Toro y Moi among first of label’s signed Columbia bands, artists
Aaron Graves still owns the oversized wooden utensils that inspired Fork & Spoon Records, the Columbia-based record label he and friends Chris Gardner and Jordan Blackmon founded together and still operate today.
The larger-than-life fork and spoon rest on top of Graves’ fireplace like trophies. The young musician rescued the old home decorations from the trash, which his grandma had intended to get rid of.
“She was going to throw them away, but I was like, ‘No. Those are memories,’” Graves said.
Fork & Spoon Records has a long history, and Graves said the label has gone through “waves in activity and seriousness” since around 2003. He, Gardner and Blackmon all grew up in northeast Columbia and started the local label informally as a way to build a music community among their friends.
“We all grew up skateboarding together [and] making music together,” Gardner said. “Our friends had bands. As our friends would come out with good music, we wanted people to know about it.”
Graves said his parents were always supportive of their musical aspirations.
“My parents didn’t care if we made noise,” Graves said. “We started recording at my house.”
The three musicians came up with the label name in the early years, and friends began to use Fork & Spoon as a way to brand their music. Chaz Bundick of Toro y Moi was among the first musicians to record under the Fork & Spoon name.
In 2010, the team behind Fork & Spoon Records kicked it into high gear and became more serious about the label. Eight bands currently comprise the Fork & Spoon family, and the label has put out seven releases in the past two years.
“I just want to see what happens in the future,” Graves said.
While Graves, Gardner and Blackmon have taken on the business role of managing the label and aiding bands with recording and releasing music, the three friends have not given up on making music of their own. All three were members of No Way Jose, the first band to release an album through Fork & Spoon. Graves and Gardner currently both play in Those Lavender Whales and Coma Cinema, two bands on Fork & Spoon.
Blackmon, a 2007 USC graduate, is a member of Toro y Moi. Although he has been touring the world with the band, fame hasn’t changed him. He shared stories from the road, including a humorous dialogue from an MTV Singapore interview, but the musician still keeps in touch with Graves and Gardner and comes back to Columbia whenever he has a chance.
Since Fork & Spoon Records was created by a group of friends, the label has maintained a community feeling between all the artists. Bands have artistic control in all aspects of making an album, from recording to touring, and the team offers its advice and aid whenever it is needed.
“Each release is overthought beyond overthinking,” Blackmon said.
Fork & Spoon’s friendship with its creative team extends beyond the music, as the label founders have enlisted the help of visual artist friends as well. USC alumnus Kevin Archie designed the album cover for Those Lavender Whales’ latest release, “Tomahawk of Praise,” and local artist Sam Spina designed Fork & Spoon’s logo.
“We’ve never had to reach outside the little community,” Graves said.
During the early days of Fork & Spoon, Graves, Gardner and Blackmon were funding releases with money out of their own pockets. At one point, Graves was selling his DVD collection on Amazon to make money for Fork & Spoon, but the label has come a long way since then.
“We haven’t had to pay for any releases in a while,” Gardner said.
Blackmon echoed Gardner’s sentiments.
“It’s a labor of love,” Blackmon said.
Graves and Gardner host a potluck dinner every month and invite the Columbia community to attend. One month, the pair held the dinner at New Brookland Tavern in West Columbia and had Fork & Spoon bands play throughout the evening. Check out Fork & Spoon Records on Facebook to learn more about the label’s next gathering.
Albums from Fork & Spoon Records artists can be purchased online through the label’s website, forkandspoonrecords.net, and in person at Papa Jazz Record Shoppe in Five Points.