34 Oct 17th-Oct 23rd, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Anniversary Party Fervor Records celebrates 35 years with a Rhythm Room blowout. BY TOM REARDON N o matter how you shake it, try to break it, or look at it, 35 years is a long time. In rock ‘n’ roll terms, it’s eight years longer than Janis, Jimi, or Jim got on the planet, and in terms of a local record label, it’s akin to being from the prehistoric era. On Sunday, Oct. 20, Sunnyslope’s Fervor Records celebrates its 35th anniversary with a party at The Rhythm Room in Phoenix. Local legends Francine Reed, Hans Olson and Chuck Wall, along with Fervor artists Andy Gonzales and The Sugar Thieves, will grace the stage at the equally legendary Arizona venue. It is fitting, actu- ally, that the party is located at The Rhythm Room as many of the acts featured by Fervor over the years have graced the small but sturdy stage. After meeting during a recording session back in 2001, Fervor founder David Hilker and his partner, Jeff Freundlich, hit it off. Freundlich joined the team in 2002. The two men see the anniversary in a light that reflects their excellent combination of humor, dedication and devotion to Arizona music. “Wow. It has gone by fast and it doesn’t seem like work. For me, it’s kind of all I have ever done and it’s the only thing I know how to do, so if it didn’t work, I’m fucked,” Hilker says, laughing. “For me, it’s just a dream come true. I’m a big advocate for Arizona, I’ve lived out here since 2000, and when people ask me why I love Arizona, I say, ‘It’s where all my dreams came true.’ It’s amazing and it is a gift that we get to do what we do every single day. Whether it is nurturing artists or pitching music for film and TV. Knowing that we are getting music out there to larger audiences, those are really powerful and meaningful things in both my life and Dave’s life. It’s a gift,” Freundlich says. Hilker started the label with Ted Bulger, Michael Pick and Ron Charlesworth in 1989. The foursome released their first CD, a compilation called “Southwest Holiday,” in 1990 and donated all the proceeds to a local charity, CASS (Central Arizona Shelter Services). This began a long history of working to promote and preserve local music. Over time, Bulger, Charlesworth and Pick left the label for various reasons, but Hilker continued on. “Early on, (Fervor wasn’t) really making any money, so (the original part- ners) put their energy into other things they were pursuing. I decided to stick it out and opened the recording studio side of things and produced artists. I went to L.A. and shopped the artists, did compila- tions and local releases and eventually, some of the songs got into TV shows,” Hilker says. This allowed Hilker to keep the label doors open and build on the publishing side of the business. After bringing Freundlich, a New York native, into the fold in 2002, the partnership was able to grow and reach out to local musicians and their families to begin acquiring more music to release and shop to movies, televi- sion and video game publishers. If you listen to Freundlich and Hilker, the recipe for their success becomes quite clear. One of the key ingredients is being open to opportunity. “The reason this label has been successful is that we are naturally curious people and we’re looking for opportuni- ties for the music, so when an opportunity comes along to sub-license a soul tune on a 45 in Spain that leads to crate-digging by a DJ like Jamie xx, and then turns into a sample from a tune on our catalog from the 1970s, you’re talking about the domi- noes all falling into place,” Freundlich says. Currently, Fervor Records releases both new recordings from local artists across multiple genres and hard-to-find local artists from years gone past. On the docket for upcoming releases are a string of singles by local rockers Noonday Devils, and another string of singles by R&B group blakk.nostalgia. Paris James, Mark Zubia and Keagan will have solo releases coming out in 2025, as well. Freundlich and Hilker have a healthy respect for the difficulty that comes with being partners in a commonly cutthroat business like the music industry. Their continued passion for Fervor Records comes from a few places. “Part of it is being part of the legacy of Arizona. It’s great to be able to represent a lot of this music and put out new music, too. Every day is different really. It’s the same but different because there are always new opportunities and things we didn’t expect,” Hilker says. Local blues legend Hans Olson wanted to chime in here, too. “I think I was one of the first blues artists that Fervor signed. I’ve done several albums for them now. They have placed a lot of my songs on TV shows. I’ve known David Hilker since long before he started the label. I’ve always thought he was a great guy who really had the passion for music. I do trust these guys. After 50-plus years in the music business, I can say that I can’t think of anyone else I can say that about. All the people playing at the 35th anniversary are close friends. I’m honored to be on the same bill with them. It will be an epic day of music,” Olson wrote in an email. Trust and respect play a huge role, too, in the relationship that Hilker and Freundlich have built as partners and friends. “Dave and I knowing we can rely on each other and trust each other to put the best foot forward and refine our ideas into something palpable and manageable, is how these things ultimately come together,” Freundlich says before Hilker sums it up: “Jeff and I literally sit across the desk from each other every day and stare each other in the face. We don’t always agree on everything, but the best ideas float to the top and win. Because we have these ideas and we beat them up in every possible way we can to determine what is the best way to serve the music and the artists the best.” Fervor Records 35th Anniversary Celebration. 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20. The Rhythm Room, 1019 E. Indian School Road. Cost is $10 at the door. Visit rhythmroom.com. Jeff Freundlich, left, and David Hilker are partners in the Valley’s Fervor Records. (Photo by Jim Louvau) ▼ Music