Manor Records rings in seventh year of lifting local music at Friday night celebration
Provided by Shaun Crowley
After providing an outlet for local musicians for nearly a decade, Manor Records—a non-profit DIY record label and record store—will be celebrating its seventh birthday this Friday.
Manor Records started out as a house venue in a basement and has since become a beloved record label that supports artists across Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Manor Bands sound ranges from alternative bands such as Flooding to rappers like Paris Williams, and more.
“It’s a celebration of us continuing to exist and this community still being around for almost a decade now,” says Shaun Crowley, founder and owner of Manor Records.
Provided by Shaun Crowley
Located at 5540 Troost Ave., Friday’s celebration is free and open to all ages. All vinyl is 15 percent off for the record sale, ranging in genres from alternative to hip-hop, indie-folk and more.
In addition, live solo performances will feature Kansas City’s very own electric, folk singer Chloe Jacobson and indie songwriter Koney. Jacobson has worked with Manor Records for several years and recently released her second album A Snowball’s Chance in Hell.
“One of the artists is somebody that we’ve worked with on our label for a long time,” says Crowley. “Chloe Jacobson, she actually moved to Portland, and has come back recently, so we’re excited to have her play.”
Local tattoo artist, DINKC, will also curate a flash tattoo pop up in the lesson room on a first come, first serve basis. According to Crowley, DINKC hopes to tattoo 30 to 40 individuals.
“My friend DINCK, he’s an artist that has a location near our old Strawberry Hill location and lives right next to the bar,” adds Crowley. “He’s making one Manner Records themed tattoo, and the rest are his style.”
Friday’s party commemorates how Crowley founded Manor Records, which was named after a DIY house venue known as the Shawnee Manor. The venue was every landlord’s nightmare, but Crowley and his bandmates had a dream for their basement in Shawnee, Kansas.
The house venue featured bands such as Glass Animals, Hinds, Shy Boys, and more in the first and second Manor Fest—an annual music festival that Crowley created in 2015.
Manor Fest has since grown from featuring 10 bands in one night to over 60 artists across 20 venues over the span of two weekends. After the boys moved out in 2016, Crowley’s passion for spotlighting local musicians resulted in the creation of Manor Records a year later.
“It was me funding my friends’ tapes where they didn’t have to pay me back,” says Crowley. “That’s what all this started from—was the concept of the artist not having to pay back somebody for their physical release.”
Provided by Shaun Crowley
Since it began seven years ago, Manor Records has relocated from Strawberry Hill to a basement space in the West Bottoms. The non-profit moved to its current location on Troost Avenue in April and has been successful since, according to Crowley.
“There’s already a lot of built in culture on that street that has been welcoming,” says Crowley. “The location is so important when choosing your business, and I feel like I may have found something that fits well.”
As stated on the store’s website, Manor Records is a 501(c)(3) non-profit record label that provides resources to assist “local musicians by helping to finance physically releasing music, pay for press coverage, and navigate booking shows.” Board members currently consist of three individuals: Founder and President Crowley, Vice President Skylar Rochelle, and Board Member Kayla Jarrett.
“It’s about this becoming this foundational thing that musicians in Kansas City can come to for funding for their physical releases,” says Crowley. “That’s where I’m realizing that’s where I need to be. The musicians that I’m funding, the people on my team, and the store are the community that I’m building. I’m just here to support it more than be in it.”
Crowley spent the first 15 years of his adult life as a musician. Now as the owner of a non-profit record label, he has been able to provide over $20,000 to the 14 artists he manages, along with paying performers at Manor Fest, bands he books for gigs, and more.
“We hope more and more artists, even those that aren’t ones we directly work with, have some funding to do what they’re doing the rest of the year,” says Crowley. “They can come back and look at Manor Fest as this regular community building funding event for everybody.”
The record store and record label provide a variety of events—weekly Songbird Sessions each Sunday, offering instrument lessons, monthly open mic nights, live concerts, and more.
Updates about Manor Records’ seventh birthday party will be posted on the store’s Instagram page. More information about the record label can be found online.
View this post on Instagram
