About

Bicycle Records is a record label and distributor based in the Olympia music community. We release quality recordings of heartfelt music in hand-printed packaging that stands out from the mass market. Bicycle Records seeks to raise the status of Artists as members of the working class, who play a vital role in the creation of community and the struggle for social equality.

Bicycle Records is a Partnership, run by Bob Schwenkler and Ross Cowman. Bob and Ross met at a house show in Olympia. Bob was a sound engineering student at the time and Ross worked as a pre-school teacher and played in a few bands. When they started the label together the only thing they knew about record labels was that you were supposed to put the name of the record label somewhere on the album. The first two bicycle records releases (BR001 Bob Schwenkler – Self Titled, BR002 Ross Cowman – The Bitter Waves) were burned cdrs with color copies and spray paint stenciling.

recording at the old K - Records studio

This is Bob, he recorded all of the bicycle records releases in addition to artists like Kickball, the Palisades, and some amazing experimental recordings in a nuclear cooling tower. (for serious check out bicyclerecordings.com).
Bob also brews mead, in a pro-berry picker, and avid cyclist. His fav thing to do when he goes back home to Bosie is to float down the river.

ross

This is Ross. He is from Kirkland, Washington. You know, where Costco comes from. Ross does most of the networking and emailing. He designed and maintains the bicycle records website. plays in the bands June Madrona and Fall of Electricity and tours the US and Europe 2-3 months out of the year. When bicycle records begain he was living in a tree house over the San Francisco Street Bakery, then it caught on fire and he moved into a Yurt. Now he lives in a straw bale and cob cottage by the bakery again. He is a total flaming nerd; not only does he own a cloak (and an elf hat), but he plays role playing games and follows professional starcraft.

splitting the vertical plane

This is the loquatious Jordan Smith, he is the promotional director for Bicycle Records and a master of enthusiasm. He is also in the bands Polka Dot Dot Dot, and Jordan ‘O Jordan. Jordan is prone to write emails in metered prose and sing messages into answering machines. Native to the land of Ohio, he has since pulled up his roots and gone on perma-tour.

This is Caroline Shadood, the US-East Sales Representative for Bicycle Records. Caroline hails from the garden state, which she more commonly refers to as the greatest place in the universe. She is a morning person with night owl tendencies, often resulting in arts and crafts, baked goods, and strange blog entries. Residing in Brooklyn, NY, Caroline has worked at venues the Knitting Factory and Brooklyn Bowl, spun (or otherwise labored) at WPLJ, XMU, and WMUH, and is currently a writer in her imaginary free time. She secretly dreams of becoming a high school gym teacher and by far the coolest thing she’s done, to date, is gone skinny dipping in Lake Michigan.