Lonely Lake by That Kelly Boy

Whether generating punk, electronica, or a loaf of bread, the unifier is the common desire to serve the creative muse, rather than to contrive product.

If a million copies are sold - so be it.

--Copperspine Records mission statement

The creative forces behind Vancouver's Copperspine Records [www.copperspine.com] have put their own spin on the cooperative experience. They refuse to confine themselves to a single musical genre, acknowledging the eclectic appetites of the audiophile communicty, and strengthening themselves as a collective in the process. Copperspine feeds the hungry minority with releases ranging from country and roots to punk and electronica. Copperspine is as free with forms as it is with genre. Visual artists and artisans also contribute to the collective's assault on the scene. A Sunday morning pancake breakfast in East Van provided a fine setting to meet some of the Copperspine crew...

...Chris Kelly of That Kelly Boy hails from rural Ontario ("Prairie Ontario", another Copperspine member joked). He met two of Roger Dean Young's roommates at open mics in Vancouver when he moved here in 1998. Roger and a fledgling Copperspine became involved with the creation of his debut solo CD, Lonely Lake. "He knew I was recording a record and then he kept pushing me to finish it. By that time, Copperspine was a reality, so we put it out under that." One advantage of the collective, in his mind, is that it frees up his time to create, and allows him to leave the details of running the label in more capable hands. "I'm not lazy, but I find the workload of trying to do music and make a living with my other job enough. It works great for me, although I do feel guilty that other people seem to be working hard." Communications with the label are aided by the fact that his wife Heidi is very involved with day-to-day operations. "Everything that's typed in or involves data involves me, so he'll know or I tell him," she confirms. "But it's a big group of friends anyway, so people will listen to each other," adds Chris.

Design artist Heidi May represents a growing non-musical element of Copperspine. "Roger's idea all along was to not have it be just a record label, and to have it be about community. From the very beginning he's always wanted to promote any kind of artistic creativity."

"I have a passion about the identity of Copperspine. Because of my fine arts background, I'm really conscious of the look of things. I always get obsessed with the package and making sure that things go together the right way. The idea of having people that are roots-based, or punk, or electronic, but then somehow trying to have an identity about a collective was intriguing. It gave me a chance to apply the stuff I like and the identity behind the musicians; not only CD packaging and posters, but I do a lot of mixed media work."

" It also gives me a chance to get away from the art world, which can be very restrictive. I'm more of a helper, a motivator. Since I'm an art teacher, I enjoy critiquing and debating. I have no problem giving my opinion, and it's usually honest."

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