Coolin' By Sound record label is the brainchild of much loved fellow music aficionados Michelle Padovan and former The Music Brisbane editor Steve Bell who also recently co-founded nascent record store Sonic Sherpa with one-time Skinny's owner Simon Homer.

Michelle has been an active member of the Australian music industry for 18 years. She has had many hats, working everywhere from independent record stores, PR/publishing houses to co-running her own independent record label, Brisbane’s Coolin’ By Sound, home to Thigh Master, Shrapnel & Spiral Stairs (Pavement). Cutting her teeth in publicity at Two Fish Out Of Water, she has worked on campaigns for The Waifs, Augie March, The Drones, The Jezabels and The Falls Music & Arts Festival. Following her heart from Sydney to Brisbane in 2011, Michelle has been a Station Manager at 4ZZZ (where she was known as ‘Miki’ for close to four years) - managing the day-to-day running of the community radio station and its 200 volunteers. She was the Marketing Manager at QMusic  (Queenslands music industry development association) for about 5 years, where she worked on BIGSOUND, Australia's premier music industry conference and festival of new music. Through her passion for increasing female participation in music, in 2016 she co-organised Australia's second Girls Rock! camp in her hometown, Brisbane. You can find her out and about at gigs and festivals watching her favourite bands (there are many) or at the weekly instores hosted by Brisbane's legendary Sonic Sherpa Records.

Steve first began his involvement with independent labels back in the early-2000s when he and some friends formed Rhythm Ace Records and put out dozens of releases by bands such as Rollerball, Screamfeeder and Giants Of Science, but more recently has been operating Coolin' By Sound with his partner Michelle, releasing recordings by artists such as Spiral Stairs (Pavement), Thigh Master and Shrapnel. After leaving his former career as a solicitor, Steve has also been involved in the Brisbane edition of The Music (formerly Time Off magazine) since 2000 and has interviewed somewhere in the vicinity of 2,000 bands as well as taking up the role of editor in 2007, which he held for nearly a decade. These days Steve is national Senior Contributor for The Music as well as writing for Rhythms magazine and in a freelance capacity. Prior to this Steve earned his stripes in the music industry managing bands and spent many years hosting popular shows on Brisbane’s community radio station4ZZZ, and is currently playing coach of the 4ZZZ-affiliated Brisbane Lines in the northern Community Cup.