Saddle Creek Records is an American record label based in Omaha, Nebraska. Started as a college class project on entrepreneurship, the label was founded by Mike Mogis and Justin Oberst in 1993. Mogis soon turned over his role in the company to Robb Nansel. The label is named after Saddle Creek Road, a street that cuts through the east side of midtown Omaha, and the beginnings of a scene whose members included Conor Oberst, Tim Kasher, and others. Collectively, they were known unofficially as the "Creekers". Saddle Creek first appeared in print on a show flyer, offering to "Spend an evening with Saddle Creek" Saddle Creek became an incorporated entity as a result of a class project on entrepreneurship. Distribution is handled by the Alternative Distribution Alliance, which is under the Warner Music Group umbrella.
Read Music/Speak Spanish is the first studio album by American punk band Desaparecidos. Released in February 2002, the record is the forty-second release of Saddle Creek Records. Reviews were mostly positive upon release.
Conor Mullen Oberst is an American singer-songwriter best known for his work in Bright Eyes. He has also played in several other bands, including Desaparecidos, The Faint, Commander Venus, Park Ave., Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Monsters of Folk, and Better Oblivion Community Center. Oberst was named the Best Songwriter of 2008 by Rolling Stone magazine.
Denver Collin Dalley is an American singer-songwriter based in Omaha, Nebraska. He is best known for his collaboration with Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst in Desaparecidos, and has been involved in various other musical projects, including Statistics, Intramural, and Double Cup.
Ian McDonald is an English multi-instrumental musician, best known as a founder member of progressive rock band King Crimson, formed in 1969, and of the hard rock band Foreigner in 1976. He is well known as a rock session musician, predominantly as a saxophonist. He also plays keyboards, flute, vibraphone and guitar.
Park Ave. was an indie pop band which started in January 1996 in Omaha, Nebraska.
Son, Ambulance is an American band based in Omaha, Nebraska. As of February 2015, they are again signed as "active" on the Saddle Creek website after being labeled "inactive" for an indefinite time.
Sorry About Dresden was an indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The band formed in 1997 and was signed to Saddle Creek Records.
Slowdown Virginia was an indie rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. Formed in 1993, the band recorded and released one album, Dead Space, on Lumberjack Records in 1994, the predecessor to today's Saddle Creek Records. After playing an influential role in inspiring the later formation of other Omaha bands like Bright Eyes, The Faint, and Desaparecidos with their energetic live shows and recordings, Slowdown Virginia broke up in the spring of 1995. A month after breaking up, Kasher, Maginn, and Pedersen regrouped with a new drummer to form Cursive. Omaha's mixed entertainment venue Slowdown is named in honor of the band.
Presto! Recording Studios is located in Lincoln, Nebraska, and run by brothers Mike Mogis and A.J. Mogis. The studio began in the brothers' North Platte, Nebraska basement and around 1995 moved to the basement of a Lincoln home. First known as Whoopass Recording Studio, the name was later changed to Dead Space Recording. When the brothers moved the studio to its current downtown Lincoln location, they found a vintage Presto brand vinyl recorder left behind by the studio's former occupant, from which the current name was taken.
Robb Nansel is an Omaha musician and co-founder of Saddle Creek Records. He is also credited as a member of Commander Venus and Bright Eyes.
Steve Pedersen is an American guitarist from Omaha, Nebraska.
Mike Sweeney is a musician from Omaha, Nebraska. He currently plays drums in the indie-rock band Criteria.
A.J. Mogis is a musician from North Platte, Nebraska. He currently plays bass guitar in the indie-rock band Criteria. His brother is Mike Mogis. Together they founded Presto! Recording Studios and have recorded almost all the albums released by Saddle Creek Records as well as friends'. They were also members of Lullaby for the Working Class. Criteria has so far released two albums.
Saddle Creek 50 is a compilation by Saddle Creek Records in honor of being the label's 50th album release. It was released in 2003 and features one album track and one non-album track by each of the bands then recording for the label.
Criteria is an indie rock band from Omaha, Nebraska, formed in 2003 when ex-Cursive founding member Steve Pedersen returned to his hometown after graduating from the Duke University School of Law. He spent six months in a friend's basement where he wrote all ten songs for his new project's debut album. He recruited the help of some old friends, A.J. Mogis on bass guitar, Aaron Druery on guitar, and Mike Sweeney of Beep Beep on drums. Their first album, En Garde, was released on his previous band's label, Initial Records.
Spend an Evening with Saddle Creek is a documentary focusing on the first ten years of the Saddle Creek scene in Omaha, Nebraska. It was released in 2005 by Plexifilm. It was directed by Jason Kulbel and Rob Walters.
The Show is the Rainbow is a music act from Lincoln, NE, A.K.A. Darren Keen,. For much of 2006, The Show is the Rainbow toured as a three-piece, with Javid Dabestani and Jim Schroeder playing alongside Keen. Currently, Keen is touring as a one-man band. The Show is the Rainbow plays an eclectic mix of rock, electronica and hip-hop inspired by artists such as The Faint, Frank Zappa, Nina Hagen, Les Savy Fav, Squarepusher and Beck. The Show is the Rainbow has gained a national following by means of near constant touring and energetic live shows that focus on audience interaction.
En Garde is the debut album of indie-rock band, Criteria. Formed by one of the founding members of Cursive, Steve Pedersen came back to his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska after graduating from Duke University. He recruited the help of old friends, Aaron Druery, A.J. Mogis, and Mike Sweeney. Originally released by Initial Records, it was re-released in 2005 when the band moved to Saddle Creek Records.
