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Kindercore - We aren’t dead, we were just resting.


ATHENS, Ga., July 2, 2007 – Kindercore, the influential underground boutique record label has been reborn as an independent media label – its new roster expanded to include bands, comic book artists, analysts, t-shirt designers, and humorists from Athens, GA and beyond.

The Athens-based information and entertainment syndicate will unleash its first release since 2003 in August with the comic book and music anthology The Trouble Revolution, quickly followed by releases from pop outfit King of Prussia and electro rockers Ruby Isle.

The effort is being orchestrated by Dan Geller (I Am the World Trade Center, USSR, Ruby Isle) and Ryan Lewis (The Four Corners, The Agenda), who founded the company in 1996 to document the fertile Athens indie music scene and together put out over 70 releases in seven years.

Before entering into a financial partnership that would eventually bring about the temporary death of Kindercore, the label released records from rising indie stars like Of Montreal, Masters of the Hemisphere, Maserati, The Essex Green, The Sunshine Fix, Dressy Bessy and Kings of Convenience, and in 2000, was named the year’s “Indie Label to Watch” by Spin Magazine.

Kindercore grew beyond everyone’s expectations until 2003 when the label was thought to have been killed by a bad business deal. The label went into a dormant state in the New York State Supreme Court system for years until a judgment was finally received, once again granting Lewis and Geller control over the name, catalog and their once human bodies.

Much changed during the 3 years that Kindercore was dormant, leading the founders to reevaluate the way they want to run the reemerging company.

“At a time when major labels are becoming increasingly irrelevant and the once strong network of traditional record stores is in disarray, we really want to connect directly with our audience, giving fans the most complete and satisfying experience possible for the lowest viable price” said Lewis.

Geller, who splits time between Kindercore and his job as a Biofuels research engineer and Lewis have made additional adjustments to the Kindercore plan that take into account global issues beyond the entertainment world. “We will be making every effort to raise awareness about important climate and energy issues while doing everything we can to ensure that the company makes as small a negative impact on the planet as possible. We will also be using environmentally friendly processes whenever they are available” explains Geller.

To this end Kindercore is shifting focus from manufacturing CDs - a process which is not easy on the environment - to digital distribution through a strategic partnership with IODA, the Independent Online Distribution Alliance. As part of this arrangement, the entire Kindercore catalog is now available from iTunes, Emusic, and other digital download services.

The company’s new expanded focus continues Geller and Lewis’ original goal of bringing together talented people and presenting them to a discerning audience, thereby creating a community of like minded artists and fans that redefines the relationship between the two.

Serving as the hub of this new Kindercore universe is Kindercore.com, an expansive webspace featuring music, comics, film projects, forums, writing, clothing and more as it continues to grow and evolve with Geller and Lewis, the artists and the audience.

“Our priority is to help progressive artists - be they musicians, illustrators, animators, film makers, fashion designers or writers - to create and deliver their inventions directly to the people, providing a place for people to come together and dig on art, music, science, fashion, politics and life in general” said Lewis.

Kicking off the new era of Kindercore is The Trouble Revolution, an anthology comic featuring artists and writers from across the country. Contributors include:
- 2007 Eisner Award nominee Josh Cotter;
- Kansas City Star cartoonist Travis Fox;
- Adult Swim animation director Adam Fuchs;
- the Kangaroo Alliance animation and illustration house;
- Ryan Lewis and his brothers Jesse Lockwood and Mat Lewis (The Agenda);
- members of Athens’ heroes Je Suis France;
- Man or Astroman and Woggles artist Devlin Thompson;
- acclaimed illustrator Rama Hughes;
as well as a handful of talented newcomers, continuing Kindercore’s tradition of seeking out and supporting talented folks from all corners of the globe.

Packaged with the comic is a download card which unlocks a 15 track compilation featuring songs from past label releases as well as offerings from new members of the family.

On the heels of The Trouble Revolution will be Save the Scene, the debut offering from grandiose Athens pop outfit King of Prussia. Harkening back to the golden age of the label, the seven song E.P. reminded Lewis and Geller of why they started the label in the first place and helped spark the label’s resurrection.

Following shortly after King of Prussia’s debut will be Miracles, the second EP from electronic pop combo Ruby Isle, featuring Kindercore founder Dan Geller’s retro beats and the glam influence of his longtime friend, Minneapolis’ Mark Mallman. The unholy fusion of these two talents takes electronica to hooky new heights.

In celebration of the reanimation, Kindercore is hosting a throwdown at the Caledonia Lounge in Athens, GA on August 18th. The new roster will be featured along with DJs, an art show and some surprises from the past. In addition, both King of Prussia and Ruby Isle are taking to the streets throughout the balance of 2007 and into 2008 in support of their new Kindercore Releases. Preliminary dates are listed below.

King Of Prussia
19 Jul 2007 The Khyber w/ Bottom of the Hudson Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
20 Jul 2007 The Tiger Bar w/ Bottom of the Hudson Toronto
21 Jul 2007 The Mo Pitkins w/ Bottom of the Hudson New York City, New York
22 Jul 2007 The Luna Lounge Brooklyn, New York
23 Jul 2007 The Red and the Black w/ Bottom of the Hudson & The Visitations Washington, Washington DC
24 Jul 2007 The Starr Hill w/ Bottom of the Hudson Charlottesville, Virginia
25 Jul 2007 SPAZZATORIUM w/ Bottom of the Hudson Greenville, North Carolina
26 Jul 2007 The Caledonia Lounge w/ Bottom of the Hudson Athens, Georgia
27 Jul 2007 The Bella Festa w/ Bottom of the Hudson Wilmington, North Carolina
28 Jul 2007 The Pirate’s Cove w/ Bottom of the Hudson Myrtle Beach, SC

Ruby Isle
11 Jul 2007 Drunken Unicorn - MJQ Atlanta
12 Jul 2007 The 5 spot Nashville, Tennessee
13 Jul 2007 Abbey Pub Chicago
14 Jul 2007 Mad Planet Milwaukee, Wisconsin
15 Jul 2007 Barbette - Bastille Day Minneapolis, Minnesota
18 Aug 2007 Caledonia Lounge Athens, Georgia



posted on Friday, July 13th, 2007 at 5:33 pm and is filed under music, clients, kindercore, dan-geller, ryan-lewis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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