Recently on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic, uber-producer Danger Mouse talked about how his first EP was released on a record label that produces small quantity releases (most times in the hundreds) often times only on cassette tape. Kevin Greesnspon's Bridgetown Records is one of those labels that does this. These days labels like this are a dime a dozen. So what's so great about this growing anomaly in the music industry? What's so special about, specifically, Bridgetown? What does it mean for everyone involved, from artist to consumer and everyone in between? First of all let me introduce you to Kevin Greenspon.
I found out about Kevin through seeing his name frequently involved with my friend's band, No Paws, on fliers for shows at Ports o' Call Bedroom and other events. I checked him out and really liked his music. It was folky at the time when the term outsider folk was being kicked around amongst many of his peers such as Voice on Tape, Zombelle, Whitman, John Thill, and Sean Pineda. Outsider folk, to me, was anyone that had a folk sensibility yet wasn't trying to be the next Dylan. It had a heart that was missing from folk that I hadn't heard in quite some time and each of those artists that I previously named have a unique voice of their own. Kevin was, to me, the newcomer to that group. I've been a fan for a while now. We had made a connection via the Internet and I've followed his music and all things he's been involved with since then.
I don't know how long Kevin's been doing Bridgetown. My guess is it's been about two years. Labels like his are nothing new under the sun though. Punk bands have been making small run, self released albums for years. But in an age where any and every kind of media can be downloaded, labels like Bridgetown, have become extremely important to the survival and proliferation of artist driven music. The "art of the album" has been somewhat lost. These days it's very easy to download single tracks from an album, leaving out the tracks that are less favorable, not realizing that some of these bands release the full length album with the intent of the listener hearing the album from beginning to end in order to tell a story. The album artwork and packaging also provide something that a Jpeg can't. And in the case of an artist like Danger Mouse, the collectability and value of his first cassette has skyrocketed.
Selling batches of CDs and cassettes is also a concept that isn't new in the DIY arena. It's commonplace. But what makes the Bridgetown batches so special is it's consistency. A lot of DIY labels tend to waver in it's releases, sporadically putting out albums, all the while becoming stale with it's roster of artists. Bridgetown negates this occurrence by putting out it's releases all at one time, giving the buyer the option to buy single albums, multiple albums, or the complete batch all at consecutively better deals. Their summer batch features CDs from such notable bands as Weed Diamond, Vehicles Blues, and Ancient Crux whose last album, Interracial Coupling, sparked a lot of interest in another one of my favorite labels, Family Time.
Bridgetown Records recently has seen write-ups and mentions from some of the biggest taste makers today such as Stereogum, The Fader, and Vice and for good reason; the selection of bands that he chooses to release records for is impeccable. They're tiny gems waiting to be discovered. Check them out for yourself. Tons of free mp3s on the site as well as info on upcoming shows for bands that Bridgetown is currently involved with.
I found out about Kevin through seeing his name frequently involved with my friend's band, No Paws, on fliers for shows at Ports o' Call Bedroom and other events. I checked him out and really liked his music. It was folky at the time when the term outsider folk was being kicked around amongst many of his peers such as Voice on Tape, Zombelle, Whitman, John Thill, and Sean Pineda. Outsider folk, to me, was anyone that had a folk sensibility yet wasn't trying to be the next Dylan. It had a heart that was missing from folk that I hadn't heard in quite some time and each of those artists that I previously named have a unique voice of their own. Kevin was, to me, the newcomer to that group. I've been a fan for a while now. We had made a connection via the Internet and I've followed his music and all things he's been involved with since then.
I don't know how long Kevin's been doing Bridgetown. My guess is it's been about two years. Labels like his are nothing new under the sun though. Punk bands have been making small run, self released albums for years. But in an age where any and every kind of media can be downloaded, labels like Bridgetown, have become extremely important to the survival and proliferation of artist driven music. The "art of the album" has been somewhat lost. These days it's very easy to download single tracks from an album, leaving out the tracks that are less favorable, not realizing that some of these bands release the full length album with the intent of the listener hearing the album from beginning to end in order to tell a story. The album artwork and packaging also provide something that a Jpeg can't. And in the case of an artist like Danger Mouse, the collectability and value of his first cassette has skyrocketed.
Selling batches of CDs and cassettes is also a concept that isn't new in the DIY arena. It's commonplace. But what makes the Bridgetown batches so special is it's consistency. A lot of DIY labels tend to waver in it's releases, sporadically putting out albums, all the while becoming stale with it's roster of artists. Bridgetown negates this occurrence by putting out it's releases all at one time, giving the buyer the option to buy single albums, multiple albums, or the complete batch all at consecutively better deals. Their summer batch features CDs from such notable bands as Weed Diamond, Vehicles Blues, and Ancient Crux whose last album, Interracial Coupling, sparked a lot of interest in another one of my favorite labels, Family Time.
Bridgetown Records recently has seen write-ups and mentions from some of the biggest taste makers today such as Stereogum, The Fader, and Vice and for good reason; the selection of bands that he chooses to release records for is impeccable. They're tiny gems waiting to be discovered. Check them out for yourself. Tons of free mp3s on the site as well as info on upcoming shows for bands that Bridgetown is currently involved with.
Download the Bridgetown Spring sampler here
Download the Bridgetown Summer sampler here
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