"Getting To Know..." is a new feature where we shine a spotlight on the people that make the Triangle music and arts scene so special.
, one of the world's leading independent record labels, is based right here in Durham. And one of the most integral people at Merge is Christina Rentz.
The label was founded in 1989 by Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance of the band as an outlet to release their music independently.
Being a label run by artists, for artists has always been an important part of Merge's DNA. Their mission has always been to release music they love by artists they want to help grow. In the past 35 years they've released hundreds of records including classics from bands like Spoon, Arcade Fire, The Magnetic Fields, and Neutral Milk Hotel. Last year Merge was inducted to the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame, a first for a record label.
Rentz has been at the label for nearly two-and-a-half decades, rising from an entry-level position to now working as label manager for the past nine years. She started part-time as the college radio promoter while she also waited tables at Elmo's Diner. She slowly took on more responsibility and helped expand the radio department to cater toward more non-commercial stations as well.
"Every move I've made at Merge came out of an idea I pitched to Mac and Laura," she said. "They've been very encouraging and trusting of my and other employee's ideas over the years."
For the past nine years Rentz has been the label manager, a role that she says entails a lot of things. She's also worked on the radio side of the label, promoting the label's releases to radio stations across the globe.
"Christina has brought enthusiasm and practicality and actual joy to every role that she has played at Merge," said McCaughan. "You meet plenty of cynical and jaded people in the music business. Christina is not one of them."
Radio is what brought Rentz to North Carolina. She got her start at KLSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and was hooked. While at KLSU she noticed that a lot of the music she loved was coming from this independent label in North Carolina and she knew she had to get a job there. She made that dream a reality almost 24 years ago and the Triangle has been her home since then.
"Christina's boundless energy and enthusiasm has been incredibly valuable to Merge ever since she started with us," said Merge co-owner Laura Ballance. "She always finds a positive spin on just about everything and is of great support to all of our staff and our artists."
I caught up with Rentz recently to talk about her history with Merge and why the Triangle is such a special place.
What brought you to North Carolina in the first place?
I wanted to work at Merge Records! When you're 21 and you're graduating from college, you're like, yes, of course I can just go do that. I was also considering grad school, and there are so many good ones in this area. I wanted to get out of Louisiana, so the Triangle seemed like a good place to retreat to.
Were you involved in radio when you were in college?
Yes, I worked at KLSU in Baton Rouge and it was very fun. I was the Music Director there my last two semesters. I loved talking to promoters about music and meeting bands whose music I got on the radio. I was like "yes, more of this, please!" so I started pursuing a career in radio promotion.
How did Merge first show up on your radar?
Well, like so many of us who were in college in the late 90s, I had a boyfriend who had a zine. He would get free records and CDs and this was around the time The Magnetic Fields record "69 Love Songs" came out. I loved that record and I also really loved a record called "Golden Time" by The Rock*A*Teens and "Come Pick Me Up" by Superchunk. There were just a lot of records coming out at that time and I noticed they were all coming from Merge. Once I made that connection it sent me down a rabbit hole where I learned all about the label and the people who were running it.
What else did you know about the North Carolina music scene before you moved here?
Not very much. There was another band called The Comas who I liked a lot and knew they were from this area. We played them on KLSU so I got to know them a bit and they showed me around Chapel Hill which helped me make my decision to move here. I really liked the college aspect of the town, and the fact that everyone seemed to be making some kind of art that they were excited about. It seemed like a really affordable place at the time too. There were plenty of restaurants I could work at while I was chasing a job in radio. This was all in the spring of 2001.
What were some of the first jobs you had when you got to Chapel Hill?
I worked at Elmo's Diner in Carrboro and was also a temp at UNC in the Department of Neurosurgery. I transcribed notes from brain tumor conferences, which was pretty insane. I also worked at Lantern when they first opened in Chapel Hill. That restaurant is owned by Andrea Reusing who is married to Mac McCaughan from Merge.
What does being a label manager entail?
A big part is making sure our staff knows what their job is and that it all makes sense. I always joke that I want to make sure we're all only doing two full-time jobs and not three. I'm sure other small businesses know how that is. I also manage the production and release of each album we work on. Every album is its own little project so our release schedule keeps us all pretty busy. I'm a big extrovert so I love working with our bands like their records are our team project.
What are some of your favorite memories from over the years?
Well, all of our anniversary parties have been pretty amazing. Merge 15 was probably the most epic. We had just signed Arcade Fire and nobody had heard the record yet. This was during the Summer and the record didn't come out until the Fall, and we had them play at Local 506 that year with Lou Barlow, who we had also just signed. It was a free show and we also had Merge karaoke after the bands played. That one felt the most like summer camp of all the festivals because we spent so much time together and we had picnics and we played kickball.
Last year's Merge 35 was really special too because it was the first one we did everything ourselves. We really tried to tell a story with it, like, here are the bands you've loved forever, and here are a bunch of new bands you're going to love forever once you get to know them. On the last night we were hanging out at Orange County Social Club and a friend from Chicago came up to me and said it felt a lot more future-focused than previous festivals and I just started crying and said "Yes! That's exactly what I wanted! That's the story we were trying to tell."
Last year Merge was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. How did that feel?
We're the first record label to be inducted, which is such a cool honor. They were all so lovely to work with. We had to gather a bunch of artifacts from our history because they have a display at the actual museum. Petey Pablo got inducted at the same time as us, so the people who were at the ceremony said that performance was wild. H.C. McEntire performed for us, which we loved. I think that kind of thing always ends up meaning more than you think it's going to. At first you're just like "Oh, that's nice" but then it hits you on the day that it's happening how much of an honor it is, how this is the state you live in, and you've worked to help share the music that you think is important, and then you feel seen by this institution.
Do you have a No. 1 favorite Merge release that you personally worked on?
Oh, it changes all the time. I will say, my favorite record that I worked press on was Superchunk's "Majesty Shredding." It was their first record in nine years and it was the exact record that everybody wanted them to come back with. There was so much excitement around it, and it was also a little scary because it was my boss' record, so I really didn't want to mess anything up! It was also the first time I worked with them as a band so we got to ask questions like "Alright, what are we trying to say with this record? What's the story?"
Let's talk about life in the Triangle a little bit. Favorite restaurant?
Probably KoKyu in Durham.
Favorite music venue?
Cat's Cradle. Hands down.
Where else do you like to spend time around town?
I always joke that the most damaging thing that could happen in my life would be for all the Durham Public Library branches to go away. Especially the Southwest location. Wine Authorities in Rockwood, and Bull City Running are also important to me. Bull City Running has these amazing training programs. There's Run Buds, which is for beginning runners and is like a couch to 10k type thing for women. There's also half and full marathon training and speed training 鈥� I've done all of these things several times. I love building community in that way because you're with a group of people who all have the same goal of being more active. They make it really accessible and fun.
Where else do you like to spend time in North Carolina outside of the Triangle?
We love the beach. Emerald Isle is probably our favorite, but we've spent a lot of time at Topsail too.
