History was made on the evening of April 9 at the Westport Library —for the first time, an independent music label run as part of a public library launched a record.
Verso is the new record label run by the library that makes use of its collection of recording and editing equipment. The launch party for the new album, “Verso Records: Volume One,” was part of the larger three-day Verso Fest which the Westport Library billed as a celebration of music and media inspired by multimedia events such as SXSW in Austin, Texas.
During the event, Westport Library played host to panels, performances, and productions by a diverse array of local artists and creatives, including workshops and book launches. The keynote was presented by Michael Jai White, the film star who is launching a media production center in New Haven.
The name “Verso” stems from the Latin word for the left-hand page of an open book. It is meant to evoke fresh starts and the potential that comes from starting a new page and has no relationship with the publishing company Verso Books.
“Verso Studios is the media resource and production hub of Westport Library,” explained Brendan Toller, the marketing manager for Verso Studios. “Now what does that mean? It means that Westport Library is a futuristic library of the 21st century. We’ve accessed books at libraries for hundreds of years and there’s media like DVDs and tapes, so why not extend it?”
Toller stated that the library’s makerspace, full of tools and toys for exploring STEM concepts like drones and 3D printers and components for making gadgets, was the seed of the idea.
“It had great user numbers, a big user base and the board thought, ‘How can we extend this? What would be the next area?'” he said.
The answer was to build a full-featured modern recording studio with all the necessary equipment for creating music, podcasts and films, with rentable equipment for anybody who has a library card.
“I think this space is ahead of its time,” Toller said as he geared up to film the launch party. “I think 30 years down the line every library will have a facility like this.”
Bill Harmer, the executive director of the Westport Library, emphasized how historic the launch of “Volume 1” was from the stage, adding that other libraries will follow the trail blazed there that night. He credited the unique group of artists, which ranged from the indie-cool daniprobably to the tongue-in-cheek hockey-themed rock of the Zambonis to the smooth jazz stylings of the John Collinge Quartet, all mixed and produced by Grammy-winning producer Peter Katis.
Asked why Westport Library was the first to take this historic step Harmer said, “That’s an easy question to answer because of the deep creative roots we inherited here. It started with the visual artists who have been here for over a hundred years. Now you’re starting to see it filled in by authors and musicians, producers, writers, people from the entertainment industry. We’re absolutely swimming in the richness of all the talent here.”
The event also included a special honor for a member of Westport’s visual arts community. The cover of “Volume 1” was selected from community submissions by members of the Westport Artists Collective and Neil Smith, the original drummer for Alice Cooper. The submissions featured a wide range of designs and concepts, all variations on the theme of what a library is.
The winner was Tammy Windsor, who arranged and photographed a whimsical mixture of figurines, including a dinosaur acting as a DJ to represent the idealized night club. In Windsor’s art, everybody is listening to music and united by their enjoyment of it even as they’re surrounded by interesting characters.
After the reveal of the album art, drummer and Talking Heads co-founder Chris Frantz —who is also a 35-year Westport resident —took the stage and made a champagne toast to the team responsible for creating the new space within the library.
“Emerging means to ‘come into the light,'” Frantz said, “and I’m so very happy to be able to bring new artists into the light here at the Westport Library. And I’m very proud of this record.”
The toast was followed by a sample of recordings off the record, and live performances by daniprobably and Enid Ze.
“Verso Records: Volume 1” will be released on June 1 as a limited-edition vinyl album; four tracks can be listened to now on the Verso Records Bandcamp page.
