Recycled sounds

One man's trash is another man's treasure, and Justin Waters has amassed a fortune in discarded photographs, paperwork, records and found sounds. Since winter of 2001, the Hampton, Va.-raised Atlanta transplant has recycled a heap of material and funneled it into a homespun independent label, Sounds From The Pocket. Packaging its releases in vinyl sleeves made from deconstructed LPs, as well as microcassettes and various other roughly hewn and unorthodox formats, Waters' label resides in an aesthetic that straddles the sensibilities of folk art and post-apocalyptic flotsam and jetsam.

Harnessing a wide range of equally clunky, minimal, low-fi and avant-garde music, Sounds From The Pocket has played host to a variety of off-kilter acts, including NYC noise-rock duo Vaz and Argentinean improv act Reynols. The tie that binds it all together is an irreverent pursuit of dark and calamitous pop/drone music. But to dismiss Sounds From The Pocket as a noise label is inaccurate. "In a very general sense it's a noise label," says Waters. "I do some noisy stuff, but I don't think people want listen to 'SKREEEE-KAPOW SKREEEE-KAPOW' over and over again. I'm interested in a more eclectic sound."

Using the terms "eclectic" and "eccentric" interchangeably, Waters' releases appeal to a limited audience. But this is all part of his approach. "I want to seek out smaller, unknown, by the seat of the pants stuff that has no regard for audience acceptance," says Waters.

In keeping with this philosophy, Waters has organized a Sounds From The Pocket showcase that will feature performances from temporarily imported current and future SFTP artists, including Unicorn Hard-on, Japanese Karaoke Afterlife Experiment and Cash $lave Click. Presenting the Pocket's contents will accommodate the intrepid that attend, regardless.-- Chad Radford

The Sounds From The Pocket showcase takes place at Eyedrum Tues., Aug. 3, 9.p.m. $5