| "People often ask, ‘Why is it called Saved By Radio?’" says Dawn Loucks. "Well, it’s because we were saved by radio. That’s really what happened."
Loucks and Jennifer Abel’s record label Saved By Radio has been in operation for little over a year and, in that short amount of time, has built a reputation for putting out quality Alberta music.
Their friendship began as the result of a chance meeting at campus radio station CJSW 90.9 FM. Both Abel and Loucks had volunteered at the station on and off for years, but had never met. They were introduced by CJSW program director Jane McCullough, who had told Loucks – a recent cancer survivor – that doctors had just diagnosed Abel with cancer. Loucks remembers their first conversation.
"Jen was in the middle of doing a show at the time and I just ran into the booth and started screaming," she says laughing. "I said, ‘Hi, I’m Dawn and you have to be my friend.’"
The two women developed a strong bond and Loucks helped Abel through her treatments. In the months that followed, the two discovered that they shared a similar passion for local music.
Loucks believes in the healing power of music and credits it with helping her get through one of the scariest times of her life. She speaks candidly about her cancer survival and says that, in a strange way, her illness released her from her biggest fears.
A mother and computer programmer, Loucks always wanted to have her own record label, but thought it was too impractical. She pushed the idea aside, figuring that there would be time to do it in the future. It was when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease in 2000 that her perspective changed and she decided to make the things she valued more of a priority in her life.
Saved By Radio’s first release was the Stompin’ Tom Connors tribute album BYOP (Bring Your Own Plywood), a co-production with fellow Calgary record label Catch and Release. The 2003 compilation had local musicians covering Connors’ songs and, to both Loucks and Abel’s surprise, the record was a hit at community radio stations across Canada. Loucks is proud of their first release because it helped introduce the country to Calgary musicians.
"I think one thing about Calgary, at least for a long time, is that there hasn’t been a huge indie success here," she says. "There was no Weakerthans or Junior Gone Wild or SNFU. I think that’s one thing that differentiates Calgary from other large Canadian cities – it’s got a feeling of being hidden away or being under appreciated. I think, in many ways, the Calgary music scene has been very underground."
The success of BYOP was soon followed by Falconhawk's critically-acclaimed synth-pop album Hotmouth, and since then the label has signed an eclectic group of artists that includes Cowboy Tim Hus, Vailhalen, Lorrie Matheson as well as the Edmonton bands Old Reliable, The Swiftys and AA Soundsystem. Their diverse catalogue reflects the personal tastes of Loucks and Abel and spans everything from roots to pop music.
Loucks says that if it seems as though things are happening quickly, it’s only because Alberta is an unmined resource for seasoned musicians.
"Some of the bands we have on our label have been playing for 15 years and just never got a deal," she says in disbelief. "Part of the thing about Calgary and Edmonton is that we have a mature scene. (Alberta) didn’t have a bunch of labels marketing its music to the rest of Canada. We’ve been lucky enough to work with musicians that are talented and experienced."
The response to Saved By Radio releases in Eastern Canada has been positive, but Loucks thinks that Alberta musicians should focus on creating their own scene. She has a feeling that an Alberta explosion is just on the horizon.
"I know what will happen," Loucks says excitedly. "I just have a gut feeling people are going to start writing about it in Toronto and wondering what’s going on (in Alberta)."
So is Saved by Radio on a mission to save Alberta music? "No," she laughs. "Only Alberta can save itself."
She says there is a real misconception in this province that people in the music industry should do things for free. One of her biggest goals for the label is to be able to pay the people they work with – the graphic designers, photographers and recording engineers. Loucks also wants to offer musicians and their families extended health-care benefits. The idea came from her own troubling experiences with the Alberta health care system.
"The anti-nausea drugs I had to take for chemo were $20 a pill and that wasn’t covered. A lot of these musicians have kids and are struggling month to month," she says. "They’re compelled to make music and if we can help them along and make their lives a bit more reasonable, that would be incredible. If musicians had heath care, imagine how different the world would be? I don’t care if we sell any records, if we could do that, then our label would have been a success."
From a financial standpoint, Saved By Radio wants to break even and make enough money to cover the costs of putting out more music. New releases are scheduled well into 2005 and there are plans to remake the K-Tel album Canadian Mint, where such notable Canadian artists as Martin Tielli from The Rheostatics and crooner Carolyn Mark cover songs from the original ’70s compilation. They also plan to make a music video for every band on the label as well as focus on merchandising (Old Reliable paper dolls, The Swiftys "wanted" posters and band trading cards are in the works). Loucks sees the label as being a self-fulfilling prophecy – if you build it, the talent will come.
"We just bought the old Chixdiggit tour bus because Falconhawk needed it for their eastern tour. We bought it for the label, and we’ll let bands use it on a first-come first-served basis," she says happily. "All you can do is just try to help the bands whenever you can and add something positive to the world."
Loucks says that part of the cancer experience for her was coming to terms with how much she can handle and her desire to do everything all at once. For now she’s satisfied with keeping the label small.
"You can measure units sold and what you spent on a record, but how do you measure that emotional quotient, the reaction it gave people? Who cares if you only sell 2,500 records – you don’t know how many of those made a difference in someone’s life," she says emphatically. "What if one person changed direction in their life because of your music? I honestly believe that if you put good music in front of people, they will listen."
CELEB TOP FIVE
The Top Five favourite Alberta bands of all time (that aren't signed to Saved by Radio) according to Dawn Loucks:
1. Junior Gone Wild
2. Fire Engine Red
3. Rabbit Has Brain
4. I want to say Old Reliable, but know that I can't.
4. The Parkades
5. Forbidden Dimension/Color Me Psycho (as I sort of think of them as the same) |
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