Indianola Records
Encyclopedia
Indianola Records is an independent record label
that mainly focuses on hardcore
and metal
.
and subsequent releases. Indianola is run by its two owners, John Giddens and Matt Shelton
bands under the name Black and Blue Studios, one of these bands was Life Before, an early wave melodic hardcore band fronted by John Giddens. The demo, simply entitled "Summer Demo", quickly led to ramping up the record label side of the idea with Giddens and Shelton wanting to put out a full length record for Life Before.
Geographically, the farm house was located on a stretch of family land that had been in Shelton's family since the Civil War, it was called Indianola. With the Life Before project gearing up, a name for the record label was needed and Indianola Records was chosen.
During this time, the studio side of the project was abandoned and Indianola Records released 3 albums: Life Before "Reflections on Tomorrow, Wisenbaker "Contemplating Whether or Not to Tell You, I Love You" and a compilation of artists entitled "Somewhere Between Glory and Despair". John Giddens became heavily involved with these releases and was quickly made a co-owner. Two demo tracks from Evergreen Terrace
appeared on "Somewhere Between Glory and Depair".
and the Evergreen Terrace vs. xOne Fifthx albums by Evergreen Terrace
, along with records from A Jealousy Issue, Sleeping by the Riverside and This Runs Through, Indianola Records reached an exclusive distribution agreement with Lumberjack Distribution. "A Tragedy in Progress" by Across Five Aprils
was the label's first exclusive release.
This period saw the release of such bands as A Day to Remember
, Across Five Aprils
, Casey Jones
, Glory of This, Life in Your Way
, Odd Project
and many more.
Michael Gibbs and Bo Barber left active participation with the label during this time to pursue other career goals. Jeff Davis died, and Sleeping by the Riverside's "A Breath Between Battles" is dedicated to him.
At the end of 2007 owner John Giddens struck a distribution deal with Koch Distribution. Koch was later sold and rebranded as E1 Entertainment One. Indianola is currently distributed by E1.
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
that mainly focuses on hardcore
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
and metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
.
Overview
Indianola Records was founded in 1999 with the release of Life Before's "Reflections on Tomorrow". The label quickly gained worldwide recognition in 2001 with the release of Evergreen Terrace’s Losing All Hope Is FreedomLosing All Hope Is Freedom
Losing All Hope Is Freedom is the debut album released by the melodic hardcore band Evergreen Terrace. The title is drawn from the novel Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk.-Track listing:# "Sweet Nothings Gone Forever" – 3:22# "Tevis Sux" – 1:57...
and subsequent releases. Indianola is run by its two owners, John Giddens and Matt Shelton
Early History
Originally envisioned as a studio and record label; Matt Shelton, Bo Barber, Michael Gibbs and Jeff Davis built a small studio into a family farm house of Shelton's in 1998. During this time they did demos for several Valdosta, GeorgiaValdosta, Georgia
Valdosta is the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, United States. It is the principal city of the Valdosta Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of 54,518. The Valdosta metropolitan area, according to the 2010 estimate, has a population of 139,588...
bands under the name Black and Blue Studios, one of these bands was Life Before, an early wave melodic hardcore band fronted by John Giddens. The demo, simply entitled "Summer Demo", quickly led to ramping up the record label side of the idea with Giddens and Shelton wanting to put out a full length record for Life Before.
Geographically, the farm house was located on a stretch of family land that had been in Shelton's family since the Civil War, it was called Indianola. With the Life Before project gearing up, a name for the record label was needed and Indianola Records was chosen.
During this time, the studio side of the project was abandoned and Indianola Records released 3 albums: Life Before "Reflections on Tomorrow, Wisenbaker "Contemplating Whether or Not to Tell You, I Love You" and a compilation of artists entitled "Somewhere Between Glory and Despair". John Giddens became heavily involved with these releases and was quickly made a co-owner. Two demo tracks from Evergreen Terrace
Evergreen Terrace
Evergreen Terrace is a five-piece melodic hardcore/metalcore band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1999, they are named after the street on which The Simpsons claim residence...
appeared on "Somewhere Between Glory and Depair".
Exclusive distribution
With the release of Losing All Hope Is FreedomLosing All Hope Is Freedom
Losing All Hope Is Freedom is the debut album released by the melodic hardcore band Evergreen Terrace. The title is drawn from the novel Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk.-Track listing:# "Sweet Nothings Gone Forever" – 3:22# "Tevis Sux" – 1:57...
and the Evergreen Terrace vs. xOne Fifthx albums by Evergreen Terrace
Evergreen Terrace (band)
Evergreen Terrace is a five-piece melodic hardcore/metalcore band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1999, they are named after the street on which The Simpsons claim residence...
, along with records from A Jealousy Issue, Sleeping by the Riverside and This Runs Through, Indianola Records reached an exclusive distribution agreement with Lumberjack Distribution. "A Tragedy in Progress" by Across Five Aprils
Across Five Aprils
Across Five Aprils is a novel by Irene Hunt, set in the Civil War era. Jethro Creighton, the main character, was Irene Hunt's real grandfather. He told her the stories, and she incorporated them into Across Five Aprils.-Plot summary:...
was the label's first exclusive release.
This period saw the release of such bands as A Day to Remember
A Day to Remember
A Day to Remember is an American rock band from Ocala, Florida. Founded in 2003 by guitarist Tom Denny and drummer Bobby Scruggs, the band has released four studio albums, nine singles and eight music videos...
, Across Five Aprils
Across Five Aprils (band)
Across Five Aprils was a post-hardcore band from Chattanooga, Tennessee. The band started in September 2001 and were signed to Victory Records. Their name was borrowed from the late Irene Hunt Novel based around the American Civil War...
, Casey Jones
Casey Jones (band)
Casey Jones is a straight edge hardcore band from Jacksonville, Florida. The band consists of members from Evergreen Terrace and Anchors Away and is currently signed to Eulogy Records.-History:...
, Glory of This, Life in Your Way
Life in Your Way
Life in Your Way is a melodic hardcore band from Connecticut. All members of the band are adherent to the Christian faith.-History:The band was formed by three long-time friends Josh Kellam, Dave Bullock, and Todd Mackey...
, Odd Project
Odd Project
Odd Project was a metalcore band from Orange County, California, which originally formed in 2000 and has recorded a few demos which resulted in a multi-album deal with Indianola Records. Odd Project then entered the recording studio at Zing Studio's and recorded "The Second Hand Stopped" in just...
and many more.
Michael Gibbs and Bo Barber left active participation with the label during this time to pursue other career goals. Jeff Davis died, and Sleeping by the Riverside's "A Breath Between Battles" is dedicated to him.
At the end of 2007 owner John Giddens struck a distribution deal with Koch Distribution. Koch was later sold and rebranded as E1 Entertainment One. Indianola is currently distributed by E1.
Current artists
- A Tragedy in ProgressA Tragedy in Progress (band)A Tragedy in Progress is a metalcore band from Chattanooga, Tennessee, formed in late 2010. The band features the original line-up of metalcore outfit Across Five Aprils, who appeared on the band's 2003 debut album A Tragedy in Progress, and thus the band is named after that album...
[original Across Five Aprils line-up] - Boys No Good
- Forgiven RivalForgiven RivalForgiven Rival was an Australian post-hardcore band from Melbourne, Victoria. The band play a blend of post-hardcore and melodic rock.- History :...
- Oh, Manhattan
- Scream Out Loud
- This Day Will Tell
- Words Like Daggers
Previous artists
- Life Before (the first Indianola band)
- A Day to RememberA Day to RememberA Day to Remember is an American rock band from Ocala, Florida. Founded in 2003 by guitarist Tom Denny and drummer Bobby Scruggs, the band has released four studio albums, nine singles and eight music videos...
(currently on Victory RecordsVictory RecordsVictory Records is a Chicago-based record label founded by Tony Brummel. It is a privately held corporation. It also operates a music publishing company called "Another Victory, Inc." and is the distributor of several smaller independent record labels....
) - A Jealousy Issue (ex-members of Poison the WellPoison the Well (band)Poison the Well was an experimental hardcore band from Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Florida who were last signed to Ferret Music. Guitarist Ryan Primack and drummer Chris Hornbrook were the only remaining members of the band who were involved since their inception, although vocalist Jeffrey Moreira was...
; disbanded) - Across Five AprilsAcross Five Aprils (band)Across Five Aprils was a post-hardcore band from Chattanooga, Tennessee. The band started in September 2001 and were signed to Victory Records. Their name was borrowed from the late Irene Hunt Novel based around the American Civil War...
(Victory RecordsVictory RecordsVictory Records is a Chicago-based record label founded by Tony Brummel. It is a privately held corporation. It also operates a music publishing company called "Another Victory, Inc." and is the distributor of several smaller independent record labels....
; disbanded) - Caldwell
- Casey JonesCasey Jones (band)Casey Jones is a straight edge hardcore band from Jacksonville, Florida. The band consists of members from Evergreen Terrace and Anchors Away and is currently signed to Eulogy Records.-History:...
(members of Evergreen Terrace) - Evergreen TerraceEvergreen Terrace (band)Evergreen Terrace is a five-piece melodic hardcore/metalcore band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1999, they are named after the street on which The Simpsons claim residence...
(currently on Metal Blade RecordsMetal Blade RecordsMetal Blade Records is a record label which was founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The U.S. corporate office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Arizona, Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony BMG Music...
) - Glory of This [(Disbanded) Related Artists - Ambush!, Young Hollywood]
- Gunmetal GreyGunmetal GreyGunmetal Grey is a thrashcore band that was formed in 2002 as a side project of some San Francisco Bay area hardcore veterans. It was formed by Stephen Lauck and drummer Brandon Thomas . They currently have one album out, titled Solitude...
(disbanded, vocalist now in All Shall PerishAll Shall PerishAll Shall Perish is an American deathcore band from Oakland, California, formed in 2002. Currently, the band is signed to Nuclear Blast and have released four full-length albums through the label. Their latest record, This Is Where It Ends was released on July 26, 2011...
) - Life in Your WayLife in Your WayLife in Your Way is a melodic hardcore band from Connecticut. All members of the band are adherent to the Christian faith.-History:The band was formed by three long-time friends Josh Kellam, Dave Bullock, and Todd Mackey...
(Solid State RecordsSolid State RecordsSolid State Records is a Christian record label, a division of Tooth & Nail Records. Unlike Tooth & Nail, Solid State signs hardcore and metal bands. Like Tooth & Nail, Solid State is primarily a Christian label. However, they have signed several bands that don't label themselves as Christian,...
) - Monday in London
- Sleeping by the Riverside
- Mercury Switch
- Odd ProjectOdd ProjectOdd Project was a metalcore band from Orange County, California, which originally formed in 2000 and has recorded a few demos which resulted in a multi-album deal with Indianola Records. Odd Project then entered the recording studio at Zing Studio's and recorded "The Second Hand Stopped" in just...
(disbanded, vocalist now in A Skylit DriveA Skylit DriveA Skylit Drive is an American post-hardcore band from Lodi, California. The band released one DVD, one EP and three studio albums: Wires...and the Concept of Breathing on May 20, 2008, Adelphia on June 9, 2009, and most recently Identity On Fire on February 15, 2011. Michael Jagmin has provided...
) - This Runs ThroughThis Runs ThroughThis Runs Through was an American metalcore band from Tampa, Florida. Founded in April 2002, and only one month later begun touring throughout the east coast of America. They have to date only released one EP entitled Until Forever Finds Me which then followed to their disbandment in...
(disbanded, members currently in Underoath and To Speak of Wolves) - The Midnight Life
- Your Eyes My Dreams
- Strateia
- A Prisoners Dilemma
- We Are Action
- The Year Ends In Arson
- Acirema
- And Then There Was You