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Staten Islander Brings Back Cassette Tapes With New Label

By Nicholas Rizzi | July 8, 2015 12:33pm
 Rosebank resident Paul Bruno launched Unblinking Ear Records, putting out music from local New York bands on limited edition cassette tapes and vinyl.
Unblinking Ear Records
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STATEN ISLAND — A new record label is trying to resurrect the cassette tape.

Unblinking Ear Records, started last year by Staten Island resident Paul Bruno, releases music from New York bands including Big Quiet and Kerbivore — mostly on limited edition cassette tapes or vinyl.

"Unlike CDs, it's a little more personal," said Bruno, 37.

"Even though this comes with a digital download, you can't convert this. You can't dump this into your computer, you can't make it into MP3s and then toss it. This is actually something maybe you want to hold on to."

Bruno chose tapes — which he sells online from $6 to $10 — because they're in the midst of a resurgence, have a quick turnaround in production and — especially important for a new label — are cheap to make.

Since 2006 Bruno has maintained a music blog called The Unblinking Earnamed after a modified Simpsons reference — which eventually turned into a podcast, but he always wanted to start his own label. 

Last year, he made a New Year's resolution to finally get a label off the ground. He launched Unblinking Ear Records in December.

"It's something I always wanted to do and I finally, in my personal life, had just about enough income that I can waste it on a label," said Bruno, who works as a layout designer in Manhattan.

"I'm firmly middle class for the first time in my life, rather than being poor. This is the first time I felt like I was financially secure enough to do it."

His first release was "Serious Rockers," a 28 song compilation featuring punk, indie and garage rock bands he met while booking guests for the Cherry Blossom Clinic with Terre T on WFMU.

"Instead of doing a Kickstarter or something, I basically talked to various bands I knew and asked them to contribute to this comp and I used that to be the seed money for the label," he said.

"Instead of bugging people I know to give me money, I bugged bands I knew to give me a song."

Thanks in part to Tom Scharpling, who played music from Bruno's label on his popular comedy/music online radio show "The Best Show," Bruno was able to quickly sell out of the 100 tapes he made to get more funds and put out other artists.

Over the summer, the label released albums by Kerbivore and SWIVS on cassettes and put out its first 7-inch vinyl single by Big Quiet last month. The band has a record release show on July 17 at Pine Box Rock Shop in Brooklyn.

Bruno hasn't finalized his next release yet, but plans to continue to put out tapes, 7-inches and, hopefully, an LP. He's also working on getting distribution so he can sell his releases in record shops.