TKO Records
| TKO Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Founder | Mark Rainey |
| Genre |
hardcore punk street punk |
| Country of origin | US |
| Official website |
tkorecords |
TKO Records is an independent punk rock record label based in Huntington Beach, California. The label is primarily known for its pivotal role in the late 1990s American street punk scene and has continued its notability as a source of new releases, reissues, and archival recordings.[1] The OC Weekly newspaper recognized the label as "best record label" in Orange County in 2011[2] and its record store of the same name as "best punk-rock record store" in Orange County, 2008.[3]
History
TKO Records was founded by Mark Rainey and Tom Knutson in 1997 in San Francisco, California. Early on the label rose to prominence with releases from the Dropkick Murphys, Lower Class Brats, Anti-Heros, Swingin' Utters, The Templars, Pressure Point, Workin' Stiffs, U.S. Bombs, and The Forgotten.[2] The label helped to establish a sound and aesthetic for the street punk scene in the United States that was then rising in popularity. As TKO's prominence within the punk rock scene increased, the label also began releasing records from veteran punk bands such as Cocksparrer, Angelic Upstarts, the Partisans, Slaughter and the Dogs, The Bruisers, Chelsea, The Business, The Real Kids, and Antiseen.[4]
Eventually the label relocated to Orange County, California and from 2000 to 2005 continued building a name with notable releases from "Beach Punk" bands such as the Smut Peddlers, the Stitches, Smogtown, the Crowd and Broken Bottles while continuing to release street punk and Oi! records.[5]
In 2007 TKO Records opened a record store in Fountain Valley, California as part of the label's ten year anniversary. The label continues to release reissues and archival recordings from seminal punk bands, such as Poison Idea, the Templars (band), T.S.O.L., The Meatmen, Antiseen, No For An Answer, Channel 3, and Iron Cross, as well as new recordings from Giuda, The label's store front relocated to Huntington Beach, California in 2013 and has hosted readings from punk rock related writers, such as Tesco Vee, Jack Grisham, Alice Bag, Chris D. and Legs McNeil, as well live performances from artists including Deniz Tek, Chuck Dukowski, Scott Weinrich, Joe Keithley and Channel 3. The store specializes in rare, out of print records, as well as new releases from punk, hardcore, garage, reggae, ska, rock, and metal bands.[2][3]
Mark Rainey has also co-run the imprint record label Flat Records, along with Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys. Flat's releases have included records from Agnostic Front and Blood For Blood.[6]
Current TKO Records Artists
|
-the Beltones -Giuda |
-YDi |
Former TKO Records Artists[4]
|
46 Short Adolf and the Piss Artists Bad Luck Charms (side project with members of U.S. Bombs) Blood Stained Kings (featuring Yoji Harada) The Bodies Bottles & Skulls (featuring members of Triclops!) Broken Bottles Class Assassins Cocknoose Complete Control The Crowd Dead End Cruisers The Distraction (featuring members of Le Shok) |
The Escaped Glass Heroes (produced by Rat Scabies) Hammerlock Hard Skin (featuring Sean Forbes of Wat Tyler (band)) Hollywood Hate (featuring Scotty Wilkins) Krum Bums Last Target (featuring members of Thug Murder) Limecell the Loose Lips Nazi Dogs New York Rel-X (featuring members of The Krays (band)) Niblick Henbane Old Firm Casuals (featuring Lars Frederiksen) |
Peter and the Test Tube Babies The Radicts the Randumbs Reducers SF the Rhythm Doctors (featuring members of The Aggrolites) Smogtown Strychnine Terminus City Tommy and the Terrors The Truents The Upsets VICIOUS CIRCLE (pre-T.S.O.L.) Workin' Stiffs |
Flat Records Artists
|
30 Seconds Over Tokyo All Systems Stop BeerZone Big Bad Bollocks the Cuffs The Drunks |
Hudson Falcons Main Street Saints the Randumbs Terminus City the Trouble The Vigilantes |
Notes
- ↑ Travis, Tiffini A (April 13, 2012). Skinheads: A Guide to an American Subculture (First ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. p. 37. ISBN 0313359539.
- 1 2 3 "Best Record Label Orange County 2011". OC Weekly. October 13, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
- 1 2 "Best Punk-Rock Record Store Orange County 2008 - TKO Records". OC Weekly. October 9, 2008. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
- 1 2 Discogs, Discogs. "TKO Discogs Page". Discogs. Discogs. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
- ↑ Alim, Nadeem (December 20, 2010). "Making and Selling Music, for the Record". Fountain Valley Patch. Fountain Valley Patch. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
- ↑ Discogs, Page. "Flat Records Discogs Page". Discogs. Discogs. Retrieved 2014-07-15.