Replay Records’ slow and steady approach to local vinyl

The Replay Lounge is a Lawrence institution. Everyone knows this. The Mass Street bar and venue, which opened in 1994, is an excellent place to drink, play pinball and hang out with dudes who have lived in Lawrence for a really long time. It employs musicians, books local bands and national touring acts, always charges a paltry $3 cover, and generally serves as a hub for the college town’s music scene. For about a year and a half now, the Replay has also been home to a record label, Replay Records.

“I think it’s kind of a unique thing, probably,” says Brad Shanks, who runs the label. “I don’t know that there are any other bars that put out records.”

A Replay bartender, former Love Garden employee and member of punk band Mouthbreathers, Shanks is a natural fit to run a Lawrence record label. (Replay Lounge owner Nick Carroll bankrolls the operation.) In November 2011, Replay Records issued its first release, the garage- and punk-centric local compilation Cheap Beer. “Nick had always wanted to do a label, ever since he opened the bar 20 years ago,” Shanks says. “We went for it with Cheap Beer, and that turned out well, so it’s been kind of rolling ever since.”

The label has now released six 7-inch singles (see sidebar). “They’re cheaper to produce, which we like because it’s not as though we have a ton of money,” Shanks says. “But I also really love the format of a 7-inch. It’s more memorable somehow than an LP. You get a band, you get two great songs, and if both sides are good, I feel like people will want to hear more.

“We look at it as a kind of steppingstone,” Shanks adds. “Something small that bands can sell to fans at shows.”

“It was pretty much a no-brainer,” Isaiah Radke says of his St. Joseph punk trio’s decision to issue a single through Replay Records. “[It] was a really cool way to be connected with them. We still remember our very first show [at the Replay]. Radkey’s going to be touring soon, and we’re gonna be stoked to have this 7-inch with us. We’re gonna spread our music in the best possible format as well as spread the word about Replay Records to everyone that decides to check it out. Win win.”

A casual record label putting out dinky vinyl singles isn’t a big cash cow, of course. But the symbiosis between label and bar insulates Replay Records a bit from needing to clear much of a profit.

“It’s seen as part of the overall advertising budget of the Replay, in a way,” Shanks says. “We do have a distribution deal with Revolver, which gets our name out there a little bit. And you can get the records at Love Garden and at our website [replayrecordsusa.com]. But we also sell the records at the bar, which I think works both ways. People sitting at the bar might see the records and buy one just because they like the Replay. Or maybe they hear the record through a friend or they hear the story about the label, and it makes them want to come check out the bar.”

Anybody stopping by the bar this Saturday can see a handful of Replay Records acts performing live: Dry Bonnet, Up the Academy and Mouthbreathers, plus some other Lawrence groups that may appear on upcoming Replay releases. Shanks says the next project in the pipeline is a double-album compilation to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Replay Lounge — a kind of greatest hits, featuring local favorites from the last two decades. It’s still in the planning stages.

“Everybody I’ve talked to has been into the idea,” Shanks says. “It’s just a matter of tracking down recordings and getting in touch with these bands, some of whom aren’t even bands anymore. So far, I’ve talked to Arthur Dodge and the Horsefeathers, the Regrets, Approach. We’re just getting going on it.

“You know, these things tend to go kind of slow around here,” Shanks continues. “It’s not like we have big dreams of taking over the music business or anything. We’re just trying to keep a cool scene going in Lawrence, and give people a reason to come to the bar and hear some music.”