No multi-million dollar contracts. No TRL appearances. And no chauffered limos. Local labels leave out the pomp and circumstance associated with most of their corporate counterparts, but provide support, comfort and security to their roster of artists.

Some have been around since the great surge of D.C. punk in the 1980s. Others are still in their infancy. Regardless of their age or artists, local labels are the silent backbone of the local music scene. While this is not an exhaustive list, we've highlighted a few of the area's labels and artists we think you should know about. Read on...and rock on.

LABEL: DISCHORD RECORDS
BANNER ACTS: FUGAZI, MINOR THREAT, JAWBOX, Q AND NOT U

Few labels have the kind of underground mythology that surrounds Dischord Records, a Washington, D.C. musical institution since 1980. Often credited with the rise of D.C. punk music, and consequently, punk music in the United States, Dischord’s do-it-yourself attitude sets them apart from most other labels in the country. “For the bands we work with,” says Dischord’s Alec Bourgeois, “we offer community and a partnership to help them get their records made. This label is not for everybody—our bands are self-managed, self-booked, etc. We work with our bands and offer a unique insight to dealing successfully with the underground music scene.”

The future of Dischord depends on the flow of the music scene in the District. As the label has always been dedicated to below-the-radar music, future releases are dependent on Dischord’s connection to that scene. “Dischord has always represented a very specific community of musicians,” Bourgeois explains, “and that community ebbs and flows at its own rate. We've been fortunate enough to see this community sustain itself for quite a while, but it's only natural to believe that the day will come when we don't feel particularly connected. At that time we will most likely stop releasing new music.” But for now, be glad that we live in a time of Dischord.

Find out more at www.dischord.com.

MEDICATIONS

Though seminal punk and post-punk bands such as Fugazi and Minor Threat helped establish Dischord in the music community, their current roster continues to put out strong music. Medications, featuring ex-members of Faraquet, are the most recent band to release an album with the label, featuring the blistering guitar playing of Devin Ocampo. “They have been touring like madmen,” Bourgeois says. “Having already toured this year in the U.S. and Japan, Medications are currently on another six-week U.S. tour and will be home only about a week before going on a six-week tour in Europe. This is extraordinary not just because of the amount of dates, but because they are entirely self-booked. They don't make excuses why they can't do things—they just do them. A perfect Dischord band.”

Learn more about Medications at www.medicationsband.com.

CHRIS CONNELLY


LABEL:DRUNKEN BUTTERFLY RECORDS
BANNER ACTS: CAROL BUI

Fresh out of college last year, singer-songwriter Carol Bui did what any new grad would do: She started her own record label. Drunken Butterfly Records was born and still boasts its roster of one: Bui, herself.

The local songstress said she started Drunken Butterfly to put out "This is How I Recover," and notes that a label “looks better than ‘self-released’ or ‘unsigned.’” Can’t argue with that. “I’m hoping to find real label support as soon as possible, but it’s DIY until then,” she added.

While this gritty blues artist runs the business by herself, she says she’s received guidance, advice and resources from other local labels to keep everything running smoothly.

Bui said she’s too swamped with the work for her label to take on any new artists right now, but she hopes to one day pass on the administrative duties; After all, she needs to focus on the business’s artist development, too.

CAROL BUI

With a sound that’s oddly familiar (in a good way), yet unique enough to separate her from the crowd, Carol Bui floats to the top of the vast and varied talent pool of local musicians. Blues, rock, alt-punk—it’s all in her debut album, "This is How I Recover." Washingtonians—and anyone else for that matter—in search of good old-fashioned songwriting should look no further than Bui’s notable tunes “Hell Banknotes,” “Manic Depression” and a slew of others from her album. Keep an eye on this one.

To learn more about Carol Bui, visit www.carolbui.com.

KORIN MILLER


LABEL: LABORATORY RECORDS
BANNER ACTS: LAURA BURHENN

If you’re a talented singer-songwriter without a label, why not just create one yourself? Local siren Laura Burhenn did just that when she formed Laboratory Records in 1999 to release her first solo record, Not Ashamed to Say.

“There’s no reason to sign to a label unless the label can do something for the artist that the artist can’t do for herself,” Burhenn says. And with two albums, an EP and a 7-inch record put out by her own label, who needs someone else telling her what to do?

“There's something to be said for not waiting around for someone else to do it for you,” Burhenn says. “There's lots of power and freedom in that!"

Laboratory Records is currently just for Burhenn, but the power vocalist says she’d like to take on other musicians as soon as she’s “making the money to really be supportive of myself and other artists.”

Find out more at www.laboratoryrecords.com.

LAURA BURHENN

With her rich vocals, strong keyboard skills and songwriting prowess, Laura Burhenn is Washington’s own version of Fiona Apple. Burhenn’s lilting voice weaves intricate story after story, song by song in all her musical attempts. A frequent feature on the local music scene, Burhenn has a steady stream of gigs to keep her fans happy. For a good taste of this local talent, try “Helicopters” and “White Noise” from Wanderlust, or check out www.laboratoryrecords.com.

KORIN MILLER


LABEL: RED STAPLER RECORDS
BANNER ACTS: GIST, MORRIS, THE CHANCE

Representing a number of bands on the local music circuit, Red Stapler Records was founded in 2000 by members of Gist as a method of putting out their initial releases. “If you say you're on such and such label, people tend to take you more seriously,” says Gist member and Red Stapler founder, Nayan Buhla. “It did help us out, particularly outside of the D.C. area.” Since their first release, Gist’s "Pretest Retest," the label has expanded to include other locals Morris and The Chance. In addition, the label has sought to support up-and-coming music that isn’t necessarily signed to Red Stapler—they released "TPS Reports: Volume One" last fall, a compilation featuring a large variety of music from the D.C. metropolitan area including tracks from Laura Burhenn, Exit Clov, Gist, and others.

Given Red Stapler’s connections to Gist, they have expanded their roster based upon bands that they know personally and have played with numerous times. “We offer artists a communal environment with each other and our extended networks,” Bhula explains. “By sticking together, each group on Red Stapler has the opportunity to achieve more by being on our label together, rather than fighting the music industry on their own.” While the label is still growing, new releases are scheduled for later this year—namely, Gist’s new album, "Diesel City."

Want to know more? Visit www.redstaplerrecords.com.

THE CHANCE

“The Chance were the first band to join Red Stapler,” Bhula says. “We had a couple of mutual friends at the time and had set up a show on the Black Cat backstage. The Chance opened the show with a head-turning set of Sonic Youth-esque new wave punk. We were all blown away by their energy on stage. Since then, The Chance released their debut on Red Stapler and continued playing regularly in the area. Now that we say we're on our label together, some people might even recognize Red Stapler Records, and that, itself, is an accomplishment.”

Learn more at www.thechancemusic.com.

CHRIS CONNELLY


LABEL: SILVERTHREE SOUND RECORDINGS
BANNER ACTS: MOCK ORANGE, KIMONE, CARDIA

What do you do after you’ve toured the world as the bassist for Burning Airlines, after spending years as a guitar technician for Jawbox, Quicksand, Spacehog and Shudder to Think? If you’re Mike Harbin, you start Silverthree Sound Recordings—which marks a big departure from his previous life on the road. “It's very thankless and not very rewarding, especially financially,” Harbin says. “It's truly a labor of love. And it helps me keep in touch a bit since I'm no longer in a touring band.” Founded in 2002 after his days with Burning Airlines came to an end, Silverthree has established itself as a label representing bands from across the United States, with no local acts currently on their active roster.

Despite the challenges of running Silverthree, Harbin has used it as a vehicle to help his friends—with many Silverthree bands comprised of members of other successful acts. For example, Cardia is made up of ex-members of the Verve Pipe, 2 Skinnee J’s and Rival Schools. “With all the bands we've worked with thus far, except Mock Orange and Standstill, I was friends with at least certain members of the bands before even starting a label,” Harbin states. “So far, we've spent probably more than we should have on press and radio for our releases, which most labels our size I believe don't tend to do.”

Indeed, Silverthree artists have reached some measure of national notoriety since the label’s founding. The label has plans to release new albums in 2006, and for now, is dedicated to supporting its current clientele.

Check out www.silverthree.com to learn more.

Mock Orange

“Mock Orange is definitely our most active band,” Harbin says. “They made it to the finals on the Dew Circuit Breakout and played live on MTV2—definitely one of the highlights for us. They tour pretty frequently and are heading to Japan in November and Europe early next year with some U.S. stints in between.”

Visit www.mockorange.net for more information.

CHRIS CONNELLY

EIGHTEENTH STREET LOUNGE MUSIC
BANNER ACTS: THIEVERY CORPORATION, THUNDERBALL, DESMOND WILLIAMS, URSULA 1000

Who’d have thought that the chance encounter of two musicians at the Eighteenth Street Lounge would spawn one of D.C.’s premiere music labels?

As legend has it, Rob Garza and Eric Hilton met in the summer of 1995, discovered a shared love of bossa nova and Brazilian beats and started their band, the Thievery Corporation, and a label to put out their first 7” shortly thereafter.

The label, of course, was Eighteenth Street Lounge Music—an homage to their serendipitous meeting. Its beginnings were humble: an office behind the lounge’s beer coolers and a Dischord Records-inspired DIY ethic. Now, the once tiny label features 12 acts from around the world, six full-time employees, four interns and a real office (a whole three-story townhouse, in fact) in Adams Morgan.

Though its artists hail from around the globe, ESL Music is joined by a common '60s-inspired, decidedly international sound, says label manager Mat Whittington. Buzz is generated solely through word of mouth, “Never through MTV and the radio,” he continues. “We’ve been fortunate and made our own luck by putting out really outstanding music that people want to tell their friends about,” like Thievery Corp's ethereal "Lebanese Blond," featuring Pam Bricker, which landed on the soundtrack to "Garden State" earlier this year.

For more on the label visit www.eslmusic.com.

URSULA 1000

Take a whopping dose of Deee-lite, add two martinis, a splash of hot sauce and a drop of salsa and you’ve got Ursula 1000. Based in New York City, this Eighteenth Street Lounge Music DJ has rhythm in his blood. Any one of his tracks will have your hips swinging and you may suddenly be inspired to invite at least 20 of your closest friends to a fabulous dinner party. And you can’t even cook.

For more on Ursula 1000, go to www.eslmusic.com/artists/ursula.html.

JESSICA LESHNOFF

LABEL: WOLF TRAP RECORDINGS
BANNER ACTS: FIGHTING GRAVITY, CRAVIN' DOGS, NILS LOFGREN, EDDIE FROM OHIO

When Bob Grimes and Chris Guerre decided to form a record label they had a slight advantage over most startups: 22 years of live material by acts ranging from Fighting Gravity to Nils Lofgen to Eddie From Ohio, not to mention access to a state-of-the-art recording facility in the form of Wolf Trap's indoor venue, the Barns.

"Pretty much from the beginning people became so enamored of the acoustics...they started recording their own projects," Grimes, production manager for the Barns, recalls. However, "twenty-two years ago, when I started here, releasing a record, which would be vinyl, was very much a different kettle of fish than it is now."

While it may have been technologically and economically unfeasible for Wolf Trap to release albums of its own in the past, the digitization of music production and distribution has changed the rules of the game. So with a trove of recordings, an enthusiastic partner in Guerre, Wolf Trap's assistant director of media relations, and a worthy beneficiary of any profits, the Wolf Trap Foundation's education programs, Wolf Trap Recordings was formed. Last year the label released its first CD, the critically acclaimed "Raise the Roof—A Retrospective: Live from the Barns of Wolf Trap." It features 16 tracks culled from live recordings going back as far as 1990. Rights to all of them were donated by the artists for the project. Available at the Barns, Olsson's Books and Records, Tower Records in Tysons Corner and online via most major services, the CD has sold steadily—and even internationally.

"We've seen sales in Germany, Italy, the UK, Canada, all over the place," says Guerre. Adds Grimes, "It's a kick in the pants to get the reports and hey, someone from Italy cared enough to buy three copies."

As for the future? "I eventually see a 'Raise the Roof' sequel," Guerre predicts. "We certainly have plenty more tracks from the Barns just to keep doing them the way we've been doing them."

For more information on Wolf Trap and "Raise the Roof," visit www.wolftrap.org/performances/barns_cd.html.

CRAVIN' DOGS

Local roots rockers Cravin' Dogs have been wowing audiences for nearly as long as the Barns has been around—the group celebrates their 20th anniversary with a show there on Jan. 27, 2006. With seven full-length albums and more than 1,000 live shows under their belts, the Dogs deliver a polished, energetic performance that mixes elements of artists ranging from Widespread Panic to Bruce Hornsby. Of their contribution to the CD, "First of September," lead singer Caldwell Gray says, "It was one of the more recent shows. It sounds more like the band sounds these days...it had good energy and a good performance."

For more on the Cravin' Dogs visit www.cravindogs.com.
JAMES CURRIE