Behind the Scenes with Tom Mathers Founder/President of Perris Records

by Derric Miller
Staff Writer

Disturbed. Chevelle. Linkin Park. Nickleback. Breaking Benjamin. You might not see the immediate connection, but all of these bands have one thing in common. None of them are on the Perris Records label. And this is by design.

“I look for a song that has melody, a great chorus, that is recorded professionally, but most important, it has to be the style of music I sell,” said Tom Mathers, Perris Records founder and president. “The band could sound just like Creed, Limp Bizkit, or Korn, but my customers would not buy it,” he continued, referring to Perris Records’ history of releasing melodic, and unabashedly glam metal/rock. Perris Records has a loyal constituency, and keeping up with what is popular was never Mathers’ goal.

Perris Records was founded in the early ‘90s, when Mathers’ band Cherry St. toured nationally without a distribution deal for their record. So, instead of waiting for something to happen, Mathers made something happen. He formed Perris Records and got a distribution deal through Important/Reality Records.

Cherry Street picture appears courtesy of Perris Records

Perris Records pressed the first Cherry St. CD, self-titled, and was ready to distribute it on its own as their first release. But then, Cherry St. reached a deal with JRS/BMG Records, and Mathers put Perris Records on the backburner until the Cherry St. ride came to a stop in 1994. However, Cherry St. has gone on to release several albums on Perris Records since 1994.

Mathers’ philosophy behind Perris Records and the music it releases is straightforward. “Meeting all the people in Hollywood and nationwide touring was a great time, but after 1993 the scene had changed,” explained Mathers. “For me to switch over to the business side; it really just happened. There really is not that many people selling ‘80s rock, so it’s worked out.”

Perris Records has released some of the biggest names in that genre of music over the years. L.A. Guns and Roxx Gang have sold thousands each on the Perris label.

“Warrant, L.A Guns, Roxx Gang, Enuff Z’Nuff, Every Mother’s Nightmare; I’ve worked with so many great bands,” Mathers said. In the newly furbished Perris Records studio, four tribute albums have been recorded and have brought in more big names. “We did four tribute CDs where I got to record some of rock’s finest vocalist and musicians, such as Derek St. Holmes (Ted Nugent), Jason McMaster (Dangerous Toys, Broken Teeth) , Paul Lidel (Dangerous Toys, Dirty Looks) and Every Mother's Nightmare, to name a few,” he listed.

Mathers was like anyone else, growing up as a kid mowing yards and delivering papers. Of course, those jobs didn’t get him the connections that working in the Guitar Center in Hollywood in 1996 did. While he made a lot of friends touring with Cherry St., working the Guitar Center led to meeting musicians like Michael Sweet (Stryper), Mark St. John (KISS), band members from Leatherwolf, Razzle (who later became Lit), Alan Holdsworth, Keri Kelli (Vince Neil), all of whom he worked with at a later date.

“I started a band called Roxx, and one of the first bass players we checked out was Rob Swanson, Kristy Swanson’s (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) brother,” Mathers said. “That was interesting, jamming at her house with posters of her movies all over the house. That band turned into Cherry St.”

When it comes to releasing music, although “glam, hair, or sleaze” metal is an American creation, Perris Records isn’t focused on just the United States for great music. Their first release in 2005 will be Sweden’s Loud N Nasty, titled Too Much Ain’t Enough. If you check out their Hollywood Hairspray triumvirate, you’ll find bands from all over the globe, like Switchblade Serenade, Machinegun Kelly, Gemini Five, Eat the Gun, CRASHDIET, Crazy Lixx, and on and on.

Brian Volmer picture appears courtesy of Perris Records

Mathers has big plans for his label in 2005. Perris Records will be branching into DVDs, planning upwards of 30 new CD releases, enhancing the numbers on the streaming Perris Radio, and looking into starting Perris Records TV, an Internet television program.

But why is Mathers doing what he does? “There is a great feeling when UPS shows up, and you open the boxes, and there is something a band spent a lot of time recording, going through the creative process, and it is finally done,” Mathers said. “Also when radio stations and magazines support your artist, helping promoting them worldwide … but the most important part is the fans, who get the CD. It’s a great feeling, and not many people get a chance to feel it.”

Staying almost fervently away from the mainstream, Perris Records has carved a niche in the music industry that most labels are quite honestly afraid of. Perris Records has shown us all, time and time again, that just because it’s popular, that has no bearing on if it’s “good” or not. The artists on the Perris label embrace rock and roll, sleaze, glam, whatever you want to call it, and just play the kind of music they want to play.

“I can't imagine doing anything else and really being happy,” Mathers admitted. “I see myself doing this for a long time.”

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