It’s been so exciting to watch vinyl’s resurgence, particularly in the ska, punk, and reggae scenes. Whether you’ve always been a collector or you’re new to the format, it’s fun to get your hands on a record that’s both new to you and new to the world.
To help feed your addiction, Chris Malone of NY ska band The Pandemics has started a new label.
“After playing in ska bands for over 17 years, I’ve come up across a rather unique set of challenges for up and coming bands, in which the music industry at every level exacts a toll from up and coming bands that makes it almost impossible for talented bands to grow beyond a certain point, because of the overwhelming expense required to keep the wheels in motion, all while trying to write/perform/record their own music. My solution to this was to try and form a label, that could alleviate at least one of these pressures, without compromising a band’s ability to create their art, without compromising the band’s ability to function and zeroing out their bank accounts.”
This is certainly an admirable effort. Lonely Atom Records will focus on “up and coming” bands and they’ve launched an IndieGoGo campaign to help fund their inaugural 7-inch series. Typically, vinyl is something that is out of reach for new acts so this is unique opportunity for the bands involved. The “Radical Chemicals” series will feature InCircles, American Pinup, Karikatura, and The Pandemics. As the page confirms, they’re still looking for bands to round out the series and interested musicians should contact lonelyatomrecords@gmail.com.
The goal for this campaign is a reasonable $3,600 which is only intended to help launch the label and series. Know that the full cost will actually come to about $10,000. I appreciate a departure from the “all or nothing approach” which I think can ultimately restrict projects that set their sights too high.
Head to the Lonely Atom Records IndieGoGo page now to chip in. You’ll find the usual spread of rewards and more details about the project.