So; you’re the lad or lady about town. You wear your hair just messy enough, your Grandpa glasses clear lensed, your sweaters thrift store, jeans tight and shirts baggy, your Chucks scuffed and dusty or your heels platformed. You have a vast collection of vinyls, and drink far too much coffee sitting in coffee shop windows. You know what’s what, you’re on trend. All you need NOW is an Indie label to worship. Aside from the somewhat snide I’ll admit, a little self righteous description have just provided Indie label Kill Rock Stars is the best in the West (as they say), and without doubt worthy of the adoration of indie Cindy’s and Hoxton heroes worldwide.
KRS is the brainchild of one Slim Moon. Born into the era or flannel and moaning musicians in ’91, Slim carefully steered KRS through the industry’s shark infested waters until October of 06 when he took a position as senior A&R director at Nonesuch Records. But, the show goes on. KRS is still on their mission to find exceptional talents and put out exceptional records and uphold their proud tradition of being “…queer-positive, feminist and artist friendly.” KRS is now easily recognizable as one of the very few (surviving) female-run indie labels out there: a badge of honor that they fought tooth and nail to obtain. Not at all daunted by the thought of competition, the Kill Rock Stars team encourages angsty young ladies of all sorts to have a bash at starting their own labels too. “We at KRS believe in doing it yourself, and we see our job as helping bands to realise their vision. In a culture that rewards making mediocre music with a quick buck, we feel lucky that we get to work with artists who challenge mediocrity on a regular basis.”
As it stands today, Kill Rock Stars is proud to have a total of 29 bands under their belt. Bikini Kill, The Decemberists and Gossip are just three that I’ll take a closer look at.
Bikini Kill is group of angry feminists famous for being angry feminist musicians. Widely considered to be the seed of the notorious Riot Grrl movement Kathleen Hanna, Billy Karen, Kathi Wolcox and Toby Vail are known for their somewhat tempestuous and radical feminist lyrics and feisty performances. As a rule, their lyrics and opinions sandpapered at society in an effort to slap people out of their day to day stupors a little until they disbanded in 1998 after two albums, several EPs and two compilations. Bikini Kill collaborated with Nirvana and the one and only Joan Jett, but was known for biting their thumb at the mainstream press.
The Decemberists are…well, they’re quite something really. If you have ever watched a film called the Adventures of Barron Munchausen or Coraline then you’ll be somewhat prepared for this bands on stage antics. Picture the faded red velvet curtains on a theater stage drawing back to reveal whimsical battle reenactments or mad men convincing you to scream like you’ve being swallowed by a rouge whale on the high seas. From Portland, Oregon The Decemberists are famed not only for their incredible range of instruments, but also for their quirky, artistic and interactive performances. Performance art junkies will love this band, as it offers both an artistic and musical fix for the discerning user. Their debut EP was released in 2001, followed by six full length albums, the most recent being The King Is Dead in January of 2011.
If Gossip (Formerly The Gossip) is a name that you, self proclaimed modern music lover, are unfamiliar with: SHAME ON YOU. Remixed by the great Soulwax and used on the hugely popular British series Skins, Gossip are Arkansas kids made good. Beth Ditto, Brace Paine and Kathy Medonca formed The Gossip in Olympia, Washington in 1999. That same year saw K Records releasing the bands self titled EP to coincide with their tour with Sleater Kinney. The Gossip caught Time Magazine’s eye the following year at Lady Fest, and their mention in the article drew the indie community’s attention. 2000 followed up with the release of That’s Not What I heard, on KRS. Between that and their next album, Movement (2002) the Arkansas Hear EP was released. Two months after releasing their first live offering, Undead in INY, Kathy left the band to pursue her career in (of all things) midwifery. Hannah Billie took over on the sticks, The Gossip became Gossip, and they released their breakout and still fantastic album, Standing in the Way of Control on ‘06.
KRS; we love your work, keep it up. Check out the full spectrum of Kill Rock Stars artists and maybe you’ll find your new flavor of the month.
