The
      Panther
      Prints
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      Entertainment
     
    
   
   
    
     
      January
      21,
      1997
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ARTS
      AND
      ENTERTAINMENT
     
    
   
   
    
     
      anatomy
      of
      a
      label
     
    
   
   
    
     
      murderecords
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Melissa
      Buote
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Murderecords
      was
     
     
      formed
      in
      1992
      by
      Halifax’s
     
     
      premiere
      pop
      band,
      Sloan,
     
     
      back
      in
      the
      days
      when
      they
     
     
      could
      not
      find
      a
      place
      to
      put
     
     
      out
      their
      own
      records.
      Not
     
     
      only
      could
      they
      call
      this
      label
     
     
      home,
      but
      they
      also
      released
     
     
      recordings
      of
      their
      friends,
     
     
      who
      today
      include
      Jale,
      the
     
     
      Super
      Friendz,
      Thrush
      Hermit
     
     
      and
      the
      Local
      Rabbits.
     
    

    
     
      “Right
      around
      the
      time
     
     
      Sloan
      saw
      no
      one
      interested
      in
     
     
      them,
      everyone
      became
      inter-
     
     
      ested
      and
      they
      signed
      with
     
     
      Geffen,”
      wrote
      Colin
     
     
      MacKenzie
      in
      an
      interview
     
     
      conducted
      over
      e-mail,
     
     
      “Geffen
      said
      it
      would
      be
      ok
      to
     
     
      put
      outan
      EP
      on
      Murderecords
     
     
      if
      they
      really
      wanted
      to.”
      And
     
     
      so,
      Murder
      was
      born
      with
      the
     
     
      release
      of
      the
      Peppermint
      EP.
     
    

    
     
      The
      label
      was
      named
      by
     
     
      band
      member
      Andrew
      Scott.
     
     
      Why
      Murder?
      Who
      knows?
     
     
      Chris
      Murphy
      designed
      the
     
     
      logo,
      insinuating
      that
      “mur-
     
     
      der”
      stood
      for
      a
      murder
      of
     
     
      crows.
      Clever.
      At
      least
      now
     
     
      they
      don’t
      look
      like
      maniacs.
     
    

    
     
      Run
      by
      Colin
      MacKenzie
     
     
      (Managing
      Director),
      Chip
     
     
      Sutherland
      (Business
      Manager
     
     
      as
      well
      as
      Sloan’s
      manager
     
     
      and
      lawyer)
      and
      the
      members
     
     
      of
      Sloan,
      this
      label
      has
      every-
     
     
      thing
      going
      for
      it.
      The
      men
      in
     
     
      Sloan
      have
      become
      well
     
     
      rounded
      entrepreneurs
      accord-
     
     
      ing
      to
      MacKenzie.
      “Jay
     
     
      [Ferguson]
      and
      _
      Chris
     
     
      [Murphy]
      spent
      a
      year
      doing
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      music
      that
      is
      being
      made
     
    
   
   
    
     
      grunt
      work,
      art,
      stuffing
      let-
     
     
      ters,
      etc.,
      as
      well
      as
      keeping
      a
     
     
      keen
      ear
      out
      for
      good
      sounds.
     
     
      Andrew
      Scott
      is
      our
      man
      in
     
     
      Toronto,
      and_
      Patrick
     
     
      [Pentland]
      helps
      with
      our
      news
     
     
      letter
      and
      spends
      a
      great
      deal
     
     
      of
      time
      writing
      songs.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Murderecords
      is
      touted
     
     
      as
      having
      a
      definitive
      East
     
     
      Coast
      sound
      with
      the
      melodic
     
     
      pop
      of
      all
      of
      the
      bands
      that
     
     
      make
      up
      the
      label.
      Until
      re-
     
     
      cently,
      the
      entirety
      of
      the
      ros-
     
     
      ter
      was
      made
      up
      of
      Halifax
     
     
      bands,
      but
      Murder
      has
     
     
      branched
      out
      by
      signing
      the
     
     
      bluesy
      Local
      Rabbits
      from
     
     
      Montreal
      and
      licensing
      some
     
     
      albums
      from
      Chicago’s
     
     
      Flydaddy
      Records.
      Murphy
     
     
      and
      Ferguson
      have
      the
      last
     
     
      word
      on
      who
      gets
      signed
      onto
     
     
      Murder,
      but
      the
      entire
      man-
     
     
      agement
      team
      must
      come
      to
      a
     
     
      consensus.
     
    

    
     
      “There
      is
      no
      sound,
      but
     
     
      we
      know
      it
      when
      we
      hear
      it.
     
     
      We
      are
      not
      going
      crazy
      look-
     
     
      ing
      for
      new
      acts,
      what
      we
      are
     
     
      doing
      now
      is
      concentrating
      on
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      the
      Super
      Friendz,
      Local
     
     
      Rabbits,
      Sloan
      and
      a
      few
      7"
     
     
      projects.”
     
    

    
     
      Universal
      Music,
      also
     
     
      knownas
      MCA,
      manufactures
     
     
      and
      distributes
      most
      of
     
     
      Murderecords’
      music,
      so
      this
     
     
      label
      is
      not
      one
      of
      the
      many
     
     
      trendy
      Canadian
      independent
     
     
      or
      “indie”
      labels.
      What
      they
     
     
      have
      is
      a
      ‘P&D
      Deal’
      or
      pro-
     
     
      duction
      and
      distribution
      deal.
     
     
      “The
      system
      has
      different
      lev-
     
     
      els,
      one
      level
      is
      7"
      and
      12"
     
     
      vinyl
      and
      cassettes
      we
      feel
      like
     
     
      putting
      out
      --
      this
      we
      do
      all
      on
     
     
      our
      own.
      Then
      there
      is
      level
      2.
     
     
      This
      is
      the
      P&D
      deal.
      Level
      3
     
     
      is
      if
      they
      decide
      they
      really
     
     
      think
      a
      CD
      will
      do
      well,
      then
     
     
      they
      put
      a
      little
      more
      work
     
     
      into
      it
      than
      just
      a
      P&D
      deal.”
     
    

    
     
      Five
      years
      after
      the
      crea-
     
     
      tion
      of
      Murderecords,
      things
     
     
      have
      definitely
      changed,
      yet
     
     
      are
      somewhat
      the
      same.
      Sloan
     
     
      have
      had
      and
      finished
      a
      major
     
     
      label
      deal
      in
      the
      States,
      and
      are
     
     
      back
      onto
      releasing
      their
      al-
     
     
      bums
      on
      Murder.
      One
      Chord
     
     
      To
      Another
      has
      become
      Mur-
     
     
      der’s
      and
      Sloan’s
      best
      selling
     
     
      release
      after
      going
      gold
      in
     
     
      November
      of
      “96.
     
     
      Murderecords
      is
      still
      helping
     
     
      out
      East
      Coast
      talent
      and
      de-
     
     
      veloping
      and
      promoting
      mu-
     
     
      sicians
      and
      music.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Next
      Week:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Courage
      to
      Be
      Your-
     
     
      self
      Journal
     
    

    
     
      By
      Sue
      Patton
      Thoele
     
     
      (Conari
      Press/Raincoast)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Journal
      writing
      is
      of-
     
     
      ten
      the
      best
      way
      for
     
     
      individuals
      to
      attend
      to
     
     
      ideas,
      thoughts,
      and
      feel-
     
     
      ings
      that
      many
      times
      go
     
     
      repressed
      and
      unexplored.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
          
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      journal,
      a
      companion
     
     
      to
      the
      national
      best-seller,
     
     
      The
      Courage
      to
      Be
      Your-
     
     
      self,
      offers
      encouragement
     
     
      to
      women
      through
      quotes
     
     
      from
      the
      book,
      as
      well
      as
     
     
      lessons
      and
      exercises.
      It
      is
     
     
      a
      good
      concept
      if
      used
      in
     
     
      conjunction
      with
      the
      book,
     
     
      but
      alone
      it
      relies
      on
      the
     
     
      effort
      and
      openness
      of
      the
     
     
      writer.
      A
      journal
      is
      only
      as
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      effective
      and
      helpful
      as
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      writer
      is
      at
      channelling
      her
     
     
      thoughts
      to
      paper.
      Journal
     
     
      writing
      does
      not
      require
      a
     
     
      fancy
      book
      with
      elaborate
     
     
      quotes.
      Still,
      this
      does
     
     
      make
      a
      nice
      gift
      idea.
     
    

    
     
      K.
      Heatherington