seymour records

seymour records.

the story of seymour -

It was July 2006, my friend James was leaving to do an art residency in New York and asked me if I wanted to house sit and take care of the 40+ plants at his downtown LA loft space. I was in transition at the time and needed a place to stay so I accepted the offer.

His place is situated on Los Angeles Street, between the rough fifth street drug dealers and the newly renovated 6th street lofts in an old historic building overlooking vacant buildings and shops. During the day the sidewalk is noisy and swarming with folks - street vendors and their caddies filled with ice cream, fruit and Mexican treats - all sorts of sellers, beggars and consumers.

Around 5 pm. the sounds of metal sliding doors meet with a gradual dissipation of human sound. Closing time. The streets are left desolate and bare. A few of the homeless scurry around looking for cardboard boxes with which to construct their homes for the night. There was usually no interaction between them. Throughout the month the homeless that would set up their camp on my street would change from night to night. However, there was one particular man who would consistently performs a home building ritual in the exact same spot in front of my building every evening. During the entire month I lived there, I would watch this man, whom I dubbed 'Seymour', from my window as he began making his cardboard home at around 6 pm every night. He had a special technique for securing his home using rope that would demand his diligent focus for about half an hour. Meanwhile rats would be attacking the piles of rubbish and trash bins on the street corner, people would walk by ranting things to themselves or at each other - but nothing would divert Seymour's attention from his task. After his shelter was made, he would take off his (only) long-sleeved shirt, fold it carefully and place it in his shelter. Then he would stand beside his cardboard home and do his stretches. Those stretches I came to realize must have been an incredibly important part of his nightly tasks and must prevent some of the morning soreness that comes from sleeping on cardboard and concrete. If only all the sidewalks were covered in grass - how much more comfortable that would be and nicer looking. After stretching up his arms high in the air he would sit and look up at the sky for a while and then finally retire into his makeshift home while his feet peered out from beneath the cardboard. The calm, meditative, spiritual way Seymour would go about his nightly routine taught me some real lessons about the need to find inner peace in any time or place of chaos and disillusion. To pay tribute both to a man who managed to maintain his poise and dignity in conditions most of us can barely imagine and to the illuminations that come from the quiet observation of the humble and mundane in this city (or any city), Seymour Records was born.

Currently Seymour Records exists only as an outlet for Métal Rouge and related projects, but hopes to expand in the future to include and embrace our extended musical family.