The HOW TO BE A MICROWAVE record label was formed in April 2006 with the intention to one day start putting out records. They began booking shows at various places throughout L.A. and the Inland Empire, and in 2007 moved into a house above a shoe store, commonly referred to as THE VERMONT HOUSE. Here, they staged many a show with bands such as Crystal Antlers, Abe Vigoda, Rumspringa, Japanther, Underground Railroad To Candyland, Brother Reade, 60 Watt Kid, The Strange Boys, Blue Jungle, and Soft Boiled Eggies, to name a few. A complete list can be found on howtobeamicrowave.com. In 2008, the House began a Labor Day tradition, holding a festival called What Job?. They also put together a number of annual Ladies Night shows featuring women DJs and bands, which caught the attention of Paper Mag.

Its founders moved out in early 2010, and while The House went back to being a house, its legacy in L.A.D.I.Y. history lives on. The House had its charms, including beer stains, graffiti, and vegan taco crumbs, which come with the home/venue/attraction territory, and saw regular visits by the vigilante man who controls foot traffic outside notorious alley venue The Smell. As founder Dustin Krapes once said, “I am definitely willing to live with a dirty carpet in order to have a good show at The House.”

While all this scene-making took place, How To Be A Microwave uncovered the music for its imprint. 2009 saw the release of Virginia Reed’s noisy folk epic, She Is The Horse, Halloween Swim Team’s The End Of The Sky, also available on CD through Modern Sleeze! Records, and Michael Nhat’s self-titled experimental hip hop LP.  A Demon Slayer 7-inch, a Narwhal Party full-length, and a 7-inch for Halloween Swim Team’s “Spaceship” are planned for 2010, as well as the second volume of the label’s compilation series featuring their favorite bands.

Vinyl Releases:
MIC 001: Halloween Swim Team/Cardio Pulmonary/XYXX split 7″
MIC 002: Virginia Reed “She Is The Horse” LP/digital
(recorded in various strange places over the course of several years, this is singer/songwriter Keith Hendricksen’s noisey folk epic debut)
MIC 003: Michael Nhat (S/T) LP/digital

How To Be A Microwave Volume 1., a free mp3 compilation download, is available on howtobeamicrowave.com.
Featured Artists:
Wet Dreams
Michael Nhat
Color Club
Halloween Swim Team
The Chinese Stars
Melted Cassettes
Vaginals
Narwhal Party
Ginsu Wives
The Girl With Violent Arms
Demon Slayer
Virginia Reed
Blue Tape Red Tape
60-Watt Kid

Posted on Wednesday, February 24th, 2010.