Josh Rosenthal founded the record label Tompkins Square in 2005, not only going on to release acclaimed titles by Charlie Louvin, Tim Buckley and Bessie Jones, but earning a Grammy nomination as a producer. Originally from Long Island, Josh went to high school alongside Judd Apatow – which inspired the casting of Graham Parker in This Is 40, per an October 2012 article in The Hollywood Reporter – at a time when Long Island wasn’t such a cool place to grow up.
Thoughts on this and plenty more are discussed in Josh’s new book, The Record Store Of The Mind. I had the opportunity to conduct some Q&A with Josh in advance of the book’s release, although this was done prior to an advance copy reaching me. In turn, some of the information discussed may already be known by owners of The Record Store Of The Mind. However, I was also able to ask about the Tompkins Square label and its recent 10-year milestone.
Keeping a quality-oriented, roots-inspired label like this up and running should not only serve as an impressive accomplishment – especially when considering the current state of the music business — but as a source of inspiration of how a person can turn their lifelong passion into a worthwhile career. Ultimately, as of this article’s posting, Tompkins Square has seven Grammy nods to its credit. More info on all things Josh Rosenthal can be found by clicking over to www.tompkinssquare.com.
Your label is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary. How does your game plan 10 years in compare to that when you first started the label?
Josh Rosenthal: It’s the same: No gameplan. Projects just seem to surface and if they’re enticing enough, I do it.
Was there a label that especially inspired to you start one of your own?
J: I really love early Rounder, Folkways, Yazoo — labels that seemed to never stop putting out great material and had a strong individual aesthetic.
What was the first release on your label that made you feel surprised, as if you couldn’t believe an artist of that stature would be working with you?
J: Well, only Charlie Louvin, I guess. We made five records together, and every day of that felt like I was dreaming.
Being based in San Francisco, does it ever feel strange to be named after Tompkins Square?
J: A little. But Tompkins Square is a state of mind — an oasis in the city, a place for contemplation, a place for anarchy.
Syosset, where you grew up, gave the world Judd Apatow, Idina Menzel, Natalie Portman and Adam Pascal. What is it about that town that develops such great artists?
J: Probably boredom. If you can create your own inner world and then attach that to something on the outside, you can set yourself free.
Nowadays, Long Island is more celebrated in books and movies, but did you feel that way about Long Island when you were growing up?
J: True, we wouldn’t think Long Island would be the subject of films when we were growing up. It’s been depicted especially well in The Ice Storm and Trees Lounge. And in Freaks And Geeks, of course. . .
What were some of the Long Island venues you frequented when growing up? I remember there were punk shows at The Sahara in Syosset for a year or so in the early 2000s.
J: I wasn’t in Syosset in the early 2000s and never heard of that venue. I saw R.E.M. at a roller rink in Setauket, and The Replacements at Heartbreakers in Oyster Bay. It’s in the book!
Do you remember what your first concert was?
J: Tom Petty — with Joe Ely — Nassau Coliseum, April 1981. It’s in the book!
How would you describe your new book The Record Store Of The Mind to someone who hasn’t heard about it yet?
J: It’s a collection of thoughts about unsung musical heroes of mine, along with some memoir-ish recollections of growing up with music, growing up in the music business. And some stuff about the label, working for a big record label in the ’90s.
Was there a particular record store that was instrumental to your growth as a music fan?
J: YES! Straub Music in Plainview, Long Island. It’s in the book!
Once this 10th anniversary celebration is over with, what’s ahead for Tompkins Square?
J: No idea. I am reading the book around, which will be fun!
When not busy with your label or writing, what do you like to do with yourself?
J: Spend time with my daughters. Wander around San Francisco, hike in the Presidio, along the beach, the Bay.
Finally, Josh, any last words for the kids?
J: Stay straight. Don’t smoke pot. Work hard, play hard, love as much as you can.
-by Darren Paltrowitz
