Secretly Canadian brings indie music to Bloomington

Great new music can come from anywhere, but it’s even better when it happens to be located in your backyard.

“It’s nice to have a taste-making mechanism in town,” said Kevin Duneman, general manager of Bloomington record label Secretly Canadian.

He said the music provided by the label allows people both in and out of Bloomington to experience high-quality indie music.

The label began in 1996 when brothers Chris and Ben Swanson decided to team up with Eric Weedle and Jonathan Cargill to form a record label.

“They went to school here and fell in love with Bloomington,” Duneman said.

They started with a re-issue of a June Panic album, and since then they have produced a number of influential albums including internationally acclaimed artists such as Yeasayer, Magnolia Electric Co. and BLK JKS.

Duneman said there are both positive and negative aspects of their location in Bloomington. It is helpful because they have lower overhead costs and more space; however, when they first started, Duneman said it was difficult to bring in artists because the label doesn’t have as much exposure as it would in New York.

But he added that now, the label’s positive relations with musicians has caused more bands to sign onto the label.

Since its beginning, Secretly Canadian has grown by leaps and bounds. They now have more than 30 employees and currently represent 24 bands from all over the world. They also founded SC Distribution in 1997. This serves as their own distribution center and also distributes music from a variety of other labels.

Jon Coombs, a project manager for Secretly Canadian, said he began interning for the label in college and began working as an employee there in May 2008. He said it’s great that he gets to work with people he is friends with and meet people whom he has always admired, such as musician Richard Smith.

“When I was in high school, I noticed that my music interests changed,” Coombs said, and he began to listen to Indie music.

After that, he was hooked.

“I think it’s cool that we can employ so many people at a self-owned business in the arts,” Coombs said. “It gives me a sense of pride.”

Also interested in Indie music, sophomore Madeline Dowling began interning for Secretly Canadian last February.

“There was a panel discussion on careers in the arts, and there were a lot of people there from Secretly Canadian,” she said.

As an intern, she stuffed envelopes with CDs and press releases, updated the Web site and assembled promo CDs.

“It was really great because random indie-rock people would just show up at the office,” Dowling said. “I remember being there when the BLK JKS were recording.”

She said she loved working there because all the people there really provided a support system for her.

“They have close relationships with their employees and artists – it’s kind of like a symbiotic relationship,” Dowling said. “They really just want to help their employees and artists succeed.”

Duneman said he first heard of Secretly Canadian when he was performing in Chicago with his band Chisel Drill Hammer and played with the Secretly Canadian band Ativin. He said he played in Bloomington a couple times and really enjoyed it, so when he decided to move here he called up the label and they offered him a job.

“It’s really an attractive place to work,” Duneman said. “It requires a certain love for the game. There is something about it that is just really compelling. You get to work on things you are really passionate about.”