There may not be a big thrill anymore for established and super-popular musicians after hearing themselves perform on a compact disc. But for the members of local rock band halfway jane, the release of its first compact disc is not only titillating, but rewarding as well.

It’s a real feeling of accomplishment, band bassist Bob Aiken said. When you do record a CD, it’s a big deal. It’s professional. It’s not a bunch of guys in the basement anymore.

Lead singer Adam Domain, who sings with the devoted emotion of Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and the bombastic boom of Blues Traveler’s John Popper, sees the album as a giant step beyond soliciting demo tapes.

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It’s a lot better that we can give someone a CD now instead of a little demo tape because they can skip through it and see what they like, he said.

halfway jane, which is comprised of four SIUC students and one alumnus, finished recording the self-titled disc late last year at Noteworthy Studio, 705 W. Main St. The album was then released in affiliation with Relay Records, the recently established sister label of Carbondale’s Reception Records.

Aiken said it was important to record in affiliation with Relay Records because it was a local label that would promote the homespun music scene, and nothing bound the band to the label.

The way [Relay Records] put it to us was that we didn’t have to sign any contracts, and, if another record label came up to us to sign us, there were no ties, he said. They just said they were trying to boost the local music scene and give it more of a name, and that’s what we need in Carbondale.

Relay Records producer Todd Graham’s willingness to help the band gain the recognition it needs in the area involves a lot more than mixing the songs well and laying down flawless tracks.

We help [the artists] with promotional aspects, help them get their bios together, do press releases and that type of information, he said. And we just advise them, in general, on some of the issues involved in releasing a record.

Though halfway jane and Murphysboro’s eclectic ska act ‘Boro City Rollers are the only two bands currently affiliated with Relay Records, the label was created to assist any musician from the area in laying their songs down on tape no matter what style.

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We decided to have Reception Records be strictly a bluegrass label, but we wanted to be able to help other types of bands because there’s so many in the area, Graham said. We started Relay because we felt we could encompass any type of music and we could offer the same types of services as Reception Records.

Now that the album is finished and press releases have been written, the task of distributing the compact discs has been left up to the members of halfway jane. The band is undecided whether or not the album will be available in local record stores, but the compact discs will be sold at all halfway jane shows.

Within the first week of its release, the band has sold more than 150 copies of the album, which Graham said is unusual for local bands. The band members are not big on the idea of a compact disc release party that bands sometimes do to promote a new album.

For an independent band, it’s very difficult to sell records, he said. Where you sell the most records is at live shows, and without them having played a live show yet to totally support the album, to have sold that many is great.

One person who has not found this initial sales burst surprising is Relay Records publicist Lisa Pangburn, who said she feels the album captures the band at its best.

halfway jane has exceptional energy and a great connection on stage, and that shines through supremely on the CD, she said. The album is a good mix of music, too. It’s not the same droning music like some bands’ music which is all the same.

halfway jane are good enough where they can play one style of music, and then switch over and play another one just as well.

Getting songs down in a studio, from rock to gospel, is an effective way for an artist to ignite a path through the flame-filled fast lane of the music business, Pangburn said.

Not that bands who don’t have an album out are amateurs, but actually making an album is a more professional way to go about music, she said. It can only further your career.

Aiken is excited about the disc whether or not the band’s career is furthered by its release. It is excitement from a sense of artistic fulfillment, and it is rewarding when the fans feel they are getting more than just 10 of halfway jane’s best songs when they purchase one of the compact disks.

I can see that when a friend comes up to buy one, they think they’re just getting a CD, he said. But when they open it up, they see pictures, designs, lyrics, the whole layout and they’re awestruck. I was, too, when I first opened it up.

It’s a good feeling to be doing something that they enjoy and I enjoy.