| K Records | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1982 |
| Founder | Calvin Johnson Candice Pedersen |
| Genre | Indie Rock Punk Rock Twee Pop |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Olympia, Washington |
| Official Website | http://krecs.com |
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 band Dub Narcotic Sound System. 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,[1] 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".[2]
Contents |
Artists who have worked with K Records
The following artists have released albums through K Records.
- Adrian Orange
- All Girl Summer Fun Band
- Beat Happening
- Beck
- Bikini Kill
- Bis
- The Blackouts
- Karl Blau
- The Blow
- Built to Spill
- Cadallaca
- Chicks on Speed
- COCO
- The Crabs
- D+
- Sarah Dougher
- Dennis Driscoll
- Dub Narcotic Sound System
- Electrosexual
- Fifth Column
- Steve Fisk
- Gaze
- Girl Trouble
- The Halo Benders
- Jason Anderson aka "Wolf Colonel"
- Calvin Johnson
- Karp
- Kimya Dawson
- Lake
- Landing
- Lois
- Love as Laughter
- Lync
- Maher Shalal Hash Baz
- Mahjongg
- The Make-up
- Marine Research
- Mecca Normal
- The Microphones / Mount Eerie
- Mirah
- Miranda July
- Modest Mouse
- Old Time Relijun
- Anna Oxygen
- Pansy Division
- The Pine Hill Haints
- The Rondelles
- Saturday Looks Good To Me
- Shonen Knife
- Snuff
- The Softies
- Talulah Gosh
- Some Velvet Sidewalk
- Tender Trap
- Thee Headcoats
- Tiger Trap
- Wallpaper
- Yume Bitsu
Influence
- Welsh band Los Campesinos! cite a 'K Records t-shirt' in the song "Knee Deep At ATP", while early single "The International Tweexcore Underground" directly alludes to the label's International Pop Underground.
- Nothing Painted Blue 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 K in the K Records logo.
- Musician Kurt Cobain had the K Records logo tattooed on his forearm, saying it was to "try and remind me to stay a child." It is mentioned in the song "Lounge Act," which was written about Bikini Kill co-founder, Tobi Vail. ("I'll arrest myself / I'll wear a shield")
- 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"
See also
References
External links
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