With nine-albums to his name and a few hundred live performances every year for almost a decade, singer-songwriter Brock Zeman is well-established as one of the Ottawa Valley’s hardest working musicians. All of this before the age of 30. He’s also highly regarded, having earned praise from critics across the country. Exclaim! magazine says Zeman “is a songwriter worth hearing over and over again,” CKUA hails Zeman’s work as “intelligent, tuneful, heart-felt songs served up with an authentic but understated style” and the KW Record says that “Zeman doesn’t surrender an inch to any Texas singer/songwriter you care to name. Closer to home, he has the chops to join the likes of Fred Eaglesmith on the lonesome outskirts of town after the street lights come on.” Zeman has also played on stage with some of the top talent of the contemporary roots and Americana scenes, including Steve Earle, Lynn Miles, Fred Eaglesmith, Corb Lund, Toby Keith, Prairie Oyster and the Rodeo Kings, to name a select few. Keith Glass of Prairie Oyster calls him, “an emerging Canadian powerhouse,” while Juno-award winner, Lynn Miles says “he’s a master songwriter…he belongs on stage with the big boys.” By his mid-20s, Zeman signed with Busted Flat Records and had played most major music festivals in the country. So marks the first fine chapter in Zeman’s music trajectory. The past year has seen Zeman take on new challenges and roles in the music industry and expand his musical horizons. He founded Mud Records, his signature label for releasing new material, including his most recent album “Ya Ain’t Crazy Henny Penny.” But Mud Records also serves as the imprint for showcasing new roots talent handpicked by Zeman. The first release on Zeman’s label was “Nights Take Forever” from singer-songwriter, Robert Larisey who made the Top 50 Artists listing in the Roots Music Report for the recording, while altcountry.nl gave it a 4 out of 5 stars. More recently, Mud Records released the debut album by the Brothers Through the Hill, “Adelaide”; the album received a rave review in the Ottawa Citizen, which also added that Zeman “recognizes talent when he sees it.” Rootstime calls Mud Records “a promising young label.” Zeman has also stepped away from his guitar for a time and worked behind-the-scenes in the production studio on his most recent album as well as both the Larisey and Brothers Through the Hill releases. Zeman also produced the debut album from renown fantasy author, Charles de Lindt. He is also planning and producing albums for a small roster of other musical acts to be released on Mud Records in the coming months.