Do What? Records began with a spur-of-the-moment decision.
Jason Stuhlmann, owner of Do What? Records, says the St. Louis–based independent record label originated from a 2012 recording session with his band, The Chill Dawgs. While his bandmates discussed putting out the recordings on CD, Stuhlmann had another idea. He thought the music sounded good enough for a vinyl release—an unusual suggestion, as the process is costly and often time-consuming. But Stuhlmann decided to go for it. “Nobody seemed too big into it, so I just did it myself,” Stuhlmann recalls.
Get a guide to the region’s booming music scene
Subscribe to the St. Louis Music newsletter to discover upcoming concerts, local artists to watch, and more across an eclectic playlist of genres.
Stuhlmann got in contact with a pressing plant, and the group had a 7-inch vinyl for sale in local record stores by the beginning of 2013. Shortly after, he was approached by the Cool Mutants, a band from Evansville, Indiana; they asked if he knew anyone who could put their music on wax. Stuhlmann took the same approach as he did with his own band—“I’ll do it,” he told them.
These days, Do What? Records is still a one-man project, and Stuhlmann continues to release vinyl records from bands he feels are worth documenting. The label will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year with Do What? Weekend at The Heavy Anchor on July 7 and 8. Seven bands (all of which have collaborated with the label in the past) will play over the course of the weekend with merch and records available as well.
What’s the key to keeping the label alive this long? Stuhlmann’s answer is deceptively simple—he just likes running it.
“It’s a hobby, really,” he says. “It seems like when I don’t have anything going on, and somebody mentions doing a record, it’s hard to say no.”
Punk band Breakmouth Annie is scheduled to play the first day of Do What? Weekend. The band first teamed up with Stuhlmann for a release after playing a house show in 2017. At the end of the night, vocalist and guitarist Bob Monroe and another member of Breakmouth Annie remained in the venue, discussing their mutual desire to put out a split record with another group. Stuhlmann was nearby and happened to overhear. Naturally, his ears perked up, and he offered to help them out.
“Sometimes bands don’t get that opportunity, and when someone approaches them like ‘Do you want to do a record?’ it’s a really cool feeling,” Monroe says. “It’s validating.”
The first day of Do What? Weekend will also double as a vinyl release party for Pity in Jangle City, a 2022 album by power-pop band Pleasure Center. The group previously self-released the album on CD, cassette, and through their Bandcamp and Spotify before approaching Stuhlmann about vinyl copies this past January. The record will be available at the show, and the band plans on performing several of its songs.
Bryan Clarkson, the guitarist and vocalist for Pleasure Center, says one of the most valuable aspects of Do What? Records is its commitment to physical media, streaming era be damned.
“Personally, I would rather sell ten records than have a million streams on Deezer,” Clarkson says.
Later this fall, Do What? Records will also release a self-titled, 7-inch record by Petty Grievances, who are slated to perform on Saturday. Vocalist Scott Randall describes the group’s music as “punk rock through the lens of dudes in their late 40s and 50s.”
Having played in St. Louis bands since 1989, Randall has observed the scene through its many ups and downs—venues have closed, bands have dissolved, and new bands have risen out of their ashes, only for them to dissolve too. Operating outside of the mainstream and staying independent is a precarious task, and Randall says this is one of many reasons Do What? Record’s anniversary is worth celebrating.
“It’s difficult to sustain something like this over 10 years,” he says. “[Stuhlmann] is not getting rich off this. A label like this is in it to help bands out, and to get music out. Ten years is a pretty big deal.”
Tickets for Do What? Weekend can be purchased on The Heavy Anchor website. Do What? Records releases can be purchased on their website, and at local record shops.
