Freedom From is a record label based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which primarily focuses on the international noise underground genre. The label was founded in 1996 with its first official release by a San Francisco three-piece named Job. Up until early 1998, the labels focus was singularly cassettes, with the most well-known being the infamous Thurston Moore/Beck/Tom Surgal cassette. During the course of its primary existence, FF often released either the first or first widely available release by many bands, including Jason Lescalleet, Hair Police, Sightings, No Doctors, Milovan Srdenovic, Violent Ramp, Reynols and many more. Freedom From was also one of the first entities to book and promote shows nationally for experimental/weird bands from 2001-2004, including the first major tours for bands like Wolf Eyes, Sightings, No Doctors, Hair Police, Mammal, Nautical Almanac and more. Freedom From also helped bring to prominence the last years of the infamous Church venue in Minneapolis, bringing bands like Animal Collective, Coachwhips, Wolf Eyes, Numbers, 25 Suaves, Glass Candy, Chromatics and many more for their first ever shows in the Twin Cities area. Finally, Freedom From is also known for the De Stijl/Freedom From and End Times Festivals, bringing in artists like Tony Conrad, The Boredoms, XBXRX, NNCK, Gang Gang Dance, Zip Code Rapists, Borbetomags, Smegma, Burning Star Core, Devendra Banhart, Arthur Doyle and many more.
Since 2006, the label has released very few releases, and has booked even fewer shows. However, 2012 has seen a significant increase in FF activities, and a bevy of new releases and shows are due for release in October, 2012. The label is maintained to this day by founder and CEO Matthew St-Germaine.
Thurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a member of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label. Moore was ranked 34th in Rolling Stone's 2004 edition of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."
Lee Mark Ranaldo is an American musician, singer-songwriter, guitarist, writer, visual artist and record producer, best known as a co-founder of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Ranaldo at number 33 on its "Greatest Guitarists of All Time" list. In May 2012, Spin published a staff-selected top 100 guitarist list, ranking Ranaldo and his Sonic Youth bandmate Thurston Moore together at number 1.
K Records is an independent record label in Olympia, Washington founded in 1982. Artists on the label included early releases by Beck, Modest Mouse and Built to Spill. The record label has been called "key to the development of independent music" since the 1980s.
Borbetomagus are a free jazz/noise rock group. They are cited by critics as pioneers of aggressive improvised noise music.
Neon Hunk was a husband/wife noise music duo from Milwaukee, composed of Jennifurmium (Mothmaster) - vocals and analog synthesizer/ring modulator, and Pink Diamond (Mossmaster) - Drums, Vocals, and Modular Digital Synthesizer. Neon Hunk formed in the summer of 2000 under the name Abracadaver, but changed their name to Neon Hunk in 2001. Neon Hunk disbanded in 2004. Both members of Neon Hunk have continued to record music independently after halting activity with the band.
Cock E.S.P. is a band based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The group draws on the most extreme, subversive and absurdist elements of both popular and experimental twentieth century music and performance art, creating abstract high-energy entertainment. Influences include noise music, punk rock, improvised free-jazz, Japanoise, industrial hardcore, glam metal and electronica.
Hanson Records is an American independent record label founded in Brighton, Michigan and now based in Oberlin, Ohio. It is operated by the musician Aaron Dilloway, formerly of the band Wolf Eyes.
Wolf Eyes is an American experimental music group from Detroit, Michigan, formed in 1996 by Nate Young. Currently a duo, Wolf Eyes are a prominent act within contemporary noise music. They have collaborated with a variety of artists from different countries and art forms.
The Accüsed is an American crossover thrash band from Seattle founded in 1981. The band was a progenitor of the crossover style that bridged the gap between thrashcore and thrash metal, later influencing grindcore and some crust punk bands; as well as an influential band in the Seattle area alternative scene. The band calls their music "splattercore", and their zombie mascot, Martha Splatterhead, appears on most of their albums. Common themes involve social issues and Martha Splatterhead coming back from the dead to slaughter rapists and child molesters.
Walt Mink were an American alternative rock power trio formed in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1989 by guitarist/singer/songwriter John Kimbrough, drummer Joey Waronker and bassist Candice Belanoff. The band released four studio albums over the course of their eight-year career.
No Doctors was an American rock and roll band based out of California's San Francisco Bay Area. Their music drew from a wide range of styles and traditions, most prominently noise, punk, blues, metal, and jazz. Members included guitarist Elvis S. deMorrow, Chauncey Chaumpers on guitar, Mr. Brians on drums, Mr. Clopez on drums, and CansaFis Foote on saxophone, with vocal duties distributed amongst its members in a socialist-collectivist fashion.
Hair Police is an American band based out of Lexington, Kentucky, that formed in 2001. They have released records through labels such as Troubleman Unlimited, Hanson Records, Gods of Tundra, Freedom From, and Hospital Productions. They have also released a split record on Load Records with Viki. Members of Hair Police have also played with other groups such as Wolf Eyes, Eyes and Arms of Smoke, Burning Star Core, Three Legged Race, Von Hemmling, ulysses, Warmer Milks, and ATTEMPT.
Nautical Almanac was a noise music group based in Baltimore, Maryland with a rotating membership fronted by Carly Ptak and Twig Harper.
Gregg Turkington is an Australian-born American entertainer, actor, musician and writer. He is known for his performances as Neil Hamburger, a stand-up comedian persona he developed in the 1990s. Alongside Tim Heidecker, Turkington also stars as a fictionalized version of himself on the comedic web series On Cinema (2011–). In addition, he formed one-half of the band Zip Code Rapists and has collaborated on numerous projects with musicians including Trey Spruance.
Amarillo Records was an independent record label owned by Gregg Turkington that operated out of San Francisco, California, from 1992 to 2001. The label specialized in releasing experimental rock music and comedy records. It released several solo recordings by Church Of Satan founder Anton LaVey the 1996 sampler compilation You Gan't Boar Like an Eabla When You Work with Turkrys.
Joyful Noise Recordings is an independent record label from Indianapolis, Indiana. The label was founded in 2003 in Bloomington, Indiana by Karl Hofstetter, who also played drums on many of the label's first releases. Joyful Noise maintains an active roster of over 30 bands playing various musical styles, though according to the label, each artist "in one way or another bridges the gap between pop and noise."
Skene! Records was an American DIY punk rock record label founded in Connecticut in 1988 by Jeff Spiegel, then later based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. An early album release was Better Yet Connecticut Hardcore, featuring bands such as Bug Gulp, Fallback, Freedom of Choice, Forced Reality and Scooter X.
Burger Records was an American independent record label and record store in Fullerton, California, United States. The label was founded in 2007 by Sean Bohrman and Lee Rickard, members of the power pop band Thee Makeout Party. The record/video store, co-owned by Bohrman and Brian Flores, was opened in 2009. The label ceased operations in July 2020, following sexual assault allegations levied at many of their artists and staff members.
Zip Code Rapists were an avant-garde band active in the 1990s. The band was composed of guitarist John Singer and singer Gregg Turkington. The band is known for their confrontational, deconstructionist, absurd live performances, as well as their bizarre, more fleshed-out recordings. During the group's fake break-up in 1994, Singer and Turkington formed competing spin-off bands, the Zip Code Revue and The Three Doctors Band, presumably attempts to siphon off Zip Code Rapists fans for themselves.
Samara Lubelski is an American singer, violinist, guitarist and bassist. She has been a member of numerous bands, including Of a Mesh, Metabolismus, Salmon Skin, the Sonora Pine, Hall of Fame, the Tower Recordings, MV & EE and the Bummer Road, and Chelsea Light Moving. Since 2003, she has released nine solo studio albums.
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