Spongebath Records was an independent record label based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee during the mid-nineties. During its heyday, Spongebath was often viewed as the vibrant center of Murfreesboro/Nashville's (and the Southeast's) music scene with a robust artist roster of critically acclaimed bands, singers, and songwriters.
From 1997 to 1999, Spongebath attracted national press and media attention for garnering co-label deals with DreamWorks Records (for Self's 1999 album Breakfast with Girls ) and with Elektra Records (for the Katies self-titled 1999 album.) Bands/artists on Spongebath at one time or another included: Self, Fluid Ounces, the Katies, The Features, Count Bass D, Fleshpaint, The C60's, The New System, The Roaries, Gumption, Call Florence Pow, Ruby Amanfu, and Knodel.
The label began as the brainchild of three people: Self frontman Matt Mahaffey (who had just dropped out of MTSU), singer/songwriter Seth Timbs (of Fluid Ounces), and Mahaffey's manager Rick Williams. Timbs, in fact, was the one who came up with the name "Spongebath."[ citation needed ]
In the mid-to-late '90s, there was a resurgence of interest in the Middle Tennessee rock scene, when Spongebath Records began to turn heads for signing promising, talented local bands like Self, Fluid Ounces, and The Features. Their office was located at 101 N. Maple in downtown Murfreesboro, and they were impossible to miss—the walls were painted in bright purple, yellow, and red colors, allowing it to stand out amidst a sleepy, rather drab and comfortably geriatric courthouse/downtown square.[ citation needed ]
The label even got the attention of Billboard, which ran a cover story in August 1997 chronicling Murfreesboro's rise as "an emerging music mecca," while other writers half-jokingly began to refer to the scene as "little Seattle."[ citation needed ] In reality, the Murfreesboro music scene was much more in line with progressive college-towns like Athens, Georgia and Austin, Texas—towns that had a rich history of championing indie rock and quality bands.
Regionally, at least, the Spongebath brand itself became fairly synonymous with top quality music, ranging from the melodic indie pop of the Features, the Katies' radio-friendly brand of hard rock, or the genre-blurring hip-hop of Count Bass-D. All the Spongebath releases—largely recorded on minimal, scattershot budgets—tended to receive wonderful critical acclaim. Even the packaging for Spongebath releases was different: Brian Bottcher's artwork for albums like Self's Breakfast with Girls, Fluid Ounces' In the New Old-Fashioned Way, or Count Bass-D's Art for Sale all had an unmistakable, distinct, and sophisticated visual flair.[ citation needed ]
Self was the most successful of the label's artists, the band having modest success and developing a cult following with Subliminal Plastic Motives while getting spins for "So Low" and "Cannon" on MTV. Because of Spongebath's prime location (on the downtown Square and only a few doors down from Sebastian's, one of the most frequented clubs in Murfreesboro during that time) and casual, fun atmosphere, one would often find various labelmates/band members at the Spongebath offices answering phones, sending mail, making posters, folding t-shirts, or just hanging out. Spongebath encouraged fans of the label and of the bands to come by the office, and many did, either begging Williams to listen to their demo tape or simply asking how or where they could meet the label's most visible star, Matt Mahaffey. (One of the few if only bands that reportedly benefited from an unsolicited demo submission to the label was Call Florence Pow, two teenage fans of Mahaffey's. The strength of their demo got them a deal with Spongebath, with Mahaffey producing their first and only album for Spongebath, These Are the Plans.) Other bands were rumored to have lived, jammed and recorded in the Spongebath basement.
Spongebath succeeded as a breeding ground that fed hip new bands to major labels—however, it was unable to sustain itself, and was essentially finished by 2001.
At one point or another, Spongebath employees included: Rory Daigle (manager of the Features), Bingham Barnes (bassist for indie rock darlings Glossary), Andy McLenon (who went on to work at Sire Records), Andy Kotowicz (who went on to become the Vice President of Sales and Director of Marketing for Sub Pop), Matt Meeks (eventually co-managing The Features with Daigle), Justin Meyer (who went on to play drums for Fluid Ounces), Michael Eades (who created the company's website and online presence), Neill Dietz (whose brother, Jason, would later play bass for Fluid Ounces), Chris Moon, Chris Crawford, Harrison Rogers, Christian Rocco, Joli Hummel, and several others.
Murfreesboro is a city in, and county seat of, Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropolitan area of Middle Tennessee, 34 miles (55 km) southeast of downtown Nashville.
The story of Tennessee's contribution to American music is essentially the story of three cities: Nashville, Memphis, and Bristol. While Nashville is most famous for its status as the long-time capital of country music, Bristol is recognized as the "Birthplace of Country Music". Memphis musicians have had an enormous influence on blues, early rock and roll, R&B, and soul music, as well as an increasing presence in rap.
Matt Mahaffey is an American multi-instrumentalist, record producer, composer, and recording engineer best known for his band Self and his composer collective Cake In Space.
Subliminal Plastic Motives is the debut studio album from rock band Self, and is perhaps their most well-known release.
Self is an American alternative pop rock band from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The band is led by Matt Mahaffey. The band currently consists of Chris James, Mac Burrus, and Jason Rawlings (drums). Past members include Matt's brother, Mike Mahaffey and Timm Nobles. Mahaffey cites Electric Light Orchestra, Prince, and Pixies as some of his biggest musical influences.
The Half-Baked Serenade is the second studio album by alternative pop/rock band Self.
Breakfast with Girls is the fourth studio album by alternative band Self, released in 1999. The album was highly anticipated, being the first Self album released on a major label since their debut album, Subliminal Plastic Motives.
Gizmodgery is the fifth studio album by alternative pop/rock band Self. It released in 2000 by Spongebath Records. The LP was recorded entirely with children's toy instruments. It was released in the short-lived HDCD format.
Porno, Mint & Grime is a B-side compilation album by alternative pop/rock band Self. The album, Self's eighth album, was released for free in 2005 and available in physical form in 2017. It features B-sides and demos recorded for the album Ornament and Crime, which was also released in 2017 after being delayed for 13 years.
Michael Darren Mahaffey was a founding member of the power pop band Self. Founded with his brother, Matt Mahaffey, in the early 1990s, Self-released two major-label albums and various independent and Internet-only albums. He played lead guitar, keyboards, and bass for the band on various occasions. Before joining Self, he played in several bands, the most successful of which was the Southern Rock band Blackfish. He played lead guitar in the band, but contributed little to the songwriting. Blackfish released one major-label album in 1992 before disbanding. The other members of Blackfish were Steve Ballard, Chris Reublin and Andy Howard (drums). His last recorded work was on Self's Ornament & Crime.
Wired All Wrong is a nu metal band formed by musician/producers Matt Mahaffey of Self and Jeff Turzo previously of God Lives Underwater. The two have been longtime friends since a mix-up of their bands on MTV. Partly due to the unfortunate deaths of David Reilly from GLU and Mike Mahaffey from Self, Matt and Jeff were able to shift their attention away from their other bands. Their debut album, Break out the Battle Tapes, came out on September 12, 2006.
The Features are an American indie rock band from Sparta, Tennessee, United States of America. The original lineup consisted of Matt Pelham, Roger Dabbs, and Don Sergio. The most recent iteration consists of Pelham, Dabbs, Rollum Haas, and Mark Bond. They have released five full-length albums and three EPs. The band has appeared twice as musical guests on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Breakfast with Amy was an American Christian alternative rock band, formed in 1986 in La Habra, California at the La Habra Four-Square church. At that time, the band consisted of vocalist David Koval, bassist Jeff "Tennessee Beans" Beahn, guitarist Christopher Colbert, and drummer Paul Pellegrin. The pastor of the church was throwing a Saturday night concert. A band had backed out and he needed a replacement. David, Christopher, Paul and Jeff quickly formed "Friends of Amy" to perform.
Fluid Ounces were a piano-based, power pop band from Murfreesboro, Tennessee that garnered a cult following for their critically acclaimed records, which featured a distinctive blend of hooks, varied musical styles, clever wordplay, and intricate, complex arrangements.
The Katies are a three-piece power rock band originating in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and currently residing in Nashville, Tennessee
Big Notebook for Easy Piano is the debut album by the Murfreesboro, Tennessee, band Fluid Ounces. It was recorded in Memphis, Tennessee, with producer Ross Rice.
In the New Old-Fashioned Way was the highly anticipated second album from Spongebath Records' artists Fluid Ounces. The album was recorded in a marathon two week session with producer Richard Dortch in Jackson, Mississippi. All tracks were recorded live, with minimal overdubs. The album has a distinctive sound from other releases in the Ounces canon, and features mixing credits by Matt Mahaffey. The title of the album is the same as the last line of the chorus in the 1958 Brenda Lee song "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree".
Foreign Legion is the third studio album by Murfreesboro, TN band Fluid Ounces.
The Whole Shebang is the fourth studio album and third record label for Murfreesboro, Tennessee band Fluid Ounces.
The Plain were a rock band from Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
