Megan Hamilton and I started OxBlood after commiserating over our experiences in the music industry. She is a former member of Frogpond, who did time on a major label, while I worked for indie and major labels in Los Angeles in the late 80’s. Soured by the treatment of bands by record labels, we vowed OxBlood would be artist-friendly. With the scene in Kansas City (and Lawrence, Kansas) burgeoning, there is no better time than now. We want to showcase the diverse talent of our scene and what better way than compiling some of the scene’s stars for our initial release? The compilation has an old-school approach…all new and exclusive tracks recorded at the same studio by one producer -- Mr. Paul Malinowski (Season To Risk, Shiner).
First Blood: The Compilation includes a mix of new projects from Kansas City area veterans featuring former members of Season To Risk, Shiner, The Pedaljets, The Get Up Kids, Boys Life, Dirtnap, The Gadjits, and Butterglory and from the young lions --the likes of The Republic Tigers, Softee, Ghosty, and more. A heartfelt thank you to the musicians, artists, and friends who made this recording possible.
Our first release is filled with murder ballads and dark elegies courtesy of American Catastrophe. Check out "Excerpts From The Broken Bone Choir".
2008 brings us a remastered reissue of a classic 1989 recording from Kansas City's Pedaljets and a new release from polished indie-popsters Ghosty.
Upcoming releases for 2009 include a 7" from The Pedaljets featuring an unreleased b-side, a full-length debut from one of Kansas City's finest...details to come. Stay tuned.
Robert Moore
January 2007
OxBlood Records
AMERICAN CATASTROPHE review from Pitchfork Media
Search this band’s name on Google and you’ll find references to just the kind of cataclysms the songs evoke. These six tracks, remastered and reissued by OxBlood in the band’s native Kansas City, Mo., create a fuller picture of a band than many longer albums; at 33 minutes this is an EP bursting at the seams with hefty pieces that boast, indulge, and haunt. At surface level the references are clear: leader Shaun Hamontree is a Tom Waits fanatic, and everywhere are up-to-the-minute contemporary draws– a Tarantino scene change, a Neko Case bridge, a Low vocal– that serve as modern touches to gothic artifacts.
This can lead us to several neighboring places. For one, the vertiginous funereal comedown of “The Farm”, which manages to be both the warmest and most alienating of the tracks. At nearly eight minutes it alternately drones on and picks us up, like an unpredictable wind, the mournful vocals switching dominance with a more energetic percussion section, both of which Hamontree conducts with his central and overpowering role at the microphone. So early in the album this song could prophesy a leaden second half, but as it turns out, the band prefer to intersperse tempo ranges, alternating slow, heavily reverbed guitar tracks with the faster, stormier pieces dominated by drums.
The musical cues evoked when the four members come together are far more interesting: It’s a tumultuous yet controlled breed of rock that appears to communicate deeper than some of the rangy dustbowl guitar solos and explosively sad choruses elsewhere. “Wither” is the best example of this, though melodically it’s more familiar, with twinkling, ominous arpeggios skittering around thick resolutions in bass and guitar at the chorus. The references in “Wither” are as much to sophisticated metal as to country and blues.
The bow-out, “Tension”, has a scintillating beauty that will remind listeners of Explosions in the Sky, whose fascination with simple repetitive guitar lines performed in peaceably empty outer space is transformed here, branded with American Catastrophe’s smoke-filled noise-making. A delicate few notes on the electric guitar build up through their own monotony, leading to the inevitable crash and burn of cymbals and bass in the final seconds. As a teaser to what this band is currently working on (these songs were first recorded in 2005), Excerpts is colorful, painted in various shades of gray and blood red.
-Liz Colville, July 06, 2007
American Catastrophe takes you down a dark and lonely road, but it’s a road you’ll be thankful you took. Popmatters.com
FIRST BLOOD REVIEW from smother.net
Kansas City is known for great steaks and tornados and of course my beloved Royals. Well maybe now some folks will recognize its burgeoning indie music scene as well. A wide array of music greets the ear via this diverse compilation assembled by upstart K.C. based label Oxblood Records. You’ve got everything from electronica to Americana to indie rock to sugary pop. Check out White Whale (ex-Get Up Kids, Boys Life and Butterglory) and The Republic Tigers as two big highlights out of this rich assortment of up-and-coming bands.
- J-Sin
Most kind of you to add J.A.M. UK to ya list and joining a fair deals4artists label…thanks. Check out the debut album by Ru Garvey and Keep in touch now!....PJ JAM UK
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