Record Store Day: Creepoid Drops WET.

April 17, 2014

by gwmiller3

Text by Michael Bucher. Images by Micheal Bucher, Brandee Nichols and Chad Sims.

After the successful release earlier this month of Creepoid’s self-titled second LP, the band is faced with a question all bands hope to have to ask themselves: can we do this music thing full time?

“We’re right at the point now where I think we’re going to have to make the decision to leave all this behind and hit the road full time,” says Sean Miller, the lead singer and guitar player. “We gotta give our notices and make sure everyone is on the same page.”

Miller says the band has been approached by bigger acts to go on national tours as well as offers by booking agents. Coupled with the treacherous winter in Philly this year, the band is also considering relocating down South.

Currently, everyone still holds 9 to 5 jobs or something similar in Philly, which is impressive with their spring tour schedule.

“We’ve done every weekend for the past two months pretty much,” says Miller. “Sometimes we’ll be playing so far away, we’ll only get to do one show, maybe two.”

Occasionally, Miller can take a Monday or Friday off from his job at a print shop in center city to stretch out a trip. Creepoid plans on taking one of these extended weekend getaways next Friday morning, driving straight to Mulligan’s in Grand Rapids, Michigan and then Chicago on Saturday to play a show at Township for Record Store Day. The band will be there to promote their two-color 12″ vinyl EP titled Wet, with four brand new songs on one side and an etching by artist Daniel Suter on the reverse side.

The EP opportunity came when Ryan Graveface from Black Moth Super Rainbow and the owner of Graveface Records asked the band about doing a three-EP staggered-release last fall.

“He made us an offer to do a couple home recordings this year, the first of which comes out on Record Store Day,’” says Miller. “We were like, ‘Hell yeah!’ It’s a chance for us to stretch our legs, be a little more experimental and get some fresh air and do something a little different.”

The group first met Graveface a couple years ago when he asked Creepoid to play Graveface Fest, a music festival his label puts on every year in their hometown of Savannah, Georgie. After releasing the 500 copies for record store day, Graveface will put out 200-300 more hand poured copies for members of the label’s album subscription service.

“For us, it was a no brainer. It was like a cool boutique endeavor for us. Were excited to do some stuff back home.”

Their home is now where the group is recording the tracks for the three EPs. With Miller, his girlfriend, and Pat and Anna Troxell living together in a house in West Philly, the group was able to build a live recording and rehearsal space in the basement and an engineering studio on the second floor. Miller says he prefers working out of their house because they can record the foundation of a new song during a practice session if they feel it’s ready. But it can get frustrating he says trying to balance the writing and engineering at the same time.

With a few songs in the early stages and two more EPs scheduled for release this year, the group must use the upcoming months to further plan the nerve-wracking leap into being full-time musicians.

“We feel like time is of the essence while people are interested, while people are looking and listening to these new releases,” Miller says. “This is the time we really need to make that move. That’s why, the sooner the better with coming to a consensus on how to do this full time by the end of the summer.”