When Megan and Mason Wendell first started making music together in the mid-1990s, they weren't wowed by the industry types they ran into. "We got offers, but we realized we knew as much about the business as these guys do, if not more," says Megan. "We figured, why not start our own company?"
Five years later, their delightful synth-pop act The Method and Result is on hiatus, and their record label, Solarmanite, has been laid to rest, but they seem to have found their niche with Canary Promotion and Design. (And with each other; they're married. Aw.)
Founded in 2001, Canary harnesses Mason's skills as a visual artist and Megan's enthusiasm for telling everybody about the art she likes. Over the years it has branched beyond music into theater, dance and visual arts. Mason has even collaborated on Web site work for The Colbert Report and other Comedy Central shows. This Saturday, the company celebrates its fifth anniversary with a showcase at the defunct Cinemagic at Penn, one of the theater's last events before it will be torn down for retail development early next year.
The festivities will begin with previews from several of this year's Live Arts/Fringe artists, including Brat Productions, James Sugg, Kate Watson-Wallace and the Reactionaries Canary handles promotion for the festival as a whole along with music by Milton and the Devils Party and Hero Pattern. Around 11 p.m., the festival will switch to Rocky Horror mode with a screening of the brand-new DVD of The Broken Hipsters, a musical saga about giant babies and chinchillas that was a favorite at Fringe 2004. Megan played the lead role of Liza, the photographer, but says it's not being shown to fuel an ego trip. "It's not so I can see myself on a big screen," she says. "I might actually have to leave the room."
Co-composer Jay Sand says the DVD will include subtitles to aid with the sing-along. "We were thinking of letting people who actually come dressed as babies get in free," he says. "But that seems kind of creepy. So now we're considering charging them double." For all the event's range and silly pageantry, Megan Wendell fully stands behind all the artists on Canary's roster. "We're actually picky about who we work with," she says. "We could have more clients if we wanted to. There are totally companies out there who will promote for whoever pays them. But for me, what's the point if you don't like what they're doing?"
Canary Promotion and Design's 5-Year Anniversary Bash, Sat., Aug. 5, VIP reception at 6 p.m., open to the public at 8 p.m., $7, The Cinema, 3925 Walnut St., 215-242-6393, www.canarypromo.com.