Page 16 - Rocknation Issue 28_Neat

PAGE 16 ROCKNATION ISSUE 28

Interview with Chris VanDahl & Tom Mathers

Please tell us some details about the CHERRY ST. “Twisted, Rude & Sticky Sweet” CD.
TOM: This Cherry St. CD is limited to a 500 CD pressing and features 11 demos that the band recorded before getting signed to JRS/
BMG in 1993. After I discovered that someone in Russia was illegally selling a bootleg CD with a version of these demos on EBAY for
$140.00, I decided to release the tracks with improved sound quality and original band photos in the CD artwork. The bootleg CD
artwork consists of low quality pictures and the recordings were taken off old cassette tapes sold by the band years earlier. For this
release on Perris, the first six tracks were taken off the master DAT tapes. Tracks 7 through 11 were recorded in smaller studios as
pre-production and were never intended for sale. Anthony Focx, whose credits include Ace Frehley, Buckcherry & Night Ranger,
mastered all 11 tracks on this CD. The Russian bootleg version is a low quality product and is ripping off the fans and the band.
How did the band setup distro through Relativity/Important distribution?
TOM: I have to give Joe the manager at Tower Records Sunset a HUGE thank you for that. I remember talking to Joe about carrying
our 3 song tape on consignment. He had a very funny comment, sure leave a box of 30 tapes if we sell them I will pay you and order
more if they don’t they go in the trash. LOL Well they kept selling out and then Joe told me to sell on a bigger scale about
Relativity/Important distribution, he gave me a contact number and away I went. Tower even did our full color posters in a display in
selected stores which at the time would cost labels thousands of dollars to setup. Tower never charged us a dime. Also displays were
done in the Music Plus chain stores around southern California again all at no charge. With the distribution company the band sold over
8000 tapes worldwide. The band had a huge buzz and industry people that believed in us helping us advance the band to securing a
deal with JRS/BMG.