Spade Kitty Records

Spade Kitty Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, owned and operated by Oak Park native Matt Walters. The label specializes in releasing local power pop and Americana, with an emphasis on guitar driven bands influenced by Cheap Trick, Big Star, Guided by Voices, and Badfinger.
History
The label was founded in 1994, while Walters was attending Northwestern University. The first artist signed was Wendyfix, an indie-rock trio inspired by Seam and Codeine, and featuring Ted Pauly of Philadelphia-based band Haywood. Their debut 7" Silence/Slow was released in January 1995, and received favorable reviews from several local publications. The single even generated airplay from famous English disc jockey John Peel shortly after release. Following the end of the spring quarter in 1995, the band dissolved as singer/guitarist Pauly graduated and relocated back to the east coast.
The label subsequently released 9 cassettes over the next 18 months, including debuts from power-pop trio Remy, acoustic duo Not Without My Daughter (featuring Nora McCarthy and My Pal God label-owner Jon Solomon), Ohio-based noise artist Burning-Star-Core, Walters' acoustic project Bestcellar, and fusion artist Universal Joint. In 1996, Walters graduated from Northwestern and moved from Evanston to Chicago.
SKR's next project would surface in early 1997, as the label teamed up with power-pop cooperative Post Office, fronted by Stephen Becker (later of Le Concorde) and Larry O. Dean (later of The Me Decade and the Injured Parties). The 1997 CD debut Public Displays of Affection received accolades from several prominent local writers, even earning praise from renowned Chicago writer Jim DeRogatis as the "best local band in this genre since the Reverbs."
In 1998, label honcho Walters focused on getting together a set of his own songs for CD release. The Bestcellar album Show Me You Still Want Me To... compiled newer slightly higher fidelity recordings of previously released material. After its release, the label went on hiatus for two years.
Early in 2001, Post Office approached the label about releasing their second album, and Walters re-opened shop. Fables in Slang, produced by dB's veteran Chris Stamey, was extremely well-received critically, yet the band was unable to stay together and ultimately split amicably in 2002, with Becker moving on to form Le Concorde and Dean forming The Me Decade.
In 2002, pub-rock stalwarts Olde Style (featuring ex-members of Universal Joint) released their SK debut "Rockwell." Later that year, Dean's newly formed Me Decade sextet followed with their own debut album Gentrification is Theft to rave reviews.
In 2003, SKR released the Paper Airplane Pilots's full length debut, The History of Flying. The band had been performing around Chicago since 2000, and became involved with the label after agreeing to appear at an International Pop Overthrow showcase in Chicago earlier in the year. "The History of Flying" became the label's biggest seller to date, and garnered favorable reviews from publications such as CMJ New Music Monthly and the Big Takeover.
In 2004, pop chameleon Hop on Pop emerged as the label's newest signing. The band included ex-Sub Rosa rhythm section Tim Ferguson (bass) and Dave Kling (drums) with Walters on keyboards, and featured the songwriting talents, rhythm guitar and vocals of Todd Leiter-Weintraub. The debut "As Drawn by Ethan, Age 2" was released in April to considerable critical acclaim.
2005 saw the label branch out stylistically into more singer-songwriter and alt-country territory. Detroit native Graham Cousens and The Pralines released their debuts in March and June, respectively. The Pralines became the first female-fronted act on the label since Not Without My Daughter.
In August 2006, Paper Airplane Pilots released their much anticipated second album "Western Automatic Music," and the very same month Walters' new band The Three Fifths released their debut, "It's Worth it for the Rumors". In September 2007, The Red Plastic Buddha and Trakan simultaneously released their long-awaited debuts, "Sunflower Sessions" and "Opening Soon Under New Management", respectively to record-breaking sales and critical acclaim.
In 2008, Spade Kitty did not release any albums, but instead chose to focus on extensively promoting the most recent efforts.
In August 2009, newest label signatory Roxy Swain released their debut "double single" four song EP "New Love Designers", and played several shows around the Chicago area in direct support. In mid-January 2010, the band experienced unexpected success overseas in the unlikely country of Indonesia when one of the b-sides, "Duo Jet," began a 7-week run on the top forty of the largest commercial station in the country. In the meantime, the band headed back to the studio to put the finishing touches on the expanded full length, entitled "The Spell of Youth." The nine track album recapitulates the two a-sides ("Without Without" and "Linda") of New Love Designers with 7 as-yet unreleased tracks. The album was digitally released March 1, 2010 on CDbaby and Itunes, and physically released on CD on March 18 on Spade Kitty Records. At the end of March 2010, the band will be completing work on yet another pair of brand new songs, "Tidal Wave Away" and "Angel Glow," for a limited edition vinyl 7" release scheduled for June 2010 (the tracks will also be available digitally via CDbaby and Itunes).
Hop on Pop released their sophomore effort, "Chicken on a Bicycle", on February 18, 2010. Within two days of the initial promo mailing, the overwhelmingly positive first review was posted online at babysue.com. The band was subsequently the feature performer at The February edition of Spade Kitty Night as the album was released. Additionally, Hop on Pop will make several other regional appearances throughout they year, including a matinee at the acclaimed International Pop Overthrow Festival in Chicago in April, 2010.
Trakan, The Pralines, and The Red Plastic Buddha are all in various stages of completing sophomore efforts. All expect to release these efforts sometime in 2010.
The 15th anniversary of the label's first agreement with an artist occurred in October 2009. The 15th anniversary of its first release occurred on January 1, 2010.
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Discography
*1995 Wendyfix - Slow/Silence (7") (SK001)
*1995 Remy - Six Song EP Cassette (Cassette) (SK002)
*1995 Not Without My Daughter - S/T (Cassette) (SK003)
*1995 Burning Star Core/Bestcellar - La Cabeza/The Elusive (Cassette) (SK004/TS010)
*1996 Bestcellar - Twenty Minutes Legends (Cassette) (SK005)
*1996 Olive Milk - The Best Christmas Ever EP (Cassette) (SK006)
*1996 Burning Star Core - It's Time To Feel Wonderful Again (Cassette) (SK007)
*1996 Bestcellar - Overcast (Cassette) (SK008)
*1996 Universal Joint - Father's Day (Cassette) (SK009)
*1996 Burning Star Core - Skeleton Ideal (Cassette) (SK010)
*1997 Post Office - Public Displays of Affection (CD) (SK012)
*1998 Bestcellar - Show Me You Still Want Me To... (CD) (SK013)
*2001 Post Office - Fables in Slang (CD) (SK015)
*2002 Olde Style - Rockwell (CD) (SK016)
*2002 The Me Decade - Gentrification is Theft (CD) (SK017)
*2003 Paper Airplane Pilots - The History of Flying (CD) (SK018)
*2004 Hop On Pop - As Drawn By Ethan, Age 2 (CD) (SK019)
*2005 Graham Cousens - Living Room Sessions (CD) (SK020)
*2005 The Pralines - Song of the Day Cafe (CD) (SK021)
*2006 Paper Airplane Pilots - Western Automatic Music (CD) (SK022)
*2006 Three Fifths - It's Worth It For the Rumors (CD) (SK023)
*2007 The Red Plastic Buddha - Sunflower Sessions (CD) (SK024)
*2007 Trakan - Opening Soon Under New Management (CD) (SK025)
*2009 Roxy Swain - New Love Designers (CD) (SK026)
*2010 Hop On Pop - Chicken On a Bicycle (CD) (SK027)
*2010 Roxy Swain - The Spell of Youth (CD) (SK028)
Distribution
Spade Kitty has also added a distribution arm in 2009. Each of the albums is independently released by the band, but Spade Kitty has taken an active role in bringing it under the label's umbrella in a distribution capacity. The following records are available via distribution:
*2009 Heather Perry - These Appetites (CD) (SKD01)
*2009 The Get - Escape the Scorn (CD) (SKD02)
*2009 Coal Bin Bros. - Barred for Life (CD) (SKD03) Coming Soon
*2009 Coal Bin Bros. - The Funeral Album (CD) (SKD04) Coming Soon

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