Jacana Records, a non-profit independent record label, operates in roughly the same way. The record industry in its present state is no place for an independent label anymore (if it ever was, and it probably never has been). The young, we are always being told, no longer buy CDs (much less ‘records’) and as MP3 and other computer/internet technology become more prevalent, it is to be assumed that there will be a trickle-up effect amongst older consumers, and the CD-as-artefact will be an anomaly for all except, perhaps, the Stones and Britney who might condescend to release one occasionally.
Why, then, do we launch poor underdog Jacana records on the world? Because we have made this music, and the two or three international record labels we had releasing our stuff unto the world two or three years ago have gone out of business, and it’s not really music unless it is heard by other people. We see the label as providing a nice colourful sturdy village green maypole for our various works and also those of our friends and other people whose work we like. See you there.
Mia Schoen
David Nichols
JACANA RECORDS, the first few..
JAC001 New Estate: EP the second release from the most exceptional Melbourne group of the new millennium. A home recording with depth and spirit, sporting a hand printed card cover form the artisans at duskysound's studio.
JAC002 Tracey Read: Tiny Lights the fourth album from the much loved Perth singer/songwriter whose blend of pop and reality has made her a favourite of those with taste.
JAC003 New Estate: Rockshop New Estate have embarked on a recording project with the marvellous Simon Grounds.the 2nd full length album is it real will be released far down the line of 2006. Meanwhile they have taken a sample song from this project and recorded a bunch of things onto the much loved tascam reel to reel 4-track. With a live track and some jam noise added in this forms rock shop. it's full of suprises and a shadowy notion of New Estate's future direction post-studio album. Just a few of the gold signed by the band copies left in the jacana warehouse.
JACOO4 Driving Past: Travel the second album from the group now in its tenth! year, the songwriting vehicle for renowned poet Gig Ryan and the solid bass, guitar/keyboard, drums of Andrew Withycombe, Mia Schoen, David Nichols. A significant shift from the Real Estate album of 1998. Hard to resist.
JAC005 Popolice: Forceback an exceptional ep from Marc Regueiro McKelvie, who began his bliss noise pop adventure when he was just a lad back in Auckland. Now a bloke and a bit of a chap around Melbourne, Forceback (why it is called this we do not know) defines Marc as an artist of optomistic and didactic wide eyed maturity.
JAC006 33 and a third: To celebrate the shared occasion of the 33 and a third birthday of Jacana Records proprietor Mia Schoen and local writer and general enthusiast Shane Moritz we had a big party with loads of bands, beer and whiskey at E2E4. This commemorative CD consists of bands like the Cannanes, Panel of Judges, the Crayon fields, Ashtray Boy, Go Genre Everything, Grey Tapes, New Waver, Flywheel and many many more great Melbourne acts doing covers of songs they like 'cause Shane asked them to. Some of these fine folk agreed to entertain us with their musical stylings at the party, which we have to add is the only place you could get a copy of this truly amazing CD...nope we wont be selling it ever, but if you're lucky we might give the odd one away with any other Jacana Records purchase.
