THE BURNING HELL, FEMBOTS, JENNY OMNICHORD, TWO-MINUTE MIRACLES, PROOF OF GHOSTS and the BARMITZVAH BROTHERS at the Silver Dollar (486 Spadina), tonight (Thursday, December 2). $10-$12. RT, SB, SS.
UNITED STEEL WORKERS OF MONTREAL, GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS, CANTEEN KNOCKOUT, THE VILLAGE MEAT, BARZIN and special guest at the Silver Dollar (486 Spadina), Friday (December 3). $12-$15. RT, SB, SS.
Influential record labels are usually the result of intense development and careful planning. But they can also form by accident.
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Such is the case with (weewerk). Over eight years, the Toronto label has become a vital source of off-kilter Canadian folk, country, roots and rock. Surprisingly, it didn’t begin as a record label at all.
“When we started back in 2002, (weewerk) was actually an experimental art salon and gallery space on Queen West,” says co-founder Phil Klygo. “And it doubled as our apartment.”
Running the salon space, Klygo and his then-partner Germaine Koh (now a conceptual artist in Vancouver) built a solid word-of-mouth reputation as forward-thinking patrons of the arts. As a record label, however, (weewerk)’s history is inseparable from that of its most successful band, Great Lake Swimmers.
When Great Lake Swimmers’ Tony Dekker completed his first album in 2003, he turned to Klygo, who at the time was working with the label Teenage USA. Rather than putting the self-titled album out on that label, Klygo decided to sell it in a limited run as a musical tie-in with the (weewerk) space.
“I did all the artwork and packaging for every copy by hand,” says Dekker. “It was actually intended to be more of an art piece than a conventional record.”
As interest in the Swimmers picked up, (weewerk) began signing more acts, first the Barmitzvah Brothers and Elliott Brood, then Barzin, United Steel Workers of Montreal and Two-Minute Miracles. Eventually, Klygo and Koh sold their Queen West apartment and (weewerk) morphed entirely into a record label.
With Klygo now handling all the day-to-day operations himself, it’s remained a small-roster, practically one-man operation that befits its name. This enables (weewerk) to afford its artists the creative freedom that might not be possible at a bigger label.
Take the Burning Hell, for instance. After years of drumming up publicity for their theatrical big-band approach to gothic folk, they stripped down to a trio for 2010’s This Charmed Life. In keeping with the record’s intimacy, (weewerk) limited the physical release to vinyl records sold only at small-venue shows.
“I admit that’s not the most financially viable way to release a record,” says lead singer/songwriter Mathias Kom. “But the record’s a bit more personal, so I wanted it to be more for people who are already fans.
“It’s counterintuitive from a marketing perspective, but I think it’s been really well received because of that. Not only did (weewerk) allow me to make the kind of record I wanted to make, but they matched my enthusiasm 100 per cent.”
In other words, (weewerk) functions not just as a label but as a support system for like-minded artists. Hence, the stacked lineup for its two-night eighth-anniversary party at the Silver Dollar.
The Barmitzvah Brothers and Two-Minute Miracles are coming out of lengthy touring hiatuses to play the show, while Great Lake Swimmers are used to headlining venues 10 times the size. And since so many of the bands are interconnected, expect collaborations aplenty.
“I don’t consider this a Great Lake Swimmers show,” says Dekker. “It’s more of a celebration of what (weewerk) has been able to do over the last eight years.
“Without (weewerk), there would be no Great Lake Swimmers.”
music@nowtoronto.com
