| Sunset Alliance Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Founder | Steve Lefever David Jensen |
| Genre | Rock |
| Country of origin | U.S. |
| Location | Mesa, Arizona |
| Official website | sunsetalliance |
Sunset Alliance Records is an independent record label based in Mesa, Arizona. It is owned and operated by David Jensen.
After the release of a couple LPs featuring local rock bands, original owner and founder Steve Lefever had plans to let the label die. [1] Then, in 2000, he approached the then-frontman of Before Braille, Dave Jensen, [2] who had been working for two years to create a compilation album for the benefit of a local Phoenix art house and music venue, Modified Arts, and invited him to join in the management of Sunset Alliance and release that compilation on the label. [3] [1] While Dave Jensen's original plans had been to release that record on his own start-up label, Aireshire Drive, he jumped at the opportunity. [3] [1] In 2001, Dave Jensen took full ownership of the label and has managed it since. [1] [4]
After a decade of operations, Sunset Alliance remains a small enterprise that focuses on local artists. [5] However, this has not kept the little label from attaining some significant national (and even international) success. During those first ten years, Sunset Alliance put out 46 releases, had three bands appear in the popular Emo Diaries series on Deep Elm Records, [6] [7] [8] found its bands charting on the CMJ 200, [9] sent its bands across the U.S. on concert and music festival tours, watched as some of its artists received international praise [10] and released their records in foreign markets, and has even applauded as one of its groups moved on to a major label. [11]
In January 2010, Sunset Alliance celebrated its ten-year anniversary with a revue show featuring some of its most successful bands, including: Before Braille, Fivespeed, The Player Piano, Novi Split, The Letterpress, and special guests Pinewood Derby. [12] [13]
This list is compiled from information found on the Sunset Alliance website, [14] as well as through the label's discography.
| Release number | Title | Artist | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SA 001 | Fair Weather Fan | Stereotyperider | ||
| SA 002 | Uninvited | Corrupt Citizen | ||
| SA 003 | Born to Rock | Redfield | ||
| SA 004 | Self-titled EP | Fivespeed | Also known as the First of the Compact Cars EP | |
| SA 005 | Triplesplit Series, Vol. 1 [15] | Fivespeed, Before Braille, & Andherson | ||
| SA 006 | Not One Light Red: A Modified Document | Various Artists | Released with This Argonaut Records for the benefit of Modified Arts. [16] Bands featured on the compilation: Seven Storey, Fivespeed, Sea of Cortez, Harcuvar, Go Big Casino (Jim Adkins/Jimmy Eat World), Pinewood Derby, Redfield, Before Braille, Sextet, Pollen, ...And Guppies Eat Their Young, Scott Tennent, Reubens Accomplice, Fightshy, Death of Marat, Chula, Half Visconte. | |
| SA 007 | Driving at 90mph | Last Day Parade | Released with Kickstart Audio | |
| SA 008 | The Night was Sultry | The Manhattan Project | ||
| ALLY009 | Trade in Your Halo | Fivespeed | ||
| ALLY010 | Two Years of Silence Split EP | Felix & The Manhattan Project | ||
| ALLY011 | Not One Light Red: A Desert Extended | by Various Artists | Bands featured on this release include: The Go Reflex, Cursive, Seven Storey, The Real Diego, Recover, Kristofer Astrom & Hidden Truck, Mock Orange, Bluetip, Fine China, The Format, Grey AM, Fivespeed, The Good Life, Fireside, Before Braille, J.Rawls, Bluebird, The Revolution Smile, Chris Mills, and Reubens Accomplice. | |
| ALLY012 | Lost Sight | Redfield | ||
| ALLY013 | His First Crush | The Bled | Released by Ride the Rocket Records. Sunset Alliance served as a distributive partner. | |
| ALLY014 | Melodic Array of Change | The Necronauts | Released with High School Football Records. | |
| ALLY015 | Self-titled | Signedso | ||
| ALLY016 | Self-titled | The Player Piano | The original LP had a limited release of 1000, hand-numbered copies. | |
| ALLY017 | What the Hell is Rock'n Roll | Shotstar | Released with Downfall Records | |
| ALLY018 | Self-titled EP | Half Visconte | Released by This Argonaut Records. Sunset Alliance served as a distributive partner. | |
| ALLY019 | Was it Fear | Half Visconte | ||
| ALLY020 | You're Causing a Scene | Tickertape Parade | Originally, this release was listed as number ALLY020 in the Sunset Alliance catalog. [17] [18] [19] However, for reasons that are not entirely clear, Tickertape Parade was "excommunicated" from the Sunset Alliance line-up and its catalog number was replaced by two other releases. The official Sunset Alliance website lacks any information concerning this recording or the band. | |
| ALLY020A | Self-titled | The Retaliation for What They Have Done to Us | The Retaliation for What They Have Done to Us was a "secret" project started by members of Before Braille while they were still under contract with Aezra Records. [20] They released this recording during that time, and it was later incorporated into the Sunset Alliance catalog. | |
| ALLY020B | The Rumor | Before Braille | The Rumor was originally released on Aezra Records. [21] Years later, Sunset Alliance purchased the rights to the album and thereafter has included it among its catalog of releases. | |
| ALLY021 | Keep Moving | Novi Split | ||
| ALLY022 | Obey the Cattle | Rajiv Patel | ||
| ALLY023 | Cattle Punching on a Jack Rabbit EP | Before Braille | This EP had a limited release, and preceded the full-length album, Tired of Not Being Away From Here . | |
| ALLY024 | Input/Output | The Letterpress | ||
| ALLY025 | Americopa Mantle, Vol. 1 | Various Artists | This release was made for the benefit of local artists. [22] [23] It features: Before Braille, The Ruby Lee, The Go Reflex, Black Feet, Awake & Alert, Rajiv Patel, Sweet Bleeders, Not Quite Bernadette, and Wonderful Wednesday. | |
| ALLY026 | Of Black Water | Rajiv Patel | ||
| ALLY027 | Balance and Timing EP | Before Braille | Released with Bad News Bears Records. This was originally released as a "Holiday" EP. [24] | |
| ALLY028 | Tired of Not Being Away From Here | Before Braille | UK Import release with You and Whose Army? Records. Distributed in the U.S. by Sunset Alliance and Common Wall Media. | |
| ALLY029 | Satellite | The Player Piano | The Japanese re-release of original Self-titled LP with Friend of Mine Records. This release carries two extra tracks: Jazz Odyssey and Cotton Carolinae. [25] | |
| ALLY030 | Drugs Made My Favorite Bands, Drugs Ruined My Favorite People | Art for Starters | Two-disc LP, one disc being purely rock, while the other contains only acoustic songs. | |
| ALLY031 | Ham Hocks & Guitar Strings | Mr. Fantastical | ||
| ALLY032 | Kill the Messenger, Keep the Message | Before Braille | ||
| ALLY033 | Spring Cleaning | Before Braille | This album's full name is: Spring Cleaning...Cut, Clean, Scab, Scar, Rewind, Remind, Repeat. This record is essentially a compilation of B-sides and rareties, but it also contains some original Before Braille songs. | |
| ALLY034 | Get Phased EP | Rajiv Patel | Released first as a tour EP. | |
| ALLY035 | Step Up or Step Back (Single) | Beninem | Digital release only | |
| ALLY036 | Santa's Sleigh is Thumpin' (Single) | Beninem | Digital release only | |
| ALLY037 | One Liners (Single) | Beninem | Digital release only | |
| ALLY038 | Seconds Accumulate Dust | Roger Over & Out | Digital release only | |
| ALLY039 | Mark So Made | Art for Starters | Digital release only. This record features B-sides from the Drugs Made My Favorite Bands, Drugs Ruined My Favorite People Double-LP. | |
| ALLY040 | Sunset Alliance Discography 1999-2001 | Various Artists | Digital release only | |
| ALLY041 | Sunset Alliance Discography 2002-2004 | Various Artists | Digital release only | |
| ALLY042 | Sunset Alliance Discography 2005-2011 | Various Artists | Digital release only | |
| ALLY043 | Without Voice | Art for Starters | Digital release only | |
| ALLY044 | Without Instrument | Art for Starters | Digital release only | |
| ALLY045 | Instrumentals | Before Braille | Digital release only | |
| ALLY046 | Vocals Only | Before Braille | Digital release only | |
| ALLY047 | Faux Light | Loyal Wife | ||
| ALLY048 | Extended Stay | Jeff Johnrey | Digital release only | |
| ALLY049 | In Lieu of the Flu Sunset Alliance Mixtape, Vol. 1 | Various Artists | Digital release only available on Bandcamp | |
| ALLY050 | 52nd Street Revisited | 52nd Street Jazz Band | ||
| ALLY051 | Keep Moving Disk 2 | Novi Split | B-Sides, rare tracks, and live recordings from Keep Moving-era; digital only release | |
| ALLY052 | Sugar Ox | Captain Baby | ||
| ALLY053 | Born to Boogie, Born to Die | Mr. Fantastical | ||
| ALLY054 | Sugar Ox Redux | Various Artists | A Bandcamp exclusive album released as a free download that contained remixed tracks from Captain Baby's debut, Sugar Ox. The artists contributing tracks were: D. Konopka (of OK Go), La Guerre, Grassfight, Octajohn, Hot Wheels, Reptoid, and Shunno). Released | |
| ALLY055 | Faux Light Instrumentals | Loyal Wife | Digital only release of Loyal Wife's debut album without any vocals. | |
| ALLY056 | Sugar Ox Instrumentals | Captain Baby | Digital only release of Captain Baby's debut album without any vocals. |
Bob Hoag is an American record producer, songwriter and musician based in Mesa, Arizona. In 2005, he was recruited to be the pianist and keyboardist for American rock band The Ataris.
Seven Storey Mountain is an American rock group from Phoenix, Arizona. The group's music is heavily influenced by the early Washington, D.C. post-hardcore scene.
Flip Records is a Californian record label, started by Jordan Schur in April 1994. The label is known for the signing of popular nu metal bands such as Limp Bizkit, Dope and Cold. The label has sold 70 million albums worldwide.
Fivespeed was an American rock band, formed in Peoria, Arizona, United States, in 1997, and later based in Phoenix, Arizona. While in the beginning, Fivespeed's style was greatly influenced by the punk and hard-core movements, its later efforts could be described as a mixture of nu metal and mainstream rock.
Before Braille is an independent rock band from Mesa, Arizona known for its DIY work ethic and as a pioneer of Arizona's emo-core movement, or as they liked to call it, "480-area-core," during the early 2000s.
The Rumor is the first studio album recorded by indie rock band Before Braille. It was originally released on September 10, 2002 by Aezra Records and distributed by BMG. Ownership of the album has since passed to Sunset Alliance Records.
Cattle Punching on a Jack Rabbit is Before Braille's third studio recording and was released as a limited release Extended Play in 2004 by Sunset Alliance Records.
Balance and Timing is Before Braille's fourth studio recording, released as a "Holiday EP" in 2004 by Sunset Alliance and Bad News Bears Records.
Tired of Not Being Away from Here is the fifth studio album, and second LP, recorded by the indie rock band, Before Braille. It was released in 2005 in the United Kingdom by You and Whose Army? Records, and distributed in the United States by Sunset Alliance and Common Wall Media.
Triplesplit Series, Vol. 1 was one of Sunset Alliance's first releases, and remains one of its best selling records. It features Andherson, Before Braille, and Fivespeed, each of whom would make an appearance on the popular Emo Diaries series on Deep Elm Records. This record comes at an interesting time for each of the bands, as Fivespeed had just opened for Jimmy Eat World at the release of Bleed American, Before Braille was preparing to enter the studio to start recording its full-length album, and Andherson had a "homecoming" of sorts in the Phoenix metro-area with this release, after having relocated to Berkeley, California.
Rajiv Patel is a musician and virtuoso solo-guitarist from Mesa, Arizona.
The Letterpress was a rock band from Mesa, Arizona, most widely known for its lack of guitars, as the band originally only consisted of two basses and a drum set.
Tickertape Parade was a band from Arizona that gained quick success on the indie scene.
Loyal Wife is a band from Mesa, Arizona. It is former Before Braille frontman David Jensen's latest project.
Art for Starters is a band from Mesa, Arizona. It is essentially former Before Braille frontman David Jensen's solo project.
Half Visconte was an indie rock band from Tempe, Arizona, fronted by Scott Tennent and Rich Minardi. Tennent was owner and operator of the now-defunct label, This Argonaut Records, and the former manager of the Phoenix indie/art rock-music venue Modified Arts. At that time Mike Wright, original drummer, also owned The Argo which was a warehouse venue designed to support touring bands by the collection of donations and support of volunteer work offered by the local underground music community.
Not One Light Red: A Modified Document is a compilation album created by Scott Tennent and David Jensen to serve 3 essential missions. Its first mission was to create a record that would showcase and introduce local Phoenix bands to the rest of the United States. Second, it was supposed to serve to help promote the local Phoenix music and art venue, The Modified. Finally, it was to serve as a springboard for a national independent record label based in the Phoenix area along the same lines as Kill Rock Stars in Olympia, Washington and Dischord Records in Washington, D.C.
Kill the Messenger, Keep the Message is the sixth studio album, and third LP, recorded by the indie rock band, Before Braille. It was released in 2009 by Sunset Alliance.
Spring Cleaning is the sixth studio album released by the indie rock band Before Braille. It was released on July 2, 2009, by Sunset Alliance Records.
Faux Light is the first studio album recorded by the indie rock band Loyal Wife. It was released on April 3, 2012 by Sunset Alliance Records.