Label Focus: Jagjaguwar
Jagjaguwar's twenty year history has been filled with collaboration and a familial sense of community between their extensive catalogue of artists.
The independent label was conjured up using a Dungeons & Dragons character-name-generator computer program by Darius Van Arman during his college days at UVA. During this time Van Armen signed his friends bands to the small label and soon became met Secretly Canadian founder Chris Swanson. Their friendship became a monumental partnership that would one day become the start of Secretly Group.
In the early 2000s Jagjaguwar signed Eau Claire, Wisconsin project Bon Iver whose initial pressing of debut album For Emma, Forever Ago sold out within the first few weeks. During Bon Iver's Grammy's speech in February 2012 for Bon Iver, Justin Vernon thanked Jagjaguwar "for having transparency and friendship."
Soon, more artists signed with the label including Sharon Van Etten, Small Black, Foxygen, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Women, Preoccupations, and Angel Olsen.
Jagjaguwar is synonymous with bringing together a family of artists and curating a sought after catalogue of up-and-coming musicians across the globe.
In conversation with Anastasia Coope, her label A&R Lau Frías, her Maltese Cleo, and an antique doll (pictured).
Lau Frías: Anastasia, hi! Please introduce yourself for those who don’t know you.
Anastasia Coope: I’m Anastasia Coope, I’m a 21-year-old artist from Cold Spring, New York, currently living in Brooklyn.
LF: How would you describe your music in four words?
AC: All Girls Swedish Choir.
LF: Spot on. Your identity in visual art seems to inform your approach to music. Where does one practice end and the other begin? Where do they coexist?
AC: Painting feels strict and brief, music making feels romantic and indulgent. I started off as a painter and enjoy creating the illusion of space — music making was a natural progression for me. In both, I’m actively trying to create grand landscapes using only primary elements.
LF: Sounds very reminiscent of your upbringing in upstate NY.
AC: Definitely. You know, I recently discovered my childhood home was a music school in the early 1900s …
LF: Wild. And I know that you play your mom’s guitar. Was there a specific moment where you were like, aha, I need to make music?
AC: I started making music after getting a laptop while applying to college. Once I started making recordings, I never really stopped.
LF: On Darning Woman, your upcoming debut album, you’ve referenced a distinct set of influences, connected by texture and process more so than sound. Can you talk a bit about this?
AC: I was thinking maximally while making this record. I think that’s apparent in how it sounds. Most of what’s going on sonically is vocal layering. It was interesting to discover what artifacts appeared in the process.
LF: The ultra feminine is so present in your lyrics, it’s confrontational at times but detached in others. What’s your writing process like? What aspects of the feminine experience most inform your work?
AC: When I sit down to write, I’m rarely trying to tackle a specific subject. In the case of this record, I was living alone at a relative’s house and was cycling through my daily routine. For this reason, clothes, food, repair, etc. make up the lyrical content. Femininity isn’t often something I'm tangibly thinking about, though I'm drawn to the idea of the iconic female character in history.
LF: This kind of brings us to the next point. Physicality and ephemera are central themes in the album. You’re not afraid to challenge modern practices in materialism and your connection to objects. How did these ideas come about?
AC: This was something that I realized retrospectively when people were asking me about the record. People have noted the aspects of materiality and collection in the songs. I care a lot about my personal surroundings, top to bottom — furniture, clothing, etc. I should probably learn how to darn now. Most of my songs are about myself and my immediate surroundings rather than pressing life events.
LF: Let’s talk about Bonzo. Can you tell us about how it started, and who’s performed at the Bonzo Party events?
AC: I started Bonzo two and a half years ago while living at my first apartment in NY. I was frustrated because I didn’t know where to play or how to find shows I wanted to involve myself with. I started booking them myself, throwing them in my living room. I now live in an artist loft with eight other people, and have been hosting them there. We’ve also expanded into a Trans-Pecos residency. At the last one, Carl Stone performed. I think that’s the best show I’ve ever seen other than this one time I saw Anthony Braxton. April Magazine, Rusty Santos, Autobahn, and Moon Diagrams are some other past performers.
LF: We’re so happy to be working with you here at Jagjaguwar. As a big fan of the label, what are some of your favorite releases and artists you now share a label home with?
AC: My north star on the label is definitely the band Women (no pun intended, ha). I love all of those releases. I’ve been listening to the Foxygen hits recently to get into the Jagjaguwar mood. As far as newer signings, I love Chanel Beads. Everyone should go see them live. They will knock your socks off.
LF: Anything else you’d like to share?
AC: This doll sitting next to me will be featured on the back cover of the vinyl. It’s a very old doll I found online. Keep an eye out for my album coming out May 31st. Support your local record shop or go purchase it on my Bandcamp. Check out my paintings as well.