The label that brought you releases from bands like The Story So Far, The American Scene, State Champs and Reggie and The Full Effect among many others is celebrating their 5th Anniversary this year. Read our interview with label owner, Jake Round, below!

I just wanted to first start off by saying thank you for taking some time out of your busy schedule and answer some questions for us.

You’re very welcome, happy to do it.

So, what made you want to start a record label and how hard was getting it all up and running?

I knew I always wanted to start my own company and I had been working in music for a couple of years. My friends in No Bragging Rights needed some help and I was able to borrow a little money to put out there record in 2009.

Where does the name Pure Noise come from?

I just made it up. I don’t hate it which is nice. My mother likes the name because she thinks all the bands just sound like noise.

When starting this, did you ever expect it to get to the point it is today?

I totally took it seriously from the beginning and certainly hoped that it’d get to this point. I’m very proud of how the label has grown with the bands over the past five years.

The label is celebrating its 5th Anniversary this year. Any plans for a special compilation or tour?

We’ve having a show/party in Oakland March 21st as well as a SXSW showcase on March 13th.

Do you usually find it hard to decide on a band you want to sign?

Not at all, there is no formula. I just have to like the band. I heard an EP last month and signed the band within the week.

How did the Reggie and the Full Effect signing come about and is there plans for more releases/tours?

A friend of mine was helping Reggie out and approached me about doing the record and I obviously said that I’d be trilled to do it. There will definitely be more touring and I hope that they’ll want to do another record but I can’t say for sure.

What are your favorite unsigned bands out there right now?

Hmm….

Has there ever come a time where you’ve wanted to sign a band and then wait on it and then they get picked up by someone else?

There are a few situations that I wish I had been more aggressive.

Have you ever rejected a band only to have them release a record on a rival label and become huge? If so, which band or bands?

I don’t know about huge but some bands that didn’t particularly speak to my tastes have certainly gone on to be successful which is great. Just because I didn’t like the band doesn’t mean they’re not talented.

What are some big releases coming in the next few months for Pure Noise Records?

We have new records this year from Handguns, The American Scene, Gates, Forever Came Calling, State Champs, Heart to Heart, Brigades, To The Wind and a few more bands we haven’t announced yet.

Do you have any quality control procedures on any of your releases? An example: do you listen to a CD and think “it’s not up to par” and release it anyways with out question?

The quality control comes from picking good studios and producers to work with in the first place. Our manufacture Pirates Press does a great job with our physical product as well.

If you could change anything about the music community what would it be and why?

I do wish the punk community wasn’t so focused on singles these days. When I was a kid you just had to buy a record and hope for the best. You’d listen to the record three or four times before you had a real opinion of it. I miss the album experience a little bit but overall I’m just very happy to be a part of the community as a whole.

Do you have any advice to the readers out there that might want to start a label?

Find a band you love and want to help out that is already touring and buzzing. The key is to low the band because odds are that it probably won’t blow up and you need to really love the music to focus on it properly.

Well that is pretty much it for my interview, thank you for taking the time to answer the questions. Is there anything else you would like to say?

I’d just like to thank everyone who has supported the label in anyway over the past five years.