Since 1989, Sundazed Music, founded by Bob Irwin and his wife Mary, has been the label to go to for hard-to-find reissues of rare surf, psych, and garage band rock and roll discs that have been lost over the years and were in dire need of a second life. In fact, in today’s crazy reissue world, it’s interesting to note that Sundazed was a pioneer in bringing long, lost recordings back to turntables all across the world.
However, the label is not only just focusing on those few genres anymore. There’s a big world full of different styles of music, and—with a fresh approach featuring Jay Millar at the helm—Sundazed is ready to explore them all. The label houses several imprints to organize the varied releases, with Modern Harmonic being the location for many of the more adventurous and exploratory titles.
Anyone who’s taken a peek at the label’s release schedule will note that they are as busy as ever. Millar stops by to not only walk us through the label’s recent catalog additions, but—almost more interestingly and importantly—he gives us the backstories behind how these releases came to be.
As we discuss, it’s refreshing for a reissue label to resist resurrecting the tried and true classics in favor of lesser known forgotten gems that deserve a wider audience. You’ll hear Millar explain how serendipity impacts Sundazed’s choices, and how casual conversations can sometimes lead to major discoveries.
Millar was generous with his time and has plenty of anecdotes and experiences to share; our conversation isn’t just browsing the aisles of Sundazed records, it’s a master class in the behind-the-scenes adventures involved in managing a major record label.
Evan Toth is a songwriter, professional musician, educator, radio host, avid record collector, and hi-fi aficionado. Toth hosts and produces The Evan Toth Show and TVD Radar on WFDU, 89.1 FM. Follow him at the usual social media places and visit his website.
