Cowboy Surfer to astronomical
heights.
DM) Now a non-profit group owns the bluffs?
SS) Right now, the Bluffs are in the capable hands of The
Land Trust of Santa Barbara, the same people who orchestrated
the famous Wilcox Property purchase in Santa Barbara. For those
who aren't familiar with that, the Wilcox property is a beloved
section of land overlooking the beach in Santa Barbara &
facing similar development was purchased by the city with the
help of the Land Trust & a last minute hefty donation by
Actor Michael Douglas, hence the renaming of the property as
The Douglas Reserve. The Citizens for the Carpinteria Bluffs,
the non-profit organization to which I belong, raised the $4million
by the deadline through private donations and grants from several
environmentally related agencies. In order to complete the transaction
by the appointed deadline of December 31 1998 & avoid the
eventual destruction of the natural habitat, the Citizens Group
invoked a $1million bridge loan which we received after the boat
ride I mentioned earlier. To date we are still a quarter million
or so short of paying off that loan in its entirety. Our goal
is to raise the additional monies by the cities birthday in September
and have the Land Trust present the deed to the bluffs to the
City as a birthday present at that time to preserve it for perpetuity.
In addition, we are in the process of trying to raise an additional
$500,000 to set up an endowment fund for the upkeep & expense
of maintaining the 52 acre coastal bluff parcel. The bluffs are
the gateway to one of the only remaining California Harbor Seal
Rookeries in Southern California.
DM) Did you grow up in this area?
SS) I was born and raised in Southern California, did a 5
year stint in Michigan, then migrated back to SoCal for college
& eventually settled in Carpinteria about 6 years ago. I
fell in love with the area and decided to get involved in the
fight to preserve some of its natural beauty, so that my children
will be able to enjoy it as much as I have.
DM) Are the Cowboy Surfer actually Cowboy's who surf?
SS) Yes, Pete is the best surfer in the group, but we all
have a love and respect for the ocean. The name Cowboy Surfer
actually refers to a state of mind where you are free to live
your life in the manner that you see fit, hence the line, "Allow
yourself to be Cowboy Wild...and Surfer Free!" It goes deeper
than just being a Cowboy or being a Surfer, but rather the similar
motivations & meditative mindset that must be achieved to
pursue ones dreams, whatever they may be.
DM) Have you ever gone horse back riding too?
SS) I love horses, but unfortunately cannot afford to have
one at this time. But I would love to be able to someday. I rode
as child and can remember my folks taking me to the now closed
Beverly Park in Los Angeles to ride the ponies. I once rode through
the mountains of Jamaica and met a wise old Rastafarian man named
Clarence who paused to have a Red Stripe with me and told me
to follow my dreams...or visions as he called them. Well, Clarence,
wherever you are...thank you!
