Years before Tom Cifello co-founded his own do-it-yourself record label, his first cross country tour ended on a sour note.

“We went broke, ended up crashing our van on the last day and had to tow it home,” said Cifello, 22, of Wareham. “But, you learn through that and it’s how you grow as a musician and a person.”

Since then, he’s teamed up with childhood friend, Alec Doyle, 24, also of Wareham, and is pushing ahead with two projects – their label, Super Moon Records, and a band, Type Beat.

Nearly three years after launching the label, both have worked with upwards of 20 bands from across the country. Most of Super Moon Records releases fall into the hardcore, punk and indie categories, with Cifello and Doyle helping bands book shows and press CDs and vinyl records.

Shipping is also a small part of what they do, having sent recordings to Singapore and the Netherlands. Though that can be time consuming, said Cifello.

“It was awesome until I had to start filling out more customs forms and going to the post office all the time,” said Cifello.

Now, both are more focused on Type Beat, which they formed in April with friend and fellow Wareham High School graduate Matt Magnell (guitar).

The band’s sound is a departure from previous projects. Cifello (bass) and Doyle (drums and vocals) started playing in heavier bands, but opted for an indie sound inspired partly by the Beatles and Beach Boys.

“I’m not trying to scream and drum anymore,” said Doyle. “Switching to a softer style was what we wanted to do. We’ve never been in anything we loved more than this.”

“The sound is a lot lighter now, and we can play it for our parents,” said Cifello.

Both are neighbors and met when Cifello was 2 and Doyle was 4.

“We’re basically brothers,” said Doyle.

They have one song recorded with a music video on Youtube and are currently working on recording the rest of the tracks for the album. Then, they plan on taking their songs on the road.

Both work day jobs, but said the band and label are their primary focus.

“For a lot of people music is hobby,” said Cifello. “Not for us.”

They use the label to support local causes as well. For the past three years, they’ve hosted an annual show where proceeds benefit the Wareham Free Library. The most recent one was held Nov. 25 at the Dudley L. Brown Veterans of Foreign Wars Post. Several local bands played and one New Jersey-based band made the trek for the show, which raised more than $600 for the library.

With that show behind them, Cifello and Doyle said they're focused on wrapping up their first album and will continue to do what they can to support the DIY music scene.

“It’s the only thing we want to do,” said Doyle.

For more information on Super Moon Records, visit the label’s band camp page by clicking here.

To watch the Type Beat’s music video for “Great,” click here.