K Records
Encyclopedia
K Records is an independent record label
in Olympia, Washington
, co-founded, owned, and operated by Calvin Johnson, formerly of the bands Cool Rays
, Beat Happening
, The Go Team
, The Halo Benders
and presently in the bands Dub Narcotic Sound System
and The Hive Dwellers. Inspired by Sun
, SST
, Rough Trade
, CJ Records, Bomp!
, Dischord
, and many others, Johnson started the label originally with the simple intention of making his friends' music available to the world, but over time its reputation grew.
The K motto is "exploding the teenage underground into passionate revolt against the corporate ogre since 1982
." The label has been so influential in anti-corporate
independent music and underground
DIY punk culture, particularly in the Olympia music scene
, that it was the subject of a documentary directed by Heather Rose Dominic entitled The Shield Around the K, with a tagline
of "Do It Yourself". Former cosmonaut, Mariella Luz, has been employed by K Records for over a decade. Luz is currently the GM
.
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:...
in Olympia, Washington
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
, co-founded, owned, and operated by Calvin Johnson, formerly of the bands Cool Rays
Cool Rays
Cool Rays was a rock band formed by five Evergreen State College students in late 1980. The band is especially notable as Calvin Johnson's first ensemble and one of the earlier expressions of the Olympia music scene that developed in the 1980s and 1990s.Johnson wrote most of the band’s songs,...
, Beat Happening
Beat Happening
Beat Happening is an American punk band formed in Olympia, Washington in 1982. Calvin Johnson, Heather Lewis and Bret Lunsford have been the band's continual members...
, The Go Team
The Go Team
The Go Team was a 1980s band from Olympia, Washington, consisting of Tobi Vail and Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening.-Career:The Go Team was founded in 1985. As Vail described:...
, The Halo Benders
The Halo Benders
The Halo Benders was a band formed in 1994 as a side project by Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening and Doug Martsch of Built to Spill. They released their first album, called God Don't Make No Junk, in 1994...
and presently in the bands Dub Narcotic Sound System
Dub Narcotic Sound System
Dub Narcotic Sound System is an Olympia, Washington based indie-funk musical group founded by Calvin Johnson, signed to K Records.-Origins:The band is named after Calvin Johnson's basement recording studio, Dub Narcotic....
and The Hive Dwellers. Inspired by Sun
Sun Records
Sun Records is a record label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, starting operations on March 27, 1952.Founded by Sam Phillips, Sun Records was known for giving notable musicians such as Elvis Presley , Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash...
, SST
SST Records
SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was initially called Solid State Transmitters through which Ginn sold electronics equipment...
, Rough Trade
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
, CJ Records, Bomp!
Bomp! Records
Bomp! Records is an Los Angeles-based indie label formed in 1974 by fanzine publisher and music historian Greg Shaw.-History:The label has featured punk, pop, powerpop, garage rock, new wave, old school rock, neo-psychedelia among other genres, and its roster has included artists such as The Modern...
, Dischord
Dischord Records
Dischord Records is a Washington, D.C.-based independent record label specializing in the independent punk music of the D.C.-area music scene. The label is co-owned by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, who founded Dischord in 1980 to release Minor Disturbance by The Teen Idles...
, and many others, Johnson started the label originally with the simple intention of making his friends' music available to the world, but over time its reputation grew.
The K motto is "exploding the teenage underground into passionate revolt against the corporate ogre since 1982
1982 in music
This is a list of notable events in music from 1982. 1982 was a big year in music with Madonna making her debut as well as the year that Michael Jackson released Thriller which became the world's best selling album and it still holds that title today....
." The label has been so influential in anti-corporate
Anti-corporate activism
Anti-corporate activists believe that the influence of large business corporations poses a threat to the public good and democratic authority...
independent music and underground
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
DIY punk culture, particularly in the Olympia music scene
Olympia music scene
The city of Olympia, Washington has been a center of post-hardcore, anti-folk, and other youth-oriented musical genres since at least the late 1970s. Along with Washington D.C., Olympia was a center for the riot grrrl movement in the early 1990s...
, that it was the subject of a documentary directed by Heather Rose Dominic entitled The Shield Around the K, with a tagline
Tagline
A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product , or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product...
of "Do It Yourself". Former cosmonaut, Mariella Luz, has been employed by K Records for over a decade. Luz is currently the GM
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
.
Artists who have worked with K Records
The following artists have released albums through K Records.- Adrian Orange
- All Girl Summer Fun BandAll Girl Summer Fun Band-Biography:All Girl Summer Fun Band, or AGSFB, is a Portland based twee-pop quartet made up of Kathy Foster, Jen Sbragia, Kim Baxter, and Ari Douangpanya. Baxter met Sbragia after a Softies show, when Baxter gave Sbragia a tape of her music...
- Beat HappeningBeat HappeningBeat Happening is an American punk band formed in Olympia, Washington in 1982. Calvin Johnson, Heather Lewis and Bret Lunsford have been the band's continual members...
- BeckBeckBeck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
- Bikini KillBikini KillBikini Kill was an American punk rock band formed in Olympia, Washington in October 1990. The group consisted of vocalist and songwriter Kathleen Hanna, guitarist Billy Karren, bassist Kathi Wilcox, and drummer Tobi Vail. The band is widely considered to be the pioneer of the riot grrrl movement,...
- BisBis (band)Bis are a Scottish indie pop band composed of Steven Clark , John Clark , and Amanda MacKinnon . Formed in 1994, the band broke up in 2003, but reformed briefly in 2007 for a series of concerts.-History:...
- The Blackouts
- Karl BlauKarl BlauKarl Blau is an indie rock and folk musician based in Anacortes, Washington, and member of the Knw-Yr-Own/K Records collective. His music is eclectic, incorporating elements of folk, dub, R&B, bossa nova, grunge, hip hop, drone, and worldbeat....
- The BlowThe BlowThe Blow is the moniker of Brooklyn, New York-based musician Mikhaela Yvonne Maricich, who has recorded several albums for K Records. Jona Bechtolt, aka Yacht, was also a member of The Blow from 2004 to 2007....
- Built to SpillBuilt to SpillBuilt to Spill is an American indie rock band based in Boise, Idaho. The band has released seven full-length albums. Their most recent album, There Is No Enemy, was released on October 6, 2009.-History:...
- CadallacaCadallacaCadallaca is an indie rock band formed at a party in Portland, Oregon in 1997. The group consists of Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney , Sarah Dougher of The Lookers , and sts, also of the Lookers . The three ladies in the band have adopted the nicknames Kissy, Dusty, and Junior...
- Chain and the GangIan SvenoniusIan Folke Svenonius is an American musician, notable as the singer of various Washington, D.C.-based bands including Nation of Ulysses, The Make-Up, Weird War, and Chain and The Gang. Between his numerous projects, Svenonius has released more than 15 full-length albums and more than 20 singles,...
- Chicks on SpeedChicks on SpeedChicks on Speed is a multi-national musical ensemble, formed in Munich in 1997, when members Melissa Logan, Kiki Moorse and Alex Murray-Leslie met at the Academy of Fine Arts....
- COCOCocoCoco, CoCo, Co-Co or similar can mean:*Co-Co locomotives, a code for a locomotive wheel arrangement with two six-wheeled bogies with all axles powered, with a separate motor per axle*Co-Co , a British pop group...
- The CrabsThe CrabsThe Crabs were a Portland, Oregon based indie-rock band. Originally formed as a duo with Jonn Lunsford and Lisa Jackson , the pair later added keyboardist Sarah Dougher following their 1997 release What Were Flames Now Smolder.- Members :* Jonn Lunsford - Vocals and guitar* Lisa Jackson - Vocals...
- D+
- Sarah DougherSarah Dougher-Career:Dougher has a Ph.D. in comparative literature from the University of Texas. Apart from her musical endeavours, Dougher teaches courses on the History of Women in Rock music and Lyric Poetry in the Women's Studies department at Portland State University...
- Dennis Driscoll
- Dub Narcotic Sound SystemDub Narcotic Sound SystemDub Narcotic Sound System is an Olympia, Washington based indie-funk musical group founded by Calvin Johnson, signed to K Records.-Origins:The band is named after Calvin Johnson's basement recording studio, Dub Narcotic....
- ElectrosexualElectrosexualElectrosexual is a French electronic musician, composer, performer, record producer and Music video director living in Berlin.His passion for early electronic engines and primitive sounds from Analog synthesizer inspired his creativity mingling of rough masculine basses with an uptempo rhythm. He...
- Fifth Column
- Steve FiskSteve FiskSteve Fisk is a Washington-based audio engineer, record producer and musician.Fisk joined the instrumental rock band Pell Mell in 1982. With vocalist Shawn Smith, he formed Pigeonhed, which released its first album in 1993....
- GazeGaze (band)Gaze were an indie pop band based in Vancouver, British Columbia. They released two albums on K Records during the late 1990s.-Members:* Miko Hoffman - guitar/vocals* Megan Mallett - guitar/bass* Rose Melberg - drums-Discography:...
- Gene Defcon
- Generifus
- Girl TroubleGirl TroubleGirl Trouble are a punk rock band from Washington, USA, formed in 1983, when three musicians from Tacoma, WA and one from Spokane, WA joined forces.-History:...
- The Go TeamThe Go TeamThe Go Team was a 1980s band from Olympia, Washington, consisting of Tobi Vail and Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening.-Career:The Go Team was founded in 1985. As Vail described:...
- The Halo BendersThe Halo BendersThe Halo Benders was a band formed in 1994 as a side project by Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening and Doug Martsch of Built to Spill. They released their first album, called God Don't Make No Junk, in 1994...
- HeavenlyHeavenly (British band)Heavenly were a 1990s twee pop band, originally forming in Oxford, England in 1989. Amelia Fletcher , Mathew Fletcher , Peter Momtchiloff and Robert Pursey had all been members of Talulah Gosh, a key member of the C86 scene.-History:Heavenly debuted with the 7" single "I Fell in Love Last...
- Jason Anderson aka "Wolf Colonel"
- Jeremy JayJeremy Jay-History:Jay grew up in Los Angeles. His first release, the Airwalker EP appeared in 2007 courtesy of K Records. It included a cover of the Siouxsie and the Banshees song, "Lunar Camel." The EP was described by Pitchfork Media as "cryptic, compelling short" with "half-crooned, half-spoken vocals...
- Calvin Johnson
- KarpKarp (band)Karp was a post-hardcore band from Tumwater, Washington, that formed in 1990 and lasted until 1998. The band was formed by Chris Smith aka Chris "Slayer", Jared Warren, and Scott Jernigan. They released three full length albums entitled Mustaches Wild, Suplex, and Self Titled LP. Karp was a...
- Kimya DawsonKimya DawsonKimya Dawson is an American singer-songwriter, best known as a solo performer and as one half of The Moldy Peaches. In Swahili, "Kimya" means "silence" or "silent".-Career:...
- LakeLake (American band)Lake is an American indie pop band signed to the influential record label K Records, based in Olympia, WA. They are also known for composing the ending song to the popular Cartoon Network show Adventure Time, entitled "Christmas Island"...
- LandingLanding (band)Landing is an indie rock outfit from Connecticut, USA. Terms used to describe the music created by Aaron Snow and Adrienne Snow include ambient, shoegaze, slo-core, and space rock...
- LoisLois MaffeoCourtney Love is an American musician and writer who lives in Olympia, Washington. Although never achieving mainstream success, she has been closely involved with and influenced many independent musicians, especially in the 90s Olympia, Seattle and DC based musician.-as Lois Maffeo:albums*The...
- Love as LaughterLove as LaughterLove as Laughter is an American indie band. The band was formed in 1994 by vocalist and guitarist Sam Jayne as a solo project following the break-up of his previous band, Lync. The band currently features Ivan Berko on bass, Nic Gonzales on drums, Andy Macleod on guitar and Robbie Lee on keyboards...
- LyncLyncLync was a 1990's post-hardcore band from Olympia, Washington.Formed in 1992, Lync was composed of vocalist/guitarist Sam Jayne, bassist/vocalist James Bertram and drummer Dave Schneider...
- Maher Shalal Hash BazMaher Shalal Hash BazMaher Shalal Hash Baz is the artistic alter ego of Tori Kudo, a Japanese naivist composer and musician. The name is taken from Maher-shalal-hash-baz in the Book of Isaiah verses 8:1 and 8:3, and translates roughly as "Hurrying to the spoil, he has made haste to the plunder." Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz...
- MahjonggMahjongg (band)将麻 is a two-piece band based in Chicago, Illinois formerly known as "Mahjongg," consisting of multi-instrumentalist Hunter Husar and drummer Josh Johannpeter...
- The Make-up
- Marine ResearchMarine ResearchMarine Research was an indie rock/twee pop band, based in Oxford/London , formed in 1997 by four of the five members of Heavenly , following the suicide of Heavenly drummer Mathew Fletcher...
- Mecca NormalMecca NormalFormed by Jean Smith and David Lester in 1984, Mecca Normal is a two-piece indie rock band from Vancouver, Canada. Smith writes lyrics and sings in a style that is often confrontational and laced with feminist themes; Lester's melodic yet dissonant guitar swirls and loops around her vocals...
- Melvins
- The MicrophonesThe MicrophonesThe Microphones was a lo-fi band based in Olympia, Washington, and fronted by Phil Elvrum. Elvrum is the principal member of the band, but he has collaborated with many other musicians on his records....
/ Mount EerieMount EerieMount Eerie is an Anacortes, Washington-based band fronted by Phil Elverum. Elverum is the principal member of the band, but he has collaborated with many other musicians on his records.-History:...
- MirahMirahMirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn , is an American musician based in San Francisco California. She has released five albums under the K Records label.- Background :...
- Miranda JulyMiranda JulyMiranda July is a performing artist, writer, actress and film director. Born Miranda Jennifer Grossinger, she works under the surname of "July," which can be traced to a character from a "girlzine" Miranda created with high school friend Johanna Fateman, called Snarla.- Background :Miranda...
- Modest MouseModest MouseModest Mouse is an American indie rock band formed in 1993 in Issaquah, Washington, by singer/lyricist/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green, and bassist Eric Judy. They are based in Portland, Oregon. Since their 1996 debut album, This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think...
- Old Time RelijunOld Time RelijunOld Time Relijun is a band founded in Olympia, Washington, United States and a longtime member of K Records. Current members are Germaine Baca on drums, Aaron Hartman on upright bass, Ben Hartman on saxophones, and Arrington de Dionyso on electric guitar, vocals and bass clarinet...
- Anna OxygenAnna OxygenAnna Oxygen is the stage name of an American musician and actress from in and around Olympia, Washington, Anna Jordan Huff.After graduating from Evergreen State College with a music degree, Huff began her musical career in the late 1990s with the novelty synth-pop group the Space Ballerinas...
- Pansy DivisionPansy DivisionPansy Division is an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California in 1991. Featuring primarily gay musicians and focusing mostly on gay-related themes, Pansy Division is one of the more melodic-oriented bands to emerge from the "queercore" movement that began in the 1980s.-Early...
- The Pine Hill HaintsThe Pine Hill HaintsThe Pine Hill Haints are a traditional bluegrass/folk/honky tonk/country band from Alabama, though the band members themselves describe their unique southern roots music as “Alabama Ghost Music.”...
- The RondellesThe RondellesThe Rondelles are an indiepop band originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico. The band, which formed in the late 1990s, when the three members were still in high school, consisted of Juliet Swango on guitar and vocals, Yukiko Moynihan on bass, and Oakley Munson on drums and keyboard...
- Saturday Looks Good To MeSaturday Looks Good to MeSaturday Looks Good to Me was an experimental indie pop band. The group was led by singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Fred Thomas...
- Shonen KnifeShonen KnifeShonen Knife, written in Japanese characters as 少年ナイフ, which transliterates as Shōnen Naifu, literally "Boy Knife," is an all-female Japanese pop-punk band formed in Osaka, Japan, in 1981...
- SnuffSnuff (band)Snuff are a British punk rock band formed in Hendon in 1986. Their name reportedly came about after a long discussion about names ended up with one of them claiming "That's Enough", which was then shortened to Snuff...
- The SoftiesThe SoftiesThe Softies were a musical duo consisting of Rose Melberg and Jen Sbragia, whose genre was love songs using only their two voices and electric guitars....
- Talulah GoshTalulah GoshTalulah Gosh were a guitar-pop group from Oxford, England and one of the leading bands of the twee pop movement, taking their name from the headline of an NME interview with Clare Grogan. They supposedly formed when Amelia Fletcher and Elizabeth Price, both wearing Pastels badges, met at a club in...
- Some Velvet SidewalkSome Velvet SidewalkSome Velvet Sidewalk was an experimental lo-fi rock band from Olympia, WA on the independent label K Records.-History:Some Velvet Sidewalk was formed in Eugene, Oregon in 1987 by Al Larsen and Robert Christie . Their first release was From Playground 'Til Now, and was independently released on...
- Tender TrapTender TrapTender Trap is an indie rock/twee pop band, based in London , formed in 2001 by three of the five members of Marine Research - Amelia Fletcher, Rob Pursey, and John Downfall....
- Thee HeadcoatsThee HeadcoatsThee Headcoats 1989 - 2000, was a band comprising Billy Childish, Bruce Brand, and Johnny Johnson. Childish was featured on guitar and vocals, Brand on drums and backing vocals, and Johnson on bass. The band was the most prolific of Childish's many musical projects, releasing fourteen full...
- Tiger TrapTiger TrapTiger Trap was an all-female twee-pop foursome composed of high school friends Angela Loy and Rose Melberg, with Heather Dunn and Jen Braun. The group recorded for K Records. The name "Tiger Trap" comes from the very first Calvin and Hobbes cartoon. Formed in Sacramento, California in 1992, they...
- WallpaperWallpaperWallpaper is a kind of material used to cover and decorate the interior walls of homes, offices, and other buildings; it is one aspect of interior decoration. It is usually sold in rolls and is put onto a wall using wallpaper paste...
- Yume BitsuYume BitsuYume Bitsu , was a psychedelic rock/space rock band from Portland, Oregon active between 1995 and 2002.Their debut Giant Surface Music Falling to Earth Like Jewels From the Sky was self-released in 1998 and was re-released by BaBaBing! Records in 1999...
Influence
- Welsh band Los Campesinos!Los Campesinos!Los Campesinos! are a seven piece indie pop band from Cardiff, Wales, formed in early 2006 at Cardiff University. Although the band formed in Wales, none of its members are Welsh. They released their debut album, Hold on Now, Youngster..., in February 2008 and followed this up by releasing a record...
cite a 'K Records t-shirt' in the song "Knee Deep At ATP", while early single "The International Tweexcore UndergroundThe International Tweexcore Underground"The International Tweexcore Underground" is a song by UK indie pop band Los Campesinos!. It was released on 15 October 2007 on iTunes, and was released physically on 22 October 2007 on Wichita....
" directly alludes to the label's International Pop Underground. - Nothing Painted BlueNothing Painted BlueNothing Painted Blue is an American indie rock band, sporadically active since the 1990s, led by songwriter Franklin Bruno. Bruno and drummer Kyle Brodie have been the only constant members, as the remainder of the line-up has undergone a number of changes throughout the band's existence...
released a song "K for Karnival" which is partially a tribute to K Records; it repeats "Who put the shield around the K?" several times, referring to the interstate-style shield around the letter KKK is the eleventh letter of the English and basic modern Latin alphabet.-History and usage:In English, the letter K usually represents the voiceless velar plosive; this sound is also transcribed by in the International Phonetic Alphabet and X-SAMPA....
in the K Records logo. - Musician Kurt CobainKurt CobainKurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
had the K Records logo tattooed on his forearm, saying it was to "try and remind me to stay a child." The song "Lounge Act" off of NevermindNevermindNevermind is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991. Produced by Butch Vig, Nevermind was the group's first release on DGC Records...
references the logo. - In 2005, Springfield, Illinois indie band Resident Genius recorded a tribute song called "Calvin J", which contains the line "International Pop Underground/unknowingly broke fresh new ground"
- The HoleHole (band)Hole is an American alternative rock band that originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The band is fronted by vocalist/songwriter and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, who co-founded Hole with former songwriter/lead guitarist Eric Erlandson...
song "Olympia" (credited as "Rock Star" on Live Through ThisLive Through ThisLive Through This is the second studio album by American alternative rock band Hole. It was released by Geffen Records on April 12, 1994, just four days after frontwoman Courtney Love's husband, Kurt Cobain, was found dead in their home....
) is a reference to the influence of Calvin Johnson and K Records on the Olympia music scene.