I'll ask the questions around here! Dine Alone Records' Joel Carriere

If you walked down Gerrard St. east of Parliament, you would never know that inside one of these townhouses big things are happening, huge things.  Joel Carriere of Dine Alone Records sits down with me at his Toronto office and talks about the state of music today and what it takes to run one of Canada's best Indie labels, ever!
 When I walk into the great Victorian home, the first thing I notice in the foyer is a platinum record of the City and Colour hit album "Sometimes" hanging off the wall next to another platinum record of "Crisis" by Alexisonfire. Boxes of future hit records are stacked against the opposite wall lining the hallway, no doubt waiting to be shipped out to local record stores and abroad. Joel walks out from behind a corner greeting me in his stocking feet, gesturing me to follow him past the awesome archway in the hall,  up the narrow staircase to his office on the second floor. Outside the door to his office, hanging on the wall, is yet another platinum record - this time of Alexisonfire's "Watchout" album, my personal favorite of the band from St. Catherines.
Joel is in repose, chilling out on a couch in his office as I sit across from him in a comfy leather chair. His laidback attitude is comforting and catches me off guard. He reminds me of Han Solo, ready to negotiate the  cost of a trip from Tattione to Alderon. "So, what do you want to know?" he asks. The speed at which he goes from casual rock nerd to business savvy record man is break neck. Way faster then the Kessel run.
I too, waste no time and jump right into an offensive attack position worthy of any x-wing pilot.
I fire at Joel, "First thing I wanna know is how did a punk from St. Catherines get here?" His response comes as a surprise to me, "I'm not a punk, I'm into alternative music." He goes on to say, "I started a website that let people from Ontario to as far as Buffalo know about what shows were coming through our cities. The site had a very active community and message board that gave fans a voice about what music they liked and were listening to. I got the feeling that people were missing these great shows because the level of promotion the shows needed wasn't there. That gave me the idea to fill a niche in the market for local and otherwise unknown bands." He rubs his hands on his face while telling me about kids in basements of churches and half empty halls. Joel goes on to tell me about when he worked at a local record store back home where he met a dude that worked in the same mall, Dallas Green. "Dallas was working on his City and Colour  project and  I really liked his music. I started managing him and his other band Alexisonfire. In partnership with Greg Below of Distort (Entertanment),  we started Dine Alone Records together but realized that we had different ideas of what we wanted out of our partnership, so soon after we parted ways amicably. I continued managing AOF and Dallas (Green) while also being able to release their follow up record 'Old Crows/Young Cardinals' under the Dine Alone Records banner." Business savvy indeed.
   I ask Joel why he feels that he has done as well as he has in an industry that's famous for chewing people up and spitting them out like a Bazooka Joe gum that loses its flavour too soon. His answer is simple, "Its 'cause I give a shit about what I'm doing and how I'm doing it. If my goal was to make money and play it safe I'd only have one act that paid well and produced steady hits. I take risks with bands I believe in". Joel adds that  "integrity and morals are more important to me than making a buck." When he tells me this industry cliche, I actually believe him. It's the way he says it, with conviction. I feel like it's par for the course (for managers) to tell bands that integrity is important to the label and the fans but if you've ever seen This is Spinal Tap, you already know that integrity has no place in the music business. Alternatively, Joel's stripped down approach is  working for Dine Alone.
 "The emphasis is and has always been on music." he tells me. "We give our artists the control to take their music and creativity into their own hands, for the most part," adding, "Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't" with a shit-eating grin.  "Like the Black Lungs video "For Her" (watch here)," I say. "Yeah, that video was a waste of money. We let the artist take control on that project and even Wade (MacNeil) will say that video was embarrassing. This whole thing is a series of lessons. If I or my team make a mistake, we learn a lesson. As long as it doesn't happen again, its a good mistake" Carriere told me. "I take risks to challenge the status-quo."
 "So that's work, what about home life?" I ask. Now the casual music nerd shows up for a brief second. "Being married to Josie (Dye of 102.1 the Edge) is great. Her and I are both very driven and dedicated people. Its very tactical at times for us to spend time together because I might be on the road touring and when I get home she has to go to Miami or New York for her work on Cosmo TV."  Joel loves Josie. It's obvious. He tells me that between work and home he is living the dream. We should all be so lucky.
 The one thing that Joel keeps telling me through the whole time I'm there with him, is that his staff are the real reason Dine Alone has been so successful. "Everyone in entertainment is a crazy genius, it's where you apply your genius that makes the difference. My staff are all crazy passionate about the work. They believe in the bands, the bands believe in the label and the label believes in the fans. Its all circular and it has a way of working out." With all the whirlwind success he has achieved he accounts for it all by saying "It's happened because of baby steps, strategic little baby steps."
As far as the future is concerned, the business savvy record man Joel Carriere is "Cautiously Optimistic".

Be sure to vote for the Dine Alone family of music in the upcoming  2011 CASBY awards Casbys Nominees and voting
For more info on Dine Alone click here