By Michael Swanger michael@dmcityview.com

Jay Taylor, founder of Chilihead Records in West Des Moines, is a big fan of spicy foods - hence the name of his record label. But guitar-driven rock is a staple of his musical diet. So when the New Sharon-based rock trio Every Other Thursday approached Taylor last year about recording at his upstart home studio, it seemed they had the ingredients for a recipe for success.

"I really dug their sound," Taylor says. "All the elements were there."

On Friday, Every Other Thursday hosts a CD release show at the House of Bricks to unveil their Chilihead debut album, "Questions." But the show is also a coming out party for their record label, whose owner and operator started recording bands five years ago in his basement and has since built a steady book of business by word of mouth.

"I started recording my own music in 1998 on a four-track [recorder] but wanted to update to a 16-track," Taylor says. "To rationalize the expense with my family, I had to make it an official business.

Though it has taken the 37-year-old Taylor eight years to cut eight songs for his own album - he works by day as an Oracle database administrator but plans to one day finish the project - Chilihead Records has cut hundreds of tunes for local artists since opening in 2001. From rock and blues bands (Elixir, Steve George and The Other Brothers), to solo acoustic artists (Matt Woods) and bluegrass (Wright Family Bluegrass), local musicians have been going to Chilihead Records for competitive rates and the latest technologies in recording services for five years. The label has even recorded a lengthy series of blues shows at the State of Iowa Historical Building and rock shows at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny, both of which aired on local radio.

"I've only done limited advertising, but I get a lot of calls out of the blue," Taylor says. "A lot of bands come in to record demos, but I've done a CD every few months since I opened. Most bands want to press their own album and sell them at their gigs."

Taylor says he wants to build a small roster of quality artists who are dedicated to original material. He's already inked a deal with CD Baby to distribute Chilihead titles through the Internet. And though he hopes to find groups that have some commercial appeal, he says it probably isn't realistic to expect to find too many bands that fit that bill given his affinity for guitar-based rock and blues. "The main thing is that the songs are good," he says.

Along those lines, the label also helps songwriters who struggle to complete tunes through its very own Songwriters Challenge. Through June 30, songwriters meet for dinner at the studio to discuss their ideas. Taylor says it's not a competition and that songwriters can post their finished products on Chilihead's Web site if they choose to do so.

For Taylor, it's just another way to help musicians like Every Other Thursday accomplish their goals of recording an album they can be proud of and for him to stay close to music.

"It's very exciting," he says. "Even though I haven't had a lot of time to devote to my own music, it's been great helping other people realize their musical visions." CV

Sample Clips

Where Have You Been Tonight?

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