Bear Kids spurs DIY revival

As founder of Bear Kids Recordings, sole songwriter behind Mountain Party, and former member of the defunct pop group Black Spots, Justin Green serves as both a cheerleader and a renaissance man for the city's indie rock and pop scenes. With Bear Kids, Green provides a platform for some of the more beloved groups in Atlanta, such as Small Reactions, Cute Boots, and 100 Watt Horse. What began in 2010 as a means to release his own music, Bear Kids grew into a fully fledged label releasing cassette tapes by various acts, championing hometown talent with unabashed enthusiasm. There's no shortage of DIY labels harvesting Atlanta's fertile music scenes, but Bear Kids hones in on the pride and joy of fostering personal relationships and the spirit of collaboration.

Why do you run Bear Kids?

It's humbling that these folks would trust me to work with them on their very personal creations, and that makes me want to do this forever. I've had the pleasure of releasing some stuff that is literally some of my favorite music ever now, and if you love music, you cannot beat that feeling. It's like being the biggest fan and getting to be president of the fan club, but better.

It's fun to be like "Look this music is fucking great, let's get it out there and have a release show and just make some tapes! Hands in! Go team!" And then help them make it happen.

Why cassettes?

Economy, aesthetics, nostalgia, all that shit. They're way cheaper to make than vinyl records but still provide a physical analog format to put the music on and the opportunity to play with artwork, packaging, liner notes, all the stuff besides the music itself that helps make it a particularly powerful form of art.

How do you see Bear Kids fitting in with Atlanta's music scene?

At this point I still feel like Bear Kids is working to become a bigger part of the scene. I've been fortunate to work with some really great bands who are essentially staples in the indie rock landscape around here, but I don't feel like we've got brand name recognition. I would like to eventually be fielding release submissions from every band in town, and having to turn down even bands that I like. I want bands from out of town to seek us out because they've heard how fucking awesome we are. That kind of recognition and trust takes a long time to build, though, I know that. I'm all for slow and steady and careful growth. It may sound like a lofty and slightly cheesy goal, but I'd like to build this thing into a full-time job and a widely regarded record label that is a cornerstone of Atlanta music in the same way Merge Records is for Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. Merge is a huge inspiration for me.

What's next for Bear Kids?

We just released the debut full-length from 100 Watt Horse — that's a split with Deer Bear Wolf. Our next release is the debut full-length from Coma Girls, a really fun rock band that's been playing nonstop around town this past year or so. They have an old-school '60s pop vibe to their music but it isn't like a period piece or kitschy, it's just taking that style of melody and structure and applying it to a modern four-piece indie rock band, and it works so well and sounds so good.

How has the music scene been affected by the wave of development happening across the city?

Gentrification can certainly hurt the people making art in Atlanta and that definitely hits musicians and songwriters very hard sometimes. As artists move into neighborhoods and flourish, poachers and greedy developers want to come in and turn these newly cool areas into characterless condos and retail developments and the like. Then rent goes up, artists have to move out because they cannot afford it and have to find a new place. And they will always find a new place, artists are resilient, but it is a constant long-term battle between the money and the art. That's not just Atlanta, that is everywhere. How many DIY venues closed in Brooklyn last year alone? One thing Atlanta can use more of is all-ages possibilities. When the more established venues in town make most of their money on alcohol sales and don't let the under 21 crowd in, it sucks to be a young kid wanting to see great local bands. When I was in high school I lived in Rome, Ga., where there is not a lot going on, and I fucking loved driving down to Atlanta to see bands play. I just hope kids will always be able to see bands they love. It seems like that would be a challenge these days for teenagers.