It’s been a long time coming but after over a year in the making, Garden Records will be celebrating the release of its second local-musician compilation album, Rupert Rocks! on Saturday, December 10 with a release party being held at the Underground.
Since preparations for Rupert Rocks! began in 2010, Tom Lehar and Kate Lines, creators of Garden Records, have taken their Rupert Rocks project on as a second child.
“It’s taken longer for Rupert Rocks to be birthed than it has to had a human baby!” joked Lines.
“[Our son is] five-months old now, and Rupert Rocks! Started two months before he was conceived,” she concluded.
But well worth the wait! Rupert Rocks! features 11 tracks written and performed by local musicians, all about Prince Rupert.
“[The Artists on the album] include foundations of the community like Teddy Keehn and Triple Bypass, and then we have…new bands such as Coastal Medication and Latex Nightmare. It’s a really good spread of experience, perspectives and different styles of rock music.”
Rupertite bands that can be heard on the album include The Grifters, The Bends, Coastal Medication, The Surfin’ Dudes, Lehar’s band Ring System, and Triple Bypass, a band prominent to the music scene in the community. Additionally, local Battle of the Bands 2011 winners Latex Nightmare, and 2010’s winner Men Who Listen can be heard on the album, along with solo performers including Kate Lines, Lance Clarke and Aaron Viktil.
Each song, aside from Triple Bypass’ “Feels Like Home”, was recorded, edited and mixed at Summit Sound Lounge Recording Studio, and was produced by Tom Lehar and Ian Lihou. The mastering was done by Alex Degrace, who has mastered for artists such as Bif Naked and Swollen Members, from Suite Sound in Vancouver.
Lehar set aside around 10 to 16 hours for recording and producing per song featured on the CD, and started recording in February, with the last session taking place in October. Lehar was “bit by the recording bug” in 2000, with he and Lines opening up Summit Sound Lounge Recording Studio in the beginning of 2008. Since, Lehar has been recording and doing a variety of lessons out of the studio.
The Summit Sound Lounge Recording Studio, Garden Records, Prince Rupert Arts Council, Ridley Terminals and Northern Savings sponsored the Rupert Rocks! album, with each artist or group contributing $50 administration fee to be involved with the project.
On Saturday, December 10 the Rupert Rocks! release party will be held at the Underground, where people can mingle with the CD’s artists and creators, as well as hear many of the groups and solo acts perform. Admission for the release party will include a download card for the album. Doors will open at eight p.m., with performances starting at nine p.m.
If enough funds are collected by download sales and at the release party, Garden Records will have the album pressed and released on disc in the spring. Lines and Lehar’s plan is to include a documentary on the making-of with the CD, a project that Aaron Viktil and Phil Cornwall have been working on since recordings began.
Rupert Rocks! will also be available for purchased online at www.cdbaby.com, where mp3 files of the album will be accessible.