Kung Fu Records

Last updated
Kung Fu Records
Kungfurecordslogo.jpg
Founded1996;27 years ago (1996)
Founder Joe Escalante
Warren Fitzgerald
Genre Punk rock
Country of originU.S.
Location Seal Beach, California
Official website www.kungfurecords.com

Kung Fu Records is an American independent record label founded in 1996 by Joe Escalante and Warren Fitzgerald of the punk rock band The Vandals. [1] Founded in order to release a record by the Riverside, California band Assorted Jelly Beans, the label soon grew to include a roster of notable artists such as The Ataris, Ozma, Tsunami Bomb, and The Vandals themselves. In 2000 Escalante started Kung Fu Films as a subsidiary of the music label in order to release DVDs of live concerts, music videos, band documentaries, and independent films. In 2005 Kung Fu also spawned the spinoff label Broken Sounds Records, focusing on hardcore releases.

Contents

History

Kung Fu Records was founded by Vandals bassist Joe Escalante and guitarist Warren Fitzgerald in 1996. [2] Escalante had been urged by his wife to allow the Riverside, California band Assorted Jelly Beans to open for The Vandals, and he and Fitzgerald were so impressed by their performance that they decided to start a record label in order to release the band's debut album. [3]

In 2010, the label and the band Vandals were sued by Daily Variety stating it violated an agreement stemming from a complaint Variety registered in 2004 over the design of the Vandals’ “Hollywood Potato Chip” album cover, looking like the Variety logo. [4] The label won the first round and the case was sent from Delaware to the California courts. [5] The case was finally settled in 2012. [6]

Offshoots and subsidiary labels

Kung Fu records has also spawned several subsidiary imprints specializing in particular types of releases. In 2000 Escalante started Kung Fu Films as an offshoot of the label with the release of the independent film That Darn Punk , in which he starred. The label also released the internet television series Fear of a Punk Planet , which was later released on DVD. Over the years Kung Fu Films has released more independent films, such as 2005's Cake Boy starring Fitzgerald, and several video compilations showcasing bands from the Kung Fu labels. The film imprint is best known, however, for its series of live concert DVDs grouped under the title The Show Must Go Off! To date there have been 19 "episodes" of the series released. These have included bands signed to Kung Fu Records such as The Vandals and Tsunami Bomb, but more often have branched outside the label to include groups such as Alkaline Trio, Guttermouth, Reel Big Fish, the Circle Jerks, and The Bouncing Souls.

In 2005 Kung Fu Records launched the spinoff imprint Broken Sounds Records to focus on releases by hardcore acts such as the Righteous Jams, The Getaway, xdeathstarx, Suffocate Faster, and H2O. To date, however, the only album to be released under the Broken Sounds imprint has been the Righteous Jams' Rage of Discipline .

Artists

Notable one-time releases

Label compilations

Much like other independent record labels, Kung Fu has released a series of low-priced compilation samplers designed to draw attention to the label. Originally these compilations did not have a unifying title similar to Epitaph's Punk-O-Rama or Fat's Fat Music series. However the third sampler was titled Punk Rock is Your Friend, and this became the series' overall name. Future compilations were released as Punk Rock is Your Friend: Kung Fu Records Sampler #_, the first such release being #4 even though the first two did not carry the Punk Rock is Your Friend title.

CD samplers

Album CoverYearTitleOther information
1999 No Stars, Just Talent
2000The "Gone With the Wind" of Punk Rock Samplers
2002 Punk Rock is Your Friend First in the series to carry the Punk Rock is Your Friend title.
2003 Punk Rock is Your Friend: Kung Fu Records Sampler #4
2004 Punk Rock is Your Friend: Kung Fu Records Sampler #5
2005 Punk Rock is Your Friend: Kung Fu Records Sampler No. 6 Subtitled Hardcore is Your Friend, Too as it contains several tracks intended for the label's hardcore imprint Broken Sounds Records.

Video samplers

CoverYearTitleFormatOther information
2002 Secret Weapons of Kung Fu DVD
2004 Secret Weapons of Kung Fu 2 DVD
2005 Secret Weapons of Kung Fu 3 DVD

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Vandals</span> American punk rock band

The Vandals are an American punk rock band, established in 1980 in Orange County, California. They have released ten full-length studio albums, two live albums, and have toured the world extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped Tour. They are well known for their use of humor, preferring to use their music as a vehicle for comedy and sarcasm rather than as a platform for more serious issues. Kung Fu Records, founded in 1996 by Escalante and Fitzgerald has signed and launched many punk rock bands.

<i>Fear of a Punk Planet</i> 1990 studio album by The Vandals

Fear of a Punk Planet is the third album by the southern California punk rock band The Vandals, originally released in 1990 by Triple X Records. It was their first album to include the lineup of Dave Quackenbush, Warren Fitzgerald, Joe Escalante and Josh Freese, solidifying the band's roster after several years of fluctuation. This lineup would remain intact for the rest of the band's career, and for this reason Fear of a Punk Planet is considered by many fans to be the first proper album by the "new" Vandals. The album returned the band to their punk rock sound, after having played mostly in a country style on their previous album Slippery When Ill. The band would stick to a punk rock formula throughout the rest of their career. The album's title called to mind the rap album Fear of a Black Planet by Public Enemy, released that same year. It featured guest appearances by Dweezil and Moon Unit Zappa, Scott Thunes and Kelsey Grammer. An independent music video was filmed for the album's first track, "Pizza Tran."

<i>Oi to the World!</i> 1996 studio album by The Vandals

Oi to the World! is a Christmas album by the southern California punk rock band the Vandals. It was released in 1996 by their label Kung Fu Records, who also re-released it in 2000 with altered artwork and a bonus track. It was the band's sixth full-length studio album and presented holiday-themed songs written and performed with the tongue-in-cheek humor for which the band is known.

<i>Live Fast, Diarrhea</i> 1995 studio album by The Vandals

Live Fast, Diarrhea is the fourth studio album by the southern California punk rock band The Vandals, released in 1995 by Nitro Records. It was the band's first album for Nitro, a label started and co-owned by Dexter Holland and Greg Kriesel of The Offspring. It was also the first to be produced by Vandals guitarist Warren Fitzgerald, who would continue to produce most of their albums throughout their career, and the first to include Brooks Wackerman, who often substituted for regular drummer Josh Freese. It was a breakthrough release for the band, who would release three more albums on Nitro before moving to their own label Kung Fu Records in 2002.

<i>Sweatin to the Oldies: The Vandals Live</i> 1994 live album by The Vandals

Sweatin' to the Oldies is a live album and video by the southern California punk rock band The Vandals, originally released in 1994 by Triple X Records. It consists of a live concert recorded at the Ice House in Fullerton, California, as well as interviews with the band members and an overview of their history. The original version was released both on CD and VHS. With most of their back catalogue out of print, the album and video were seen as a retrospective of the band's past, as performed by its most recent stable lineup.

<i>The Quickening</i> (The Vandals album) 1996 studio album by The Vandals

The Quickening is the fifth studio album by the southern California punk rock band The Vandals, released in 1996 by Nitro Records. Much of the album is characterized by themes of nihilism and teen angst, but presented with the tongue-in-cheek humor for which the band is known.

<i>The Vandals Play Really Bad Original Country Tunes</i> 1999 studio album by The Vandals

The Vandals Play Really Bad Original Country Tunes is an album by the southern California punk rock band The Vandals, released in 1999 by Kung Fu Records. Essentially a re-release of their 1989 album Slippery When Ill, it contains 8 of the 10 songs from that album along with 2 newer, previously unavailable songs. Part of the impetus for its release was that the original Slippery When Ill, long asked for by the band's fans, had become very rare and difficult to obtain due to the small size of the record labels it was originally released on. With their Kung Fu label now firmly established, the band was able to re-release this music from ten years earlier in their career.

<i>Hollywood Potato Chip</i> 2004 studio album by The Vandals

Hollywood Potato Chip is the tenth studio album by the Southern California punk rock band The Vandals, released in 2004 by Kung Fu Records. A music video starring guitarist and producer Warren Fitzgerald was filmed for the band's cover version of Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now". The album's title is a euphemism for dried semen on a casting couch. Its original cover art used lettering that parodied the logo of Variety, prompting legal action and a cease and desist order from the magazine which resulted in a replacement cover with redesigned lettering. In 2010 the magazine brought further legal action against the band over third-party uses of the original cover appearing on the internet.

<i>Hitler Bad, Vandals Good</i> 1998 studio album by The Vandals

Hitler Bad, Vandals Good is the seventh studio album by the southern California punk rock band The Vandals, released in 1998 by Nitro Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Escalante</span> American musician and television producer

Joseph Patrick Escalante is an American television writer, film and television director, musician, radio host, and former television executive. He is known professionally as the bassist and songwriter for the punk rock band The Vandals, and creator and episodic director of the paranormal travel series Monsters Across America on Fox Nation.

Tsunami Bomb is an American punk rock band from Petaluma, California. They were formed in 1998 by bassist Dominic Davi, with keyboardist/vocalist Oobliette Sparks and later joined by drummer Gabe Lindeman. With vocalist Emily Whitehurst aka "Agent M" they would become a staple of Warped Tour and toured extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan, going through a number of lineup changes until they disbanded in 2005 after releasing two full length albums and a number of EP's. In 2015 the band reformed with new vocalist Kate Jacobi and later guitarist Andy Pohl and has remained active since, touring and appearing on a variety of festivals.

<i>Internet Dating Superstuds</i> 2002 studio album by The Vandals

Internet Dating Superstuds is the ninth studio album by the southern California punk rock band The Vandals. An independent music video was filmed for the song "43210-1."

The Vandals / Assorted Jelly Beans is a split 7-inch record put out by Kung Fu Records in 1996. It was the first release to be put out by the label, which was founded by Vandals members Joe Escalante and Warren Fitzgerald for the purpose of releasing an album by the Huntington Beach band Assorted Jelly Beans. It is therefore appropriate that the label's first release is a split 7-inch with songs from the Vandals on one side and the Assorted Jelly Beans on the other.

<i>That Darn Punk Original Motion Picture Soundtrack</i> 2001 soundtrack album by various artists

That Darn Punk Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is a soundtrack album to the 2001 independent film That Darn Punk. The film was released by Kung Fu Films and starred Joe Escalante of the punk rock band The Vandals as the lead character. Escalante is also in charge of Kung Fu Films and Kung Fu Records, which put out the film's soundtrack. The label was co-founded by Escalante and Vandals guitarist Warren Fitzgerald, who also appears in the film. In fact, all the members of the Vandals appear in the film as the fictional band the Big Tippers, alongside several other punk rock personalities. The soundtrack album was released to coincide with the release of the film, which went straight to video on VHS and DVD formats.

<i>Live at the House of Blues</i> (The Vandals album) 2004 live album (with DVD) by The Vandals

Live at the House of Blues is a live album and video by the southern California punk rock band The Vandals, released in 2004 by Kung Fu Records and Kung Fu Films. It was the band's second official live album and video, the first being 1991's Sweatin' to the Oldies. It was released in 2 packages, one a DVD with a bonus concert CD, the other a CD with a bonus DVD. Both packages contain the same discs and material, merely packaged differently so that it could be stacked on both CD and DVD shelves. It was presented as episode 9 of Kung Fu Films' The Show Must Go Off! live concert DVD series. Kung Fu Films is an offshoot of Kung Fu Records, the record label started in 1996 by Vandals members Joe Escalante and Warren Fitzgerald. Having previously worked in the television and film industries, Joe Escalante acts as director and producer for nearly all of these live DVD releases.

<i>Shingo Japanese Remix Album</i> 2005 remix album by The Vandals

Shingo Japanese Remix Album is an album of songs by the southern California punk rock band The Vandals remixed and re-interpreted by Japanese DJ Shingo Asari, released in 2005 by Kung Fu Records. Asari had been tinkering with Vandals songs for several years and had sent several of his remixes to Kung Fu, who had posted them on their website for Vandals fans to download. The band was impressed by his takes on their songs and used a remixed medley he had made of many of their most popular songs as an introduction to their live shows. Finally in 2005 Shingo was given license to remix several newer Vandals songs and to release them as an album through Kung Fu.

<i>Assorted Jelly Beans</i> (album) 1996 studio album by Assorted Jelly Beans

Assorted Jelly Beans is the first album by Assorted Jelly Beans. It was released in 1996 by Kung Fu Records. According to KungFu Records, it has sold over 25,000 copies, and was the first release from Kung Fu Records.

<i>Punk Rock Is Your Friend: Kung Fu Records Sampler No. 4</i> 2003 compilation album by Kung Fu Records

Punk Rock is Your Friend: Kung Fu Records Sampler #4 is the fourth compilation album by the Seal Beach, California record label Kung Fu Records, released in 2003. It features artists signed to the label at the time, as well as others who were not signed to the label but had participated in some of their releases such as The Show Must Go Off! live DVD series. It was the first of the label's samplers to use a number in its title, as it was the first to repeat the "Punk Rock is Your Friend" title. Interspersed between some of the tracks are clips of comedian Neil Hamburger from his Kung Fu Films release Live at the Phoenix Greyhound Park. It is an enhanced CD-ROM that also includes several music videos.

<i>Punk Rock Is Your Friend: Kung Fu Records Sampler No. 5</i> 2004 compilation album by Kung Fu Records

Punk Rock is Your Friend: Kung Fu Records Sampler #5 is the fifth compilation album by the Seal Beach, California record label Kung Fu Records, released in 2004. It features artists signed to the label at the time, as well as others who were not signed to the label but had participated in some of their releases such as The Show Must Go Off! live DVD series. It also includes audio clips from the Kung Fu Films movie Cake Boy interspersed between the songs. It is an enhanced CD-ROM that also includes several music videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Vandals discography</span>

The discography of The Vandals, a punk rock band formed in Huntington Beach, California, in 1980, consists of ten studio albums, one EP, two live albums, two compilation albums, one remix album, four reissued albums, three videos, four singles, and seven music videos.

References

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  2. "Punk rocker turned TV producer Joe Escalante to appear at Chico State". Chico Enterprise-Record. 2018-10-18. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  3. "Assorted Jelly Beans artist page at Kung Fu Records". Archived from the original on 2007-03-29.
  4. Stableford, Dylan (2010-04-13). "Variety Sues Punk Rock Band The Vandals". TheWrap. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  5. Gardner, Eriq (2011-04-15). "Variety Loses Round One to Punk Band In Album Cover Dispute (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  6. Belloni, Matthew (2012-02-13). "Variety Settles Long-Running Lawsuit Against L.A. Punk Band (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  7. 1 2 "The Glass House turns 25: Members of No Doubt, Vandals and more reflect on Pomona concert venue". Daily Bulletin. 2021-01-21. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
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