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| Candy Ass Records | |
|---|---|
| Founder | Jody Bleyle |
| Genre | Punk,queercore,riot grrrl |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Portland, Oregon |
Candy Ass Records was anindependent record label in Portland, Oregon, that was run byJody Bleyle, a member of the bandsTeam Dresch andHazel and of thequeercore bands Family Outing and Infinite Xs.[1]
The label is best known for the 1995 release of the double LP compilationFree to Fight. Featuringall-women bands and musicians such asThe Third Sex,Rebecca Gates ofThe Spinanes,Fifth Column, Containe,Heavens to Betsy,Excuse 17,Lois, Cheesecake and Team Dresch, all contributing songs dealing with women's safety, defense against harassment andrape and pertinent topics surrounding these issues. The recording also featured self-defense instructions led by Anna LoBianco and Staci Cotler, which were included in a 75-page illustrated booklet accompanying the LPs/CD. As well, the booklet contained a great variety of other contributions from women such asbell hooks, Sue P. Fox and others, in the form of stories, practical advice and poems, all dealing with self-defense.
Jody Bleyle is interviewed in the documentary filmShe's Real, Worse Than Queer speaking about Candy Ass Records and the release ofFree to Fight, along with Alice Stagg, who contributed several segments on self-defense on the recording and accompanied Team Dresch on the tour promoting the release.
Candy Ass also co-released, with Chainsaw Records, the first Team Dresch LP,Personal Best, in 1994 and the band's second LP,Captain My Captain, in 1995. Jody Bleyle also released recordings by her other band Hazel.
After the release ofFree to Fight, the label planned to issue several follow-up singles by various artists under the same name as the original compilation and dealing with the same issues. The first release, calledFree to Fight #1, was a split single withSleater-Kinney andCypher in the Snow accompanied by self-defense tips. However, this first release was also to be the last, due to the label's financial constraints.
Aside from these endeavors the label also released separate recordings by artists such as The Lookers (withSarah Dougher), Vegas Beat, andCypher in the Snow.
