Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Bote.
Hi Robert, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
WDGO MUSIC’s actual story starts a few years before the label launched. I left Chicago in 2016 after being asked to join a band based out of Nashville both as bassist and manager. About a year in the band met the folks from Wendigo Productions at a show in New York. We became quick friends and they started supporting my band shortly thereafter.
In the process of working together, I helped some of the other bands with different matters and about three years ago, the company sponsored a fundraiser concert in London for the Joe Strummer Foundation, which is where I met Rex – my partner in this venture. When my band broke up in late 2019, I suggested to him that with our collective experiences as musicians, producing music and band/ tour managers, and together with Wendigo’s backing, we could give something of real value to musicians and bands. Fast forward 18 months and we’re doing just that.
WDGO Music’s first release is a double-sided single of Mick Ronson (guitarist and arranger for Ziggy-era Bowie & Lou Reed). The recordings were made on BBC’s TV show Live at the Old Grey Whistle Test in 1974 and were released on orange translucent limited edition vinyl. Everything was done in official cooperation with the BBC and the Ronson family estate. One facet of what we’re trying to achieve is to shine a light on past artists and make sure that whatever we release serves to remind the world of who they are, or were, and what their contribution has been.
Our first original & contemporary signing is the band DEE OH GEE (Nashville, previously Blackfoot Gypsies). We’re pressing their new album NEW WAY OF LIFE (release Dec. 10th) onto vinyl and will be offering collectible flexi-discs for their upcoming single “Lost at Sea”. Things are looking great for the boys, the album is getting lots of positive attention in the UK, both with FM radio and the press in upcoming issues. The band previously toured opening for the likes of the Darkness, Sheryl Crowe, Buddy Guy, Dwight Yoakam (etc.) and are now after a slight re-brand looking to get back to Europe and we’re helping on our end to prepare the ground for it. I’m extremely excited for the world to hear this record and discover the band. (Check out their single I Can’t Take It on Spotify)
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?
Things are rarely ever a completely smooth road but a bit of a challenge is part of what makes things more interesting and rewarding in the end. That being said, the pandemic has caused substantial delays in the vinyl industry. Thankfully our delays have so far only been minor.
Since our original plan to curate live events was put on ice, we were able to stay active in that regard by co-producing a live stream together with the Music Venue Trust (UK) featuring members of the Gorillaz Iggy Pop’s band, Eagles of Death Metal and many more. Supported by the likes of Paul McCartney and Nick Mason (Pink Floyd), the MVT has previously been able to successfully lobby for laws that protect independent music venues from different factors that drive them out of lucrative locations – a cause everyone at WDGO MUSIC feels passionate about.
We’ve been impressed with WDGO Music, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
WDGO MUSIC is part of NYC based Wendigo Productions, which has a history of assisting bands’ recording and touring efforts. Named after its patron Wendy Scripps, the label is a continuation of the Scripps family tradition of supporting the arts on both sides of the Atlantic. While her parents opened dance schools and theaters, Wendy made it her mission to support all things rock n roll. With the label we continue to operate in this spirit in the sense that we are generous with the artist and always open to find an arrangement that offers value to all sides.
From our own experiences and those of our peers, we know the stories where indie labels ask for a lot but offer little in return. We try to do the opposite by supplying the artist with targeted PR coverage, videos, high-end vinyl records, designs for merchandise, as well as tour support. This is only possible because we do almost everything in house, which makes things more time and cost-efficient, and because of a small but enthusiastic team of people in LA, London, NYC and Nashville. Having connections and a presence in different locations, I believe will allow us to present artists that are going unnoticed, either because they’re in the wrong market or because they can’t find a way to access the right one. We can help to build those bridges.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
My path thus far has definitely had a lot of stops. I was born in Munich to Czech parents who fled communism for a free world in the 70s. Growing up, I was basically either playing sports or music. I’d say I was pretty shy and introverted and playing hockey and music were my way of expression. In retrospect, I also consider myself lucky to be part of the last generation that still read books and played outside without cell phones. I started with piano and cello in elementary school and after years of begging finally got my first electric guitar. My dad had a wide variety of music in his collection but a definite love for all things rock, funk, soul, blues… Records in a way were my toys and I learned a fair bit of English early on by reading the lyrics along to the music. Playing ice hockey allowed me to move away from my parents when I was 15, live an independent life early on and see many cool places. I played a couple of years pro in Europe while still a teenager, spent over a year in Canada and eventually moved to the U.S. for college when I was 21. I picked Chicago as my landing spot, mostly because of its blues scene, eventually ended up playing in the blues clubs, wrote and produced a rock n roll project called Mama Fuzz (on SoundCloud) and then desperate to get on the road joined another band and moved Nashville, which is where the connections and ideas for the label started taking shape.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.wdgomusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/WDGOmusic/
