Bike Rack Brewing Company hops into the music business with their launch of Bike Rack Records, Vol. 1, this week.
"We absolutely love the musicians and we love music," explains Jeff Charlson, Bike Rack's CEO. "It goes with beer extraordinarily well. There's nothing that's a better fit hand in hand than music."
The ten diverse local artists featured on Vol. 1 include Smokey and the Mirror, Melody Pond and Jamie Lou and The Hullabaloo. They're all all unsigned local musicians who received top quality production to cut a single with Haxton Road Studios.
"We look at these artists who are already playing at Bike Rack and creating that environment ... that experience," says Neil Greenhaw, Haxton Road's owner. "What would it look like if we spoiled them and gave them the production that they deserve?"
Unlike traditional recording contracts, the artists on Vol. 1 retain rights to their songs. That means if any licensing agreements come up, those musicians can take that opportunity. This was intentional, as both Greenhaw and Charlson intend this project as a way to open doors to these local musicians who provide so much to the Northwest Arkansas community.
Many of these local acts perform live Friday, Nov. 9, for the launch party for Vol.1 at The Record in downtown Bentonville. A vinyl pressing of Vol. 1 will be available for purchase then and also at Bike Rack Brewery locations. The album is available digitally now via iTunes and Spotify. Listen to the full KUAF Arts Beat via streaming link above.
