Hidden among well-known commercial businesses, the unimposing record store remains unnoticed by those walking down West Gilman Street in Madison. Its sign almost blends in with the monochrome gray building in which the store resides. Walking up the creaky staircase to the second floor makes it feel as though a dreary apartment living room probably lies behind the cracked wooden door.
With much surprise, one is greeted with the sights and sounds that might be included in a typical nightmare. Posters hang from the walls displaying menacing demons while sludge metal music blares from the speakers. Yet, this is Robert Cleveland’s sanctuary.
The sole proprietor of Ear Wax Records, the middle-aged bearded Cleveland exclusively outfits his store with metal and punk music and memorabilia ranging from rare vinyl discs to large and unique tapestries. Now entering its 15th year of operation, Ear Wax has slowly evolved into one of Madison’s most successful music suppliers.
Growing up in Middleton, Cleveland as a youth can only be described as “alternative,” favoring activities such as skateboarding, BMX biking and comic book collecting throughout childhood and into high school. Yet, the music he was listening to at the time did not fit his lifestyle. With such high-adrenaline hobbies, Cleveland needed something edgier than what he describes as “boring” groups like Aerosmith or Rush.
Thus began his obsession with punk and metal, genres that feature discordant sounds and guttural vocals. What started as the buying of a few records immediately turned into an intense collecting hobby of rare CDs and vinyl. It even grew to the point at which Cleveland described it as “almost like a sickness.” His early beginnings with these records, however, would ultimately be crucial to his future.
“Our thoughts were, ‘We like punk rock and this is going to be cool’ and that was it,” Cleveland said.
Without a loan or even a plan, Cleveland and his former business partner set out to establish a record store catering to those who were attuned to the punk and metal scene. With very little money and only a six-month lease, the store’s future was not promising. After supplying underground discs from their own collection, however, Ear Wax’s popularity and business exploded.
“We had so much money, we had no idea what to do with it,” Cleveland said.
As business expanded, Ear Wax branched out to other locations, servicing the tight knit metal communities in Appleton and Milwaukee. The store’s initial success even spawned a record label, Barbarian Records, which has produced 16 records from bands in both Madison and Milwaukee; a success that Cleveland labeled as his greatest achievement for the store.
Yet, it is the brilliance and intelligence metal provides, which he sees as pervading in metal, that keeps Cleveland focused on the ever-expanding genre. Having a great appreciation for the scene for the good majority of his life, Cleveland wants others to recognize metal as an art form rather than a purveyor of “satanic” imagery and harsh noises. The perception of himself and other punk/metal fans, Cleveland believes, is unwarranted.
“This is how I make my living,” Cleveland said. “To come in and criticize me would be foolish.”
