This humble little label started in the bedroom of a decrepit, haunted house in the suburbs of East Vancouver. As an independent artist for over 25 years, I consider myself lucky to have cut my teeth in the 90s when rock bands were being courted by major labels like it was going out of style. And yes, it did go out of style. Grunge. But my love for rock music never did. 

Queazy, The Skinjobs and New Years Resolution all had devote fan bases and I experienced so much being in those bands, including business. So I took what I learned, started a label and released the first Down The Lees album in 2005. Since I was doing the whole album myself, I needed to jump into the process with both feet. From writing and playing all of the music, going into the studio, planning the CD duplication, distribution and marketing. Ever since then, I have been releasing material with many bands I have played with over the years.

Cut to 2020. When everything changed. I was living in Ghent, Belgium when Down The Lees (now a trio) was playing shows in Belgium, France and the Netherlands to support the Steve Albini recorded album ‘Bury The Sun’. Then everything stopped. As the months dragged on, it became painfully obvious that things were going to drastically change for the entertainment industry for a long time. After the initial shock wore off, the idea of supporting other artists started to percolate and I made my way back to Canada to live in the Okanagan Valley. 

Why did I get into music in the first place? It’s because of the feeling I get when I hear a song for the first time and it makes the hair on my arms stand up. I want to help THAT music get out into the world. And with this label, all artists support each other. We herald each other, we believe in each other. We are nothing without community.

We don’t act like a typical label. We are a collective label. Meaning, we pool our resources/contacts/skills, and support each other.

In full compliance with the law, we respect the rights of all individuals - whether they are from a particular race, ethnic group, ancestry, country of origin, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, physical disability, mental disability, or age. As a collective community, we support, value, and acknowledge the diversity of each individual, and we strive to deconstruct systemic discrimination.