LFO member Brad Fischetti is poised to join an exclusive club -- and he'll be in good company. One filled with the P.Diddy's and Fred Durst's of the music industry. One where the work is abundant and the rewards are just as much. The once-popstar has ventured into new territory: becoming the owner of an independent record label. 111 Records launched back in November of last year as the brainchild of Fischetti, 27, when the band went on hiatus. "I've had aspirations since I've been in this business to get behind the scenes. So, with the LFO hiatus, it affords me the time to launch 111 Records and start that other side of my career."

     But don't fret, "Summer Girls." This doesn't mean the end of LFO -- the group is in talks to work on new material later this year or early next. What it is, instead, is the beginning of what could be a lucrative career for Fischetti. The label already consists of a small roster of artists and will leave promotion and sales entirely through the internet -- something that makes 111 stand out among the rest. Even Brad has his voice showcased in the album Sari, (say "sha-DEE"), available for sale on the record company website. But don't expect "Every Other Time" -- Brad explains that the songs are more David Bowie than LFO.

     When we caught up with Brad, he was excited about the new project and prepared to reveal what's in the works. Read on to find out the reason the group decided to take a break, why he adores American Idol, and why he's loathes online music downloading...

gt.com: it's a big deal to start a record label -- what made you want to take the jump from recording artist to management?

BRAD: I've always been involved in producing LFO for a long time. We were kind of between management or had no management. We were like the dark horses around for a while, so a lot of the business was left up to us. So, through the years in LFO, I learned a lot -- the kind of things you can't learn in a classroom.

gt.com: this is no regular label, since it's primarily online. why did you decide to use the web as your outlet?

BRAD: To have distribution in the stores, it's not a simple task. Additionally, my view is if the music is not on MTV or not on the radio, having it in a store doesn't really do much good. The initial outlet for me is online promotion and magazines or whatnot. So, therefore, I decided that we would release it solely online. And, also, since downloading and copying CDs is such a big happening these days, it also made available for the buyer to download the entire album after you order it. So, when you order it, you get the CD in the mail and in addition, you get to download the entire album online.

gt.com: a good deal! but your singing career isn't over. tell us about the solo album you are recording.

BRAD: The album is called "Sari." It's a really alternative record -- people have compared the sound to David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Coldplay, Radiohead...it's kind of a dark album, but it is also beautiful at the same time musically. I worked on it with my production partner in Orlando and a friend of mine Dan Walters, who is also an artist on 111 Records. The songs have no formula or format -- it's not mainstream at all. It wasn't like a conscious thing to do this, it's just like I sat at a piano and played and when the song was over, it was over. It's a really great record, and I get the same reaction from people. It's definitely stirred up a lot of emotions and conversations about the songs -- people trying to translate what they mean.

gt.com: so, does that mean the end of LFO, or is this just an extended hiatus?

BRAD: Right now, it's a hiatus. We recently started talking about the possibilities of doing stuff in the future, but there's some business things to work out first. Just the other day I was looking at some old behind-the-scenes video footage. You know, it made me miss the guys and the days of LFO, because it was an amazing thing we had. We weren't the biggest group in the world, but we definitely had a lot of success and a lot of fun. It'd be nice to give it another try, but like I said, there's some business things to work out.

gt.com: understandable. for the record, what was the reason behind taking the time off?

BRAD: I stand by the fact that we're just on a break. We went through a management issue at the end and then found out the record company wasn't going to release anymore singles off the album. We just had a tough year together, so we decided now's the time to take a break. We hadn't stopped since 1996. It's great, because we each need time to do our own things.

gt.com: can we expect a LFO reunion in 2003?

BRAD: I really don't know. Do I want to? Yes. Will it happen? I don't know. But you know, we'll see what happens.

gt.com: we'll be crossing our fingers! speaking of the guys, have they been supportive of your solo work?

BRAD: Yeah, definitely. Devin's going to sing on one of my songs, a remix. Rich says he really digs the record. They've been really supportive.

gt.com: that's great -- what have they been up to?

BRAD: Both have been working on some solo music, as well. I'm not really sure if you'll see their records first or if you'll see an LFO record first.

gt.com: what should fans expect from your new projects?

BRAD: The next album release off of 111 Records is a guy named Dan Walters. LFO fans may remember Dan, who was LFO's bassist. His music reminds me a little bit of Elvis Costello, a mixture of rock, jazz, and folk. He's a great song writer with interesting songs. It's geared for a more mature audience -- not in content, but that he's not a young guy but a grown man. His music is definitely more pure. After that, we have a project called Dusty & Jawn. Their music is kind of punk meets rap. I just recently started working with a band called This Day and Age, and they are in that emo-punk genre. They are from Buffalo, really talented musicians and songwriters, and are all high-school age. They're going to rock hard!

gt.com: we'll look forward to that! if you could explain your life right this second in two words, how would you say it is?

BRAD: Extremely busy! I'm working in the film business, as well. I just wrote this script with a writer up in New York, and I have a film agent in Los Angeles. I'm currently working on some possibilities there, too -- I'm pretty busy right now!

gt.com: so, what would be your ideal movie role?

BRAD: Somebody quiet like me.

gt.com: what do you think of the state of music in today's mainstream?

BRAD: I don't like it at all. I don't listen to the radio much anymore -- I usually just listen to CDs. I'm not really digging what I'm seeing on MTV or the radio. There are certain artists that I just really don't see their point, their need, their necessity. A lot of times, I think they are really detrimental to their generation. I'm not talking about Eminem -- his CD should not be heard by anyone who does not have a mature mind, even though it is. Do I still think he's an amazing artist? Yes. Should kids listen to his CDs? No. Is it his problem? Not really. I don't want to bad mouth people, but I'm not impressed with music right now, except bands like Coldplay. I think that it is just a part of getting older. As you grow older, you kind of look down at music that is hot at that time. I'm sure people looked down on Boyz II Men, Shai, and Motley Crew at one time.

gt.com: if you could start your music career over again, would you change anything?

BRAD: I probably wouldn't have done it at all or I would have just went to school.

gt.com: really? what would you have studied in school?

BRAD: At the time, I was going to school for kinesiology and nutrition. If I could do it all over again, I probably would have went to school and studied business.

gt.com: interesting! back to Sari -- what are your promotional plans for the album? do you plan on releasing any music videos or singles, tour, or anything of that sort?

BRAD: There's actually a video being shot in the next couple of weeks. I'm not sure how it's going to turn out, but it's going to be an odd video. We'll just have to wait and see! "Sari" is really just a way to launch 111 Records. I want to start moving more behind-the-scenes with things. "Sari" just went out to 232 college radio stations. We're doing a lot of online promotion and starting radio campaigns over the next couple of weeks to make 111 a known name. I'm more excited about projects like This Day and Age, Dan Walters, etc. I love the "Sari" record, but it's just not mainstream. I don't anticipate it to have really much airplay. But it has a couple of cool songs on it, people have a really emotional response to the music.

gt.com: on the topic of your CD...do you listen to it while driving in your car, or is that too weird?

BRAD: Once in awhile I do. When you listen to your own CD, you start critiquing it too much.

gt.com: true! okay, what's the most important thing you've learned in the past year concerning your record label or career goals?

BRAD: I learned a lot about myself as an artist. Cause I mean with LFO, it's three guys together, and it's impossible to accurately represent one guy as an individual in a three-guy band. So, I learned a lot about myself writing and producing the "Sari" record in my studio. I think I just realized that I can do pretty much whatever I want to do. I also learned I like the behind-the-scenes a lot better.

gt.com: you seem to be very adamant about the illegal downloading of music on the internet. why do you feel so strongly against it?

BRAD: There's no doubt that it's stealing, and I think that it takes a lot of jobs away.

gt.com: but, don't you think it's up to the record companies to come up with a new way to market purchasing CDs to make it more appealing?

BRAD: I think you're right that maybe it's time to think up some new ways to promote and maybe it is time to weed out some of the less important artists that really shouldn't have a record deal. Maybe this will help. It clearly is time to develop software that makes CDs uncopyable. But, the problem you have there is some record companies, let's say Sony for example, also produce blank CDs. Then you got to think -- well, where's their priority? Maybe if they are losing X amount of dollars because of downloading and copying CDs, maybe they are making X amount of dollars from people buying their blank CDs. So, maybe in the end, it actually works out pretty good for a company like that. I don't know -- that's just a theory. There are definitely some major problems. I'm not going to go as far to say it's going to ruin the industry, but it has definitely affected the industry in a real negative way. And, also right now, it seems the record company has psychos along with economy, so the record business is also a little soft right now. Clearly I believe that copying and downloading music is illegal and it is stealing. It's happening and it is affecting a lot of jobs -- not just the artist loses money. The reality is that record companies make most of the money off of records anyway. Record companies have lots of jobs within different departments, so it's not just affecting the artist. The industry is down right now...it's a shame.

gt.com: as a musician, the media as well as consumers often label you. what are some of the most untrue stereotypes you've heard that have made you the angriest?

BRAD: I haven't heard much lately, but the fact that when LFO was active, and people called us a boy band it pissed us off. But you get over it, and probably at the time, we were a boy band. Looking back on things, at a certain time, we probably were! Regardless, you look past those things.

gt.com: okay, what's your take on the whole American Idol phenomenon?

BRAD: I love watching the show! It's like my favorite show on TV right now. I think it's a genius idea. I think they overestimated the interest the public has with it, so they tried to tour and do CDs. The one song did pretty well, but other than that, I think the retail side was kind of a bust. The show itself, I love it -- I hope it has a lot of seasons, because it's really enjoyable.

gt.com: hypothetically, if you were a beginning musician, would you have tried out for the show?

BRAD: Nah...me personally, I'm not that type of singer. I'm not an acapella/R&B type of singer. That's why I would say I wouldn't try out. I don't know, maybe I'll have some 111 artists go there and pretend to try out...

gt.com: as a music mogul now yourself, do you think it portrays the auditioning process accurately?

BRAD: Yeah, I do. Most of the times, if someone comes up to you and says "I can sing," we say, "Okay, sing." "Well I don't really have my music." And it's like, "Well, if you're really a singer, just sing."

gt.com: your fans are very supportive. but when you were a part of LFO, what was the craziest fan experience you can remember?

BRAD: We had an autograph signing in California before a show. All of a sudden, a stampede of people rushed the stage. People were getting crushed between the barriers, they had to pull people out. When we went backstage, there were like ten people laid out on the floor...it was pretty crazy!

gt.com: yikes! okay, when you were with LFO, you were also with Transcontinental Records for awhile. Do you still hold a standing relationship with them or has that ended?

BRAD: Yeah, I'm still good friends with Lou Pearlman -- we see each other every once in a while. No hard feelings, ya know? He was a very intricate piece in the success of LFO. We had some problems with contract issues to deal with -- you can only get rewarded so much for your work before it gets unfair. But, everything is cool now!

gt.com: what advice would you give to those who are aiming for stardom?

BRAD: Go to school.

gt.com: short, sweet, and to the point. thanks Brad!

the next Sony Records? check
out Brad's label at www.111records.com!