Trigon Records Founder Marc Mylar - Is He Ahead Of His Time?

Marc Mylar is a multi-instrumentalist/vocalist/songwriter and founder of Trigon Records, a small independent record label based in Canoga Park, California. He has collaborated on lyrics and music with local musicians Zoogz Rift, The Feds, the Page Turner Band, ChromoSphere, and many others.

Mylar burst onto the scene in the mid-80s as a producer and performer on the critically acclaimed LP "Woodstock 1985". Reviewer Michael Small wrote in the March 13, 1986 edition of People magazine, "'Woodstock 1985' is a clever, raucous collection of songs that parody today's rock music."

That was 24 years ago. Mylar, who is still performing and recording, never quite escaped the mean streets of Canoga Park. He is a local L.A. cult favorite, but has not caught on with the general public. Maybe he was ahead of his time.

Over the years, Trigon Records has put out recordings by many local bands, including the psycho-garage-punk band Claw Hammer, who were picked up by Epitaph Records, and eventually recorded two albums for Interscope.

Mylar was asked how long it takes him to write a song: "That depends on the type of song. For an instumental based on a riff or a loop, it might take five minutes in Pro Tools. However, I've been known to spend years writing and revising lyrics."

Who are Mylar's biggest musical influences? "Mozart, Coltrane, Beatles, Floyd, Gabriel, Lehrer, Cage, Devo, Rift, Pere Ubu, Tijuana Brass, not necessarily in that order", he said.

"I listen to the music that fits into my 8 gigabyte iPod Nano," said Mylar, when asked what type of music he listens to. "That includes all of the above, plus many others that are too numerous to enumerate. Everything from ABBA to Zappa, not including ABBA."

What advice does Mylar have for aspiring songwriters? "Whatever you do, don't give up. But if you do, I'd recommend a career in the bar code printer industry," he said.

Known as a songwriter as well as a performer, Mylar was asked if he'll ever make an album of covers. "Funny you should ask. As we speak, I'm in the process of recording an album of covers, some of which were written by other artists, and some of which I've written myself. I'm also designing the album cover."

Many of today's musicians, especially in the age of "American Idol," are getting famous virtually overnight. Do you think it's right for people to pay so much attention to the personal lives of entertainers? "It's not right, but it's a necessary evil. When you make the decision to go into the entertainment business, you give up the right to privacy. You owe it to your fans."

Mylar doesn't have to worry about his privacy right now - he's not a household name. But his little record company is still putting out music after all these years.

For more about Trigon Records, please go to: http://www.trigonrecords.com/