For our second Q&A on The Herd, I spoke with Jordan Weinstock in late September, the artist behind american poetry club, member of The Chair Enthusiasts, and founder of It Takes Time Records.

In the few years that Jordan has been working with ITT, his label has been responsible for the distribution of some great albums, including some personal favorites: “I Don’t Have to Worry” by Generifus and “Gargantua” by Space Mountain. In October, ITT released a compilation entitled “no such thing as too old! a cute compilation!” featuring tracks from Melaina Kol, Boosegumps, and Squirrel Flower. Just this Friday, Nov 9^th, Jordan released his first full-length, “if we try and become flowers!”

Read on below for some insight on the founding of It Takes Time, the music scene in St. Louis, and the inspiration for his work.

On starting It Takes Time Records…

Jordan shared that ITT really began his senior year of high school in New York when he began to get increasing exposure to the DIY world going on and wanted to get involved. Initially, he wanted to help other people write songs but then transitioned his focus to sharing the music he liked with others via his label. He said that his interest in putting out a physical release of Naps’ 2015 album “You Will Live in a Cool Box” was an initial motivator to begin ITT. He also shared about experiences reaching out to Greg Rutkin, the drummer of LVL UP, through which he was connected to Double Double Whammy records. Jordan credits his friend Ethan for helping a lot with the art and Molly, the current co-owner, for helping bring ITT to a more consistent level. Since ITT has continued its growth, Jordan acknowledges feeling more confident in his ability to run the label and help bands release their work. ITT clearly has a great eye and ear for bands that deserve more attention; their ethos seems to be encapsulated by his quote: “Sometimes you need someone to believe in you.”

On albums he wishes he could have distributed on the label…

Bedbug – if i got smaller grew wings and flew away for good

Any work from the New Jersey band Rhea

On american poetry club…

Jordan released a compilation album, “you have nothing to fear from your friends back home!” in early October and just put out a full-length, “if we try and become flowers!”. When asked about the future, Jordan says he will “take it wherever it takes me”.

What inspired “how i felt about high school”?

Jordan shared that this song was a “retrospective on the past couple months”, dealing with such things like his Mom’s breast cancer diagnosis.

What bands do you recommend that people check out from the St. Louis area?

Isabel Rex

Glued

Frankie Valet

Shady Bug

The Vanilla Beans

Sundowning

What have you been listening to recently?

“Just Got Back from the Discomfort, We’re Alright” by Brave Little Abacus, an album put out in 2010; “every moment on it is perfect.