Record Label Maven

Blink 182

2011-07-19T10:41:00.001-07:00

Blink-182 is an American pop punk band consisting of vocalist and bass guitarist Mark Hoppus, vocalist and guitarist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. They have sold over 35 million albums worldwide since forming in Poway, California in 1992. With original drummer Scott Raynor they released their debut album Cheshire Cat in 1994 and achieved moderate success with its follow-up, 1997's Dude Ranch, which went on to sell over one million copies. Raynor was replaced by Barker midway through a 1998 tour.The band achieved greater success with 1999's multi-platinum selling Enema of the State, which reached #9 on the Billboard 200 on the strength of the singles "What's My Age Again" and "All the Small Things", the latter of which became the highest-charting song of their career by reaching #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Blink-182 gained popularity for their irreverent sense of humor, and the follow-up album Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001) reached #1 in the United States, Canada, and Germany.

The eponymously-titled Blink-182 followed in 2003 and was a stylistic shift for the group, infusing experimental elements into their usual pop punk formula which resulted in a more mature sound.DeLonge left Blink-182 in early 2005, sending the band into indefinite hiatus. He went on to form Angels & Airwaves while Hoppus and Barker formed +44. Hoppus also pursued a career as a television host while Barker continued working in music as a producer and solo artist. Blink-182 reunited in February 2009 and are currently recording a sixth studio album. In the fall of '92 the band self-released a demo called Flyswatter, which caught the attention of a record label. By '94 they had released their first album Buddha (later re-released in '98), which was not much of a success; but later in the year they signed with Grilled Cheese (a division of Cargo Music). They then promptly released their second album Cheshire Cat. Finally hard work paid off in 1997 with the release of Dude Ranch. Other than just making them better known, the album caught the attention of larger record labels. MCA signed them in a joint effort with Cargo Music in anticipation for their next album being bigger.

Official Blink 182 Site

Blink 182 Interview

Record Label

Sire Records

2009-12-12T12:47:00.000-08:00

Richard Gottehrer and Seymour Stein founded Sire Records in 1966. Each putting ten thousand dollars into the company. London Records distributed the first albums releases until 1970 when they switched to Polydor Records, and then to Famous Music from 1972 to 1974. From the beginning Sire was always about introducing the underground. Later on in the 70’s Sire became a successful indie label by signing acts such as the Ramones and the Talking Heads. After switching their distribution to Warner Bros. Records in 77, Warner acquired Sire in 1978. After being enveloped into the mass that is WMG, Sire saw mainstream success with the launch of Madonna, The Cure and into the 90’s with Seal, and Tommy Page. Sire switched their distribution to the sister label Elektra when Stein was appointed President of Electra. Most recently, official music videos displayed on the Sire Records website were taken down due to a copyright claim by WMG after royalty negotiations between WMG and YouTube broke down.

Jack’s Mannequin was founded by American singer/songwriter Andrew McMahon in 2004. McMahon ‘s primary band, Something Corporate, decided to take a temporary break after months of touring in 2004. The first thing that made him want to start a side project was when he wrote a song that he knew would not fit the style of Something Corporate. In June 2005, McMahon was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia just months before the release of Jack’s Mannequin’s debut album Everything in Transit. He made a full recovery and the album peaked at number 37 on the Billboard top 200. At first, McMahon took to writing his own songs as more of a therapeutic activity and never really expected the songs to be released. This led to a more personal and intimate side to his songs. So far Jack’s Mannequin has put out two full length CD’s, Everything in Transit and The Glass Passenger, the latter topping at #8 on the Billboard top 200.

The Maine is a pop-punk group from Tempe, Arizona. Their biggest influences have been Third Eye Blind, Ivory, Death Cab For Cutie, and The Starting Line. They have turned these influences into some truly infectious pop/punk music. Their first two albums (The Way We Talk EP, and Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop) were released on the label Fearless Records. Their second album peaked the charts at number 10 and has now settled to 45th. The band has made most of its fame with touring with such acts as Boys like Girls, Good Charlotte, Metro Station, Mayday Parade, and All Time Low. March 20th was the start of the completely sold out tour, 2009 Rockstar Energy Drink AP Tour. The Maine is co-heading this tour with 3OH!3, Family Force 5, Hit the Lights, and A Rocket to the Moon. In December of 2009 The Maine released there first published book, This is Real Life. It is written memoirs from the band, as well as exclusive photography. The book sold thousands of pre-sale copies. Having just acquired them in 2009 Sire Records has yet to release an album by The Maine.

The Spill Canvas is a rock band from Sioux, South Dakota. Growing up there, Nick Thomas began making recordings of his songs at age 15 with support from his dad. He began to hone his acoustic based style by playing solo shows in and around his hometown. After sending demos to labels all around the country, Thomas got the attention of One Eleven Records. Thomas released his first album Sunsets and Car Crashes with One Eleven Records. After that album, The Spill Canvas switched from being a solo acoustic band to being a full fledged rock band, releasing there next album One Fell Swoop, which went on to sell over 50,000 copies. While on tour supporting One Fell Swoop, the band caught the eye of Sire Records president, Michael Goldstone, at New Jersey's Bamboozle festival in '06. "The Spill Canvas formed a partnership with Sire, which Thomas believes will provide the band with the promise of career longevity". After signing with Sire, they went to work recording there next album, No Really, I'm Fine, with producer Neal Avron, which eventually peaked at 143 on the Billboard top 200

Jack's Mannequin - The Mixed Tape

The Maine - I Wanna Love You (Cover)

The Spill Canvas - All Hail the Heartbreaker

XL Recordings - White Stripes

2009-12-12T12:37:00.000-08:00

XL Recordings first started in the hands of Tim Palmer and Nick Halkes back in 1989 out of the UK. Richard Russell (now CEO) joined later on in 1990 at the age of 19. When Tim Palmer retired from the label, Russell took over.

Initially XL was dedicated to the D.I.Y. rave scene of London, or as XL called it, “Acid House.” “Their noisy, abrasive records were shunned by all media and had a f**k-you aesthetic reminiscent of the two other great D.I.Y music movements- punk and hip hop.” The essence of this movement was captured by Liam Howlett and his band, The Prodigy, in Experience LP, released in 1992. The Prodigy and their growth was a defining moment for XL. But soon after Russell took over the label in 1996, he decided to broaden his outlook to sign other interesting artists from different genres. When asked about the vision behind signings at XL Recordings in a BBC interview, Russell said, “We look for music which is original, which has a unique outlook, which is unafraid, which stands for something and which has scope.”

THE WHITE STRIPES

The simpleton duo Jack White and Meg White have brought rock back to the fundamentals with their baseless music and basic yet hard hitting beats. With Meg on drums and Jack on guitar and main vocals, they fuse folk, and hard rock and roll with inspirations from 60’s Brit Pop and Broadway. The White Stripes, real names John Anthony Gillis and Megan Martha White, originated from Detroit, Michigan in 1997. Initially they attempted to try and pass off as a brother/sister band. In actuality the band mates were once married.

The White Stripes first truly emerged into the mainstream in 1999 with their debut self-titled album. Many agreed that the band was within the same “circle” as The Strokes and The Hives in the garage rock revival scene. Since then The White Stripes had continued to merge different kinds of sounds into their formula of success. 2005’s Get Behind Me Satan was a great example of diversity with “disco-metal and light, marimba-driven pop.” Also 2007’s Icky Thump was held together with the extra sounds of bagpipes and mariachi horns.

Sources:

XL Recordings Label Profile: BBC.co.uk

Label Profile: XL Recordings

Current roster of active artists as of December 2009:

VAMPIRE WEEKEND

Ezra Koenig, Chris Baio, Rostam Batmanglij, and Chris Tomson make up New York City’s Vampire Weekend. The band formed early in 2006, while at the same time concluding their studies at Columbia University. The band released their first EPs themselves until their popularity grew in 2007. XL Recordings signed them that same year.

Their self-titled album was released in 2008, which was a critical success along with their first single A-Punk. Vampire Weekend’s growing popularity stems from their joyful preppy sounds (and look), and their noticeable inspiration from island music. The describe their sound as "Upper West Side Soweto."

Their anticipated second album Contra is to be released January 12, 2010.

FRIENDLY FIRES

Ed Macfarlane, Edd Gibson and Jack Savidge make up the Friendly Fires. The trio from St. Albans, England showed they’re faces in 2006 and have been successful since with their dance driven, indie pop music with old school disco influences that are nearly impossible not to move to.

The Friendly Fires first gained popularity through their lives performances followed by their first two EP’s Photobooth and Cross The Line released in 2006 and 2007. Their first big single was Paris in 2007. XL Recordings later signed them aboard for their debut album Friendly Fires back in 2008.

The fairly new band is hard to snag information on, but their energetic presence and their unique revival of disco sounds may have you looking for more.

Virgin Records

2009-12-12T07:40:00.000-08:00

Virgin Records is a British record label founded in 1972 by Richard Branson. Branson along with partner Nik Powell owned a record store in London called Virgin Records and Tapes, after creating a successful record store they decided to make the business into a record label. The first release on the new label was Tubular bells by Mike Oldfield in 1973. Tubular Bells was a progressive rock album with long songs and a vast array of instruments.

Tubular Bells Part 2

Tubular Bells Part 3

Virgin continued to to be a key label in the english progressive rock movement until 1977 at which point they signed the Sex Pistols to the label. After being asked to leave both EMI and A&M the Pistols reinvented the label as a new wave outpost. Shortly after the London record store where the label was born, was raided by the police for having a Sex Pistols display in the window. This then lead to the signing of punk artists such as Penetration, XTC, and many more.

Virgins first american releases were distributed by Atlantic and after many failed licensing attempts Virgin opened its own american label division Virgin Records America in 1986. Virgin Americas releases were distributed by WEA (Warner Electra Atlantic) until 1992 When Virgin was purchased by EMI (Electrical & Musical Industries Ltd.). The Label was sold by Branson to fund Virgin Atlantic Airways which at the time was facing competitive pressure from British Airways. At the time Branson sold the label he signed an agreement not to start another label for the the following five years. Since the five years has past Branson has started another label V2 Records which is now competition to his previous label.

Richard Branson

In 2007 Virgin Records and Capitol Records merged to create Capitol Music Group, with the former executive of Virgin Jason Flom taking over as Chairman and CEO of the new corporation. Today Virgin Records is home to artist such as Ben Harper, The Gorillaz, Iggy Pop, Joss Stone , Korn, Lenny Kravitz, and many more. Since its beginnings as a small London record store Virgin has grown into a multinational label that covers many genres of music and is home to all kinds of artists.

King Crimson

King Crimson is an english progressive rock band Formed in 1969 by Robbert Fripp. Crimson has been recognized as one of the foundational progressive rock groups defining the genre from its early beginnings. Throughout the years Crimson has drawn from many different musical influences including classical, jazz, experimental, heavy metal and psychedelic rock. Throughout its history the band has had many British and American members. In 1981 guitarist and front man Adrian Belew joined the group and has been with them until present day. Along with Belew the bands most notable members have been Bill Bruford on drums, Tony Levin on bass, Trey Gunn playing touch guitar, Pat Mastelotto On drums, and Robert Fipp on Guitar, who has stayed in the band throughout its existence and recreated it, in its many forms. King Crimson released eleven studio albums nine of which have been on Virgin. Along with the eleven studio albums the band has released twenty five live albums as well as many other releases. Although the band has never gained major commercial success they have a strong cult following and continue to preform live. The latest offering from the band was in 2003 with the album A Power to Believe and is one of Crimsons most powerful, and technically thrilling albums to date.

Gorillaz

The Gorillaz are an english virtual alternative rock band started by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett in 1998. the band consist of Four animated members 2D vocals and keyboard, Murdoc bass guitar, Russel drums, and Noodle lead guitar. The bands music is a collaboration of work from many musicians with the bulk coming from Damon Albarn himself. The bands roots are in alternative rock but with influences from hip hop, electronica, and many other genres the gorillaz have developed a sound synonymous with their name. The band has released two full length albums Gorillaz the self titled release in 2001 and Demon Days in 2005. The band is currently recording a new studio album titled Plastic Beach which should be released sometime in 2010.

Smashing Pumpkins

The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band from Chicago, Illinois. Formed in 1988 by Billy Corgan guitar vocals and James Iha guitar and backing vocals. The bands members have included D'arcy Wretzky bass, Jimmy Chamberlin on drums, and Melissa Auf der Maur on bass guitar. The bands most recent line up consists of Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin with the addition of Jeff Shroder guitar vocals and Ginger Reyes on bass. The Pumpkins have their own unique sound influenced by gothic rock, heavy metal and, psychedelic rock, the band has a dense, powerful, guitar heavy sound that makes them different then most alternative rock groups. In 1995 the bands double album Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart. During the 90's the band was one of the most successful and influential, but internal problems caused a breakup in 2000. In 2006 the group reunited with its new members and released Zeitgeist in 2007. Today the pumpkins still preform live shows and are planning on releasing a new album in the future.

Sources

www.virginrecords.com

www.king-crimson.com

www.gorillaz.com

www.smashingpumpkins.com

www.wikipedia.org

Atlantic Records

2009-12-11T21:00:00.000-08:00

Ahmet Ertegün and Herb Abramson founded Atlantic Records in 1947. Based out of New York City, the label primarily released jazz and R&B recordings. In its earlier years Atlantic was best known for it’s roster which included such artists as Big Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, John Coltrane, The Drifters, and Ray Charles. Over the years Atlantic has diversified releasing records from premier rock, pop, and rap artists.
Warner Bros-Seven Arts acquired Atlantic Records in 1967, which after being sold to Kinsey National Company in 1969 became WEA (Warner, Elektra, Atlantic) also known as the Warner Music Group. During this era the label was involved with such artists as Crosby, Stills, Nash And Young, Led Zeppelin and Sonny and Cher. In 1990 Warner Communications merged with Time Inc, forming Time Warner. Time Warner sold Warner Music Group in 2004 to a group of investors for 2.4 billion dollars consolidating Elektra Records into Atlantic Records. Also in 2004 WMG (Warner Music Group) created Atlantic Records Group as an umbrella label to oversee the labels assigned to its Atlantic Records unit, such as Elektra, Roadrunner, Grand Hustle, Photo Finish, Bad Boy, Fueled By Ramen, and Atlantic Records.
60 Years after the founding of the label it still continues to be one the most influential labels in modern music releasing albums from current artists like Drake, Death Cab For Cutie, (P.) Diddy, Lupe Fiasco, Circa Survive, T.I., and Simple Plan to name a few. Atlantic proves to still have its finger on the pulse of what is going on in the music industry. Over the years the label has managed to grow with the times expanding into different genres and staying relevant by continuing to release music that people want to hear.
Ahmet Ertegün and Atlantic Records represent popular music over the past 60 years. Coming from humble beginnings of moving desks around to make room to record out of their office in NYC as an independent label to the historic major label it is today. Oh and you can’t forget, they own The Notorious B.I.G.’s catalogue, enough said.

Death Cab For Cutie

Death Cab For Cutie is the brain child of guitarist/singer Ben Gibbard, formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997 the band consists of Chris Walla on guitar, Nick Harmer on bass and Jason McGerr on drums. They are an indie/alternative rock band and is a prime example of music that fits the subgenre of “emo”. Death Cab has released 6 full lengths and multiple EPs since its inception.

Most notably would be their fourth studio album “Transatlanticism” released October 7, 2003 by Barsuk Records sparked the start of the bands career. The record, which has been certified gold, peaked at number 97 on the Billboard 200. It is also the first record to feature the full current line up with the addition of drummer Jason McGerr.

In November of 2004 the band announced the move from longtime home Barsuk Records to Atlantic their next record “Plans” was released August 30, 2005. McGerr, commented on the album as saying “ If Transatlanticism was an inhale, Plans is the exhale”. The album peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum by the RIAA in February of 2008. The band also released a DVD entitled “Directions” which was a collection of 11 short films inspired by the music of the album.

The group followed up their previous release on May 12, 2008 with “Narrow Stairs”, it was their first record to reach the #1 spot on the Billboard 200. The lead single “I Will Possess Your Heart” runs at 8:31 and features a 4 and a half minute long introduction. Another single of the record was the track “Grapevine Fires” which was centered around the California wildfires in 2007.

Death Cab For Cutie’s most recent release would be “Meet Me on the Equinox” the lead single from the newest Film in the Twilight saga, “New Moon”. The song debuted September 13 2009, and has since grown in popularity across the world appearing across the singles charts in the US, Australia, New Zealand and the U.K.

T.I.

Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr A.K.A. T.I.( T.I.P.) was born in Bankhead, Atlanta, Georgia, September 25, 1980. Throughout his career he has been involved in many different facets of the entertainment industry including artist, producer, actor and founder/CEO of Grand Hustle Records. T.I.’s interest in rap began at age 7, he was signed as a teenager by Arista Records, and in October 2001 he released his debut album “I’m Serious”. Although it featured many big names the album flopped due to little airplay and lack of diversification in his songs. He was dropped from the label shortly there after.

After the conclusion of his Arista Record deal T.I. formed a record label, Grand Hustle Entertainment which he released his mix tapes on. In 2003 he appeared on Bone Crusher’s song “Never Scared” the hype around the song and his mixtapes attracted the attention of major labels and he signed a joint venture deal with Atlantic Records
His sophomore album “Trap Muzik” released on August 19, 2003 debuted at number 4 and sold over 100,000 copies in its first week. Only a few months later he was arrested for violating probation of a 1997 drug charge. He was let out a month later on a work release program. His third album “Urban Legend” released in November of ’04 sold 193,000 in the first week debuting at number 7 on the Billboard 200.
In 2006 he received Grammy nominations for Best Song Collaboration and Best Rap Solo Performance. That same year he starred in his first film, ATL, in which he portrayed an orphaned high school senior growing up in Atlanta, Georgia. The film went on to gross $21.2 million.

His 4^th album king was his first to debut at number 1 selling over 500,000 in week one. His single “What You Know” won a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance and his Collaboration with Justin Timberlake “My Love” won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. A year later he had similar success with his 5^th album T.I. vs T.I.P. debuting again at #1 and selling 468,000 units in the first week.

On October 13, 2007 federal authorities arrested him and charged him with two felony gun charges. The court ordered T.I. to 1,500 hours of community service and put him under house arrest, this is when he found time to write his newest album. Paper Trail was released September of 2008, the record hosted hit singles Dead and Gone, and Whatever You Like. Paper Trail was his third record in a row to debut at #1 and has sold the most in its first week out of all of his albums, and it was certified double platinum by the RIAA on August 27, 2009. He is currently serving a 1 year and 1 day sentence in prison for gun charges and will be released March 26, 2010. It is a safe bet to say that T.I. is probably spending his time writing and whatever record he comes out with will probably go platinum too.

LIVE Justin Timberlake T.i. - Dead and Gone - Grammy 2009
Uploaded by NeKsoN. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

Circa Survive

Circa Survive is one of the more recently signed artists by Atlantic. The band formed in Philadelphia Pennsylvania in 2004 from ex-members of bands Saosin, This Day Forward, and Taken. When Circa Survive first started lead singer Anthony Green was the lead singer for Capitol Records band Saosin. Although the band was on the verge of breaking out, Green was sick of living on the west coast in California and missed his family in Pennsylvania. On a trip home he met up and jammed out with Colin Frangicetto, during the trip home he decided to extend his stay indefinitely and the two began recording and recruiting members.

The group’s first record “Juturna” was released on Equal Vision Records April 29, 2005. It was recorded with Brian McTernan at Salad Days Studios in Baltimore, MD. The album reached #183 on the Billboard 200 and as of July of 2006 had sold around 75,000 units. The debut record revealed a refreshing experimental/ambient rock style with an emphasis on real groove orientated parts that would explode into movements of hard-hitting rock.

Circa Survive gained their first taste of commercial success following their sophomore release “On Letting Go”. Their second Equal Vision Records release debuted at #24 on the Billboard 200. The record, which was recorded with the same producer and had artwork designed from the same artist as the original record delivered a similar sound but in a slightly more polished sounding recording. The first single, “The Difference Between Medicine and Poison is in the Dose” saw significant airplay on music channels such as Fuse.
In 2008 the band returned home after a spring tour with the intentions of writing for a new record. The writing continued on and off up until August 3 2009 when the band stated they had finally entered the studio with David Botrill as producer. The band also commented on their decision to sign with Atlantic "After completing our contract with Equal Vision we embarked on a long search to find our next home. We met with lots of labels and decided that Atlantic Records is the best place for us to continue our growth as a band and to help us release our music around the world." The recording was completed in late October and a 2010 release date is expected soon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=635P03aWfmA

Fueled by Ramen Records

2009-12-11T16:17:00.000-08:00

Fueled by Ramen Records, distributed by Atlantic Records Group, was started in 1996 by John Janick. The independent label is known for breaking the best in punk-inspired rock/pop bands. Janick had dreamed up Fueled by Ramen in high school, but when he teammed up with Less Than Jake drummer/lyracist Vinnie Fiorello at University of Florida at Gainesville, he made the label into a reality. Janick believed that there wasn't much of an outlet for the independent rock scene, and was determined to make these artists more mainstream. In the beginning, Fueled by Ramen was operated out of Janick's dorm room, distributing artists such as The Hippos and The Impossibles by mail order.

In 1998, Fueled by Ram en released a self-titled EP from Jimmy Eat World, which proved a breakthrough for not only the band, but the label as well. Following the success of the EP and increased distrubution demands, Fueled by Ramen moved out of Janick's dorm and into a real office. 2002's release of Yellowcard's The Underdog EP marked a significant turning point in the labels success into the mainstream. The following year, Fall Out Boy's Take This To Your Grave was released. Janick knew Fall Out Boy would become a hit. He never gave up, and pushed the record with all he could. Janick's pushing was successful. Fall Out Boy's second album got Fueled by Ramen selling 225,000 records a week, with Fall Out Boy becoming multi-platinum artists. Janick firmly believes that the label is an integral part of the creative process; a collaborative environment in which bands participate in all aspects of recording and marketing.

Shortly after signing Fall Out Boy recommended artist The Academy Is... in 2004, Janick joined forces with Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz to created Decaydance Records. The artist line up included the alternative hip-hop of Gym Class Heroes, and the indie-pop combo The Hush Sound. Fueled by Ramen and Decaydance hit it big in 2005 when they released A Fever You Cant Sweat Out, by Panic! At the Disco. The album was RIAA platinum certified. Fueled by Ramen has become ever more successful from releasing artists such as Cute is What We Aim For, Paramore, and The Cab. So far in 2009, Fueled by Ramen has released albums from This Providence, The Friday Night Boys, and Cobra Starship. The Megan Fox film Jennifer's Body features new music from several Fueled by Ramen artists, including Panic! At the Disco, Cobra Starship, All Time Low, and Dashboard Confessional.

Jimmy Eat World
In 1995, shortly after the departure of original bassist Mitch Porter, replaced by Rick Burch, Jimmy Eat World signed a major label deal and began recording Static Prevails, released in 1996. Critics and college radio programmers hailed their intriguing range. Despite being a major-label band, the members of Jimmy Eat World handled most of their own artist development and recording. The band hit the road and still managed to record many singles. Jimmy Eat World had become fed up with being a major-label band. In 1999 they released Clarity, co-produced by the band and Blink-182's Mark Trombino, on the then tiny independent label, Fueled by Ramen Records. Clarity featured standouts such as "Lucky Denver Mint" and "For Me This is Heaven". Clarity's first week sales alone amounted to nearly half of what Static Prevails has sold to date. "Lucky Denver Mint" proved to be a big hit for Jimmy Eat World, and was even featured on the soundtrack to the Drew Barrymore film, "Never Been Kissed". Today Jimmy Eat World is signed to Dreamworks Records and is quite successful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU3KBI5qyEY

The Cab
At Las Vegas' Liberty High School in 2005, Alex DeLeon and Cash Colligan were enemies, fighting for the same girl. These high school juniors eventually threw in the towel and became bandmates in Colligan's garage. The duo began posting demos on MySpace, and soon realized they would need a full band to complete their musical vision. Soon after they were able to find drummer Alex Johnson, heavily influenced by bands like Blink-182 and Jimmy Eat World. These influences combined with the duo's love for Justin Timberlake and Michael Jackson, creating a new direction for The Cab. The Cab's line up would soon be complete with Pianist Alex Marshall and guitarist Ian Crawford. The band began gaining success even without professional recording through local shows. The band would hit success when their demo was passed on to Panic! At the Disco's Spencer Smith, leading to a deal with Decaydance/Fueled by Ramen Records. Their debut album Whisper War was a hit, with the song "I'll Run" getting 500,000 plays on MySpace. The band was recently featured on Blender Magazine's "Hot List" and Alterative Press Magazine's "Bands You Need To Know" issue. The Cab currently is sharing the stage with artists like Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco, with Whisper War getting worldwide success.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTVodsGVjdA&feature=fvsr

The Hush Sound
The Hush Sound began in Chicago as just random jam sessions between friends Bob Morris (guitar) and Greta Salpeter (piano/guitar). They would eventually become the indie quartet, The Hush Sound. By 2004, Morris and Salpeter were seriously writing songs, and were originally called "The Hush", but changed their name to The Hush Sound after learning a rapper shared their name. The two eventually decided to expand their band to include drummer Darren Wilson, and bassist Chris Faller. The quartet quickly hit the studio to record their first full length album, So Sudden. Even though the album was self released, they sold 300 copies in two nights, creating a solid local following. Songs on their purevolume.com page impressed Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz, who signed them to Decaydance/Fueled by Ramen. The Hush Sound's second album Like Vines earned them touring spots with Panic! At The Disco. The group almost disbanded before the release of their third album Goodbye Blues, but decided to stick with it when their tour sold out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWoJkCh2VQ0

Sources

http://www.fueledbyramen.com

jimmyeatworld.com

http://www.purevolume.com/thecab

thehushsound.com

Hopeless Records

2009-12-11T14:43:00.000-08:00

Hopeless Records was started in Los Angeles, California in 1993 by Louis Posen. Posen guided the label’s focus towards supporting punk rock, pop punk, and alternative rock music. Although, soon after its formation, Posen put his efforts towards more than just the distribution of records. In 1999, the company formed a subset called Sub City, and began supporting non-for profit organizations. The first major demonstration of Sub City’s work was called Take Action! The goal of Take Action! was to spread activism and charity work in communities, hoping to show that an individuals action can make for a better world. In 1999, Hopeless signed rock act Thrice, giving a kick start to the roster. Soon after, Hopeless set it's sights on rock bands The Dangerous Summer and a diamond in the rough: Baltimore, Maryland’s own All Time Low.

All Time Low

Deep in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland, singer/guitarist Alex Gaskarth and guitarist Jack Barakat were playing through their fair share of Green Day and blink-182 covers. After finding bassist Zack Merrick and drummer Rian Dawson, the quartet branded themselves All Time Low (after a lyric in a New Found Glory song). The band wasn’t their only commitment though, the boys were only Sophomores in High School and only had so much free time. Fortunately for them, that was just enough time for Emerald Moon Records to sign them in 2004. Emerald Moon released their EP called The Three Words To Remember in Dealing With The End, and later a full length entitled The Party Scene. The band wasn’t introduced to Hopeless until a few years later, thanks to being on the road with the band Amber Pacific (also on the Hopeless roster at the time). Two months before their High School graduation, All Time Low signed to Hopeless. The guys soon recorded with Matt Squire and released the EP Put Up or Shut Up which led them to play on much more recognized tours such as The Vans Warped Tour. In 2007, ATL released their sophomore attempt on Hopeless, So Wrong It’s Right. The album scored major attention and placed them in rotation on MTV and on the Billboard 200 at number 62. In 2008, they achieved the title ‘Band of the Year’ by Alternative Press and a year later in July of 2009, released Nothing Personal. The album earned the number 4 spot on the Billboard 200, with 60,000-75,000 units sold. This past November, the band signed with the major label, Interscope Records.

to hear more please visit:
www.myspace.com/alltimelow

The Dangerous Summer  

In a similar situation to the boys of All Time Low, singer/bassist AJ Perdonmo, guitarist Cody Payne, guitarist Bryan Czap, and drummer Tyler Minsberg were still High School students when they were discovered. Three-fifth’s of the indie/rock quartet just graduated in 2007. Hailing from Maryland, similar to All Time Low, TDS built a strong fan base at home and had high hopes for their music. “I just wanted to make something more mature and mainstream, that wasn’t trendy,” states Payne. After just a few shows, the band independently released their first EP There Is No Such Thing as Science. Soon after, the boys ventured out of state to tour with bands like All Time Low, The Ataris, and Cartel. It wasn’t long before they caught the attention of Hopeless and signed on in 2007. Their first hit was the melody driven ‘Permanent Rain’, which was featured on a re-release called If You Could Only Keep Me Alive. After spending the following year touring, the band went on a short hiatus, only to return in May of 2009 with their full length Reach For The Sun. The band wanted to write an album that reached far beyond categorization and that stuck with the audience. "I really love every song on this album for one reason or another. They all had their own little story in our lives while we were writing the album and seeing it come together in the studio," says Payne. "The album is overall very positive and about real life. AJ covered a lot of different ground – love, life, death, the past, the future... it's all there." The album eventually reached number 42 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, and ‘Permanent Rain’ was most recently featured in the movie Love Happens with Jennifer Anniston.

to hear more please visit:
http://www.myspace.com/dangeroussummer

After the Hopeless Records family formed Sub City to support non-profit organizations, they also created Sub City records, a subset of Hopeless. Under Hopeless/Sub City Records, they picked up the band Thrice.

Thrice

The California based four-piece formed in 1998 by guitarist/vocalist Dustin Kensrue and guitarist Teppei Teranishi. The band was recognized early on for their unique, heavy sound. Their songs involved heavily distorted guitars and complex time signatures, which made for a different listening experience. Teppei brought bassist Eddie Breckenridge and his brother Riley, a drummer, on to the project. They recorded their first EP called First Impressions, which they sold out of their cars. Their efforts and dedication payed off when they signed to Hopeless in 1999 and released Identity Crisis. They were quickly accepted into the rock scene and toured with bands like Midtown and Coheed and Cambria. In 2003, the band signed with Island Records and gain enormous popularity. They released The Illusion of Safety in 2002, The Artist In The Ambulance in 2003, and then Vheissu in 2005. In 2006, the band came up with the unique idea of releasing a series of EPs each representing the natural elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Collectively, these EPs were known as The Alchemy Index and were eventually released on Vagrant Records. Most recently, the band has released Beggars and have gone on to play festivals like The Bamboozle, and support bands like Brand New. One amazing thing about Thrice is that they have stayed true to the goals of Sub City records. From each album, the band donates a portion of the sales to a charitable organization, such as the Crittenton Services for Children and Families in Fullerton, CA. The band has grown tremendously, and has moved from independents to majors, but has always found a way to give back. “We’ve always just kind of done our own thing, and hoped people would appreciate it,” says Riley Breckenridge. “Luckily they have, and that’s something we’re really, really grateful for.”

to hear more please visit: 
http://www.myspace.com/thrice

Hopeless Records has evolved as being more than just a label over the past 17 years. They, and their artists have given back through organizations under Sub City, such as the Take Action! Tour, which raised over $40,000 for DoSomething.org. They were most recently recognized at NARM’s Outstanding Achievement awards. NARM recognizes new, creative ways that companies do business and their efforts towards communities. In a time when labels are becoming less important and influential with the distribution of music, label’s like Hopeless are showing that there’s more behind their music.

SOURCES

http://www.absolutepunk.net/artists/showlink.php?do=showdetails&l=3781

http://www.billboard.com/news/maxwell-tops-billboard-200-1003994091.story#/news/maxwell-tops-billboard-200-1003994091.story

http://hopelessrecords.com/about/more-about-us/

http://hopelessrecords.com/artists/the-dangerous-summer/

http://hopelessrecords.com/artists/thrice/

http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/all_time_low/artist.jhtml#biographyEnd

http://www.myspace.com/dangeroussummer

http://www.thrice.net/?page_id=8

Death Row Records

2009-12-11T14:01:00.000-08:00

Death Row Records was founded in 1992 by Dr. Dre (Andre Young) and Suge Night. Dr. Dre was formerly of controversial gangster-rap group N.W.A. who scored hits with songs like "Fuck Tha Police" and "Straight Outta Compton." However in the late 80's, the relationship between Dr. Dre and N.W.A. fontman Eazy-E soured. Dre was apparntly owed money from Eazy-E's label, Ruthless Records. Dr. Dre then decided to start Death Row Records with former security gaurd, Suge Night.

Suge had been a body gaurd in the 80's to stars like Bobby Brown. He was then able to sit in on a lot of music industry meetings. He started to understand contracts, dealpoints, and royalties. Suge was also notoriously violent. In 1987 he was charged with attempted murder and two years later he was charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

The first order of buisness was to obtain Dre's contract with Ruthless. Suge did not rely on his legal team to do this, but rather, relentless torment. Suge threatned Eazy-E with bats and guns, told him that they were going to kill his mother, and even that they were going to kidnap Eazy-E's manager Jerry Heller. Eazy-E sued Suge,Death Row, and parent company Sony with a RICO lawsuit (usually reserved for mobsters). This is the first racketeering lawsuit in the music industry. Suge eventually got Dre's contract.

With early hits on the "Deep Cover" soundtrcak, Death Row got major label distribution through Interscope. Dr. Dre's benchmark album "The Chronic" was released in 1992, and sold 5 million copies. That was followed up by Snoop Dogg's "Doggystyle" which went quadruple platinum. People across the country became facinated with songs about guns, drugs, and parties. And in the case of Death Row, art really did reflect life.

In 1995, Suge signed then incarcerated rapper 2pac Shakur. After posting his $1.4 million dollar bail, 2pac recorded "All Eyez on Me." This not only sold over 9 million copies, it was also the first double disc rap album.

After getting fed up with the violence, Dr. Dre left to form his own label, Aftermath. Suge was sent to prision for nine years for a parole violation, and therefore lost control of the label. However, there is no doubt to the importance of Death Row's brief but powerful run. That kind of success would be hard to duplicate, being that they had 5 multi platinum records for a small company that only existed for 5 years.

Snoop Dogg:

Calvin Broadus was signed to Death Row as a member of of 213, whiched featured Warren G as the Dj and Nate Dogg sang the hooks. It soon became apparent that Snoop was an immense talent, and he caught a hit with "187" of the "Deep Cover" soundtrack. His album "Doggystyle" was billed as the most anticipated release in rap history. However, prior to the release of the album, Snoop was charged with murder in a gang related dispute. He was a big instigator in the east coast/west coast rivalry, speaking openly at the 1995 source awards. Becoming a family man in the 2000's, he has moved on from his violent image he kept while signed to Death Row.

Snoop Dogg's official site

Tupac Shakur:

2pac led a short,volatile, but highly influential life. After starting as a dancer for the Digital Underground, 2pac became a solo artist. His topics, attitude, and flow were like nothing before or since. After surviving his first shooting and several court charges, he released some of the best rap records in history. Since his shooting death in 1996 in Las Vegas, he has become a legend. In particular, his double disc "All Eyez on Me" went platinum 9 times while he was on Death Row.

Tupac's chairity for the arts in inner cities

Parlophone Records

2009-12-11T13:23:00.000-08:00

Parlophone Records was extablished in Germany in 1896 by Carl Lindström. Lindström originally used the name “Parlophon” when he manufactured gramophones prior to the establishment of the label in Britain on August 8, 1923. The label originally was considered the leading jazz label in the UK. Okeh records helped distribute a group of American jazz records of artists such as Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, and Duke Ellington on their "Rhythm Style Series." In 1927,The label was bought out by Columbia, who eventually merged with Electric & Musical Industries Ltd (EMI). According to their website, "Parlophone Records is Britain’s most famous record label and part of the EMI group, one of the biggest and most prestigious music companies in the world," continuing to say they are "a cutting-edge yet hugely succesful label." The companies website goes on to say, "that tradition continues today with a dynamic and vibrant roster of artists that represent the best of every genre, bringing a broad range of artistic and commercial variety to the EMI family." Current artists range from classic bands like Queen to new groundbreakers such as Lily Allen and Gorillaz. Parlophone is currently EMI's oldest active label.

The Beatles

Considered by many to be the most influential band in the history of music, The Beatles began their illustrious career in the easly 1960's on the Parlophone label. Signed by A&R director and producer George Martin, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison began to change their image based on recomendations by manager Brian Epstein. Epstein urged the Beatles to ditch their leather clad bad boy look and adopt matching suits and, thanks to urging of Martin, fired drummer Pete Best in order to hire Ringo Starr. After their huge success in the UK, The Beatles took a risk and took the flight over the pond to America. Beatlemania was instantaneous, only fueled by the performances at the Ed Sullivan Show and at Shea Stadium in NY (see video below.) UK Albums recorded by the Beatles under Parlophone include Please Please Me, With the Beatles, A Hard Day's Night, Beatles for Sale, Help!, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Magical Mystery Tour, The Beatles (The White Album), Yellow Submarine, Abbey Road, Let it Be, and other greatest hits albums such as 1. Eventually the Beatles became so popular and powerful that they created their own record label, Apple Records.

Coldplay

Coldplay has established themselves as a true powerhouse since their formation in London in 1998. Lead by front man Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion, Coldplay has sold over 50 million albums worldwide. Coldplay has recorded the Mercury Prize Winning Parachutes, NME's album of the year A Rush of Blood to the Head, acclaimed X&Y, and Grammy Award Winning Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. Parlophone had originally predicted sales of 400,000 units of Parachutes; by Christmas, 1.6 million copies had been sold in the UK alone. As popular and successful as the album Viva La Vida was (the band's first number one single in both the UK and US, Grammy-Song of the Year, Best Rock Album,), the video for Viva la Vida also won the band true critical success, including numerous nominations for the MTV Video Music Awards. In true Parlophone style, Coldplay has also become supporters of political and social causes, participating in events such as Live 8 and Band Aid 20.

Watch Coldplay's hit video for Viva La Vida HERE

Radiohead

Radiohead was formed in 1985 hoping to break into the UK alternative rock scene. With frontman Thom Yorke, lead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, guitarist Ed O'Brien, bassist Colin Greenwood, and drummer Phil Selway, Radiohead has risen into the spotlight of music in the UK and US. Their first album, Pablo Honey, featured the hit single "Creep" that helped skyrocket the band's career. They went on to record The Bends, OK Computer (considered by many to be one of the best albums of the 90's), Kid A, Amnesiac, Hail to the Theif, and their independantly released album In Rainbows. Though many people doubted this move, it turned out to be a great move for the band. Radiohead originally released the album only in digital download for and urged buyers to pay any amount they wanted for it before it was released in physical form in stores. Could Radiohead be predicting the future of an industry where digital downloads will take over the physical product? All that can be said is that their decision to do this increased their popularity as a band. In 2005, Radiohead was ranked number 73 on Rolling Stone Magazine's "Greatest Artists of All Time."

Watch Radiohead's video for Creep HERE

Other Artists on Parlophone

www.radiohead.com

V2 Records

2009-12-11T13:01:00.000-08:00

V2 Records (or V2 Music) is a record label that was founded in 1996 by Richard Branson, five years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI. As of October 2007 it is owned by Universal Music Group. V2 operates in many countries including Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Netherlands, Spain, Ireland, Sweden, United Kingdom, and United States. It is distributed in the US by WEA. Its headquarters were located at 14 East 4th Street in Manhattan, the former US home of Island Records, which was in the same building as the former Greenwich Village branch of Tower Records.

In May 2006, much of V2's catalogue, including multiplatinum artists Moby and The White Stripes, was added to eMusic, making the label one of the most high-profile featured on the online music site, which mostly sells DRM-free independent music at a cost considerably lower than many of its competitors. On 12 January, 2007, V2's United States and Canada branches announced that they were undergoing restructuring to focus on its back catalogue and digital distribution. As a result, their employees were let go and their roster of artists left as free agents.

The White Stripes - Catch Hell Blues

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x4pwWd86lg

http://whitestripes.com/enter.html

The White Stripes formed in 1997 when Jack White and now ex-wife Meg began playing together. They released two LPs before finally breaking through with White Blood Cells in 2001 thanks to the hit "Fell In Love With A Girl". Their most recent album, Icky Thump, was released in 2007 and went gold within a month. A new album is expected by the end of 2010.

Grandaddy - AM 180

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YX-_yLyU1fU

http://jasonlytle.com/

Grandaddy is an indie-rock band from California that formed in 1992. Most of the music is written by the vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Jason Lytle. The band became popular with their sophmore release, Sophtware Slump, and broke up shortly after their fourth album, Just Like The Fambly Cat. Jason Lytle still continues to make music on his own as well as appears as a guest for artists such as The Crystal Method.

Mark Lanegan Band - Resurrection Song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5BtCH0V9H8

http://www.onewhiskey.com/

Mark Lanegan became known for his whiskey charged voice as the frontman of grunge rock band The Screaming Trees. His solo work branches as far back as 1990 and is still going strong. He maintains a friendly relationship with Josh Homme and has appeared on every Queens of the Stone Age album since their sophmore release, R, and has formed several bands including The Gutter Twins with Twilight Singers' Greg Dulli and works frequently with downtempo gospel group Soulsavers.

Moby - Mistake

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2J4JuLDCzNs

http://www.moby.com/

Moby is an electronic artist who has been creating music since the 80s, but did not become popular with his solo work until the 90s. He's had major success both with album sales and touring, frequently DJs shows and festivals all over the world, remixes many popular songs for use in clubs, and is an outspoken liberal political advocate. His most recent album, Wait For Me, was released in June 2009 and was mixed by Ken Thomas of Sigur Rós.

The Crystal Method featuring Richard Patrick - Trip Like I Do (Remix)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tlt4CJhbxwI

http://www.thecrystalmethod.com/

The Crystal Method is an electronic duo consisting of DJ Scott Kirkland and producer Ken Jordan. They became popular through placement in movies, games and commercials with their very driven sound, known for high-tempo drum riffs and acid-rock synth lines. Their debut album, Vegas, went platinum in 2007, and their most recent release, Divided By Night (featuring LMFAO, Jason Lytle and more) was released in 2009.

Epitaph Records

2009-12-09T16:28:00.001-08:00

“Let’s just try to do the right thing, have fun, and make money, in that order, and see where it takes us”. Having this kind of mindset eventually took Brett Gurewitz in the right direction and is continuing to lead him in many different yet creative other directions as well. Gurewitz founded Epitaph in 1981 in Los Angeles, California. At the time, Gurewitz used the label solely as a marketing and distribution tool for his punk rock band at the time, Bad Religion, who still continue to put out great music and tour on behalf of the label (the band had a seven year stint with Atlantic Records from 1993-2000). According to Gurewitz, in 1981 the label only consisted of a “logo and a P.O. box”. As years went on, Gurewitz decided to start adding bands to the label in order to help promote the new and different sounds coming from the underground. Gurewitz aimed for the label to take on a musicians’ point of view and to always remain artist-friendly.

The label began to start gaining recognition in the mid 1990’s when pop punk acts such as NOFX and Rancid were beginning to gain strong notoriety in the underground scene that was on the brink of emerging in to the mainstream. The somewhat overnight success of The Offspring’s 1994 release, entitled “Smash” would undoubtedly be the catalyst for Epitaph’s long lasting success.

Shortly after its release, the album peaked at #4 on Billboard’s pop album charts and the currently is certified went 6x platinum in the United States and 4x platinum in Australia. After the release of the album and the dramatic impact that it had on Epitaph, Gurewitz stated, “It opened doors. I could get a meeting with whoever. Up until that time, we had to scratch and claw our way into whatever nooks and crannies we could. It wasn't easy for an indie to get a record into a chain store. Indies were second-class citizens back then, but from that day forward we could sell any of our titles in any chain in the country. Everything changed.” The release of “Smash” ultimately led to Epitaph being known as one of the most well known and respected independent labels in the music industry.

To this day, Epitaph continues to deliver great music and promotes many artists of all different kinds of genres. In order to expand upon the different genres that Gurewitz felt needed to be heard, Epitaph launched two sister labels called, “ANTI-“ and “Hellcat Records”. ANTI- is home to artists whose genres are essentially incomparable. Who would’ve thought that lyrical architect, Tom Waits, would end up being on the same label as The Locust (a very noisy grindcore band)? Hellcat is a label geared more towards those who enjoy punk, ska and reggae. The label currently has punk rock legends, Rancid, Irish folk-punk rockers, Dropkick Murphys as well as one of my current favorite soul/reggae bands, Westbound Train.

Epitaph currently is distributed through the Alternative Distribution Alliance, which was created in 1993 by the Warner Music Group in order to manufacture and distribute records owned by independent labels. Their website is www.ada-music.com

Converge

Converge formed in the winter of 1990 in Boston, Massachusetts and have had a massive and consistent influence on current acts in genres ranging from hardcore, metal and experimental music and continue to keep proving themselves as pioneers of “aggressive music” with each new album that they release. Ever since their inception, the band has been known for their highly energetic performances and intense crowd participation at live shows thanks to their loyal fan base. Converge started out as a five-piece band and have experienced several line up changes throughout their extensive career. Currently, the line-up consists of Ben Koller on drums, Nate Newton on bass, Kurt Ballou on guitar/keyboards and Jacob Bannon taking on the duties of vocals as well as visuals. Each of the band members is able to carry their own weight on and off the stage in Converge but also have very important roles in the hardcore scene outside of the band. Jacob Bannon founded the record label Deathwish Inc. along with Tre McCarthy in 2001. The label started with the intention of giving aid to punk/hardcore bands to help break them into the business and to also help keep the scene alive. Deathwish Inc handles most of the merchandising and marketing for Converge. Kurt Ballou owns and operates as the producer and engineer at God City Studios which is based out of Salem, Massachusetts and has recorded bands such as Genghis Tron, Trap Them, Old Man Gloom as well as the band’s most recent album entitled, “Axe to Fall”.

Axe to Fall is arguably the best metal/hardcore album to have been released in 2009 and is also the band’s first release through Epitaph. The album opens up with the track “Dark Horse” which is a fast paced anthem consisting of soaring guitar solos, overdriven bass and mind blowing drum fills. The first four tracks on the album are relentless in terms of their speed and aggression. Despite the fact that the band is shamelessly trying to sonically melt your face, they also have mellow yet droning tracks that at some points resemble old fashioned folk style sing-alongs. If you’re in to old school Metallica or just heavy music in general, you should definitely check this album out.

Every Time I Die

Hailing from Buffalo, New York, Every Time I Die is a band that has been constantly changing their style and musical landscapes since 1998. ETID have resembled something similar to a revolving door in the sense that they have a new bassist every other tour and recently have lost their drummer of the past 11 years due to personal differences. The three key members of the band are brothers, Keith and Jordan Buckley, as well as Andy Williams (who is known to have the “gnarliest” facial hair throughout the entirety of his career in the band). The band started off as a straightforward hardcore band with their first EP release entitled, “Burial Plot Bidding War”. With their first full length release through Ferret Records, “Last Night in Town” the band began to experiment with odd time signatures while still keeping the aggressive hardcore elements which some refer to as “mathcore”. Their next album, “Hot Damn” began to adopt southern rock riffs to add to the chaotic rhythms. Their next two releases, “Gutter Phenomenon” (which features Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance as well as Daryl Palumbo of Glassjaw) and “The Big Dirty” began to take on a more radio friendly approach by adding hooks and choruses to their catchy riffs.

ETID parted ways with Ferret and were label-less for nearly a year. They then decided that Epitaph’s artist-friendly policies and dedication to underground music would be the best for their latest release entitled, “New Junk Aesthetic” which was released on September 15, 2009. The album opens up with the track “Roman Holiday” which takes a different direction from any of their other opening tracks on any of their albums. It starts off with just a down tempo guitar riff and is then accompanied by the rest of the band, which sets the mood for the rest of the album. Special guests on the album include Greg Puciato of the Dillinger Escape Plan, Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy and Matt Caughthran of The Bronx. The album has a fantastic blend of melody, harmony and heaviness. Epitaph’s decision to have this band on the roster is definitely a plus.

The Sound of Animals Fighting

There is not too much that is known about The Sound of Animals Fighting except that they are making some of the most organically produced and captivating experimental music; they prefer to keep it that way. Anonymity is one of the biggest key elements that this band loves to play off of which is intended to force the listener to focus on the experience of the music and its creation instead of the personalities behind it. The band members are listed as The Nightingale, The Walrus, The Lynx and The Skunk. The mastermind behind the band is argued to be Rich Balling who was a former member of the progressive ska band, RX Bandits. Balling invites musicians from all over the country to come and record on the albums. Many of the musicians throughout the albums are still currently a part of RX Bandits. It is believed that Circa Survive vocalist, Anthony Green does most of the vocal work on the three records that they have put out. The first record entitled, “Tiger and the Duke” was released in 2005 through Stars and Satellites Records. The second record, “Lover, the Lord Has Left Us…” was released in 2006 through Equal Vision Records. Their most recent album entitled, “The Ocean and the Sun” was released on September 9, 2008 through Epitaph records. The Sound of Animals Fighting have not yet confirmed if they will be releasing any material in the future, yet it is refreshing to know that this level of artistry still exists amongst a generation like ours.

Sources Used:

http://www.epitaph.com/about/faq/

http://centeroftheindielabeluniverse.blogspot.com/2009/03/by-kate-merzke-matt-schilthuis-and-alex.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/19/AR2007011901984.html

http://www.convergecult.com

http://www.epitaph.com/artists/artist/264/Every_Time_I_Die

http://www.epitaph.com/artists/artist/250/The_Sound_Of_Animals_Fighting

Apple Records

2009-12-09T13:38:00.001-08:00

present...

Up until the death of their manager Brian Epstein, The Beatles knew nothing of their financial stance. In an interview discussing Apple, John Lennon said, “Our accountant came up and said 'We got this amount of money. Do you want to give it to the government or do something with it?' So we decided to play businessmen for a bit because we've got to run our own affairs now. So we've got this thing called 'Apple' which is going to be records, films, and electronics - which all tie up.” In 1968 the Beatles decided to try their hand in business by creating Apple Corps Ltd. Subsidiaries of Apple Corps included Electronics, Publishing, Films, Retail, Studio, and Records (being the most successful of all divisions). The Beatles signed numerous acts themselves based on discoveries they made or were recommended by people and often worked in the studio with these artists. In the first year Mary Hopkin, Billy Preston, the Modern Jazz quartet and Badfinger were signed to the label. In 1969, the Beatles hired Allen Klein as their manager. When he came in to Apple, he got rid of some of the sub-divisions including Apple Electronics and Zapple Records (an avant garde/spoken word label), fired a number of Apple employees, and the Apple roster of artists became much smaller. Most of the acts signed to Apple were people John and George discovered since Paul didn’t like Allen Klein and Ringo, of course, didn’t really care.

Badfinger

Originally known as the Ivey’s, the band formed in Wales in the early 60’s and was made up of Pete Ham, Tom Evans, Ron Griffiths, Mike Gibbins (the lineup would change over the years). They began opening up for big time acts such as The Who, The Moody Blues, and The Yardbirds. They got a manager, moved to London, and continued to play all around the United Kingdom. Mal Evans, Beatles roadie and employee of Apple Corps., heard some of their recordings and played them for all four Beatles who all approved and gave the OK to signing them. The Ivey’s became the first recording artists on the Apple label, besides The Beatles. Their first single “Maybe Tomorrow” made it to the top 10 of some Eiropean countries but only got to #67 in the US and didn’t even make the charts in the UK. At the end of 1969, the band decided they needed a name change and settled on “Badfinger.” The name was inspired by The Beatles song “With A Little Help From My Friends,” which had the working title of “Bad Finger Boogie.” In December of 1969, the newest single was released, “Come and Get It,” which was written and produced by Paul McCartney. This song made it into the top 10 all around the world and reached #3 in America. “Come and Get It” and two Badfinger originals were used in the movie and soundtrack of The Magic Christian. Their next album No Dice produced two huge singles; “No Matter What” and “Without You” which both made it on the Billboard Hot 100. Throughout the early 70’s all members of Badfinger played on other Apple artists’ records, such as John Lennon’s Imagine and George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass. Their next album Straight Up was released at the end of 1971 and produced two more hit singles; “Day After Day” and “Baby Blue.” Badfinger’s fourth and final album under the Apple label was Ass. The album, nor the single released alog with it, made it on the Billboard Hot 100. Badfinger’s contract with up with Apple after four albums, and due to a lot of money loss that Apple went through, Badfinger signed with Warner Bros. records. After their Apple success, the band made a few more albums, but nothing was as successful. Band members left the group and were replaced, the two primary songwriters Ham and Evans committed suicide, and throughout the 70’s they had management problems. After that, remaining members continued to make music and toured under the Badfinger name.

Come and Get It live

James Taylor

James Taylor was born in 1948 in Massachusetts, later moving to North Carolina when he was three years old. He learned to play guitar and played in a band that one of his brothers started. In 1965, he became very depressed and entered himself into the McLean Hospital where he was treated with antipsychotic medications and was helped to gain structure in his daily life. After leaving there in 1966, he moved to New York City and started a band with friends called The Flying Machine. They released a single “Brighten Your Night With My Day” released on Jay Gee Records; however, the album was declined by the label. After having a break down due to a heroin addiction, James spent six months recovering. He inherited some money and moved to London where he recorded some demos. Through other musicians he met Peter Asher of Peter & Gordon, who was at the time, head of the A&R department of Apple Records. Asher played the tapes for Paul McCartney who automatically liked his vocals and guitar styles. In 1968, he was signed to Apple in immediately becoming the first non- British act. His first album, James Taylor, was received well but he had fallen back into his drug habit before it was released and was getting treatment instead of promoting it. “Carolina in My Mind” was released as a single but only made it up to #118 in the US. In early 1969, after Allen Klein had been hired, Klein fired Taylor’s friend Peter Asher and Asher offered to manage him so he left Apple also. Later that year, he signed a contract with Warner Bros. Records. Taylor’s first album for Warner Bros. was Sweet Baby James, which went on to sell over three million copies and contained the famous song “Fire and Rain.” For the next couple of years, he released a few more albums having a hit and winning a Grammy Award for the song “You’ve Got A Friend” which featured backing vocals by Joni Mitchell. James Taylor went on to record a lot more albums, most of which were successes. He is still recording today and often performs. Although Taylor was only with Apple for a year and went on to have contracts with other labels for longer periods of time, it is notable that Apple Records discovered him and gave him his first successful single.

Carolina in My Mind live 1972

Ravi Shankar

Ravi Shankar was born in April of 1920. He toured India and Europe in his youth along with his brother as a dancer. In 1938, he stopped dancing to study the sitar. In the mid 50’s, Shankar began touring Europe and the United States, playing classical Indian music. He gained a lot of popularity in the 1960’s through his association with George Harrison. Harrison went to India to study sitar under Shankar in 1966. After that they became very good friends, leading Harrison to sign Ravi Shankar to the Apple Label. He performed at both the Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock. Shankar went on to teach at City College of New York and California Institute of the Arts, where he was chair of the Indian music department. In 1971, Ravi Shankar backed by various Indian musicians, played at The Concert for Bangla Desh, a benefit concert put together by Harrison and Shankar which included two parts, the Indian ragas and rock music. That album went on to sell very well and Shankar won a Grammy Award for it. Harrison and Shankar teamed up again to record Shankar Family and Friends and tour North America, most notably playing at the White House at the request of President Ford’s son. Throughout the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s, Shankar taught and lectured at schools, toured, and release albums. He wrote the score for the movie Ghandi, which won him an Academy Award nomination. In 2000, he won another Grammy Award for his album Full Circle: Carnegie Hall 2000. For the rest of the 2000’s he toured with his daughter Anoushka, whom he taught the sitar to. He performed his last concert in June of 2008. Shankar is currently 89 years old and lives in Southern California. He is considered to be one of the best sitarists of the 20^th century.

Ravi Shankar live on the Dick Cavett Show

Sources

wikipedia

youtube

Apple Corps. LTD

Domino Records

2009-12-09T13:26:00.000-08:00

During the early 90’s, “Brit pop” dominated the music scene in the UK. “Brit pop” was considered a sub-category of alternative rock and included bands such as Oasis. However, Laurence Bell was a part of the population that was not a fan of this style. In fact, Laurence hated the scene so much in the UK that he began to look to the US for music he enjoyed. He heard of Sebadoh and became intent on having them in the UK so that “good” music could be reintroduced into the music scene.

During an interview, Bell describes how he got into the music industry. He explained that from a very young age he had been extremely interested in music. Bell mentions growing up in the punk-rock scene, starting a fanzine at the age of 13, interviewing bands, and working for bands by traveling with them and selling merchandise. He also booked local shows, worked at record shops, and put out a record or two for friends from his hometown. Bell then began to completely immerse himself in the industry. He moved to London and got a job with Tower Records, while putting out records on the side. Eventually an independent label, Fire Records, offered him a job without pay. However, he continued to work there for several years. (video of full interview with Bell)

In 1993, Bell left Fire Records and started up Domino Records for the primary purpose of distributing Sebadoh and other bands like them throughout the UK. Domino Record’s first release was an EP by Sebadoh entitled Rocking the Forest, licensed from Sub Pop records for release in the UK. Domino went on to build many licensing relationships with labels such as Sub Pop and Drag City (both US based record labels) during its early years, and many of these relationships continue on to today.

Bell is not the only founder and owner but is also the head of A&R. When asked about what Bell looks for when signing a band he said, “I like to be surprised and excited. I'd like it to be something I've never heard before but that's pretty tough these days. I just like it to be as unique as possible. I'd also like to meet the people as well, just to know the spirit in which they go about it. I just like the idea that people would make music if there were record labels or not, which is the garage aesthetic I suppose.” Domino Records is now one of the longest running, truly Independent labels in the UK. While their main office is located in London, there is also a US division and a satellite office in Brooklyn, NY.

As Domino gained further recognition, they joined the indie big leagues with the band Franz Ferdinand. Franz Ferdinand’s second album, You Could Have It So Much Better, was released in 2005 and gave Domino their first #1 UK album. Their next big hit came with the band Arctic Monkeys, who signed with Domino in 2005. Their single I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor debuted at number one on the UK singles chart. The Arctic Monkey’s album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, became the fastest selling debut album in UK chart history and the second fastest selling debut indie album in America, debuting at #24 on Billboard.

Some artists signed to Domino Records include:

Animal Collective

Franz Ferdinand

Junior Boys

Arctic Monkeys

Dirty Projectors

Four Tet

Caribou

The Kills

Domino Records Home Page

Animal Collective

Animal Collective was formed in Baltimore, Maryland but is now based in Brooklyn, New York. The band consists of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Deakin (Josh Dibb), and Geologist (Brian Weitz). The band’s music has been classified into the genres of experimental, indie, freak folk, folk, and indie rock. Lennox and Dibb met at a very young age during elementary school but then both went to different high schools. It was then that Dibb met Portner and Weitz. When they met they started an indie rock band, Automine. Around this time they started to experiment with LSD and other psychedelic drugs and experimented while jamming as well. When Portner was 16, he wrote the song “Penny Dreadfuls” which later was on the first Animal Collective album Spirit They’re Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished. Dibb introduced Lennox to Portner and Weitz and the four played music in different combinations and sometimes solo as well. They made many home recordings and swapped them so that they could share ideas. While using a drum machine for the first time, Weitz and Portner started a group named "Wendy Darling". Their music was inspired by soundtracks of horror movies such as The Shining and came closer to the music of Animal Collective. Animal Collective’s line up is not consistent. Albums may include contributions from any or all of the members. They also started their own label called Paw Tracks.

animalcollective.org

Animal Collective- Penny Dreadfuls

Dirty Projectors

In 2002 Longstreth released his own album, The Graceful Fallen Melon. A year later he reintroduced his experimental rock project as Dirty Projectors and released the album The Glad Fact on the Western Vinyl label. The band consists of Longstreth (singer songwriter), Amber Coffman (vocals, guitar), Angel Deradoorian (vocals, keyboard, samples, guitar, bass), Brian McOmber (drums), Nat Baldwin (bass) and Haley Dekle (vocals). Dirty Projectors’ sound is very different from other current bands. They are considered experimental and indie but it’s their vocals that make them stand out. Their vocal harmonies are unlike many other bands. In April 2008, Dirty Projectors signed with Domino Records and announce the release of Bitte Orca for June 9th, 2009. Dirty Projectors latest album, Bitte Orca (meaning “please whale”) is their most collaborative to date and is recognized as many critics as one of the best albums of 2009. Recently they have done projects with David Byrne of “The Talking Heads”

Domino Records-Dirty Projectors
Dirty Projectors Homepage
Official HD Video for Stillness Is The Move

Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand formed in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2001. The band consists of Alex Kapranos (lead vocals and guitar), Bob Hardy (bass guitar), Nick McCarthy (rhythm guitar, keyboards, and backing vocals), and Paul Thomson (percussion and backing vocals). Franz Ferdinand plays indie/alternative rock with a fusion of dance music. The songs are extremely catchy and are a perfect combination of rock and pop with a heavy bass and a trademark guitar sound. The band first had chart success with their second single “Take Me Out” which reached #3 on UK charts and then their debut album Franz Ferdinand debuted at #3 on UK album charts. The members played in various other bands during the 90’s. Karpanos and Thomson were both in the “Yummy furs” and eventually joined up to write songs. Around this time, Kapranos taught Hardy how to play bass after buying one from his friend. In May 2003, the band signed to Domino Records. Their EP that they wanted to release on their own at first, was released by Domino as Darts of Pleasure. Their album You Could Have It So Much Better became the bands first #1 album in the UK
Official Website
Domino Records- Franz Ferdinand

Sire Records

2009-12-08T19:47:00.000-08:00

SIRE RECORDS

HISTORY
Sire Records was established in 1966 with only $20,000 and a dream. It is known for the punk rock and new wave movements, and has been home to many successful artists such as Madonna, The Ramones, Talking Heads, The Cure, and The Pretenders. Although none of these artists remain on the label, they helped it to gain credibility in the industry. The label also earns power and respect because of its association with Warner Brothers, its distributor.

Seymour Stein and Richard Gotteh rer founded Sire records together.

Seymour Stein

Stein, born in 1942 in Brooklyn, got his foot in the door when he worked with Sydney Nathan at King Records when he was just a teenager. He had also worked with the chart and research department of Billboard Magazine and begun to understand the workings of the music industry. As he made his way up the corporate ladder, it became apparent that Stein had a great knack for anticipating the next musical wave. He also seemed to have a taste in music that was a few years ahead of everyone else’s, and was not afraid to take risks. He became the co-founder and chairperson of Sire Records, and he is currently the Vice President of Warner Brothers Records. In 2005, Seymour Stein won the Lifetime Achievement Award for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Richard Gottehrer, before he got involved with Sire Records, was an American songwriter. With two of his friends in 1961, Gottehrer started FGG Productions, which became quite successful. FGG is famous for writing “I Want Candy” and “My Boyfriend’s Back,” and they have had songs recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis, David Bowie, J Giles, and Aaron Carter. Next, he tried his hand on the stage as performers with the same friends, this time as The Strangeloves. Without much success, he began producing records, and eventually became a record label executive. In 1997, Gottehrer founded The Orchard, a digital music distribution company. As for production, Richard Gottehrer was responsible for the debut albums of both Blondie and the Go-Go’s.

Sire Records helped to revive sixties style popular music with songs like “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell.

In 1994, Seymour Stein left Warner Brothers to operate under its sister label, Elektra Records, where Stein had been appointed President. After this, Stein decided to leave Elektra, but remained with Warner Music Group. In the year 2000, Sire Records merged with London Records, but the partnership later dissolved in 2003, and the label went back to its original name - Sire. It also then returned to Warner Brother’s Records.

Current artists on Sire Records include: Against Me!, Evan Taubenfeld, Jack’s Mannequin, LIGHTS, Meg & Dia, Never Shout Never, Regina Spektor*, The Maine, The Spill Canvas, HIM*, The Veronicas, and Tegan and Sara*.

* expanded below.

REGINA SPEKTOR

HER PAST
Regina Spektor, an American singer-songwriter and pianist, was born in Moscow, USSR, but left the Soviet Union when she was just 9 years old. Her family traveled to Austria and Italy, but finally settled in the Bronx where Spektor studied classical piano until she was 17. Although she was originally only interested in classical music, she soon found herself intrigued by the works of Joni Mitchell and Ani DiFranco, among others. Spektor then began writing her own contemporary music. After high school, Regina Spektor attended the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College, where she graduated with honors in 2001. She gained recognition from performing at the East Village’s Sidewalk Cafe, The Living Room, Tonic, Fez, The Knitting Factory, and more. She also performed at local colleges, and sold self-published CD’s at her performances.

GETTING SIGNED
In 2004, Regina Spektor signed a contract with Sire Records to publish and distribute her third album, Soviet Kitsch, which was originally self-released in 2003.

HER MUSIC
Spektor’s music is associated with the anti-folk scene which is centered in New York City’s Easy Village. When it comes to her songwriting, she claims that she does not often write down her ideas, which naturally flow to her. She also has stated that her songs are not usually autobiographical - her characters in her songs typically come from scenarios she has created in her imagination. Each of her songs has its own musical style, and they are influenced by a myriad of genres and styles. She also tends to experiment with unique sounds in her songs, such as buzzing her lips. Regina Spektor has said she has been directly influenced by Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Billie Holiday, Tom Waits, and Frederic Chopin. To date, she has released 5 albums.

HER CREDENTIALS
Regina Spektor has toured with many well known acts such as The Strokes, Kings of Leon, and Keane. Her music has been featured on many television shows such as Grey’s Anatomy and Weeds. She has also written songs for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, and My Sister’s Keeper. Sirius radio voted Spektor’s song, “Fidelity” the #1 song of 2006 on its Left of Center channel, and Regina was once named #3 on VH1’s Top Artists Charts. Studio8’s Female Voice of August 2009 Award was also granted to Regina Spektor. On top of all of this, she has done charity work for both Amnesty International and Planned Parenthood.

HIM

THE BAND
HIM is a 5 piece band from Helsinki, Finland. The band formed in 1991, and are considered to be alternative rock, among many other things (such as alternative, love metal, Gothic rock, Gothic metal, hard rock, alternative metal, and doom metal). They were originally called His Infernal Majesty, but they changed their name because they did not want people thinking they were Satanists. Interestingly, when HIM wanted to sell albums in the United States, they could not do so under their name because a different band had already owned the rights to it. Instead, the band was briefly known as HER in the US until the band could completely buy the rights to their original name. HIM is very well known for its Heartagram logo. The band believes they are more well known for this symbol than for their music. It stands for HIM as a band, as an entity, and for love metal in general.

THEIR MUSIC
HIM has toured with Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday, Placebo, and many more. They have released 6 full length albums thus far, and are scheduled to release another on February 9, 2010. The 1999 album, Razorblade Romance reached #1 on both German and Finnish Charts that year. Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights, which was released in August of 2001, also reached #1 in Finland, but only reached #2 on the German charts. More recently, their 2005 album, Dark Light, had a full breakthrough in the United States, breaking the Top 20 in its debut on the Billboard Top 200, and was certified gold. This made HIM the first band from Finland to sell over 500,000 records in the US.

TEGAN AND SARA

GETTING STARTED
Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Kiersten Quin were born September 19, 1980. They are from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. In 1998, there was a Battle of the Bands, Garage Warz, in their hometown of Calgary, which the sisters won when they were only 17 years old. Because they were so young, they actually needed adult supervision to get into the venue. Interestingly enough, the girls were originally known as Sara and Tegan because that is how their mother registered them on the forms for the competition. Their first album listed the band name as Sara and Tegan as well. Winning the competition gained the sisters some attention, and they were signed to Neil Young’s Vapor Records in Canada, and then to Sire in the United States. Their previous label, Sanctuary Records, no longer releases new music in the United States.

MUSIC
Tegan and Sara are classified as Indie Rock, Indie Pop, and New Wave. Both of the sisters are involved with vocals as well as playing instruments for each song, but they have said that the melody is usually granted to the sister who wrote that particular song. The band has worked with members from Death Cab for Cutie, Weezer, and AFI, and have toured with Neil Young, Rufus Wainwright, The Pretenders, Ben Folds, The Killers, Cake, Hot Hot Heat, Death Cab for Cutie, Weezer, and more. So far, Tegan and Sara have released 6 albums, with their most recent (released October 29, 2009) receiving 4/5 stars from Spin Magazine. Their songs have been featured in many movies and TV shows.

AWARDS
2000 - Won the YTV Achievement Awards for Band/Musical Group
2003 - Won at the Western Canadian Music Awards for Outstanding Pop Recording for their song “If It Was You”
2004 - Their album, So Jealous, made the best 50 albums of the year list in Rolling Stone magazine
2006 - Nominated for the 2006 Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year
2008 - Nominated for the 2008 Juno Album of the Year
2009 - Won the award for Studio8’s Song of August 2009 for “The Con”

PERSONAL LIFE
Tegan and Sara Quin have both publicly stated that they are lesbians. Unfortunately, they are sometimes judged on their sexuality instead of their musical abilities.

Bridge Nine Records

2009-12-08T18:47:00.000-08:00

Bridge Nine Records was formed in 1995 by Chris Wrenn. Wrenn was just an ordinary hardcore fan who began making 7'' records for his favorite local bands. He formed the label in Vermont, where there was no real hardcore scene at the time. The label's name included his goal "Bridge – which was a literal description of what I was trying to do – bridge the gap between the bands that I really liked and the kids that followed them too." and his lucky number "9" he said in an interview with straightedgelifestyle.

Fourteen years later, the label based out of Peabody, Massachusetts has signed and released records for some of the biggest names in hardcore/punk music including New York Hardcore legends H20 and Agnostic Front. Many of the artists are from the northeast, including NY, Connecticut and Mass, a sign of Wrenn sticking to his roots. They have also signed major pop-punk act New Found Glory for their 2007 release and B9 artists still continue to do their CD art along with produce their alter-ego side project International Superheroes of Hardcore. The well established band had already had several major label releases but chose to go back to the hardcore roots for the “Tip of the Iceberg” EP release. This shows how well Wrenn has done turning B9 into a respected brand name in hardcore.

According to the Bridge 9 website, the label has had six releases on the Billboard charts including the Independent chart, Heatseekeer and Top 200.

They have distribution throughout North America, the UK/Europe and Australia through the following companies:
-Caroline Distribution and Revelation for North America.
- Plastic Head Music and Soul Food for UK and Europe.
-Stomp Entertainment for Australia.

Bridge 9 on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/bridge9

My favorite artist on the label is Crime in Stereo.

Crime in Stereo is a 5 piece hardcore band from Long Island, NY. The band formed in 2000 and put out their first split EP with hardcore legends Kill Your Idols in 03. After releasing the grungier “The Troubled Stateside” off Nitro Records in 06, the band signed to Bridge Nine in 2007 and released “…Is Dead”, an album that put them on the map. The band found a way to break down barriers of what hardcore “should” should like, adding a more melodic and even relaxing sound to the music. The album was produced by Mike Sapone, who also produced fellow LI’ers Taking Back Sunday and Brand New, he added a different quality and better tone to the music also. Lead singer Kristian Hallbert has stated many times, they want to be unique and expand their sounds, not just fit the mold of the hardcore genre. With this record they definitely broke the mold.

The bands success since signing to B9 has gone far beyond expectations. They recently finished a tour with Brand New, Glassjaw and Thrice, selling out large concert halls on almost all dates. This comes after tours with New Found Glory along with the Bridge 9 tour previous to that. They will be headlining a show in NYC at Webster Hall on Feb 26th.

http://www.bridge9.com/crimeinstereo
http://www.crimeinstereo.com/
www.myspace.com/crimeinstereo

Video of “Small skeletal”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufv8OfdJaI8&feature=related

Their next album is due in Feb of 2010 and is one of AP’s most anticipated albums of 2010.

H2O

H20 is one of the biggest hardcore bands to emerge for the NY scene. Since 1995, the band has released 5 albums, 3 EP’s and 8 seven inches. Like many other bands of their time, they emerged from the CBGB scene in NY. The band put out four albums between 95-01 and sold over 300,000 copies. They toured the world with fellow NYHC bands like Madball and Sick of it All, almost with countless others. Up until last year they had not put out any new albums and were on hiatus after touring the country and UK in 2005.

In 2008, they signed to B9 records and made “Nothing To Prove” produced by long time fan and friend Chad Gilbert of New found Glory. Lyrically, the album was deeper than any other. H20 guitarist, Toby Morse addresses anything and everything. The album also features appearances by members of Sick of it All, Agnostic Front, Danny Diablo and Alkaline Trio. Although they have no upcoming shows, the band has toured the world in the past year with such acts as Rancid and Dropkick Murphy’s.

Main website
B9 website
"what happened?" live

Polar Bear Club

Polar Bear Club is a 5 piece, Post Hardcore band with members from Rochester and Syracuse, NY. The band played at Oneonta not long ago, with a couple hundred thousand plays on Myspace and no label. In 2008, Bridge 9 offered them a contract which they took. After signing they released “Chasing Hamburg” on B9 and have well over a million plays on Myspace. The record did well and was named one of the Most Anticipated of 2009 by the Alternative Press magazine. The band has a sound this isn’t exactly hardcore and isn’t exactly punk but it can be in touch with fans of many different genres of music.

They have toured through 2009 with bands such as Four Year Strong, Set Your Goals and a tour with label mates Stroke Anywhere and Crime in Stereo. After playing one MA date to end the year, they have plans to do an extensive tour of Europe, the UK and Australia.

www.myspace.com/polarbearclub
B9 page
Blog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgliU7-rtX4

Merch for ALL bands can be found at the Bridge Nine online store.
Records can be found in any Best Buy etc.

Paw Tracks

2009-12-08T16:56:00.001-08:00

Paw Tracks is a label started by experimental indie group Animal Collective. Originally the band had its own label under the names of Soccer Star then Animal; where they only produced their own albums and releases. When approached by Todd Hyman of their now sister label, Carpark Records to start their own label, they agreed. Paw Tracks started in 2003 and is located in Washington D.C. While final decisions are still made by Animal Collective, Hyman makes the day to day decisions of running the label.
Paw Tracks was meant to be a place for Animal Collective to release their own albums, and EPs with a more experienced label and with better distribution and to take the everyday decisions off their hands. Then in 2004 the label started recording Panda Bear solo albums. The label then became more than just for Animal Collective releases, but still sticks strictly to Animal Collective side projects and friends still to this day. Paw Tracks’ most successful release was Panda Bear’s 2007 release Person Pitch.
Animal Collective and Panda Bear have the largest fan base and record sale for the label. All artists on the label include; Animal Collective, Avey Tare & Kria Brekkan, Black Dice, Eric Copeland, Excepter, First Nation, Jane, Panda Bear, Peppermints, Rings, Ariel Pink, Terrestrial Tones, and Tickley Feather.

Official Website
Myspace

Animal Collective

Animal Collective consists of four guys Avey Tare (Dave Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (Brian Weitz), and Deakin (Josh Dibb) out of Baltimore, Maryland. Their genre of music isn’t something you can nail down, it is a “Collective” effort of many different sounds, including but not limited to, experimental, indie, folk, and psychedelic pop.
Lennox and Dibb met at a young age and became good friends. When entering high school Lennox moved away but kept in touch with Dibb. While attending a high school in Baltimore, Dibb met Portner and Weitz, they became friends and started playing music together. While Lennox and Dibb attended college in the Boston area, Weitz and Portner went to school in New York City. The four friends would return to Baltimore in the summer to play and make music together.
They released their first album Spirit They’ve Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished in 2000, mainly recorded by Avey Tare and Panda Bear. Since then they have released seven studio albums. Two of their eight albums have been released through Paw Tracks. Animal Collective has also released Hollindagain, a live album, on Paw Tracks.

Videos: Animal Collective- My Girls , Animal Collective- Fireworks
Official Website
Myspace

Avey Tare and Kria Brekkan
Avey Tare (Dave Portner) and Kria Brekkan (Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir) make up this two person experimental folk group. Avey is a main member of Animal Collective and Kria was the front woman of Mύm. Kria and Avey started playing music together in 2005. Kria appeared on the Animal Collective album Feels (2005) playing keys. Somewhere after that this artistic duo got married. The couple released their first album Pullhair Rubeye in 2007 on Paw Tracks.
*No official videos go to last.fm link for live videos.

Last.fm

Panda Bear

Panda Bear is a side solo project of Animal Collectives own Panda Bear (Noah Lennox). This is a very experimental genre of music, a lot of which is done with synthesizers. In 1998 he released his first album on Soccer Star; then two more albums Young Prayer in 2004 and Person Pitch in 2007 on Paw Tracks.
Panda Bear is also involved in the Paw Tracks band Jane, consisting of himself and Scott Mou. This soulful experimental dance music was created by these two friends in their homes; they released an album on Paw Tracks in 2005 called, Berserker. “We liked all the mechanical robo dance jams from Detroit and Chicago and Germany but we wanted to do something with less 0's and 1's and more souls.” – Panda Bear

Video: Panda Bear- Bros
Myspace

Links:
http://www.paw-tracks.com/
http://animalcollective.org/
http://www.youtube.com/user/PawTracksRecords
http://altmusic.about.com/od/recordlabels/a/pawtracks.htm
*Other information obtained through email contact at label.O

Epitaph Records

2009-12-08T13:18:00.001-08:00

Epitaph Records was founded in 1981 by Brett Gurewitz in Los Angeles, California. Although Gurewitz- the guitarist for the punk rock group Bad Religion- originally intended for the label to sell records for his own band as no more than "a logo and a P.O. box", under his direction Epitaph has matured into one of the most influential independent record labels in recent times. It has sometimes been credited as the driving force behind the punk rock revolution of the 1990's, and, with a reputation for consistent quality, continues to sign and promote hot new artists.

The 90's were a golden age for Epitaph. In 1994, punk rock broke out into the mainstream radio, and several Epitaph artists released hit records. The album "Smash" by The Offspring was, as its name suggests, a smash hit, selling over 11 million copies worldwide. NOFX and Rancid also had enormous success with their respective albums. Suddenly, orders were coming in faster than they could ship them out, and everyone wanted a piece of this small indie label. Gurewitz left Bad Religion (which had signed to A tlanti c in 1993) this same year so he could concentrate on running the label full-time.

In 2005 Epitaph joined the RIAA for reasons that remain unclear- possibly in order to receive certified sales awards. This caused some controversy, because some people believe that a record label should not be considered independent if they are part of this organization.

Despite breaking numerous gold, platinum, and multi-platinum acts, Epitaph has made a point to remain an independent label, while expanding their market and diversity. It has launched several sister labels, the most successful of which are Hellcat Records and ANTI-. Gurewitz has received several offers up to $100 million for half of his business, but has yet to accept any one of them. His objective continues to be maintaining an artist-first business approach, and, in his own words, to "do the right thing, have fun, and make money, in that order, and see where it takes us".

I Set My Friends On Fire
[Official Website]
[Myspace]

I Set My Friends On Fire is an experimental/post-hardcore duo from Miami, Florida, consisting of Nabil Moo and Matt Mihana. In September 2007 the two guys decided to record a rock/screamo version of Soulja Boy's "Crank Dat". They posted it on their Myspace page and quickly became internet legends- the song was a massive hit, racking up over 50,000 plays a day without any kind of professional promotion or tangible product. They followed this astonishing success with several more songs, all recorded at home by themselves, and continued to accumulate a huge cult internet following.

Determined to break out into the real world, Matt and Nabil obtained an interview with the Aquarian Weekly, as well as a slot in the Bamboozled 2008 music festival. It was at this time that they caught the attention of Brett Gurewitz of Epitaph Records, who recognized their talent and signed them to the label. The band immediately got to work recording songs for their debut album, released in October 2008, entitled "You Can't Spell Slaughter Without Laughter".

"Our album is very eclectic and we feel that it will give the people something completely new," explains Nabil. "It has all kinds of styles woven in. The album is like a typical relationship gone wrong, spanning emotions that include joy, uncertainty, anger, hate, confusion, alienation, and everything in between."

-Nabil

The Matches
[Official Website]
[Myspace]

The Matches are a four-person rock/alt group from Oakland, California. The band was formed in 1997 and currently consists of Shawn Harris, Jonathan Devoto, Dylan Rowe, and Matt Whalen. When the original members first created the band in high school they played ska music under the name "The Locals", but they gradually began to shift towards alternative rock. In 2002, due to copyright infringement, they were forced to change their name- another band had claimed it first.

In 2003 they released their debut album, "E. Von Dahl Killed the Locals", without a recording contract. The title presumably refers to their copyright dilemma- Yvonne Doll is the frontwoman for the band "The Locals" who insisted they change their name. Shortly after, in 2004, The Matches were signed to Epitaph Records and the label re-released their album, with a few changes. Two other albums followed: "Decomposer" in 2006 and "A Band in Hope" in 2008. The video for "Salty Eyes," Decomposer's opening track, was named the #1 video of the week by the editors of rollingstone.com, and described on spin.com as "one of the best videos we've seen all year".

In July 2009 The Matches announced that they'd be taking a hiatus to pursue personal side projects, and they played their last show in August at The Fillmore in New York. It is unknown whether or not they plan on eventually getting back together to record another album.

New Found Glory
[Myspace]

New Found Glory is a pop punk band hailing from Coral Springs, Florida. In 1997 high school buddies Jordan Pundik, Chad Gilbert, Steve Klein, Ian Grushka, and Joe Moreno came together to write music and within the year released their first, five-song EP on the small indie label Fiddler Records. They toured along the East Coast and managed to sell out the entire pressing of the album. Not long after this Cyrus Bolooki joined the band, taking the place of drummer Joe Moreno. Amazingly, they have managed to maintain the same line-up for more than ten years.

Their first full-length album was released in 1999 by Eulogy Recordings, and titled "Nothing Gold Can Stay", named after the poem by Robert Frost. The band signed a recording contract with Drive-Thru Records later that year, and the album was re-issued by the new label. The album and the tour that followed it helped procure for them a huge fan base, and they were recognized in Alternative Press feature "The 10 Influential Albums from 1999". The band released an EP of cover songs along with two more studio albums, both of which were certified gold by the RIAA. Their next two albums were released by Geffen Records, and received positive reviews.

In 2007, New Found Glory left Geffen Records. The band continued to write their next album, which they ultimately decided to record before choosing a new label. Chad Gilbert recalled, "When we announced that we were no longer signed to Geffen... Brett Gurewitz was the first one to call me". Their most recent album, "Not Without a Fight" was released in March 2009 by Epitaph Records, and they couldn't be happier about it.

"New Found Glory is back to where we want it to be: we tour, we play music and it's from the heart."

-Chad Gilbert

*For a complete list of past and present Epitaph artists, click HERE.

Sources:
Epitaph Offical Website
AllExperts.com
AllMusic.com
New Found Glory Interview

Interscope Records

2009-12-08T12:16:00.000-08:00

History
Interscope Records was formed by the team of Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field in 1990 with support from Atlantic Records. A&R executive John McClain and producer Beau Hill were also part of their team. The label's first release was by Latin-rapper Gerardo who had a gold hit with his single "Rico Suave" in 1991. Later that year, Interscope went on to sign artists such as Tupac Shakur, Primus, No Doubt, and Nine Inch Nails.

In 1992, Death Row Records was created with the financially support of Jimmy Iovine. Interscope was to distribute it's records. This record label became home to many of the early west coast rappers such as 2Pac, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg. Dr. Dre's first album, "The Chronic", went triple platinum. Shortly after, Snoop Dogg's "Doggystyle" sold over 800,000 copies in the first week and was extremely successful as well. The success of these artists made Death Row Records and Interscope Records extremely powerful in the Music Industry.

After the death of Tupac Shakur in 1996, Death Row Records began to collapse. Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog had both left the label a year earlier. In the summer of 1997, Interscope was pressured by Universal Music Group to sell all of their shares in the label. Once known for being the label of many hip hop and rap artists, Interscope Records began to expand and began experiencing success in almost every genre.

In 1998, Geffen Records and A&M Records were merged into Interscope. Six years later, in 2004, Dreamworks was merged with the Geffen-A&M-Interscope group which brought over even more artists which were divided between Interscope Records and Geffen Records

Under Interscope, there are a handful of other labels. A few of them are Cherrytree Records which was used for emerging artists, G-Unit Records, and Timbaland's label Mosley Music Group.

Here, Jimmy Iovine was asked about the future of Interscope Records:

Some of Interscope Records current artists include (but are not limited to):
50 Cent
AFI
Brand New
Sheryl Crow
D-12
Dr. Dre
Fergie
G-Unit
Lady Gaga
M.I.A.
Pussycat Dolls
Timbaland
U2

TV on the Radio
Gerard A. Smith
Bass, Organ, Synths, Samples, Rhodes
David Andrew Sitek
Programming, Guitars, Samples, Bass, Synths
Kyp Malone
Vocals, Guitars, Synths, Bass
Tunde Adebimpe
Vocals
Jaleel Bunton-Drums
Guitars,Rhodes, Organs, Synths, Bass, Programming

Official Website
Official Myspace

TV on the Radio, often abbreviated as TVotR, is a band out of New York City which was formed in 2001. A very experimental group, TV on the Radio has been known to incorporate styles such as a cappella, jazz, electronic, and almost everything in between into their music. The band has released three albums: Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes (2004), Return to Cookie Mountain (2006), and their latest release Dear Science (2008) which was produced by David Sitek, one of the members of TVotR.

While their first studio album was not released through Interscope Records, Return to Cookie Mountain was released through Interscope in the United States and Canada. The same album was released overseas through the label 4AD in Europe. After the success of Return to Cookie Mountain, TV on the Radio released their third, most recent album Dear Science in 2008 on Interscope/4AD again.

Interview with TV on the Radio's Gerard Smith and Tunde Adebimpe from Brooklyn Rail 2008. (Contains details of the band's formation)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Karen O
Vocals, Piano
Nick Zinner
Guitar, Keyboard
Brian Chase
Drums

Official Website
Official Myspace

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an alternative rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The band's first album Fever to Tell was released through Interscope in 2003. It included 4 hit singles, including the most popular hit "Maps".

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs followed up with Fever to Tell with Show Your bones (2006) and It's Blitz! (2009). The band also released a video album in 2004. It's called Tell Me What Rockers to Swallow and it includes footage from a live performance and also all of the band's music videos through 2004.

Keri Hilson
- born in 1982 in Decatur, Georgia

Official Website
Official Myspace

During Keri Hilson's childhood, she grew up studying piano and singing. She then attended Emory College where she majored in theater.

Keri Hilson started her career in songwriting in 2001 where she ended up writing songs for artists such as Britney Spears, Ciara, Usher, and Ludacris. In 2006, she was signed to Timbaland's label, Mosley Music Group and was featured on tracks by Diddy and Lloyd Banks.

One day, while working in the studio, she was asked which producer she felt could carry where she wanted to go as an artist. She replied with Timbaland, who coincidentally enough was looking for a black female R&B artist. She signed over the phone, and began working that weekend on tracks on Timbaland's album.

Hilson's solo album In a Perfect World... was released in early 2009; it debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200. She has since had success with her hit singles "Energy", "Turnin' Me On", and "Knock You Down".

BLUE NOTE RECORDS

2009-12-08T10:56:00.000-08:00

Blue Note Records is one of the greatest jazz record labels to be established in history. Alfred Lion and Max Margulis began the label in 1939 with help of Nazi-controlled Germany escapee Francis Wolff. Lion became in love with jazz when he began to hear boogie-woogie styled piano players at Carnegie Hall. Soon after that show he invited Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis (the players he saw at Carngie) to record at a New York Studio, thus beginning the Blue Note Records saga.

Blue Note Records seemed to get off to a great start, recording artists like Sidney Bechet, James P. Johnson, and Bud Powell. In the late 1940s Blue Note released several records for the great jazz piano improviser Thelonious Monk. For several years his recordings were not selling well and most people showed disinterest in his style. Today those recordings are considered some of the most influential tunes from the bop era.

In early 1980s EMI absorbed Blue Note Records after purchasing United Artists Records. The label stayed relatively inactive over the next couple years until they began doing re-issues and signing new artists in the early 2000s. Long-time associated act John Scofield has recently released several different projects with Blue Note. As of this year Blue Note artist Norah Jones released her latest album The Fall with great success. Also many legendary hip hop artists and producers like ?Love and Madlib have recently been releasing hip hop instrumentals albums all based off the Blue Note Record catalog.

http://www.bluenote.com/

JOHN SCOFIELD

John Scofield has to be one of the most influential jazz guitar improvisers in the past couple decades. Raised in Connecticut Scofield began playing guitar at age 11 with interest in many styles and guitarists. After attending a few years at Berklee College of Music in Boston, he began playing and recording in jazz groups with players like Charles Mingus and Chet Baker. By the late 1970s Scofield was widely known as a great jazz musician and composer.

After about five years of touring and recording with Miles Davis, Scofield started to tour as the prominent lead in his band. His music could best be described as funk jazz-fusion, post-bop, or R&B. Scofield was signed by Blue Note in the early 90s where he released over fifteen albums. Most recently Scofield has been touring and recording as Medeski, Scofield, Martin, and Wood a heavily popular modern jazz quartet.

http://www.johnscofield.com/

MEDESKI, MARTIN, AND WOOD

Medeski, Martin, and Wood are one of the most influential modern jazz-fusion today, showcasing their abilities in creativity and improvisation. The trio consists of piano/organ/keyboard player John Medeski, bassist Chris Wood, and drummer/percussionist Billy Martin. In 1991 the three musicians began making a name for them exploring the rapidly growing underground jazz scene in NYC. After a year of east coast touring and their first release “Notes From The Underground” MMW starting making their way all across the country.
Developing a new sound was easy for MMW, all highly trained jazz improvisation students they focused on repetitive hip hop styled rhythms that left enough space for each to solo. Their big break happened in the mid 90s when they opened for Phish, in doing this getting the label “Jam Band.” Soon after this Blue Note signed MMW where they went on to record many albums and have become one of the biggest driving forces in the modern jazz scene. Today Medeski, Martin, and Wood are constantly touring often with John Scofield as a jazz quartet. Medeski, Scofield, Martin, and Wood have also recorded two albums together.

http://www.mmw.net/

AMOS LEE
Amos Lee a singer/songwriter from Philadelphia, PA and was picked up by Blue Note Records in 2004. Lee is a classic example of a persistent dedicated musician. With a strong affinity for artists like Thelonious Monk and James Taylor, Lee developed a folk R&B style and self-produced his own five song EP. With heavy popularity in the Philadelphia area specifically 88.5 WXPN, Norah Jones invited him to open on her tour. Soon after he was signed to Blue Note.
In 2005 Lee’s debut self-titled album was released with great success, peaking at #2 on the Billboard charts. Hit songs “Colors” and “Keep it Loose, Keep it Tight” were featured on several television series. In 2006 Lee’s second album Supply and Demand was released. The song “Sweat Pea” became widely popular from exposure in an AT&T commercial. His latest album Last Days at the Lodge was released in 2008 and recently released an iTunes exclusive live performance.

http://www.amoslee.com/

Casey Buote

Alligator Records

2009-12-07T16:52:00.000-08:00

Alligator Records was started by Bruce Iglauer at the age of 23 with the sole purpose of recording one of his favorite bands, Hound Dog Taylor and the Houserockers. Iglauer was working for Delmark Records in Chicago in the early 70’s and would spend most of his free time hanging out in blues clubs at night. He became a huge fan of Hound Dog Taylor and decided he wanted to help them get a record. He tried to get them recorded under Delmark Records but the founder, Bob Koester, refused. In 1971 Iglauer took matters into his own hands and decided to record Hound Dog Taylor, and that is how Alligator got its start. The name for Alligator Records actually came from the way Bruce clicked out rhythm patterns with his teeth when he liked a song.

For $900 he recorded Hound Dog Taylor and pressed 1000 copies. He went from Chicago to New York visiting progressive rock and college radio stations and record distributors to get air play and to sell the album. Nine months after the album was finished Iglauer quit Delmark Records and began to run Alligator full time as a one man operation. Alligator started to grow slowly and its artists toured heavily for revenue. In 1975 Alligator Signed Koko Taylor, her debut album gave alligator records it’s first of 34 Grammy nominations.

As time wore on Alligators Reputation was growing in the world of blues music. In 1984 Alligator signed Johnny Winter, he released the Album Guitar Slinger, this earned Alligator another Grammy nomination and it was the first album for Alligator Records to break into the billboard’s Top 200 chart. By 1991 Alligator Records became the biggest, most successful blues label in the world. Alligator was also the first blues label to produce CD’s and one of the first to market their catalog over the internet. Below is a list of all the artists under Alligator Records.

Gaye Adegbalola Luther Allison Billy Boy Arnold Marcia Ball Carey Bell Big Twist Elvin Bishop Billy Branch Big Leon Brooks Lonnie Brooks Andrew Brown Charles Brown Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown Nappy Brown Roy Buchanan Buckwheat Zydeco Michael Burks Henry Butler Tommy Castro Cephas & Wiggins C.J. Chenier Clifton Chenier W.C. Clark William Clarke Eddy Clearwater Michael Coleman Albert Collins Johnny Copeland Shemekia Copeland James Cotton Robert Cray Detroit Junior Floyd Dixon Tinsley Ellis Queen Sylvia Embry Rick Estrin & The Nightcats Lacy Gibson JJ Grey & Mofro Guitar Shorty Buddy Guy Corey Harris Johnny Heartsman Michael Hill's Blues Mob Dave Hole The Holmes Brothers Big Walter Horton Long John Hunter John Jackson Jimmy Johnson Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson Johnny Jones The Kinsey Report Smokin' Joe Kubek & Bnois King Lovie Lee Left Hand Frank Lazy Lester Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials Eric Lindell Little Charlie & The Nightcats Professor Longhair Lonnie Mack Magic Slim Janiva Magness Bob Margolin Delbert McClinton The Mellow Fellows Coco Montoya Charlie Musselwhite Kenny Neal Raful Neal Johnny Otis The Paladins Dion Payton Pinetop Perkins Lucky Peterson Professor's Blues Review Ann Rabson AC Reed Fenton Robinson Lee Rocker Roomful of Blues Otis Rush Saffire--The Uppity Blues Women Scotty and the Rib Tips Son Seals Eddie Shaw Corky Siegel's Chamber Blues Siegel-Schwall Band Little Smokey Smothers Mavis Staples Sugar Blue Hound Dog Taylor Koko Taylor Melvin Taylor Sonny Terry Rufus Thomas Maurice John Vaughn Johnny 'Big Moose' Walker Phillip Walker John Watkins Noble "Thin Man" Watts Katie Webster Valerie Wellington Junior Wells Johnny Winter Rusty Zinn

JJ Grey and MOFRO

JJ Grey and Mofro got their start in 2001 with the release of their debut album Blackwater released under producer Dan Prothero’s label Fog City Records. The album was received well and named one of the best records of the decade by amazon.com. Their follow up album Lochloosa received praises from Rolling Stone critics, the album was also featured on their “Critics top ten lists”. In 2007 MOFRO signed with Alligator Records and released their third album Country Ghetto and changing their name from MOFRO to JJ Grey and MOFRO. In an interview for the Mountain Xpress Grey said “for some people [the name change] might not be a big deal at all, and for a handful it might be a super-big deal—for God knows what reason. But for me the only thing that made it enough of an issue to address was that this is the diary of my life, so to speak, laid out musically.” In 2008 JJ Grey and MOFRO released Orange Blossoms also under Alligator. Orange Blossoms is different from the others due to using female back-up singers and Grey is also becoming much more comfortable in his skin. This band is destined for greatness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecp-nD5aXIs - Orange Blossoms Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7CUR2cozts - On Fire Video

www.mofro.net

www.myspace.com/mofroband

Johnny Winter

Johnny winter started out in a band called Johnny and the jammers with his brother Edgar. They recorded a few songs and became popular locally in Texas. He played in other bands and would hitchhike to Louisiana to play in clubs as a sideman. In 1963 he recorded the single “Eternally” for a small label that leased the song to Atlantic. This helped him immensely, he started opening for the Everly Brothers and Jerry Lee Lewis. Between 68 and 81 he recorded a number of popular albums, Johnny Winter, Second Winter, Johnny Winter And…, Johnny Winter And…Live. Johnny Winter and Live was his highest selling album ever and considered to be an essential hard rock album.

In 1984 after a hiatus for four years from recording he released Guitar Slinger on Alligator Records. He earned a Grammy nomination and it is widely perceived to be his best album. In 85 he released serious business and the following year he released Third degree, his last release on Alligator.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tyg5SJDpiQ – Be careful with a fool

www.johnnywinter.net

Albert Collins

Collins, who was the cousin of blues master Lightnin’ Hopkins, had a very unique sound to his playing. He used different minor guitar tunings, and aggressive right-handed attack with his thumb and index finger. Influenced by T-Bone Walker and John Lee Hooker, Albert created his own sound with his band in the early 50’s playing clubs in Texas. He began recording instrumental blues tunes like ‘Frosty’ and ‘sno cone’ which received radio play on R&B stations.

In 1978 when Collins signed with Alligator he released “Ice Pickin’” it won best blues album of the year award from the Montreux Jazz Festival and nominated for a Grammy. Collins’ greatest success was an album he recorded with Johnny Copeland and Robert Cray named “Showdown!” This record earned him a Grammy Award. In 1993 Albert Collins died of complications from lung cancer. He left behind an enormous blues legacy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihvvf1R_vWo - Albert Collins – Iceman

Sources - www.wikpedia.com

www.mofro.net

http://www.yee.ch/winter/

www.johnnywinter.net

www.alligator.com

Island Records

2009-12-07T12:43:00.000-08:00

Island Records History

Island Records was founded in Jamaica in 1959 by Chris Blackwell. The first album released, Boogie In My Bones by ska singer Laurel Aitken, stayed at number 1 on the Jamaican charts for 11 weeks, which was only the beginning of success for Island Records.

In 1962, Blackwell moved from its Jamaican roots to London. "I went to the UK rather than the US because there was a huge Jamaican population,” said Blackwell. “I bought a list of the 20 major record stores catering for black music from Carlo Kramer at Esquire Records and started from there." (Island Records). The music produced by Island Records soon moved from the all-night blues parties to the hottest dance clubs in London. Blackwell’s ear allowed him to hear the potential of marrying ska and R&B into what became his first international hit, “My Boy Lollipop,” by Millie Small.

Recognizing a shift in music trends, by the 1970’s, Island had become one of the leading producers of rock music in London. It was in 1973 that Blackwell’s Jamaican beginnings led him back to his reggae roots, with one of the most successful acquisitions of Island’s long history, the signing of Bob Marley. “With Marley turning the once minority sport of reggae into a multi-million pound business, Island was ideally placed via Blackwell's Jamaican connections to become the leading player, just as it had done only a few years earlier with prog rock. By the late 1970s the label had an unrivalled roster of top reggae stars, which included the likes of Toots and the Maytals, Aswad, Steel Pulse and many others.” (Island Records)

Towards the end of the 1980’s, Island went through a series of changes. Blackwell sold Island to Polygram in 1989. Polygram and its associated labels were purchased by Seagrams in 1998, and the various labels are now under the umbrella of UMG, or Universal Music Group, LLC, where it has remained ever since. This year marks the 50th year anniversary of Island Records. Says Blackwell: "When I recorded 'Lance Hayward at the Half Moon' in 1959 at Federal Records Studio in Kingston, Jamaica, I had no inkling what path this had set me on. It was always my intention at Island to make records that stood the test of time, and I'm proud that Island is still a potent force in music 50 years since that first release." (Island Records)

Bob Marley

“Bob Marley¹s musical career stretched over twenty years. During that time his style reflected every new development in the rise of modern Jamaican music-from ska to contemporary "international" reggae.”

He began in the 1960’s as a solo artist. After cutting a few sides, Marley met Bunny Livingston and Peter Macintosh, and then decided to form the Wailing Wailers. (Macintosh later shortened his name to Tosh, while Livingston became known as Bunny Wailer.)

The Wailing Wailers were recorded by Clement “Coxsone” Dodd, a record producer in Kingston, who was introduced to them by a Rastafarian hand drummer named Alvin Patterson. “It was in early 1964, as a founding member of the Wailing Wailers that Bob first hit the Jamaican charts.”

Over the next few years, the Wailing Wailers put out 30+ sides and one of the hottest groups in Jamaica, with the additions Junior Braithwaite and the back-up singers Beverly Kelso and Cherry. This, however, was not the end for the Wailing Wailers. After moving to the United States and getting married to Rita Anderson, Marley moved back to Jamaica in October of 1966 and re-joined with Peter and Bunny to form the group which was simply called, the Wailers.

During the 60’s, the group embraced the Rastafarian culture that was becoming more and more popular at the time. This brought them into conflict with Dodd, and they formed their own record label. It wasn’t until the 70’s when Island signed the Wailers for an $8000 advance that they truly became popular. After touring successfully in Britain, Bunny decided to not join the band on their next tour in the United States and was replaced by Joe Higgs, the original teacher of the Wailers.

Under the name Bob Marley and the Wailers eleven albums were released, four live albums and seven studio albums. The releases included Babylon by Bus, a double live album with 13 tracks, was released in 1978 to critical acclaim. This album, and specifically the final track "Jammin'" with the audience in a frenzy, captured the intensity of Marley's live performances.[24] Survival, a defiant and politically charged album, was released in 1979. Tracks such as "Zimbabwe", "Africa Unite", "Wake Up and Live", and "Survival" reflected Marley's support for the struggles of Africans. His appearance at the Amandla Festival in Boston in July 1979 showed his strong opposition to South African apartheid, which he already had shown in his song "War" in 1976. In early 1980, he was invited to perform at the April 17 celebration of Zimbabwe's Independence Day. Uprising (1980) was Bob Marley's final studio album, and is one of his most religious productions, including "Redemption Song" and "Forever Loving Jah".[25] Confrontation, released posthumously in 1983, contained unreleased material recorded during Marley's lifetime, including the hit "Buffalo Soldier" and new mixes of singles previously only available in Jamaica"

-Wikipedia

After finding a melanoma on one of his toes, Marley’s life came to a tragic end after fighting the cancer which had spread through his body for 8 months. “A month before the end Bob was awarded Jamaica's Order of Merit, the nations' third highest honor, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the country's culture. On Thursday, May 23,1981, the Honorable Robert Nesta Marley was given an official funeral by the people of Jamaica. Following the funeral -- attended by both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition -- Bob's body was taken to his birthplace where it now rests in a mausoleum. Bob Marley was 36 years old. His legend lives on.” (http://www.niceup.com/)

Colbie Caillat

Colbie Caillat is an artist of many generations. After becoming internationally known to the world via the global networking site, Myspace, her debut album “Coco” allowed her to have a top 10 single on Billboard Hot 100 charts.

Although she is an artist who got her start on the internet, she does not want to be known as someone who is just full of singles and no substance. Says Caillat, "If you listen to an album like Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, every song has its place," she says. "If you took one away you'd spoil the balance of the entire record. That's the kind of album I wanted to make. It wouldn’t feel right to have my name on a record that was just a few good tracks and then lots of filler." (Island Records).

She began singing with serious intent at the age of 11 after hearing Lauryn Hill's version of Killing Me Softly.

At the age of 19, only just over 2 years ago, she picked up the acoustic guitar and never let go. She began writing songs that day. After writing the now hit single, “Bubbly,” and putting it on her Myspace page, Caillat became known as one of the most successful viral stars of all time. The song received over 10 million hits in just 4 months, catapulting her into instant stardom.

Jack Johnson

If there was ever somebody whose musical fame was unexpected, it is Jack Johnson. The son of a professional surfer and growing up in Hawaii, he was a semi-professional surfer sponsored by Quicksilver by the age of 10. It wasn’t until he was 17-years-old, after a near-death experience crashing into a reef that left him with over 150 stitches, did he decide to hang up his surf board.

Although he wrote songs in his bed, Johnson had a different view for his life. He studied film at the University of California, where he graduated from and went on to make documentaries. Music was never far away, as he contributed to the scores of his films.

It wasn’t until meeting musician G. Love that music came into the forefront of Johnson’s life. Ironically, G. Love only came to Johnson for surfing lessons. G. Love recorded Johnson’s original song, “Rodeo Clowns” on his mix-tape, which ended up in the hands of Ben Harper's producer, J.P. Plunier.

He released his first album, “Brushfire Tales” in 2001, but it was his second album “On and On” which gave him notoriety. Since then, Johnson has released 3 more studio recorded albums, including the soundtrack for the animated movie, “Curious George”. The album was also named the first soundtrack to an animated film to top the Billboard 200 since "Pocahontas" soundtrack in July 1995. His most recent album, “Sleep Through the Static”, also reached number one on the charts.

Warner Brothers Record

2009-12-07T11:59:00.000-08:00

Warner Brothers Records

Offical Website: http://www.warnerbrosrecords.com/

Founded: March 19, 1958
Founder: Jack Warner
Parent Company: Warner Music Group

Locations: Burbank, California/ New York, New York

Distributor: Warner Brothers Records (USA)/ WEA International Inc. (outside US)

Chairman & CEO: Tom Whalley
Links: http://www.myspace.com/wbrnashville
http://www.wmg.com/

Jack Warner founded this company over 50 years ago as an offshoot off Warner Brothers Studios. In 1963, Warner Brother Record’s Acquired Frank Sinatra’s Reprise Label creating the major power that the label is known as today.
Over the Label’s 50 year existence Warner Brother Records has acquired and created a slew of labels representing almost all styles of music. Many of the artists on the label today are top selling artists such: as Avenged Sevenfold, Goo Goo Dolls, Linkin Park, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Cher.

Through the labels fifty years of producing hit records Warner has created an impressive catalogue of music. This catalogue includes: Black Sabbath Miles Davis, Dire Straits, The Grateful Dead, and Van Halen.
The Record label has grown to become one of the largest record companies and according to www.wmg.com "was ranked the No. 1 record label in the U.S. as measured by Total Album share and has been ranked one of the country's top three labels every year since 2003."

Avenged Sevenfold

Offical Website: http://www.avengedsevenfold.com/

Records on WBR: 2

Years on WBR: 5

Records: City of Evil- 2005/ Avenged Sevenfold- 2007/ Live in the LBC and Diamonds in the

Rough- 2008

Avenged Sevenfold is an American hard rock band from California. By the time Avenged Sevenfold was singed by Warner Brothers, they were an emerging metal quintet in the metalcore scene. However the lead singer, M. Shadows, stated he wanted to have future records predominately sung. By the time they released their first record on Warner Brothers, "City of Evil", they had moved into the classic metal realm of Iron Maiden and Metallica.

The album went on to sell over a 1.5 million copies and helped lead them into mainstream rock success. City of Evil featured such hits as The Beast and the Harlot, Seize the Day, and the MTV TRL smash hit Bat Country.
Their self-titled follow up saw the return of their older styled songs as well as ventures into new sounds including a broad way and country song. Although the record had a mixed reception by fans it has sold over 500,000 copies and Kerrang! named it album of the year in 2008. The CD “Avenged Sevenfold” features such hits as Almost Easy, Dear God, and Afterlife.

They followed the Avenged Sevenfold up with a live DVD/CD B-sides called “Live in LBC and Diamonds in the Rough”. The DVD showcases their incredibly tight and energetic live shows; and the B-sides CD, “Diamonds in the Rough”, featured 11 songs including the single Crossroads. This went on to sell over a 100,000 copies certifying it platinum on November 8th 2008 by the RIAA.

The White Stripes

Official Website: http://www.whitestripes.net/

Records on WBR: 1

Years on WBR: 2

Records: Icky Thump

The White Stripes are an American rock duo out of Detroit, Michigan. Heavily influenced by early punk and rock The White Stripes have developed a unique and creative style of rock. The White Stripes signed a one album contract with Warner Brothers Records after their previous label V2 had been deconstructed. At the time of the signing, the band had released 5 albums and had major success including Grammy awards and being placed on multiple albums of the year lists.

The White Stripes released their sixth album, Icky Thump, in 2007 to great success. Not only was the album well received by fans but it was a critical success as well. The album saw a return to their roots and showcases the bands raw talent as well as introduces new themes such as avante-garde and Scottish folk music.

The White Stripes have announced that they have begun writing and recording their seventh album, after a short hiatus. However, they have not stated with what label they will be releasing this record.

Linkin Park

Official Website:http://linkinpark.com/

Records on WBR: 7

Years on WBR: 10

Records: Hybrid Theory, Reanimation, Meteora, Live in Texas, Collision Course, Minutes to Midnight, Road to Revolution: Live at Milton Keynes

Linkin Park is a rap rock/ Alternative rock outfit from Agora Hills California. Signed by Jeff Blue, VP of WBR, in 1999 this group has gone on to become one of the top selling hard rock acts in the world. They began with their highly successful debut release, Hybrid Theory. Hybrid Theory became a surprise smash hit, selling 29 million copies worldwide in 2000. It garnered critical success and was nominated for: “Album of the Year” at the 2002 Grammy Awards. Hybrid theory includes such hits as One Step Closer, In the End and Grammy winning single Crawling.

Following the major success Linkin Park released a remix CD in 2002 entitled, Reanimation. This CD was essentially a much more electronic version of Hybrid Theory. It included every song on their previously released album remixed by emerging Hip-Hop artists, as well as a few B-Side tunes. Reanimation was another highly successful album staying on the charts for 33 consecutive weeks as well as being certified platinum in 2002.

In 2003 Linkin Park released their true sophomore effort, Meteora. This album progressed along the lines of Hybrid Theory with heavy hitting songs with catchy choruses. This album was another commercial and critical success. It sold over 800,000 copies in its first week and has gone on to be certified 4x platinum in the US, however it has sold over 16 million copies worldwide. Meteora had many singles but one single alone made this album the incredible success it was. The single Numb set chart records and becoming one of the bands most recognized songs.

After the success of their sophomore record Linkin Park took time to work on side projects such as Dead by Sunrise. However they soon went back into the studio to remix a few songs with Jay-Z. The result was the 2004 EP, Collision Course. This was a CD/DVD release that documented the making of and had a live show as well as studio versions of the songs. The release was popular amongst fans and the single Numb/Encore stayed on the charts for six weeks and eventually was certified Platinum by the RIAA in 2005.

Linkin Park return in full swing in 2007 with the release of its 3rd studio album, Minutes to Midnight. The album debuted at number one and sold over 600,000 copies its first week. The album marked a sound change with the band, exploring the softer and more experimental side of the band veering far away from the bands heavy roots. The highly successful singles such as What I’ve Done and Shadow of the Day have led the album to be certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA in 2007. Critical reception was both favorable and not, earning 4 out of five by Rolling stones and a C by Entertainment Weekly.