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, who first 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.

This is Bob,he’s recorded most of the Bicycle Records releases in addition to artists like Kickball, Palisades, and some amazing experimental recordings in a nuclear cooling tower (for serious, check out bicyclerecordings.com).
Bob also brews mead, is a wild berry picker, and an avid cyclist. His favorite thing to do when he goes back home to Boise is float the Boise river.

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. He 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 began he was living in a tree house over the San Francisco Street Bakery, then it caught on fire and he moved into a yurt then a straw bale and cob cottage by the bakery again. Now he lives at a sweet punk house called The Radacombes on half an acre. Ross also designs websites, story games, and is a member of The Art Kitchen.