Since relaunching the zBTFD brand seven years ago, Amanda Mersereau and Chris George have been dedicated to creating a business that champions local independent bands through fair record management and hosting live shows.
Most recently, they have launched a new space in Brantford to drive their commitment to building a stronger community.
Mersereau, who originally hails from Hamilton and moved to Brantford in 2018, discussed her continued collaboration with George on zBTFD.
“Chris and I have been involved in independent music for decades…so, we decided to create an artist-forward label…with a focus on helping uplift independent musicians and bands, who might not want to go through a grant process as it might disrupt their creative process. We work with uniquely talented and highly motivated artists who are heavily involved with their communities too,” Mersereau explained. “Chris started zBTFD initially having three Zs in the name and of course, BTFD standing for Brantford. The three Zs was a little tongue-in-cheek about how sleepy of a town Brantford was, and how we were trying to invigorate it by putting on live shows. When I joined, we eliminated the two Zs and that’s been about seven years now, and have kept on evolving since then.”
However, what separates zBTFD Records from other labels is its relentless focus on helping and nurturing musical talent.
“A lot of the bands that sign with other labels out there won’t be doing what they want and will end up owing money. For us, we are just here to help. We want to create opportunities for them…as a musician myself, I have a bit of an understanding of the way the industry works and I have used that knowledge to help bands,” she said.
Mersereau and George were also driven to build a label with artists that they believed needed exposure.
“We typically found bands in a live setting at first, and through the grapevine and on social media, we reached out to those that we really liked and who set themselves apart in some way through personal interactions, live performances, or something that made them unique,” Mersereau said. “We have focused mainly on micro local bands, but we have started expanding our reach. A lot of Toronto bands are on our label right now. As you might imagine, Toronto is densely populated with musicians, and many of them don’t get noticed and that’s where we come in.”
Along with the online space, the record label as well as their other business, Brantford Apparel, Mersereau, and George, looked into a new opportunity to not only promote independent artists by selling media and merchandise but also creating a space to highlight community interactions and foster positive change.
“We’ve been considering opening a space for a while now, but we were very busy with Brantford Apparel and very committed to it, so we didn’t know if it would be possible. But when we found out that a space close to us was becoming available…we reached out to the owner to find out more. This was something we considered as the right fit as it is just across the street from our business making it pretty accessible for us, and considering the store component during our off hours of Brantford Apparel,” Mersereau explained. “Although it was more work for us…this idea of having a space where people can feel welcome and just belong is one, is something we believe is very necessary. It’s important, from a community stewardship perspective, to be able to have your voice heard. I believe that the best change happens at a grassroots level…but, it starts when someone is willing to do the work for it.”
Mersereau and George would make the decision to take over the space, which was formerly occupied by the Devil’s Bench, and worked hard towards the grand opening, which was held on Saturday, March 9, 2025.
“Our launch was great. It was from noon to five [and] we had Brantford’s own Cellar Dwellers play live and we also had By Divine Right, who came in from Toronto to play. We had many people from Toronto, Cambridge, Guelph, Brantford, Brant County and other communities come out to support us and we’re so grateful for being with us. We also had people representing other record labels there, and a podcaster…and the people from Maria’s Original Pizza brought some hot pizza for our guests…they’ve been such welcoming neighbors and continue to help support us in the community,” said Mersereau.
However, Mersereau credits an array of people that have made zBTFD such a success over the years in championing the independent music scene.
“Heather Haddock has helped us at both online and store levels. Tim Ford, who started the Ford Plant with Chris, 20 years ago (which has since closed) is working with us. We have Josh Boniferro, who is an amazing archivist, He collects data on the Ontario music that’s coming out and has become a mainstay of the independent music scene in our area, and we’re so grateful to have him on board,” she said. “Rob Michalchuk does our live sound. He did a wonderful job at our grand opening and he will be doing our live event series at the store. We have Denzel Gordon, who will be working on the live aspects of our shows…it’s a small crew, but we work really well and efficiently together, and we all have the same objective, which is to shine a light on to independent musicians and bands who typically don’t get the exposure they should.”
Nevertheless, according to Mersereau, the reaction from the community has been extremely positive.
“The support that was shown at this grand opening was mind-blowing. There was so much positive feedback and it showed us that Brantford truly needs a space like this…we look at this space as a hub to generate ideas and ignite ingenuity in the community and I feel this is just the beginning of something special,” admitted Mersereau. “With the space, we also want to do a bit of a shift from the nightlife aspect to more matinee options where families can join us at our stores during the midday and weekends. We want to remove a lot of the barriers for people who work throughout the week and provide them an option to still see and enjoy live music. There’s still lots of work that needs to be done…but again, this is just the beginning and we will continue to form other connections and get more involvement from the community, and from there, I feel that new opportunities will present themselves.”
