The label’s 11th anniversary party takes place at The Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids on Friday with Heaters, Gringo Star, Hollywood Makeout and Crystal Trench. Learn more at Local Spins.
Longtime Supporter of Genre-Bending and Boundary-Pushing: Dizzybird Records and Nicole LaRae. (Photo/Katy Batdorff)
Scroll down for anniversary show schedule and videos of Dizzybird Records artists. And return to LocalSpins.com on Friday for more about Heaters in our ‘Whatever Happened To’ feature and the Local Spins on WYCE radio show podcast.
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West Michigan’s Dizzybird Records may be the very definition of “independent record label.”
When music maven, talent buyer and radio announcer Nicole LaRae formed Dizzybird 11 years ago, she was bound and determined to offer bands and solo artists “something that stands in contrast to traditional major label deals.”
“I started the label to assist area musicians in creating and distributing their physical album releases, which can be expensive projects to handle alone. My goals were to help push bands upward by releasing their music without compromise—letting artists stay true to their vision without having to fit into mainstream expectations, offering transparent, artist-friendly contracts,” LaRae said.
“I also wanted to keep physical formats alive and meaningful in a digital age – and ultimately the simplest, truest goal in the beginning — and now — was just to share great music with the world, whether that’s with 50 people or 5,000.”
More than a decade and 14 artists later — from Coffin Problem to Heaven’s Gateway Drugs to Strange Plains (aka Lazy Genius) and more — LaRae and Dizzybird are gearing up to celebrate their 11th anniversary on Friday at The Pyramid Scheme.
The evening will feature performances by Atlanta indie-rockers Gringo Star (with a new album, “Sweethearts,” released earlier this month), Grand Rapids surf/garage rock favorites Hollywood Makeout, emerging dark-wave artist Crystal Trench and the reunion of psych rock’s Heaters, Dizzybird’s first signing and a band playing its first show together in five years.
“She (LaRae) didn’t have to pull our arms. She’s such a sweetheart that we were like, we’ve got to do this thing,” said Heaters guitarist Andrew Tamlyn.
The evening will feature a raffle and dance contest, with DJs Ben Weissenborn and Beef Twerky also spinning tunes. Advance tickets, $25, for the 7 p.m. Friday show are available online here. (Tickets are $28 at the door.)
LaRae, talent buyer for Bell’s Brewery Eccentric Cafe, host of the “New Standards” show on WYCE (88.1 FM) and curator of the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s “Concerts Under the Stars” series, conceded that times have changed a bit for the Dizzybird Records label.
Gringo Star (Courtesy Photo)
“The focus is shifting into event curation and promotion. Looking ahead, I’m excited to expand beyond just releasing music into creating physical spaces for people to experience it together,” LaRae said.
“Live events are a way to deepen the connection between Dizzybird’s artists and the audiences who’ve supported us since day one.”
From the beginning, those Dizzybird artists have covered a wide spectrum of styles and musical experimentation.
“I’ve always been a fan of genre-bending and boundary-pushing,” she said, “and ‘Dizzybird Presents’ events will reflect that same approach: unexpected lineups, unique spaces, and a focus on discovery.”
Read more about Heaters on Friday at Local Spins as part of a “Whatever Happened To” feature and the Local Spins on WYCE radio show podcast.
VIDEO: Gringo Star, “I Sleep to Dream”
VIDEO: Heaters, “Live on KEXP”
VIDEO: Hollywood Makeout, “Concerts Under the Stars”
LISTEN: Crystal Trench, “Through the Mirror”
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