About Swelltune
Swelltune Records was started in Massachusetts by Beck Rustic in 2017.
“I wasn’t planning on starting a full record label at all! I ran a music festival called “The New England Shake-Up,” and it was hitting its 5th anniversary in September 2017. I wanted to do something special to commemorate that. I love records, so I thought releasing a two song, 5th anniversary 45 would be cool.
For the 45 I assembled a “super group” of musicians that had been part of the Shake-Up since the beginning, including Bloodshot Bill, Sean Mencher and Kevin Patey, among a few others, and recorded it at Acadia Recording Company in Portland Maine. The A Side was a song that Sean wrote about the Shake-Up, and the flip was a cover of the Sandy Scott tune, “Shake It Up.” I pressed 1000 records, with the first 100 of those in “Shake-Up Teal” colored vinyl. It was sold at the event merch booth at the Shake-Up that September."
Originally, it wasn’t meant to bloom into a full label.
"Again, my original idea was just to put out the 45 and then maybe some live stuff from the Shake-Up later on. I hadn’t thought about running a full label at that point, at all, but I did really enjoy the process of getting that first 45 happening… producing in the studio, creating the jacket artwork and surrounding promo art, and working with musicians: the whole thing was really fun and creatively satisfying. My soul felt full during the whole process.
Shortly after the recording session, I don’t know how, but word started getting around that I was starting a label! Because I had been booking shows and the festival for years, musicians knew and trusted me… that’s important, I think. People want to work with people they know and trust. So, I was getting this small avalanche of music coming at me, from bands and musicians wanting to be on a label that didn’t exist."
Swelltune Records was born.
"I decided to go for it. I dove in. I fully immersed myself in the birth of Swelltune Records, and absorbed every bit of knowledge I could in order to run the label well, and fairly, and with the artist’s interest at the forefront of every decision made. I used my background as a graphic designer to design all the album artwork, promo posters, and label merch, which I still do."
Swelltune Records is now partnered with Jet-Tone Studios.
"In 2019, I met Shaun Young, an Austin musician and owner of Austin recording studio, Jet-Tone Studios. We got married and he moved his studio up to New England, where Swelltune Records lives. We still work with other studios, which I love doing, but a majority of the music that comes out on Swelltune is recorded here at Jet-Tone by Shaun." It's great having an "in-house" studio where our musicians don't have to worry about a ticking studio clock and can really experiment and work on their music in a creatively-nurturing environment run with patience and good musical-ears, by Shaun."
A growing label with the same heart.
"Swelltune Records has grown a lot since that first 45, but I try and keep everything as home-grown and DIY feeling as I can. The musicians on Swelltune know they’ve got a community here at the label to help them get their musical ideas happening. I don’t want Swelltune Records to feel like just another cog in the music industry machine pumping out a “product.” We’re making art here! I want that art to have soul and spirit no matter how large Swelltune becomes.
We’re truly an independent label… we’re not a subsidiary of a larger record label, and we don’t have investors or anyone we’ve got to answer to. Because of this, we never have to compromise the artistic vision of any of the musicians on Swelltune. We can focus on putting out great music."