April
      8,
      1997
     
    
   
   
    
     
      anatomy
      of
      a
      label:
     
     
      corduroy
      records
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      KAREN
      RAWLINES
      _
     
    

    
     
      Corduroy
      Records
      is
      the
     
     
      love
      child
      of
      Blain
      Butyniec,
      a
     
     
      resident
      «~
      the
      St.Catherines/
     
     
      Niagar:
      “alls,
      Ontario
      area.
     
     
      The
      idea
      erupted
      spring
      of
      94,
     
     
      when
      Blain
      was
      18.
      The
      first
     
     
      release
      (Binge/Loophole
     
     
      split
      7"
      entitled
      Spacepeople)
     
     
      came
      out
      the
      end
      of
      that
      sum-
     
     
      mer.
      Efficient,
      to
      say
      the
      least.
     
    

    
     
      Since
      Corduroy’s
      birth,
     
     
      Blain’s
      friends
      have
      played
     
     
      paramountroles,
      lending
      a
      hand
     
     
      with
      everything
      from
      baking
     
     
      cakes
      for
      release
      parties,
      to
     
     
      artwork.
      He
      has
      also
      had
      the
     
     
      ~
      support
      of
      family.
      “My
      mom
     
     
      also
      helped
      in
      the
      early
      days
     
     
      with
      photocopying
      and
      the
     
     
      iike,”
      he
      mentions
      conspirato-
     
     
      rially.
     
    

    
     
      Corduroy
      has
      the
      ben-
     
     
      efit
      of
      working
      closely
      with
     
     
      another
      presence
      of
     
     
      St.Catherines/Niagara
      Falls
      in
     
     
      the
      form
      of
      the
      zine
      Noise.
     
     
      “We
      did
      the
      Super
      Lady
      re-
     
     
      lease
      with
      them
      and
      plan
      on
     
     
      ‘doing
      more
      soon,”
      Blain
      ex-
     
     
      plains.
      “I
      write
      for
      Noise
      and
     
     
      so
      do
      other
      people
      who
      help
     
     
      with
      Corduroy
      as
      well
      as
      peo-
     
     
      ple
      in
      the
      bands,
      so
      it
      made
     
     
      sense
      that
      we'd
      do
      stuff
      to-
     
     
      gether.
      It’s
      cool
      because
      we
      re
     
     
      helping
      each
      other
      grow.”
     
    

    
     
      A
      common
      problem
      as-
     
     
      sociated
      with
      the
      do-it-your-
     
     
      self
      ethic
      of
      independent
      la-
     
     
      bels
      is
      money.
      “We
      don’t
     
     
      have
      huge
      amounts
      of
     
     
      money...actually
      I
      don’t
      think
     
     
      we
      have
      any...”
      The
      dollars
     
     
      _and
      cents
      of
      the
      industry
      cre-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ate
      a
      make-or-break
      aspect
      to
     
     
      virtually
      all
      independent
      labels
     
     
      and,
      in
      turn,
      the
      independent
     
     
      bands
      they
      support.
      This
      does
     
     
      not
      mean,
      however,
      that
      these
     
     
      projects
      are
      fated
      to
      fail
      due
      to
     
     
      limited
      cashflow.
     
    

    
     
      “Money
      is
      a
      definite
      hin-
     
     
      drance,”
      Blain
      admits,
      “but
      it
     
     
      can
      be
      worked
      around.
     
     
      There's
      a
      lot
      of
      cheap
      ways
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      release
      music,
      you
      just
      have
      to
     
     
      be
      creative.
      Which
      is
      actually
     
     
      cool,
      because
      it
      adds
      a
      whole
     
     
      new
      dimension
      to
      the
      process.
     
     
      Trying
      to
      put
      out
      music
      within
     
     
      your
      means.”
     
    

    
     
      Financial
      woes
      not
      with-
     
     
      standing,
      there
      still
      is
      a
      growth
     
     
      in
      the
      world
      of
      independent
     
     
      labels.
      “It’s
      cool
      to
      see
      indies
     
     
      in
      general
      getting
      bigger.
      It
     
     
      seemed
      to
      be
      a
      fad
      for
      a
      while,
     
     
      but
      I
      think
      the
      ones
      doing
      it
     
     
      because
      it
      was
      trend
      have
      fiz-
     
     
      zled
      out
      or
      will
      fizzle
      out.
      I’ve
     
     
      puta
      lot
      of
      money
      into
      it,
      and
      so
     
     
      I
      think
      anyone
      who
      does
      an
     
     
      indie
      [label]
      because
      it
      seems
     
     
      the
      cool
      thing
      to
      do
      will
      realize
     
     
      what
      it
      entails
      and
      will
      either
     
     
      back
      out,
      or
      do
      it
      for
      the
      mu-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      With
      every
      label
      come
     
     
      the
      trials
      of
      the
      “definitive
     
     
      sound.”
      Corduroy
      is
      trying
      to
     
     
      avoid
      this.
      “Corduroy’s
      sound
     
     
      will
      hopefully
      be
      a
      sound
      that’s
     
     
      defined
      by
      good
      music
      rather
     
     
      than
      a
      particular
      style.
      It’s
     
     
      hard
      when
      you
      start
      [a
      label]
     
     
      because
      there
      are
      only
      so
     
     
      many
      bands
      ina
      small
      city
      that
     
     
      are
      necessarily
      making
      music
     
     
      that
      you
      like.
      That’s
      what
      was
     
     
      cool
      about
      the
      Super
      Lady
      7"
     
     
      in
      that
      two
      of
      our
      bands
     
     
      {Loomer
      and
      Thanatopop]
     
     
      were
      joined
      with
      Plumtree
      and
     
     
      Mystery
      Machine,
      two
      bands
     
     
      we
      love
      and
      it
      was
      cool
      being
     
     
      able
      to
      go
      outside
      of
      your
      little
     
     
      area
      to
      work
      with
      other
      bands.
     
     
      We
      hope
      to
      do
      this
      more
      --
     
     
      work
      with
      cool
      bands
      from
     
     
      anywhere.
      ”
     
    

    
     
      Being
      a
      relative
      un-
     
     
      known
      outside
      his
      area,
      one
     
     
      has
      to
      question
      Blain’s
      mo-
     
     
      tives
      and
      the
      driving
      force
      of
     
     
      the
      label
      that
      keeps
      it
      going.
     
     
      His
      wry
      response:
      “world
     
     
      domination.”
      He
      continues
      to
     
     
      state
      that
      Corduroy’s
      raison
     
     
      d'etre
      is
      “to
      release
      music
      that
     
     
      I
      love
      and
      listen
      to.
     
    

    
     
      And
      I
      love
      getting
      mail.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Please
      write
      Corduroy
     
     
      for
      a
      catalogue.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      CORDUROY
      RECORDS
     
     
      7271
      edenwood
      court
     
     
      niagara
      falls,
      ontario
     
    

    
     
      12j
      4e3
     
    

    
     
      Boe
      aol
     
     
      corduroy@niagara
      com
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      David
      Bowie
     
     
      Earthling
     
    
   
   
    
     
      While
      the
      reviewing
      minority
      are
      falling
      over
      them-
     
     
      selves
      to
      recite
      as
      many
      of
      his
      aliases
      as
      they
      can
      recall,
     
     
      David
      Bowie
      himself
      has
      developed
      a
      rip-snorter
      of
      an
     
     
      album.
      Earthling
      is,
      from
      start
      to
      finish,
      a
      charged,
      face-
     
     
      slapping
      musical
      assault
      and
      battery
      which
      leaves
      you
     
     
      smiling
      at
      the
      end.
      One
      privelege
      of
      being
      nose-wipingly
     
    
   
   
    
     
      famous
      is
      having
      the
      cream
      of
      musicians
      screaming
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      work
      with
      you.
      Bowie
      has
      once
      again
      surrounded
     
     
      himself
      with
      remarkable
      and
      compatible
      talent.
      Fellow
     
     
      freak-genius
      Brian
      Eno
      was
      invited
      along
      for
      nostalgia
     
     
      on
      the
      violent
      and
      sublime
      “I’m
      Afraid
      of
      Americans”,
     
     
      while
      Bowie’s
      new
      band
      scale
      the
      mountain
      of
      elec-
     
     
      tronic
      mayhem
      with
      ease
      and
      aplomb.
      No
      more
      can
      be
     
     
      said.
      Earthling
      is
      not
      of
      this
      world.
     
    

    
     
      -
      Geraldine
      Quinn
     
    
   
   
    
     
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