With what started out as a mobile recording studio years ago, Asking Alexandria guitarist Ben Bruce and co-manager Kyle Borman have officially launched a new record label called KBB RECORDS and signed their first band, SCARE DON’T FEAR. “After years of planning, touring, writing and learning, and after ups and downs, arguments and agreements, I have grown to not only love the music industry, but understand it and respect it,” says co-founder Ben Bruce. “KBB Records is a label run by artists, for artists. With my love and passion for music along with my knowledge and understanding of the music industry it’s our goal to work alongside incredible artists of all genres and to create and release amazing music for the world to fall in love with.”
Frankie Screamz (vocals), Joe Auger (guitar) & Ryan Grandmaison (bass/vocals)
The first lucky band to be signed to the new label is SCARE DON’T FEAR. The five-piece group out of Providence, RI is already at work with producer Mike Watts at VuDu Studios recording their debut full-length album, From The Ground Up, which will released sometime this summer.
“Everyone in SCARE DON’T FEAR is extremely proud to be a part of KBB RECORDS. SDF are huge fans of ASKING ALEXANDRIA, so when Ben and Kyle approached us about teaming up, we were stoked. We have been working at this goal for over five years and it’s a very rewarding feeling to not only get signed, but to get signed to a label that has such an amazing team behind it. All of us are looking forward to building towards the future with KBB RECORDS.”
Understandably, SCARE DON’T FEAR is stoked to be on the KBB label and they should be. As a matter of fact, we think they may just be the luckiest bastards on the planet right now. Why? Many reasons – several of which most don’t even think of as an indie or signed band. Let us break it down for you…
As a music publication, we receive press releases 24/7 about all things going on in the industry – this band is touring, this album is coming out, that band’s bassist just got arrested again – hundreds of them every day. It’s easy to miss a lot in the tsunami of information that floods our inbox(es). What made us take note of this particular release:
1) It was sent by one of the biggest and best publicists in the music business, Paul Gargano, who was the head of publicity for Century Media Records until just this week when he started with a new venture, Street Smart Marketing, along with several other key industry players. If you want your stuff to get seen, hire a kickass publicity team with a great relationship with everyone in the industry on the planet. Seriously.
Ok, duly noted – but what else?
2) The subject line of the email was interesting: hmmm…Ben Bruce from Asking Alexandria started a record label? Well, let’s see what our favorite musical madman has going on and who this band is that they signed…
3) Not the usual stuff here…not at all. Honestly, we’d never heard of SCARE DON’T FEAR but with a well worded and laid out press release, we were interested. There was a pause with “a fusion of hip hop and metal” descriptor which produced a momentary “Oh Christ…just what the world needs” voice in our heads. BUT (and that’s the kind of BUT that changes minds) there was a very high quality “introduction” video to announce the band’s signing to KBB which feature a few snippets of SDF in the studio and personalizes the individual members. The music itself sounds pretty damn good and we actually can’t wait to hear more. It’s almost hard not to root for them after hearing their Rhode Island accents and listening to their talent. It’s like rooting against puppies or something – and that’s just wrong, people. Check it out…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmQ_xlE6GpI]
4) Within 24 hours, KBB Records has made sure that everyone in the music industry knows the name SCARE DON’T FEAR. Now you do too and we have a feeling their team will make sure that none of us forget it! And THAT is why the boys of SDF are the luckiest bastards on the planet right now.
If KBB Records plans to take this kind of initiative with all of the future artists on their label, we foresee some big bands breaking out with the powerhouse team of Borman and Bruce (and Street Smart Marketing) behind them. The biggest gripe we hear from artists about labels these days is that there is no real support. No “push, buzz, excitement, promo” unless you’re one of the “big fish” on the roster. We shall see if KBB Records is about to set a new precedent and actually stand behind their bands – all of them. If what they’ve done with the launch of SCARE DON’T FEAR is any indication of the future, then we can’t wait to see what’s next. Make no mistake: this is a well-organized, marketing machine of badasses that know this business and have the power to make some big things happen.
That would be something truly refreshing in this day of undefined lines of what it really means to be “signed.” For many it has resulted in underutilized talent and a blatant lack of support by the very labels that believed in a band enough to sign them to begin with. Many are simply thrown into a label’s tepid stew of mediocrity to ferment in resentment and obscurity. Is it any wonder why so many bands are gun-shy?
Perhaps a new day has dawned. With what we’ve seen – there appears to be a new major player on the field. And it’s name is KBB Records.
Want to know more about KBB Records and how to get signed? Ask Ben and Kyle yourself by joining the live chat today – Thursday, March 6, 2014! UPDATE: 7:47 p.m. EST – live chat is over. CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FLASHBACK PLAY. The guys said they will do another live chat next month, so tune in then.
In the meantime, Ben and Kyle said they are actively seeking bands of ALL GENRES to join the KBB Records family. Submission should be sent to contact@kbbrecords.com
Stay up to date with news from KBB RECORDS and SCARE DON’T FEAR…
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SCARE DON’T FEAR ONLINE:
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SCARE DON’T FEAR is: Chris Jungles / @ChrisJungles (Vocals), Frankie Screamz / @FrankieScreamz (Vocals), Joe Auger / @JoeAuger (Guitar), Larry Ohh / @LarryOhh (Drums/Beats), Ryan Grandmaison / @RustyEight (Bass)
By: Valerie King, Editor in Chief
