Saddle Creek Records
Saddle Creek Records is an American record label based in Omaha, Nebraska. Started as a college class project on entrepreneurship, the label was founded by Mike Mogis and Justin Oberst in 1993 (as Lumberjack Records). Mogis soon turned over his role in the company to Robb Nansel. The label is named after Saddle Creek Road, a street that cuts through the east side of midtown Omaha, and the beginnings of a scene whose members included Justin's brother Conor Oberst (then a solo artist, currently of Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Desaparecidos and Monsters of Folk), Tim Kasher (then of Slowdown Virginia, currently of Cursive and The Good Life), and others. Collectively, they were known unofficially as the "Creekers". Saddle Creek first appeared in print on a show flyer, offering to "Spend an evening with Saddle Creek" (later to be the title of the label's DVD.)[1] Saddle Creek became an incorporated entity as a result of a class project on entrepreneurship. Distribution is handled by Redeye Distribution.[2]
Saddle Creek Records | |
---|---|
Founded | 1993 |
Founder | Mike Mogis Justin Oberst |
Distributor(s) | Redeye Distribution (US) |
Genre | Rock |
Country of origin | U.S. |
Location | Omaha, Nebraska |
Official website | www |
Saddle Creek Records continues to be the flagship label of a style of music called "The Omaha Sound", characterized by a slight country twang. This is increasingly inaccurate, though, with the rise of more electronic sounds such as those favored by The Faint and Broken Spindles. The eclectic sounds of Saddle Creek's disparate member bands is somewhat explained by their history; a number of the original members of the label attended grade school together.[3] A "sister label", of sorts, to Saddle Creek is Team Love, started by Conor Oberst in 2004.
History
The label opened arms to their first bands not based in Omaha in 2001 with releases by Now It's Overhead and Sorry About Dresden. Other non-Nebraskan artists followed, including Los Angeles's Rilo Kiley, Eric Bachmann (formerly leader of Archers of Loaf and Crooked Fingers from North Carolina), Georgie James (Washington D.C.), Two Gallants (San Francisco), and most recently Tokyo Police Club (Toronto).[4]
In 2005, Spend an Evening with Saddle Creek, a documentary detailing the first ten years of the record label's history, was released. The DVD features extensive interviews with the Saddle Creek bands, archival footage, and rare live performances.
On June 8, 2007, the label opened their own music venue named Slowdown[5] (after the group Slowdown Virginia), located in downtown Omaha, Nebraska.
The label's name was inspired partially by the A-side single of Polecat's 1994 -ismist Recordings release 2500 Ft of Our Love, "Saddle Creek."[6]
Bands
Discography
Year | No. | Artist | Title | Format |
---|---|---|---|---|
1993 | LBJ-01[7] | Conor Oberst | Water | CS |
1993 | LBJ-2[8] | Polecat | Dilly Dally | CS |
1994 | LBJ-03[9] | Slowdown Virginia | Dead Space | CD |
1995 | LBJ-04[10] | Smashmouth | Some of You Will Be Hermits | CS |
1995 | LBJ-05[11] | Polecat/Sunbrain | Happy Valentine's Day/Makeout Party | Split 7" |
1995 | LBJ-06[12] | Commander Venus | Do You Feel at Home? | CD |
1995 | LBJ-07[13] | We'd Rather Be Flying | The Solution for Your Thinning Hair | CD |
1995 | LBJ-08[14] | Norman Bailer | Sine Sierra | CS |
1996 | LBJ-09[15] | Various | Music Me All Over | 7" |
1996 | LBJ-10[16] | Cursive | The Disruption | CDr, 7" |
1996 | LBJ-11[17] | Lullaby for the Working Class | Consolation | 7" |
1996 | LBJ-12[18] | Lullaby for the Working Class | Blanket Warm | LP |
1996 | LBJ-13[19] | Drip/Commander Venus | Last Go/Bow to the Prom King | Split 7" |
1997 | LBJ-14[20] | The Wrens/Park Ave. | Split Single | Split 7" |
1997 | LBJ-15 | Lullaby for the Working Class | ...In Honor of My Stumbling | 7" |
1997 | LBJ-16 | comm.venus* | The Uneventful Vacation | LP |
1997 | LBJ-17 | Lullaby for the Working Class | I Never Even Asked for Light | LP |
1997 | LBJ-18 | Cursive | The Icebreaker | 7" EP |
1998 | LBJ-19 | Bright Eyes | A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995–1997 | LP |
1997 | LBJ-20 | Various | A Sampler CD | CD |
1998 | LBJ-21 | The Faint | Media | CD |
1998 | LBJ-22 | Cursive | The Storms of Early Summer: Semantics of Song | CD |
1998 | LBJ-23 | Bright Eyes | Letting Off the Happiness | CD/LP |
1999 | LBJ-24 | Lullaby for the Working Class | The Ebb & Flow, the Come Go, the To & Fro | 7" |
1999 | LBJ-25 | The Faint/Ex-Action Figures | split | Split 7" |
1999 | LBJ-26 | Gabardine | Gabardine | CD |
1999 | LBJ-27 | Lullaby for the Working Class | Song | LP |
1999 | LBJ-28 | The Faint | Blank-Wave Arcade | LP |
1999 | LBJ-29 | Spoon | The Agony of Laffitte | CD Single |
1999 | LBJ-30 | Bright Eyes | Every Day and Every Night | EP CD/12" |
2000 | LBJ-31 | Cursive | Domestica | CD/LP |
2000 | LBJ-32 | Bright Eyes | Fevers and Mirrors | CD/LP |
2000 | LBJ-33 | The Faint | Blank-Wave Arcade Remixes | 12" |
- LBJ-034 Bright Eyes/Son, Ambulance - Oh Holy Fools: The Music of Son, Ambulance & Bright Eyes CD/LP
- LBJ-035 Cursive - Burst and Bloom CD/LP
- LBJ-036 Son, Ambulance - Euphemystic CD/LP
- LBJ-037 The Faint - Danse Macabre CD/LP
- LBJ-038 Now It's Overhead - Now It's Overhead CD/LP
- LBJ-039 Sorry About Dresden - The Convenience of Indecision CD
- LBJ-040 Desaparecidos - The Happiest Place on Earth CD5
- LBJ-041 Azure Ray - November EP CD
- LBJ-042 Desaparecidos - Read Music/Speak Spanish CD/LP
- LBJ-043 The Good Life - Black Out CD/LP
- LJB-044 Mayday - Old Blood CD
- LBJ-045 Bright Eyes - There Is No Beginning To The Story EP CD/12"
- LBJ-046 Bright Eyes - Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground CD/2xLP
- LBJ-047 Rilo Kiley - The Execution of All Things CD/LP
- LBJ-048 Bright Eyes - A Christmas Album CD
- LBJ-049 Cursive - Art Is Hard CD
- LBJ-050 Various Artists - Saddle Creek 50 2xCD/LP
- LBJ-051 Cursive - The Ugly Organ CD/LP
- LBJ-052 Sorry About Dresden - Let It Rest CD
- LBJ-053 Bright Eyes - Vinyl Box Set 5xLP + 2x12" + Box Set
- LBJ-054 Azure Ray - Hold On Love CD/LP
- LBJ-055 Azure Ray - The Drinks We Drank Last Night CD
- SCE-056 Rilo Kiley - The Execution of All Things CD
- LBJ-057 Azure Ray - New Resolution CD
- LBJ-058 Now It's Overhead - Fall Back Open CD
- LBJ-059 Cursive - The Recluse CD
- SCE-060 Bright Eyes/Neva Dinova - One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels CD/LP
- LBJ-061 Broken Spindles - fulfilled/complete CD/LP
- LBJ-062 The Good Life - Lovers Need Lawyers CD/10"
- LBJ-063 Beep Beep - Business Casual CD/LP
- LBJ-064 The Good Life - Album of the Year CD/LP
- LBJ-065 Now It's Overhead - Wait in a Line CD
- LBJ-066 The Faint - I Disappear CD
- LBJ-067 The Faint - Wet From Birth CD/LP
- LBJ-068 Bright Eyes - Lua CD
- LBJ-069 Bright Eyes - Take It Easy (Love Nothing) CD
- LBJ-070 Cursive - The Difference Between Houses and Homes CD/LP
- LBJ-071 Son, Ambulance - Key CD
- LBJ-072 Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning CD/LP
- LBJ-073 Bright Eyes - Digital Ash in a Digital Urn CD/LP
- LBJ-074 Maria Taylor - 11:11 CD
- LBJ-075 Orenda Fink - Invisible Ones CD
- LBJ-076 Mayday - Bushido Karaoke CD
- LBJ-077 Bright Eyes - When the President Talks to God iTunes exclusive
- SCE-079 Bright Eyes - First Day of My Life CD/7"
- LBJ-080 Criteria - En Garde (reissue) CD
- LBJ-081 Criteria - When We Break CD/LP
- LBJ-082 Broken Spindles - inside/absent CD/LP
- LBJ-083 The Faint - Desperate Guys CD
- LBJ-084 Bright Eyes - Easy/Lucky/Free CD/2x7"
- LBJ-085 Criteria - Prevent the World CD
- LBJ-086 Orenda Fink - Bloodline iTunes single
- LBJ-087 Various Artists - Lagniappe
- SCE-088 Bright Eyes - Motion Sickness: Live Recordings CD
- LBJ-089 Saddle Up and Love It - Saddle Creek/Lovitt Records Hot Topic Compilation CD
- LBJ-090 Two Gallants - Las Cruces Jail 7"
- LBJ-091 Two Gallants - What the Toll Tells CD/LP
- SCE-092 Two Gallants - Steady Rollin' iTunes Exclusive
- LBJ-093 Cursive - Dorothy at Forty CD/7"
- LBJ-094 Cursive - Happy Hollow CD/LP
- LBJ-095 Eric Bachmann - To The Races CD
- LBJ-096 Now It's Overhead - Dark Light Daybreak (Live in the Studio) iTunes Exclusive
- LBJ-097 Now It's Overhead - Dark Light Daybreak CD
- LBJ-098 Ladyfinger - Heavy Hands CD
- LBJ-099 Bright Eyes - Noise Floor: Rarities 1998-2005 CD, 2*LP
- LBJ-101 Bright Eyes - Four Winds CD/12"
- LBJ-102 Maria Taylor - Lynn Teeter Flower CD
- LBJ-103 Bright Eyes - Cassadaga CD/2xLP
- SCE-104 Cursive - Big Bang digital single
- LBJ-105 Two Gallants - The Scenery of Farewell CD/12"
- LBJ-106 The Good Life - Heartbroke 7"/Digital Single
- LBJ-107 Art in Manila - Set the Woods on Fire CD
- LBJ-108 The Good Life- Help Wanted Nights CD/LP
- LBJ-109 Two Gallants - Two Gallants CD/LP
- LBJ-110 Georgie James - Places CD/LP
- SCE-111 Two Gallants - Despite What You've Been Told Digital Single
- SCE-112 Georgie James - Need Your Needs Digital Single
- SCE-113 Richard Swift - Dressed Up for the Letdown CD
- LBJ-114 Cursive - Rhapsody Original EP Digital
- LBJ-115 Cursive - Bad Sects 12"
- LBJ-116 Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell CD/LP
- LBJ-117 Neva Dinova - You May Already Be Dreaming CD/LP
- LBJ-118 Georgie James - Cake Parade 7"/Digital
- LBJ-119 Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell (Remixes) Digital
- LBJ-120 Son, Ambulance - Someone Else's Deja Vu CD/LP
- LBJ-121 Tokyo Police Club - Tessellate 7"
- SCE-122 Two Gallants - Miss Meri Digital Single
- LBJ-123 Beep Beep - Enchanted Islands CD
- LBJ-124 Neva Dinova - Neva Dinova (2009 Reissue) Digital
- LBJ-125 O+S - O+S CD/LP
- LBJ-126 Land of Talk - Some Are Lakes CD/LP
- LBJ-127 Sebastien Grainger - American Names 7"/Digital EP
- LBJ-128 Sebastien Grainger - Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains CD/LP
- LBJ-129 Ladyfinger (ne) - Dusk CD
- LBJ-130 Tokyo Police Club - FNMTV Live (Rhapsody Exclusive)
- LBJ-131 Tokyo Police Club - Live Session iTunes Exclusive EP
- LBJ-132 Cursive - Mama, I'm Swollen CD/LP
- LBJ-133 Cursive/Ladyfinger (ne) - Record Store Day Picture 10"
- LBJ-134 Sebastien Grainger - Who Do We Care For Digital Single
- LBJ-135 Tokyo Police Club - Baskervilles Remix Digital Single
- SCE-136 Dag för Dag - Shooting from the Shadows CD EP
- LBJ-137 UUVVWWZ - UUVVWWZ CD
- LBJ-138 The Rural Alberta Advantage - Hometowns CD/LP
- LBJ-139 Orenda Fink - Ask The Night CD/LP
- LBJ-140 Old Canes - Feral Harmonic CD/LP
- LBJ-141 O+S - We Do What We Want to Digital
- LBJ-142 Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - Summer of Fear CD/LP/Digital
- LBJ-143 Land of Talk - Fun & Laughter EP CD/Digital
- LBJ-144 The Rural Alberta Advantage - Drain the Blood 7"/Digital
- LBJ-145 Bright Eyes / Neva Dinova - One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels CD/LP/Digital (2010 Reissue)
- LBJ-146 The Mynabirds - What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood CD/LP/Digital
- LBJ-148 Cursive - Discovering America Digital Single
- LBJ-149 Land of Talk - Cloak and Cipher CD/LP/Digital
- LBJ-150 Land of Talk - Swift Coin 7"/Digital
- LBJ-151 Tim Kasher - Cold Love 7"/Digital
- LBJ-152 Tim Kasher - The Game of Monogamy CD/LP/Digital
- LBJ-153 Adam Haworth Stephens - We Live on Cliffs CD/LP/Digital
- LBJ-154 Azure Ray - Don't Leave My Mind Digital Single
- LBJ-155 Tim Kasher - Delirium Tantrums 7" (online-store exclusive)
- LBJ-156 The Mynabirds - All I Want is Truth (for Christmas) 7"/Digital
- LBJ-157 The Rural Alberta Advantage - Departing CD/LP/Digital
- LBJ-158 Bright Eyes - The People's Key CD/LP/Digital
- LBJ-159 Bright Eyes - Singularity Digital
- LBJ-160 Azure Ray (feat. Sparklehorse) - Silverlake Digital
Compilations
- Saddle Creek Records, A Sampler (1998)
- Saddle Creek 50 (2002)
- Lagniappe: A Saddle Creek Benefit for Hurricane Katrina (2005)
See also
- List of record labels
- Team Love Records
- Range Life Records
- Slumber Party Records
- Lightspeed Champion
References
- Spend an Evening With Saddle Creek. Dir. Jason Kulbel and Rob Walters. DVD. Plexifilm, 2005.
- https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/beggars-leaves-ada-to-join-redeye-alongside-domino-for-physical-distribution-in-the-us
- Justin Oberst was 13 years old at the time of the first Lumberjack release, Conor Oberst's "Water"
- Roy, Jessica. "I Like That Bitch's Life: How Jenny Lewis Was a Twee Teen's Dream". New York. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
- Slowdown
- Sisson, Patrick (September 3, 2005). "`Saddle Creek' chronicles iconic record label's story". Chicago Tribune. Chicago. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
- "Conor Oberst - Water (Cassette) at Discogs". Retrieved June 25, 2017.
- "Polecat - Dilly Dally (Cassette, Album) at Discogs". Retrieved June 25, 2017.
- "Slowdown Virginia - Dead Space (CD, Album) at Discogs". Retrieved July 4, 2017.
- "Smashmouth - Some Of You Will Be Hermits (Cassette, Album) at Discogs". Retrieved July 4, 2017.
- "Sunbrain / Polecat - Happy Valentine's Day / Make Out Party (Vinyl) at Discogs". Retrieved July 4, 2017.
- "Commander Venus - Do You Feel at Home? (CD, album) at Discogs". Retrieved August 10, 2017.
- "We'd Rather Be Flying - The Solution for Your Thinning Hair at Discogs". Retrieved August 10, 2017.
- "Norman Bailer - Sine Sierra at Discogs". Retrieved August 10, 2017.
- "Various - Music Me All Over at Discogs". Retrieved August 10, 2017.
- "Cursive - The Disruption at Discogs". Retrieved August 10, 2017.
- "Lullaby for the Working Class - Consolation at Discogs". Retrieved August 10, 2017.
- "Lullaby for the Working Class - Blanket Warm at Discogs". Retrieved August 10, 2017.
- "Drip / Commander Venus - Split Single at Discogs". Retrieved August 10, 2017.
- "Saddle Creek - CDs and Vinyl at Discogs". Retrieved August 10, 2017.