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   In 1978 I got a job at Tower Records in Fresno. It was the first job I ever had that I couldn’t wait to get to work each day. I eventually worked my way up to Singles buyer and shift manager. With a music collection of thousands of titles at my fingertips I began an adventure that has stayed with me to this day. Working with a variety of other music lovers contributed a listening experience that broadened my horizons. Balinese Gamelan music, Progressive Rock, Jazz, Comedy and the ubiquitous Classic-Rock rounded out a daily diet of listening. And then the collecting started. Drawn by the economy of the small record and fascinated with the added value of picture sleeves, extended plays, colored vinyl, Independent and European releases 7-inchers became the main focus of my collecting.

    Stagedive the label officially started with Capitol Punishment’s first release in 1983. It was a 4-song 7-inch EP called Two-Party system, later dubbed the Jody 7-inch because the 5 minute song on side two overshadowed the three 1-minute songs on side 1. At the time I thought stagediving was cool and Stagedive Records was chosen. Stagedive 1 was the number and more releases ensued over the years.

   The Jody 7-inch wasn’t the very first CP release. A year earlier in ’82 I was distributing a cassette of CP’s first studio session at Trac Recording (a small studio on Maple ave.) on one side and a live show at The On Broadway in SF on the other side. The Trac recordings were for the Maximum Rocknroll Comp Not so Quiet on the Western Front and our song El Salvador was chosen for that record. Also in ’82 I recorded some solo guitar noodling and tape loops/samples that were distributed among friends. That was called Terra Firma/Pancakes for Peggy.
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