Ridge Records

If you want to work in a place like Cape Breton, sometimes you have to make the job yourself. There are more people than jobs in most markets and if what you want to do is in a specialized field it doesn’t take long to notice that many such field have long since reached their saturation point. A diversity of workers from musicians to mechanics, computer technicians to carpenters have come to the painful realization that many existing companies in the area simply do not have any positions available and that going away to find work may be a reality they have to face.

Recent years have seen a surge of entrepreneurial spirit in many local fields and industries for the simple reason that many people are realizing that if you want work you have to make work. This spirit has pushed growth of the local area and inspired the creation of locally owned restaurants, coffee shops, production and management companies, publications and countless other services.

Local musician Carter Chaisson, a veteran of bands such as Smiling Uniks, Mr. Happy and Mastadon Ridge, started his recording career young. Having been in bands since early high school, Carter started fooling around with four track recordings as a way to learn some tricks and hear what his friends actually sounded like. What began as a hobby would soon make for a very busy basement and would see the recording of many of the early bands of Sydney’s underground music scene. Even with simple, if not primitive gear, Carter’s File Brand Recordings produced some top notch recordings including several releases by Smiling Uniks, Mastadon Ridge, and Rakad Ko.

Eventually, File Brand grew up a little and Carter graduated from four track to eight track recording capabilities. He eventually found himself sitting behind thrity-two tracks and gear he once thought only existed in magazines. After a bunch of phone calls to other local studio operators and literally tearing his very supportive and patient parents’ house apart, jack hammering a large hole through a foot thick cement wall, a few boards and a bit of spackle later and Ridge Recordings was born.

Geared toward but not exclusive to younger bands, Ridge Recordings provides an affordable spot for musicians to produce high end, releasable recordings as well as top quality demos. Having already worked with Steven MacDougall, Bemus Tun and Rakad Ko, Ridge Recordings is fully operational and ready to provide customized service to anyone ready to document their music and the progression of a scene.