In Annie Hall, Alvy Singer quips, “Everything our parents said was good is bad. Sun, milk, red meat… college.” Ben Katzman has figured that out. Or the last part, anyways. I didn’t ask him if he fears dairy and beef, but he is cutting the collegiate umbilical cord.
“I’m dropping out because this is becoming the real deal,” Katzman says of BUFU Records, the homegrown label that he operates with Chris Collins out of Jamaica Plain. (He credits Dylan Ewan as one of the original founders.) The little label lives by the philosophy that “together we can chill mad hard,” but for all the chillin’ these guys do, there’s just as much hard work and elbow grease. Since its inception a year and a half ago, BUFU has gained promising momentum, dropping vinyl and cassettes from rising local talent, and this month they will release the new record Instant Money Magic by Brooklyn based dance-punk band Japanther.
This weekend marks another monumental step for the duo; they are hosting the first-ever BUFU Fest (sponsored by Bosston Hassle and Eye Design) at the Elks Lodge. Katzman’s enthusiasm for the fest and for his work is clear. For every time he drops a line like “BUFU Fest is the most extreme version of chillin’ mad hard possible,” or “You gonna wear a crop top? Because we are wearing crop tops,” he compliments it with a more serious note: “I just feel very fortunate that not only is this label busting our ass promoting these bands, but these bands are pulling through for us, too.”
The eclectic lineup – which includes The Channels, Fat Creeps, Free Pizza, Guerilla Toss, Krill!, Nice Guys, and Skinny Bones – hosts a number of folks who are already part of the BUFU family. A few artists will have new releases available to purchase. And Katzman hints that a handful of the 30+ bands will be joining the BUFU team soon.
If things had looked this promising when we were in school, we would’ve dropped out, too.
BUFU FEST. CAMBRIDGE ELKS LODGE, 55 BISHOP ALLEN DR., CAMBRIDGE. FRI 4.25 – SAT 4.26. 2-6PM/$10-15 PER DAY. BUFURECORDS.COM
