| Kill Rock Stars | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent company | Exceleration Music |
| Founded | February 1991; 34 years ago (1991-02) |
| Founder |
|
| Distributor | Redeye Distribution |
| Genre | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Portland, Oregon |
| Official website | www |
Kill Rock Stars is anindependent record label founded in February 1991[1] bySlim Moon and Tinuviel Sampson,[2][3][4] and based in bothOlympia, Washington, andPortland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, but it was originally known for its commitment to undergroundpunk rock bands and theOlympia area music scene.[5]
Sampson and Moon initially started the label because, in Moon's words, "I just wanted to put out my friends' records because nobody was putting out my friends' records. And to put outspoken word 7-inch records."[6] KRS-101 (the label's first release) was in fact a split 7-inch spoken-word record withKathleen Hanna and Slim Moon; other "Wordcore" releases followed.[7] The first major release was a compilation of Olympia-area bands simply titledKill Rock Stars (Stars Kill Rock andRock Stars Kill would follow in the same compilation series) and featuredBikini Kill,Bratmobile,Unwound,Nirvana,Mecca Normal,Heavens to Betsy,The Nation of Ulysses, andthe Melvins, among others.[8]
Although the label's music has never reflected a singular genre or underground music movement, it is arguably most notable for releasing the work of variousriot grrrl bands during the mid-'90s, some of which, especially Bikini Kill, generated a good deal of press attention. Other Kill Rock Stars releases in this genre includes albums by Bratmobile,Huggy Bear,Heavens to Betsy andExcuse 17.[8]
The label continued its tradition of spoken word by releasing their first full-length spoken-word LPBig Broad byJuliana Luecking in 1995.[9] This was also the year thatElliott Smith released hisself-titled solo LP on the label.[8] Another milestone was the 1997 release ofSleater-Kinney's third LP (and first on Kill Rock Stars)Dig Me Out, which garnered national press attention inSpin andRolling Stone.[10][8]
In 1997–98, the5RC label was formed as a sister label to Kill Rock Stars; it released generally harsher-sounding and more experimental rock than Kill Rock Stars.[8] The 5RC roster includedXiu Xiu,Deerhoof,Need New Body,The Mae Shi,The Robot Ate Me, andMetalux, among others. 1998 also marked the first-ever Mailorder Freak Singles Club, featuringQuasi,Small Stars,Sta-Prest, andRock*A*Teens, among others.[11][12]
Another popular band on Kill Rock Stars wasthe Decemberists, who released three full-length albums on the label between 2001 and 2005.[13] The band's singer,Colin Meloy, also released asolo album on the label in April 2008. Other notable releases by Kill Rock Stars include albums bythe Paper Chase,Jeff Hanson,Unwound,Marnie Stern,the Gossip,Mecca Normal,Two Ton Boa andComet Gain; spoken word albums byKathy Acker andMiranda July; and reissues of work by earlier punk/post-punk bands such asKleenex/Liliput,Essential Logic, andDelta 5.
In October 2006, Slim Moon, the label's owner, announced he would be departing Kill Rock Stars to work as an A&R representative atNonesuch Records, aWarner Music Group subsidiary.[14][8] Moon's wife,Portia Sabin, then took over ownership of Kill Rock Stars.[15] In 2007, the label released eleven records, includingNew Moon, a collection of songs recorded by Elliott Smith between 1994 and 1997. The label has begun to further diversify its roster: since 2013, Kill Rock Stars has released albums by comedians includingW. Kamau Bell,Nathan Brannon,Kurt Braunohler,River Butcher,Cameron Esposito,Emily Heller,Hot Tub with Kurt and Kristen, Ian Karmel,Hari Kondabolu, and Amy Miller.[15]
In September 2019, Kill Rock Stars issued a press release announcingSlim Moon's return to management of the label after a thirteen-year hiatus, as well as the signing of Portland band MAITA; the press release described the signing as "both previous label head Portia Sabin's last act and the first initiative of Slim Moon in his second tenure as guiding light of KRS".[16]
In February 2022, it was announced that independent music company Exceleration Music had acquired the Kill Rock Stars catalog and formed a partnership with its founder, Slim Moon. Under the deal, Moon would continue to handle A&R and would be actively signing and developing new artists.[17]