Rad Girlfriend Records pumps out punk product

Josh Goldman with his wife, Brandi, who convinced the punk rocker to start his label Rad Girlfriend Records in 2011. CONTRIBUTED

Josh Goldman with his wife, Brandi, who convinced the punk rocker to start his label Rad Girlfriend Records in 2011. CONTRIBUTED

As a punk rock musician, Josh Goldman had helped with some DIY 7-inch releases from his band Rad Company, but he wasn’t sure he was ready to run his own label. That’s when Brandi Smith, who is now his wife, stepped in and convinced him they could make it work.

Rad Girlfriend Records began in Dayton in 2011, with a pair of 7-inch reissues and split 12-inch record. Since then the label has built up a catalog of more than 50 vinyl releases by punk acts like White Flag, the Soviettes and Pretty Pretty. The label’s latest releases include split 7-inch singles from the Raging Nathans with Nobodys and Epic Problem with the Slow Death.

Goldman sat down recently at Shroyer Inn in Oakwood to discuss the evolution of Rad Girlfriend Records.

Learning on the job: "I was playing in a band and we had gotten some pretty good reviews, but I couldn't get another label to touch our stuff. I was toying with the idea of putting a record out and Brandi was like, 'So do it.' It was that easy. We started broke and we had no idea what we were doing but we were very eager to put out people's records."

Vinyl enthusiasm: "Records are the best. It's like wax, and it plays music and you get the whole package with the artwork and you can check it all out while you listen to the music. Records are so much more of a permanent media than digital music, and that's what I like about them."

Chasing that high: "What I've learned in the last couple of years is it's a tough business to be in. We've put tens of thousands of dollars into putting out records and you can never call it. We got lucky on a couple of things that sold pretty well. Once you get a taste of that, you keep hoping the next one will be that one that catches everybody's ears and keeps selling and selling."

Spousal support: "I'm very lucky Brandi encouraged me to do this. I've gotten to do some really cool things. I've toured the world, I've played in some pretty well known bands and it's all from having the support of someone who says, 'Yeah, go do that,' and doesn't give you a hard time about what you want to do. I've gotten to put out people's records and I've gotten opportunities to do things that never would've happened if we hadn't started the label."

How to shop: www.radgirlfriendrecords.com.

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