Grace Ellis made this rad documentary about bicycle records while she was interning for us. Eleanor Murray was the interviewer.
This was the first show i have organized that was not for my own band LOL. When we were in Barrytown a half drunken conversation took pace about a picnic/show in the park.. Fionn and i put one dollar in to the computer in the bar and speed facebooked an event….. READ MORE
“This Friday, Feb. 12, Olympia’s Bicycle Records will present what should be an awe-inspiring show at The Loft on Cherry Street. Bringing Mason Lindahl, Eleanor Murray, Briana Mariela and Ellie Fortune to the stage, for lovers of great music and DIY ethics, it’s sure to be a show not to miss.
But what is Bicycle Records really all about? Sure, it’s an Oly based record label – but, these days, what does that really mean?
The Weekly Volcano caught up with Bicycle’s Ross Cowman to find out…
WEEKLY VOLCANO: First of all, talk about the creation of Bicycle Records and how it came to be. What was the original vision, and how closely have you come to it? Who’s involved, and who deserves credit?
ROSS COWMAN: Bob Schwenkler started the record label back in 2004 when he was a recording student at Evergreen. I came on board first as an artist, then as a co-owner in 2005. At the time the only thing we knew about record labels was that you put the name of the record labels somewhere on the album. We started off releasing CDRs in photocopied jackets in batches of 50 that we burned on Bob’s computer.
Originally the idea was to release music on the quieter side of things. Bob was a big fan of Portland’s HUSH records, and he wanted to do something like that.
I really admired the professionalism of Slim Moon and his label Kill Rock Stars, and also the simplicity and ethics of Plan-It-X records and Discord. For both of us it was a big priority to have close working relationships with our artists and to capture the regional sound where we lived.
VOLCANO: The job and (in general) idea of a record label seems to be ever changing these days. What exactly is it that you guys do? Is it similar to what most labels do, or is it different?… read more…
“Throughout Mother., Danburry takes risks by adding unique vocal arrangements or instruments to separate himself from the multitude of singer-songwriters out there. The songs on here, whether the poppy numbers or the folk ones, do not get stale, and are all satisfying tracks that should delight anyone looking for a nice break from the overwhelming number of traditional singer-songwriters out there.” – Punk News
“We are The Solvents from picturesque Port Townsend” Jarrod is commonly heard to say at the start of a solvent’s set. Port Townsend is a bit of a mysterious town to some. Developed by speculators who thought is was going to be a big port town. When the railroad took a right instead of a left at olympia, the workers through down their tools and left the town to decay.
The Solvents keep the diy torch burning with their beautiful harmonies and jaw-droppingly good songwriting. “Songs written for the benefit of the musician and with the added bonus of wooing the occasional willing audience, the tracks of the Solvents are intellectually and euphonically pleasing. It’s a project about inventing and a music experience about experimentation. The members fluctuate both permanently and temporarily, but the outcome is always an intricate patchwork of indie-folk uniqueness.”-Volcano Weekly
Mark Anderson AKA “Papa Bear” recorded this album with the help of numerous friends and musicians from the Denver DIY community. The album exudes a sense of grandeur and epic house shows.
Bicycle Records Presents…
Eleanor Murray
Mason Lindahl (Sacramento, CA)
Briana Mariella
Ellie Fortune (Sacramento, CA)
Friday, Feburary 12th
@ The Loft (508 Legion)
$5-10 Sliding Scale, All Ages
7:30 Free Jambalaya
8:00 Music
Mason Lindahl -
“This is the type of new artist that I keep saying its our duty in college radio to break: one second you think this is bizarre experimental dark guitar then it starts sounding like Nick Drake or Leonard Cohen. Solo artist with guitar and some serious tape manipulation savvy. Fantastic stuff that Micheal Gira (Young God Records: Devandra Banhardt, Angels of Light) probably is very envious of. Just lots of well played, interesting acoustic guitar and vocals. RIYL: Swans, Devandra, Nick Drake, etc. Tracks 1 and 2 are so good they make my brain throw up. ”
-KZSU Stanford Radio
Ellie Fortune-
“Ellie Fortune was, at one point, a solo act which comprised Jesse Kellen Phillips; son of Kenneth Ford Phillips III and Susan Gail Fairchild, brother of Candice Krystle Phillips, father of the music under this moniker, and husband to it’s live performance. It has since matured into young adulthood, expanding into an endeavor of sharing and collaboration, involving musical kin and clairvoyant healers through recording and rehearsals. Though Phillips remains the center of it’s creation, Ellie Fortune’s amorphous nature constantly lends itself to a new experience.”
masonlindahl.com
eleanormurray.com
elliefortune.com
myspace,.com/briannamariella
Bicycle Records
Cd Art for Lions of Cascadia
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