How far we've come
This story starts in the fall of 2008, when a kid got off the E train, and walked right into the York College Performing Arts Center. That led to some lifelong friendships, some great stories, and some ridiculously bad decisions that I don’t regret. For the sake of time though, let’s jump to March 2016. I got a text message from one of those lifelong friends named Jarrel.
Jarrel hit me up and expressed his need to get back to recording music. He’d performed as part of several choirs, but he really wanted to start singing his own covers. At the same time, I had been really venting to Solomon Peck. I was disappointed in letting my music slip to the wayside and letting “real life” get in the way. Solomon had a different problem. He’d been making his music the whole time, while Jarrel and I hadn’t’ been, but, hadn’t performed in years (or released any new music for that matter). The one thing we could all agree on is that we wanted to get back to the music, and do things the right way.
We’ve had this plan before. Putting on shows, releasing our content, and recording music that matters to us weren't new concepts. The obstacle was making it HAPPEN! So we started an independent label... The Label Noir.
We’re not going to pretend we knew everything about the industry… As a matter of fact, we actually knew even LESS than we thought we did. The difference is, that we were willing to learn.
“Google’s your friend bruh!” We pooled our skills, we talked about our goals, and we turned this into a business. The Label Noir LLC was born. We have plenty of objectives, but we want to make sure it always comes back to the music. In May, we released our cover series. In July, we launched our website, and held our first concert event at the Manhattan Inn. October, I (Ursa Major) had an opportunity to be a headliner for Long Island own’s Earwax Sessions. We have business cards, bracelets, t-shirts, a mailing list and a weekly blog. That stuff is great. Its tangible, its real, and it makes us look legitimate. Plus, it feels good to say out loud! But… for a record label, we were still missing the key piece that puts it all together. Where’s the MUSIC?
Since the conception, we’ve been talking about the plan. We looked at the record labels we wanted to emulate, and the ones we see as our eventual competition. We’ve been working on the music, and its finally rolling out the way we want it to. All that being said, its time to announce what we’ve all been waiting for: New music on the way!
The first official release from The Label Noir will be Ursa Major’s debut EP entitled Polaris. As the weeks go by, leading up to the release, we’ll be releasing more information about the meaning behind each track, the inspirations, and maybe even a music video?
Thank you for your continued support. We would not have built up to this point without all of your encouragement and loyalty. We don’t have fans, we have family, and its your engagement that allows us to let Real Music Rise.
