Father of the Flood is putting out his first CD on Dec. 18 through The Lotus Sound, a label run by Mike D’Elia. The label’s been around for a decade, though for a large portion of that it was in hiatus while D’Elia got Astro-Zombies, his Nob Hill collectible toy and comic shop, off the ground. In the fall of 2006, D’Elia began contacting musicians again to see if they’d like to work with The Lotus Sound. "It’s a labor of love, first and foremost," he says. "As somebody who loves music and collects music, it’s my way to give back and to make my mark." At the end of 2006, he released an experimental acoustic-based disc called Joint Chiefs by Vapour Theories, which features the Gibbons brothers from Bardo Pond. At the beginning of this year, D’Elia put out Writhing Underground Flowers by Suishou no Fune, a Japanese psychedelic band. He’s begun a limited-edition (100 discs) handmade series of local experimental artists, beginning with Father of the Flood. It will continue with releases by Yoda’s House and Alan George Ledergerber. "Anything that catches my ear, I talk to the artist and see if they want to work together," he says. "From that point on, it’s pretty much up to them—their call as far as art, content, everything."D’Elia worked in record stores for years before opening Astro-Zombies and has seen the experimental and noise scenes bloom here in the last few. "More so than ever before, there’s been a wide variety of artists and even touring bands coming through that we’ve never seen before."
You can buy any of The Lotus Sound releases at Astro-Zombies (3108 Central SE, 232-7800) or from the label's artists. D'Elia hopes to have an online store up soon at www.thelotussound.com. Artists interested in working with D'Elia—who likes all kinds of music—can contact him through the website or by heading down to the shop.
