\\\\\\ \\ \\ \\\ interview with a label dude, dean bein (founder of true panther sounds)

Photo - The back of Dean Bein, half of Will Roan of Amazing Baby's head, Quinn Walker of Suckers. Rock and roll friendship legion.

Dean Bein is the founder of True Panther Sounds who have been putting it down pretty big this year. Now a part of the Matador family, True Panther is responsible for putting out "Album" from the SF band Girls who have made quite a name for themselves this year ON SOME YOU MUST BE LIVING UNDER A ROCK IF YOU AINT HEARD OF THEM type shit. TPS is also responsible for putting out music from Glasser, Tanlines, Lemonade, Hunx and his Punx, Tamaryn, and The Fly Girlz who were formed at a 21st century sponsored after school program at Brownsville Middle School PS 284. As busy as dude is, he was kind enough to answer some questions the inquiring minds at Gordon Gartrelle must know:

- Yo Dean Bein, when people ask what you're doing do you ever say just bein dean?

Yes also, if you do a good search for Dean Bein a lot of times it'll be like "Dean bin CRAZY" or "Dean Bein STUPID". When my mom first figured out how to use google she came to believe I was a really controversial figure on the internet.

- Do you download music? Do you draw a somewhat moralistic line, as many people do, between widely available popular music that is okay to download and self-supporting indie music that you'd like to support the band for? Do you download movies?

I don't download movies and I don't download indie or major label music. Majors because I am scared of a time warner representative rope swinging through my bedroom window and taking me out with a laser sword or something. Indies because I want to represent and support bands I love and , companies I love and believe in.

- Is the world going to end in 2012? if so, how?

My dad who is a "really far out guy" said that 2012 will be a massive change in the human consciousness. In his russian accent he said "many people may die, many people may not, but in the end we will all think of the world differently. There is no such thing as apocalypse." My dad bought me a book about Nostradamus when I was 11 and as a result I grew up as a half-hearted no-future-esque punk rocker. I now believe ha things will never be "all right" for long but also that nothing will ever be "totally fucked" forever. There is no such thing as apocalypse, only massive change.

- How dope is Monta Ellis? That guy is great. Is he going to fully recover and be the franchise player the Warriors need? How angry were you about that whole moped thing? I was pissed. I'm a Knicks fan but since they suck I slut around a little and Monta was hell of enjoyable to watch. Plus I was living with a dude from the Bay at the time.

Imagine my life with favorite teams being the knicks and warriors. Maybe this is a "no future " vibe extending itself into my adult life. I was pissed about Monta but also he is like 12 years-old. Have you ever heard him talk? He has the most amazing southern accent. Also, growing up a warriors fan I am always convinced that the Warriors will trade away any possible franchise player for a 4th round pick and a bag of sunchips so I have no such delusions about Monta being with us for long.

- What do you think of japanther?

Do you realize they have been around for almost 10 years? Do you think they realize this?

What do you think of the black panthers?

I think it's cool that Bobby Seale is really into bbq'ing now. He has a bunch of cookbooks and maybe even a restaurant. I am generally dubious of "revolutionary political practice" but I am super down with revolutionary/life-altering bbq ribs. Cooking pigs not killing pigs…or something.

What do you think of the comic book super hero black panther?

I tried to do this entire interview "off line" but I was stumped by this question and just googled him. He is like a low-grade batman? I don't know! I am not impressed!!

What do you think of pantera?

In high school I had a friend who played on the football team who was into Pantera. I made him a mix tape one time that had 10 yard fight and Earth Crisis on it and it didn't really move him .He said Pantera was way harder than those bands. I didn't understand really but I know that I was mysteriously inconsolably sad when Dimebag Darrell was killed.

What do you think of the panther as an animal?

The panther is beautiful and fast and deadly

How did you come up with the name True Panther Sounds?

We got it from a medieval bestiary. In it, the panther eats a meal then retires to the cave for a few days to digest. When it comes out, the odor that comes from its mouth brings all of the animals of the forest together in harmony and peace. The only animal that is not down with this is the dragon, the dragon hates the smell and it makes it sick. The dragon is the enemy of the panther. The True Panther brings all of the different animals of the forest together in harmony, that is why we picked that name.

- Do you feel that the quality of spam mail has gone down significantly in the past years? I used to get stuff that was pure absurdist poetry like "The eternal poodle mix tries the vacuum cleaner wisdom teeth with McConaughey in spades" but now it's 100% investment loans and prescription drugs. Do you blame gmail's spam filter for such degradation?

I got a really beautiful spam recently.

"excess of sorrow laughs. excess of joy weeps. a bare, bleak shed in blackest silhouette,searchest the grass with tongue of flame,"

I also got a poem in my email a week ago and thought it was a weird free-verse spam thing but then re-read and it turns out it was a real poem from a secret admirer!! I've never had a secret admirer. It made me hate spam even more bitterly than before, for almost making me miss such a thing.

- When you hear a band you're going to sign, is it usually something that's apparent the first time you see them play or listen to their record or is it something that comes out of a lot of listens?

It's usually immediate but then also I get excited about most music almost every day so I have to give things a bit of time to marinate to see if my excitement fades. I am an excitable person.

- Do you think people with pilates balls in their house will ever be free of someone coming over and using the thing as a toy or a hop ball? do you think people who do pilates religiously ever secretly bounce that thing around the house for fun?

I don't associate with those kinds of people. It's also a shame that people who try to use their balls for self-empowerment are ridiculed and their balls are mocked and misused.

- Any good stories from the joint. I think I ran into you after you were locked up for a tnight. JAIL.

The only poster they had up in ny central booking office was Mike Dunwoody from the San Jose Sharks. That one really threw me for a loop. Everyone called me "that little white nigga". I met a guy who was arrested, released with no money, jumped to turnstile to get home only to get re-arrested. I also met two graffiti guys who were nice to me because they knew this other graffiti guy who I met in elementary school- which is crazy because that was in California.

- Does Christopher Owens listen to any rap music?

Jesus Christ was the first gangster rapper. I think Christopher listens to a lot of religious music.

- What's next for True Panther?

I want True Panther to keep on growing and keep on doing right by the artists, and keep on putting out good music for people from all around the world. The label is nothing if it can't provide something to artists that they can't do themselves so I hope to continue to be at their mercy and to keep surprising listeners with new, adventurous, honest and fearless sounds.

Good lookin out Dean for taking the time to do this shit. When I get around to it expect some more interviews coming soon w Nick Diamonds of Islands and the band Bear in Heaven.