Tender Loving Empire
| Tender Loving Empire | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Founded | 2005 |
| Founder | Brianne Mees, Jared Mees |
| Status | Active |
| Distributor(s) | ADA |
| Genre | Various Alternative, Indie rock, Indie folk, Indie pop |
| Country of origin |
 U.S.
|
| Location | Portland, Oregon |
| Official website | Tender Loving Empire.com |
Tender Loving Empire (often abbreviated as TLE) is an independent record label and local handicraft concept store based in Portland, Oregon. The record label side has established local and national recognition through a successful roster of indie rock and indie folk bands such as Typhoon, Loch Lomond, The Family Crest, Radiation City, Magic Sword, Y La Bamba and Willis Earl Beal. When the label partnered with Warner Music distributor ADA, President David Orleans called Tender Loving Empire “a major force in the vibrant Portland music scene”.Carrie Brownstein, of the band Sleater-Kinney and show Portlandia, called TLE in the The Wall Street Journal a “dream boutique” for its collection of local artistry and music, both important to the indie rock culture of the Pacific Northwest.
Brianne and Jared Mees met while studying abroad in Oxford and returned to LA together as a couple united by their many artistic talents. He published and wrote poetry and she hand-made purses and attended craft fairs; at one point, they were in a band called ‘Julai’ (later 'July' and the name of their daughter). However, the couple soon found themselves in the LA suburbs, sidelining their creativity in order to make rent. They opted instead to live in a tent on a house built on stilts in Panama for 4 months, a life-choice they have credited for the confidence needed to start the business.
Jared and Brianne settled in Portland, Oregon in 2006 after admiring the thriving music of Oregon on a roadtrip. There, they met other artists in the budding indie Portland scene and made important musical friendships with acts like Finn Riggins. It was a year later that they decided to establish a platform and storefront for both publishing small press books and selling their friend’s records, calling it a tender loving empire.
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