Darren Walters knows DIY.
The 40-year-old Drexel University professor co-founded the legendary, Wilmington-based indie record label Jade Tree 20 years ago with nothing but ambition, idealism, restlessness, and limited funds. And since its 1991 inception, Jade Tree has procured a solid roster of boldly talented acts in the post-hardcore/noise/straight edge/emo/punk/melo-core family tree (check it: Cap’n Jazz, Kid Dynamite, Jets to Brazil, The Promise Ring, and Alkaline Trio, just to name a few).
The Wilmington resident is invoking the same DIY ethos with Bantic Media, the student-run artist development company/class in Drexel’s music industry program he started over two years ago and now oversees. But, unlike Jade Tree, Bantic’s mission is not as narrowed. In fact, its services reach well beyond the scope of a standard record label, touching on not only album releases, but touring support, film premieres, and release parties. It’s open to musicians, videographers, filmmakers, merchandisers, and event planners alike–wherever there is a relative, fillable need. And, so far in its short existence, Bantic has put its golden stamp on three blossoming (in their own right) artists: The Loved Ones‘ Dave Hause, who, at the start of his solo career, released a three-track 7-inch through Bantic in 2010 (the company’s first project); Philly’s smutty girl garage outfit Slutever, who’s releasing a limited edition 7-inch, Pretend to be Nice on March 29; and former Deli Band of the Month, When I Was 12, who’s releasing their indie twee-pop inspired limited 7-inch, "Eponymous" on Record Store Day, April 16. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Bantic is in talks with some filmmakers about "doing interesting things," and outreach efforts to artists about potential merchandising and music will begin in the next month. So there’s a bright future on the horizon for this student-run, Walters-led entity. We had a chance to chat with Walters about Bantic Media, what sets it apart from other artist development companies, and why pickles are just inherently awesome HERE.