AARON SCHOLZ
Arts Writer

In an era that celebrates the ease of portable music and threatens to leave all physical mediums behind, a growing protest has risen from the prairies with the existence of Bart Records — a record label exclusively dedicated to the cassette tape medium.

With releases from bands all over Canada (including Saskatoon bands Black Magic Pyramid and Auld Beak), Bart Records has breathed new life into cassette culture and encourages the growth of its niche market in the prairie provinces. The owner of Bart Records, Kevin Stebner, talked to the Sheaf about the superior medium.

The Sheaf: What is Bart Records?
Kevin Stebner: Bart is purely a documentation of what’s going on musically in western Canada. It sprung up out of necessity, considering that there were no record labels in western Canada that catered to the kind of music I wanted to hear.

Sheaf: Bart is a cassette label. Why tape cassettes?
Stebner: Tapes are the world’s greatest format. The sound quality and most importantly, the portability of tapes are awesome.

Sheaf: Many would disagree. What do you say to people who recall cassettes being the past bane of their audio existence?
Stebner: They’re obviously completely ignorant and don’t understand anything. If you really want disposable media, you can have it. If you want MP3s that can be lost on external hard drives, go for it. I want to make something with a beautiful aesthetic and as old as the format may be, I’m not putting out tapes for modernists. I’m doing it to make something that is real and tangible and lasting.

Sheaf: By not appealing to modernists, as you say, you obviously then have to rely on those who grew up listening to cassettes. What do the younger generation of kids say when they see you’re selling tapes at shows?
Stebner: Well, in Calgary in particular, there are all these amazing 15 year-old kids who are stoked on it and love the idea that they can make something themselves. Some of the music they write is questionable, but they’re doing it. Having the ability to record and distribute your own music through cassettes is a wonderful thing and I don’t think that concept is dated at all. It is a way to make music accessible. I sell my cassettes for $5 and I’m not aware of any other media form that you can sell so cheaply to people.

Sheaf: Where does the name “Bart Records” come from?
Stebner: It’s actually an Adventures in Odyssey reference. For those who don’t know, Adventures in Odyssey was a radio drama produced by Focus on the Family. The moral of the story is learning to carefully discern what you listen to. In the story, there’s a band called Bones of Wrath who write these songs that parents flip out over. They had a song called “Who Needs Parents?” and another song called “Razorblade Rag.” The lead singer of the band, his dad is named Bart Wrathbone and the band releases their debut cassette on the dad’s label called Bart Records. Anyway, I loved the idea of cassette label and music being dangerous.

Sheaf: If you know what Adventures in Odyssey is, you obviously either grew up in a religious household or are a spiritual dude yourself. Do religion and punk rock mix well?
Stebner: Yeah, absolutely! I think that religious people, Christians in particular, are marginalized in western society. And for me, those who are interested in punk rock have been a marginalized group as well. Both these views, religion and punk, affect how you see the world and how you examine society and are based on having something to say, regardless of whether its popular or not.

Sheaf: Are there any particular upcoming cassette releases you’re doing that are exciting to you?
Stebner: Yes! There is a Bart Records compilation coming out on cassette featuring bands who have done releases with me doing covers of ’70s and ’80s rock songs. The bands on the roster, which everybody should check out are Stalwart Sons, Todos Caeran, Slates, Crippled Children, Auld Beak, Sans AIDS, Gyre Spire & Spindle, Book of Caverns and Japanese Beaver. These are all Canadian bands.

Sheaf: You mentioned that making cassettes is cheap and easy. Does this mean you’re able to offer specific artists the chance to release a tape as soon as they want? How picky are you with what you release?
Stebner: I’m pretty picky with it. I don’t want to release an album if I don’t think the songs are any good. Any record label will tell you that. But if I hear something that I think is awesome, I’m going to want to put it out and if I can do that in a month, that’s way faster than a label being able to release a vinyl record, which would take two or three months.

Sheaf: Do you feel you’re doing something that matters in terms of releasing this music?
Stebner: It is frustrating to me that I’m only able to sell a 100 tapes of a specific band. All the music I release, I stand behind and think is great. It’s too bad that more people aren’t paying attention to these amazing bands from the prairies. I’m excited about the music happening around me.

Sheaf: If someone is reading this interview and thinking, “This is something that I could do,” what would you say to that person looking to do something similar?
Stebner: All it really takes is a love of music and some money. Instead of doing things like going to movies or going to the bar, I spend my money and free time putting out music. I would say go for it! There is a lot of exciting music being made in western Canada. Write an amazing song, record it and put it out there for the world to hear!

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image: Maia Stark