B
ack in 2010, Alex Lichtenauer had the idea to start up an indie label after moving out of their parents’ house in Baltimore. They landed in Keene, N.H., for college and managed to get a dorm with likeminded students Nick King and Sean Mahoney, who were also interested in starting a DIY label. Get Better Records truly started to grow when a new recording studio opened in Keene, and the two entities struck a symbiotic relationship, wherein Lichtenauer booked shows and brought bands in to record and support the studio, while also churning out new releases for the label. Running parallel, as often happens, Lichtenauer, King, and Mahoney
were also in a band together, and touring helped the label expand even more. “The more I traveled, the more the label’s roster started to grow. I used to carry a huge distro suitcase to every show and tour, but that was back when the label was mostly CDs,” Lichtenauer remembers. Flash forward to the present and Get Better records has signed bands from Brazil, Italy, Mexico, Argentina, and Canada. Unfortunately, Lichtenauer’s band encountered a setback when their singer and guitarist claimed to have stomach cancer. Throughout the course of a tour, Lichtenauer found out the claim was, in fact, untrue. They quickly quit the band and kicked the duplicitous member out of the house they were sharing at the time.
Since this tumultuous origin, Get Better Records has been through a few different transitions. Shortly after these events, Lichtenauer was asked to join the Greenville, N.C., band, Rubrics, the members of which were also interested in helping with the label. “I figured the extra help would be great, especially since we would finally be living in the same town and playing in the same band,” Lichtenauer recalls. While they had a great time in the band, released many records, and went on several tours, Lichtenauer eventually quit Rubrics. From there, Get Better moved to Philadelphia, where Lichtenauer is now hard at work building the company with their partner, Jess. The lion’s share of Get Better’s output is from bands who are queer, trans, and/or femme. “Pretty much anything other than a band of straight white males,” as Lichtenauer puts it. However, their overarching creed is basically: don’t be a jerk. Lichtenauer adds, “We have a zero tolerance policy. If you can’t be a decent human, then I don’t want you connected with the label.” Many people ask if the label’s name is a reference to Dan Savage’s “It Gets Better” campaign from 2010, especially considering their preference to hype queer artists. Lichtenauer explains, “The main reason we named the label ‘Get Better’ Records was—if people didn’t like the records we released, then they could simply go out and ‘get better’
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records that they enjoyed.” Some of the heavy hitters and more active bands of late on the label’s roster include Peeple Watchin’, G.L.O.S.S., +HIRS+, DMFK from Tijuana, Nutter from Asheville, and DEAFKIDS from Brazil, the majority of which are touring often and releasing tons of material. Lichtenauer celebrates this work ethic, because, as they say, “It’s a huge bummer when you release a record for a band that quickly breaks up.” Get Better is vigorously branching out into screen printing—so they can print merch ad hoc—and festival ventures. Back in spring 2011, Lichtenauer booked the first Get Better Fest, which was successful enough to earn a follow-up the next year. The fests raised money for homeless shelters and the grassroots movement, Food Not Bombs. The bands who have played include The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die, Code Orange—formerly Code Orange Kids—Spraynard, Peeple Watchin’, Timeshares, Vacation, and over 30 more. The third installment of the fest took place in Philadelphia the last weekend in April and benefitted The Attic Youth Center, the only organization in the area that exclusively serves LGBTQ youth.
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To support The Attic Youth Center, go to atticyouthcenter.org/support-us. New Noise also encourages you to seek out and support the queer youth center(s) near you!