This article needs additional citations for verification . (June 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) |
Fenton Records | |
---|---|
Founded | 1960s |
Founder | Dave Kalmbach |
Genre | Garage rock |
Country of origin | U.S. |
Location | Sparta, Michigan |
Official website | www |
Fenton Records was an independent record label founded by Dave Kalmbach in the early 1960s. The label was based in Sparta, Michigan, though is often regarded as a Grand Rapids, Michigan garage rock label.
An independent record label is a record label that operates without the funding of major record labels. Many artists begin their careers on independent labels.
Sparta is a village in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,140 at the 2010 census. The village resides in Sparta Township.
Garage rock is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced various revivals since then. The style is characterized by basic chord structures played on electric guitars and other instruments, sometimes distorted through a fuzzbox, as well as often unsophisticated and occasionally aggressive lyrics and delivery. Its name derives from the perception that groups were often made up of young amateurs who rehearsed in the family garage, although many were professional.
It is known for releasing albums by Michigan garage bands such as the Quests, the Plagues, the Barons, the Aardvarks, the Assortment, the Chancellors, the Ones, Tonto and the Renegades, and the Jades. Over a six-year span, the label released at least 100 45rpm records and a handful of LPs.
The Quests were an American garage rock band formed in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1964. Recording for Fenton Records between 1966 and 1967, the group released three singles in their career. Although the group was hampered by a lyrical controversary surrounding one of their tunes, they achieved regional popularity among their teen fanbase with the original songs "Scream Loud" and "Shadows in the Night". Since the Quests' disbandment, their material has been well-documented on garage rock compilation albums and prompted surviving members to occasionally reunite.
The Plagues were an American garage rock band from Lansing, Michigan who were active in the 1960s. They were led by bass player, principal songwriter, and vocalist William Malone. The group had a local and regional hit with "I’ve Been Through It Before". Malone left the band in 1966 to join the Frightened Trees, as the remaining members formed a new group out of the ashes of the Plagues, the Plain Brown Wrapper. Malone later became a successful Hollywood movie director, whose 2008 horror thriller Parasomnia included "I’ve Been Through It Before", as well as other songs by the Plagues and other 1960s garage bands. In the intervening years the Plagues work has attracted a following amongst garage rock enthusiasts and collectors.
The Aardvarks were an American garage rock band from Muskegon, Michigan who were active between 1964-1968. They were one of the most popular groups in the Muskegon area and recorded three singles, two of which were issued on Dave Kalmback's Fenton label based out of Sparta, Michigan. The group scored a local hit with "I'm Higher than I'm Down", which is now considered a garage rock classic, and their work as a whole is highly regarded by collectors and enthusiasts.
The Fenton Records label was started in the village of Sparta (near Grand Rapids) in the early 1960s by Dave Kalmbach, with help from business partner Bruce Smith. [1]
Many bands that recorded with the label were from Grand Rapids, however bands from other Michigan cities like Lansing, Cedar Springs, Greenville, Bay City, and Grand Ledge would travel to Sparta to record at the studio.
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2010 Census placed the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan. The population of its Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) was 464,036, while the even larger Combined Statistical Area (CSA) population, which includes Shiawassee County, was 534,684. It was named the new state capital of Michigan in 1847, ten years after Michigan became a state.
Cedar Springs is a city in Kent County in the state of Michigan, United States, 20 miles north of Grand Rapids. The population was 3,509 at the 2010 census.
Bay City is a city in Bay County, Michigan, located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and is the principal city of the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Saginaw-Midland-Bay City Combined Statistical Area. The city, along with nearby Midland and Saginaw, form the Greater Tri-Cities region of Central Michigan, which has more recently been called the Great Lakes Bay Region.
The label and studio (Great Lakes Recording Studio) was operated out of a movie theater and was one of only three studios in the Grand Rapids area. The company was a "pay as you go" label, meaning the label offered bands recording, mastering services and vinyl pressing for a fee.
The vinyl was originally produced out of state, though later Fenton vinyl was pressed at American Record Pressing in Owosso, Michigan, which also made records for Motown. [1]
Owosso is a city in Shiawassee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 15,194 at the 2010 census. The city is located on the eastern side of Owosso Township, but is politically independent. The city was named after Chief Wasso, an Ojibwa leader of the Shiawassee area.. Owosso is the largest city in Shiawassee County.
Motown Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was originally founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, and was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of motor and town, has become a nickname for Detroit, where the label was originally headquartered.
Fenton Records was what is known as a "vanity" label, meaning bands paid for recording time and some vinyl records. Rumor has it that if Kalmbach thought the song lacked quality, he wouldn't release it on Fenton, instead it would be tagged with a sub-label, such as 4 Count or Buyit Records. Other times band members would be allowed to pick (or create) which label-name they wanted to be under, such as Sound of the Sceen and Vark. [2]
Pub rock is a rock music genre that was developed in the early to mid-1970s in the United Kingdom. A back-to-basics movement which incorporated roots rock, pub rock was a reaction against expensively-recorded and produced progressive rock and flashy glam rock. Although short-lived, pub rock was notable for rejecting huge stadium venues and for returning live rock to the small intimate venues of its early years. Since major labels showed no interest in pub rock groups, pub rockers sought out independent record labels such as Stiff Records. Indie labels used relatively inexpensive recording processes, so they had a much lower break-even point for a record than a major label.
The music of Michigan is composed of many different genres. The city of Detroit has been one of the most musically influential and innovative cities for the past 50 years, whether in Michigan or anywhere else in the United States. Impressively, for 48 straight years (1959-2007) a greater Michigan-area artist has produced a chart-topping recording. Michigan is perhaps best known for three developments: early punk rock, Motown/soul music and techno music.
Sundazed Music is an American independent record label based in Coxsackie, New York. It specializes in obscure and rare recordings from the 1950s to the 1970s. In 2000, Sundazed had a staff of 15 and two mixing studios, including a vintage audio equipment collection.
Record collecting is the hobby of collecting sound recordings, usually of music and/or the "spoken word", but, in some cases, even of other recorded sounds. Although the typical focus is on vinyl records, all formats of recorded music can be collected.
Third Man Records is an independent record label founded by Jack White in Detroit, Michigan, in 2001. Third Man established its first physical location—a combination record store, performance venue, and headquarters for the label—in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2009. The label opened a Detroit branch location in 2015, which added a pressing plant in 2017.
Dungen is a Swedish rock band based in Stockholm. Often classified as psychedelic rock, Dungen is also influenced by Swedish folk music, classic rock, progressive rock, garage rock and alternative rock.
Pickwick Records was an American record label and British distributor known for its budget album releases of sound-alike recordings, bargain bin reissues and repackagings under the brands Design, Bravo, Hurrah, Grand Prix, and children's records on the Cricket and Happy Time labels.
The Swellers were an American punk band from Flint, Michigan. Their music is influenced by melodic punk rock bands as well as alternative and indie rock from the 1990s.
Screeching Weasel is the self-titled debut studio album by the Chicago-based punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was originally released on vinyl with a limited pressing of 1,000 copies in September 1987 through local independent label Underdog Records and was the band's only album with bassist Vinnie Bovine, who was fired the next year. Screeching Weasel documents the group's early years as a hardcore punk band, with the music being heavily influenced by bands such as Adrenalin O.D., Angry Samoans, Circle Jerks and Black Flag.
Pop Evil is an American rock band that was formed in North Muskegon, Michigan in 2001 by Leigh Kakaty. He then added Dave Grahs, Dylan Allison, and Jamie Nummer. Later, guitarist Tony Greve was added as a temporary studio musician for the band but was invited to become a full-time member in early 2007. Around that time, bassist Jamie Nummer left the band for personal reasons and was replaced by Matt DiRito, formerly of Archangel and Before the Fire. In 2011 Allison had major neck surgery and Chachi Riot filled in. In 2012 Riot became a mainstay as Pop Evil's drummer. In 2012 due to personal reasons, Greve quit the band on his own accord and Nick Fuelling stepped up to fill his shoes.
Disgorge Mexico is the eighth album by Canadian grindcore band Fuck the Facts. It is their second album on Relapse Records from a three-album contract with the label. The instruments were recorded from the 6th to the 17th of August 2007 at Liverpool Court Studios in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The vocals were recorded in November 2007 at Fuck the Facts own home studio. The album was mixed and mastered at CB Audio in Winnipeg from December 2007 until March 2008.
The Haunted were a Canadian garage rock band from Montreal, Quebec. The band was formed by Jurgen Peter (guitar) in 1965, and went on to release several records before finally disbanding in 1971. They were among the first Canadian bands to achieve a level of success in their musical genre.
Cheap Girls were an American rock band from Lansing, Michigan. The band consisted of brothers Ian Graham and Ben Graham, Jason Draper (Bass) and Adam Aymor (guitar). Formed in 2007, the band quickly began recording and touring, releasing their first album Find Me a Drink Home in 2008. Together they released four full-length studio albums. The band toured with bands such as Against Me!, The Gaslight Anthem, The Hold Steady, and The Bouncing Souls across the US and Europe. Their sound was often compared to The Replacements, The Lemonheads, and early Smoking Popes.
The JuJus were an American garage rock band formed in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and active between 1964 and 1967. Though the group was never able to record an album they are considered one of the more polished acts to originate from the Michigan rock scene. Amid several line-up changes, The JuJus managed to blend influences of folk rock and The British Invasion into their raw musical style, before experimenting in the psychedelic rock genre. Their most acclaimed piece was the regional hit, "You Treat Me Bad", which is now deemed a garage rock classic.
Tonto and the Renegades were an American garage rock band from Grand Ledge, Michigan who were active between 1964 and 1969. They were formed by students from Grand Ledge High School and their name derived from the nickname of their bass player, Gary Richey, who because of his Native American heritage was referred to as "Tonto" by his friends at school. The group had several hits in the Southern Michigan region in 1966 and 1967. By the late 1960s group was being courted by major record labels, when the prospect of the Vietnam War draft caused two members to leave the band, resulting in the group's breakup. The intervening years have witnessed a revival of interest in the band's music amongst garage rock enthusiasts. Tonto and the Renegades are now best known for their song "Little Boy Blue", which is today regarded as a garage rock classic. In 2012 Tonto and The Renegades were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends online Hall of Fame.
Scream Loud!!! The Fenton Story is a garage rock compilation consisting of songs released by Fenton Records in Grand Rapids, Michigan and the assorted vanity labels that it had pressed and distributed for various regional acts, primarily from western Michigan in the 1960s, and is available on identical LP and CD formats.* The set focuses on basic upbeat and rocking material, but includes a couple of odd and more eclectic expetions. Fenton's founder was musician and entrepreneur Dave Kalmbach, who intended the label to be a place where un-established groups could have a place to record on either the Fenton label itself or on their own vanity labels, which were usually given special custom names chosen by the bands and their management, often under the arrangement that the bands would pay themselves for most of the recording and pressing costs, but receive a certain share in royalties. Commenting on how these recordings more-or-less function as aural snapshots taken from the bygone scrapbook of a more innocent time, Stephen Thomas Earlewine commented:
The Jades were an American garage rock and band from Sparta, Michigan who were active in the 1960s. They were one of the most popular bands in Sparta and West Michigan and cut two singles for Fenton Records owned by Dave Kalmback, who eventually became the group's manager. They are remembered for songs such as "Please Come Back" and the topical "Confined Congregation", and their work is highly regarded today by garage rock collectors and enthusiasts.