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 major street that cuts through 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" redirects here. For the shopping center, see Shops of Saddle Creek.

Saddle Creek Records
Founded1993 (1993)
FounderMike Mogis
Justin Oberst
Distributor(s)Redeye Distribution (US)
GenreRock
Country of originU.S.
LocationOmaha, Nebraska
Official websitesaddle-creek.com

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

Past 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-inch
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-inch
1996 LBJ-10[16] Cursive The Disruption CDr, 7-inch
1996 LBJ-11[17] Lullaby for the Working Class Consolation 7-inch
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-inch
1997 LBJ-14[20] The Wrens/Park Ave. Split Single Split 7-inch
1997 LBJ-15 Lullaby for the Working Class ...In Honor of My Stumbling 7-inch
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-inch 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-inch
1999 LBJ-25 The Faint/Ex-Action Figures split Split 7-inch
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-inch

Compilations
  • Saddle Creek Records, A Sampler (1998)
  • Saddle Creek 50 (2002)
  • Lagniappe: A Saddle Creek Benefit for Hurricane Katrina (2005)

See also

References
  1. Spend an Evening With Saddle Creek. Dir. Jason Kulbel and Rob Walters. DVD. Plexifilm, 2005.
  2. "Beggars leaves ADA to join Redeye, alongside Domino, for physical distribution in the US". January 6, 2020.
  3. Justin Oberst was 13 years old at the time of the first Lumberjack release, Conor Oberst's "Water"
  4. Roy, Jessica (January 28, 2016). "I Like That Bitch's Life: How Jenny Lewis Was a Twee Teen's Dream". New York. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  5. Slowdown
  6. Sisson, Patrick (September 3, 2005). "'Saddle Creek' chronicles iconic record label's story". Chicago Tribune. Chicago. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  7. "Conor Oberst - Water (Cassette) at Discogs". Discogs. 1993. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  8. "Polecat - Dilly Dally (Cassette, Album) at Discogs". Discogs. 1993. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  9. "Slowdown Virginia - Dead Space (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs. 1994. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  10. "Smashmouth - Some Of You Will Be Hermits (Cassette, Album) at Discogs". Discogs. 1995. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  11. "Sunbrain / Polecat - Happy Valentine's Day / Make Out Party (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs. 1995. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  12. "Commander Venus - Do You Feel at Home? (CD, album) at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  13. "We'd Rather Be Flying - The Solution for Your Thinning Hair at Discogs". Discogs. 1995. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  14. "Norman Bailer - Sine Sierra at Discogs". Discogs. 1995. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  15. "Various - Music Me All Over at Discogs". Discogs. 1996. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  16. "Cursive - The Disruption at Discogs". Discogs. 1996. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  17. "Lullaby for the Working Class - Consolation at Discogs". Discogs. 1996. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  18. "Lullaby for the Working Class - Blanket Warm at Discogs". Discogs. 1996. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  19. "Drip / Commander Venus - Split Single at Discogs". Discogs. 1996. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  20. "Saddle Creek - CDs and Vinyl at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
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