What Are Records? (or W.A.R.?) is an independent record label located in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in New York City in 1991 by owner Rob Gordon, former director of A&R at EMI,[1] the company moved to Boulder in 1994.
| What Are Records? | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1991 |
| Founder | Rob Gordon |
| Distributor(s) | Select-O-Hits |
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | U.S. |
| Location | Boulder, Colorado |
| Official website | whatarerecords |
W.A.R.? has released over 100 records by Frank Black (of The Pixies), Bill Burr, Stephen Lynch, The Samples, Maceo Parker, Melissa Ferrick, and Whitest Kids U' Know.[2]
History
editWhat Are Records? was founded in Gordon's New York City loft in 1991. From the beginning, it fostered a direct-to-stores and direct-to-consumers distribution strategy[3] Friend of Gordon and The Samples then-manager,[4] Ted Guggenheim, urged W.A.R.? to sign The Samples and they soon were among the first signings to the label.[5] Other early acts included comedian Stephen Lynch,[6] funk saxophone legend Maceo Parker (known for having played in James Brown’s band), former Squeeze frontman Glen Tilbrook, Grammy and Tony-nominated composer and piano man David Yazbek, singer-songwriter David Wilcox, and singer-songwriter Melissa Ferrick.
Gordon relocated the company to Boulder in 1991[7] and has been operating out of the offices designed by architect Charles Haertling ever since.[8]
Current artists
editCatalog artists
edit- Bill Burr
- Between The Lines
- Cycomotogoat
- Daniel MacKenzie
- David Wilcox
- Everything
- Fancey
- Felicia Michaels
- Figurine
- Flickerstick
- Frank Black
- Glenn Tilbrook
- Hazard
- House of Large Sizes
- The Innocence Mission
- Jeep
- Joseph Brenna
- Le Concorde
- Lir
- Lloyd Cole
- Luce
- Maceo Parker
- Melissa Ferrick
- Munly
- The Ocean Blue
- The Poppy Family
- Primitive Radio Gods
- The Radiators
- Sally Taylor
- The Samples
- Sean Kelly
- Stuart Matthewman
- Sungha Jung
- The Swayback
- 24-7 Spyz
- Tim Finn
- Tony Furtado
- Ugly Americans
References
edit- ^ Grossweiner, Bob; Cohen, Jane (February 1, 2002). "Industry Profile: Rob Gordon". Celebrity Access. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
- ^ "The History of What Are Records?". What Are Records?. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
- ^ Owsinski, Bobby (2014). Music 4.0: A Survival Guide for Making Music in the Internet Age. Hal Leonard Corporation.
- ^ Sprague, David (July 2, 1995). "While Hollywood And W.A.R.? Negotiated, The Samples Had Time To Sample MCA". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
- ^ Roberts, Michael (September 1, 1998). "GOING TO WAR?". Westword. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
- ^ Wenzel, John (August 3, 2013). "Why comedians Bill Burr, Stephen Lynch and Ben Roy work for Colorado music labels". The Denver Post. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
- ^ Bell, Carrie (September 1, 1998). "Samples Return To Indie Roots". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
- ^ The Denver Eye (March 2, 2011). "Boulder Eye Clinic". The Denver Eye. Retrieved May 22, 2015.