----
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Introduction
Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and based in Olympia, Washington, United States. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, making it difficult to pigeonhole as having any one artistic mission. Overall, though, the political sensibilities of the label can be said to be leftist, feminist and anti-war and the label has consistently shown a commitment towards underground punk bands and to representing artists in the Olympia, Washington area.
Moon initially started the label with the intention of releasing spoken word 7” record singles. KRS-101 (the label's first release) was in fact a split 7" spoken-word record with Kathleen Hanna and Slim Moon; other "Wordcore" releases followed. The first major release was a compilation of Olympia-area bands simply titled Kill Rock Stars (Stars Kill Rock and Rock Stars Kill would follow in the same compilation series) and featured Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, Unwound, Nirvana and The Melvins. In fact, Moon has said that the label began releasing music because Bikini Kill, Bratmobile and Unwound were too exciting to remain unsigned.
Although the label's music has never reflected just a single genre or underground music movement, it is arguably most notable for releasing the work of various riot grrrl bands during the mid-'90s, some of which, especially the aforementioned Bikini Kill, generated a good deal of press attention. Other KRS releases in this genre includes albums by Bratmobile, Huggy Bear, Heavens to Betsy and Excuse 17. The label continued its tradition of spoken word by releasing their first full-length spoken word LP Big Broad by Juliana Lueking in 1995. This was also the year that Elliott Smith released his self-titled solo LP on the label. Another milestone was the 1997 release of Sleater-Kinney's third LP (and first on KRS) Dig Me Out, which garnered national press attention in Spin and Rolling Stone magazines.
Wikipedia
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Important faces
Slim Moon: Kill Rock Stars founder. Worked at the label until October 2006.Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Tobi Vail: Musician, zinester. Has worked at Kill Rock Stars since 1997. Runs mail order, newsletters etc.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kill Rock Stars – An oral history
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Slim Moon (on releasing the first Kill Rock Stars 7” single): In January, 1991, I was living with Greg Babior and i bought some watercolor paints and made a painting on the back of a Pontiac Brothers poster, a bunch of sweeping lines of color, a few splashes and a few words, the most prominent being "kill rock stars". This was about the same time as when i spraypainted "Zap 'em back with superlove" on a big piece of plywood for a spoken word performance. When I applied for a business license I felt pressed to come up with a name. That poster was on my wall and it seemed like a good idea (especially since the first poem on the first record is called "Rock Star".)
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
(On releasing the first Kill Rock Stars compilation) One night, I decided that a compilation of all the good bands in Olympia would sell pretty good if I could get it out by the IPU convention (August 1991). Later that night I talked myself out of it. The next morning Calvin called and said "So are you doing this compilation or what?"
(On releasing the first Unwound single) In 1991, Giant Henry's last show was just about the funnest party/show I've ever been to. For the last song, they played their smash hit "Chris Jordan" for about half an hour. Eventually one of them got up and walked off but the other two kept playing. A member of the audience grabbed the unused instrument and joined in. After a while, all the members of the band had left but the song was still being played. It seemed like it went on for hours. The reason Giant Henry broke up was because Brandt wanted to quit. Later, the same three guys started a new band with all new songs. They called themselves "Cygnus X-1" (or something like that) before settling on Unwound. Their first show was incredible. All I could think was "These guys are ready already to make records, but nobody is gonna put out their records for years. It's a damned shame."
(On releasing the first Bikini Kill record) When Bikini Kill told me that they wanted me to put out their record, I wasn't sure I was ready. I had a secret fantasy of building a record label, but I thought it would take like three years before I had something to offer to a big band. So I was floored when they asked me because it was way ahead of my schedule of how things would go. But they felt they could trust me because I was their friend. It was super exciting. I didn't know that they were going to get in this vortex of riot grrl popularity with national press and everything. But I knew they were a really exciting band.
(On releasing the first Heavens to Betsy record) Heavens to Betsy was my favorite unexpected thing from the IPU convention. When Corin sang "My Red Self" from behind the drumset, she was so young and earnest, and her voice was so big, and the song was so powerful. It really moved me. When the opportunity came to reissue the Kill Rock Stars compilation on CD, it seemed like a shame to waste the extra space that a CD has, so we put some bonus tracks on there of bands that played IPU that I didn't really even know about before the convention. This was my first contact with H2B and Corin Tucker.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![]()
(On releasing the first Elliott Smith record) Slim Moon: In 1994, I had been asked to be on this five-person solo-act tour called Pop Chord with Tammy Watson, Carrie Akre, Sean Croghan and Elliott Smith. The first night at the Crocodile in Seattle, I didn't pay too much attention and people talked all thru Elliott's set. Sean said during his set that it was too bad nobody listened to Elliott Smith - that they were all really missing out. The next night I listened very closely to Elliott's set. I went out to the van and listened to his CD for the rest of the night until the show was over. I watched his set very carefully every time after that, rest assured.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![]()
(On working with Sleater Kinney) With Sleater-Kinney, everything became more than the sum of parts. From the very beginning, Corin's voice and songwriting were very moving to me. Even from the time I saw Heavens to Betsy at the IPU. And it turned out that she and Carrie were mature, grown up, reasonable people to work with. It was really refreshing.
(On working with Mike “Sport” Murphy) There is some stuff that I put out because it just makes sense. It might not be my favorite, but it makes sense. Then sometimes I insist that we put out something like Sport Murphy, which doesn't make sense at all. I'm moved by music that is personal and autobiographical and kinda corny.
Lois Maffeo: I dubbed Slim a tape of some band or lecture or something onto a cassette of demos that I had done with my friend Brendan in Washington, D.C. The next time I saw him he said, "Cool tape, but what's all that Lois stuff on the other side?" I told him it was just some odds and ends that Brendan and I had come up with in basement recording sessions. His next remark was, "Well...if you think you wanna put it out...."
Justin Trosper: It has been interesting to see the label evolve from a sort of project to one of the biggest independents around. It's pretty cool. Sara Lund: There've been good times and bad times. The best part [of being on Kill Rock Stars] is that we're all friends and have been since day one. We were the first band on that label and have grown along with them.
Read the whole Kill Rock Stars timeline here.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In no order whatsoever – 10 of my personal favourite Kill Rock Stars releases
Elliott Smith – Either/Or
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![]()
Comet Gain – City Fallen Leaves
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![]()
Erase Errata – At Crystal Palacee
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![]()
Bikini Kill – Pussy Whipped
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![]()
Huggy Bear – Taking the Rough with the Smooch
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![]()
Shoplifting – Shoplifting EP
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![]()
Sleater Kinney – Dig Me Out
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![]()
Xiu Xiu – Knife Play
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![]()
Gossip – Standing in the Way of Control
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![]()
Hella –Hold Your Horse Is
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![]()
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Watch/Listen
Tobi Vail discusses Bikini Kill:
Sleater Kinney – Entertain:
Elliott Smith – Angeles:
The Decemberists – Sixteen Military Wives:
Hella – interview and live footage:
Xiu Xiu – The Fox and the Rabbit:
Huggy Bear – Her Jazz:
Comet Gain – Fists In The Pocket:
Julie Ruin – Aerobicide:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kill Rock Stars website: www.killrockstars.com
----
*
p.s. Hey. Welcome to the first rerun of the current and upcoming spate, this one an instructive and excellent rundown of the important label and music arbiter Kill Rock Stars courtesy of d.l. Thomas Moronic. Enjoy. I'm spending my first morning in Buenos Aires where I can only imagine I'm very jet-lagged and probably no small degree of dazzled too.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Introduction
Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and based in Olympia, Washington, United States. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, making it difficult to pigeonhole as having any one artistic mission. Overall, though, the political sensibilities of the label can be said to be leftist, feminist and anti-war and the label has consistently shown a commitment towards underground punk bands and to representing artists in the Olympia, Washington area.
Moon initially started the label with the intention of releasing spoken word 7” record singles. KRS-101 (the label's first release) was in fact a split 7" spoken-word record with Kathleen Hanna and Slim Moon; other "Wordcore" releases followed. The first major release was a compilation of Olympia-area bands simply titled Kill Rock Stars (Stars Kill Rock and Rock Stars Kill would follow in the same compilation series) and featured Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, Unwound, Nirvana and The Melvins. In fact, Moon has said that the label began releasing music because Bikini Kill, Bratmobile and Unwound were too exciting to remain unsigned.
Although the label's music has never reflected just a single genre or underground music movement, it is arguably most notable for releasing the work of various riot grrrl bands during the mid-'90s, some of which, especially the aforementioned Bikini Kill, generated a good deal of press attention. Other KRS releases in this genre includes albums by Bratmobile, Huggy Bear, Heavens to Betsy and Excuse 17. The label continued its tradition of spoken word by releasing their first full-length spoken word LP Big Broad by Juliana Lueking in 1995. This was also the year that Elliott Smith released his self-titled solo LP on the label. Another milestone was the 1997 release of Sleater-Kinney's third LP (and first on KRS) Dig Me Out, which garnered national press attention in Spin and Rolling Stone magazines.
Wikipedia
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Important faces
Slim Moon: Kill Rock Stars founder. Worked at the label until October 2006.Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Tobi Vail: Musician, zinester. Has worked at Kill Rock Stars since 1997. Runs mail order, newsletters etc.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kill Rock Stars – An oral history
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Slim Moon (on releasing the first Kill Rock Stars 7” single): In January, 1991, I was living with Greg Babior and i bought some watercolor paints and made a painting on the back of a Pontiac Brothers poster, a bunch of sweeping lines of color, a few splashes and a few words, the most prominent being "kill rock stars". This was about the same time as when i spraypainted "Zap 'em back with superlove" on a big piece of plywood for a spoken word performance. When I applied for a business license I felt pressed to come up with a name. That poster was on my wall and it seemed like a good idea (especially since the first poem on the first record is called "Rock Star".)
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
(On releasing the first Kill Rock Stars compilation) One night, I decided that a compilation of all the good bands in Olympia would sell pretty good if I could get it out by the IPU convention (August 1991). Later that night I talked myself out of it. The next morning Calvin called and said "So are you doing this compilation or what?"
(On releasing the first Unwound single) In 1991, Giant Henry's last show was just about the funnest party/show I've ever been to. For the last song, they played their smash hit "Chris Jordan" for about half an hour. Eventually one of them got up and walked off but the other two kept playing. A member of the audience grabbed the unused instrument and joined in. After a while, all the members of the band had left but the song was still being played. It seemed like it went on for hours. The reason Giant Henry broke up was because Brandt wanted to quit. Later, the same three guys started a new band with all new songs. They called themselves "Cygnus X-1" (or something like that) before settling on Unwound. Their first show was incredible. All I could think was "These guys are ready already to make records, but nobody is gonna put out their records for years. It's a damned shame."
(On releasing the first Bikini Kill record) When Bikini Kill told me that they wanted me to put out their record, I wasn't sure I was ready. I had a secret fantasy of building a record label, but I thought it would take like three years before I had something to offer to a big band. So I was floored when they asked me because it was way ahead of my schedule of how things would go. But they felt they could trust me because I was their friend. It was super exciting. I didn't know that they were going to get in this vortex of riot grrl popularity with national press and everything. But I knew they were a really exciting band.
(On releasing the first Heavens to Betsy record) Heavens to Betsy was my favorite unexpected thing from the IPU convention. When Corin sang "My Red Self" from behind the drumset, she was so young and earnest, and her voice was so big, and the song was so powerful. It really moved me. When the opportunity came to reissue the Kill Rock Stars compilation on CD, it seemed like a shame to waste the extra space that a CD has, so we put some bonus tracks on there of bands that played IPU that I didn't really even know about before the convention. This was my first contact with H2B and Corin Tucker.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
(On releasing the first Elliott Smith record) Slim Moon: In 1994, I had been asked to be on this five-person solo-act tour called Pop Chord with Tammy Watson, Carrie Akre, Sean Croghan and Elliott Smith. The first night at the Crocodile in Seattle, I didn't pay too much attention and people talked all thru Elliott's set. Sean said during his set that it was too bad nobody listened to Elliott Smith - that they were all really missing out. The next night I listened very closely to Elliott's set. I went out to the van and listened to his CD for the rest of the night until the show was over. I watched his set very carefully every time after that, rest assured.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
(On working with Sleater Kinney) With Sleater-Kinney, everything became more than the sum of parts. From the very beginning, Corin's voice and songwriting were very moving to me. Even from the time I saw Heavens to Betsy at the IPU. And it turned out that she and Carrie were mature, grown up, reasonable people to work with. It was really refreshing.
(On working with Mike “Sport” Murphy) There is some stuff that I put out because it just makes sense. It might not be my favorite, but it makes sense. Then sometimes I insist that we put out something like Sport Murphy, which doesn't make sense at all. I'm moved by music that is personal and autobiographical and kinda corny.
Lois Maffeo: I dubbed Slim a tape of some band or lecture or something onto a cassette of demos that I had done with my friend Brendan in Washington, D.C. The next time I saw him he said, "Cool tape, but what's all that Lois stuff on the other side?" I told him it was just some odds and ends that Brendan and I had come up with in basement recording sessions. His next remark was, "Well...if you think you wanna put it out...."
Justin Trosper: It has been interesting to see the label evolve from a sort of project to one of the biggest independents around. It's pretty cool. Sara Lund: There've been good times and bad times. The best part [of being on Kill Rock Stars] is that we're all friends and have been since day one. We were the first band on that label and have grown along with them.
Read the whole Kill Rock Stars timeline here.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In no order whatsoever – 10 of my personal favourite Kill Rock Stars releases
Elliott Smith – Either/Or
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Comet Gain – City Fallen Leaves
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Erase Errata – At Crystal Palacee
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Bikini Kill – Pussy Whipped
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Huggy Bear – Taking the Rough with the Smooch
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Shoplifting – Shoplifting EP
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Sleater Kinney – Dig Me Out
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Xiu Xiu – Knife Play
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Gossip – Standing in the Way of Control
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Hella –Hold Your Horse Is
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Watch/Listen
Tobi Vail discusses Bikini Kill:
Sleater Kinney – Entertain:
Elliott Smith – Angeles:
The Decemberists – Sixteen Military Wives:
Hella – interview and live footage:
Xiu Xiu – The Fox and the Rabbit:
Huggy Bear – Her Jazz:
Comet Gain – Fists In The Pocket:
Julie Ruin – Aerobicide:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kill Rock Stars website: www.killrockstars.com
----
*
p.s. Hey. Welcome to the first rerun of the current and upcoming spate, this one an instructive and excellent rundown of the important label and music arbiter Kill Rock Stars courtesy of d.l. Thomas Moronic. Enjoy. I'm spending my first morning in Buenos Aires where I can only imagine I'm very jet-lagged and probably no small degree of dazzled too.