Back to the Renaissance

Athens Label Kindercore Relaunches With Bands, Comics And More

originally published August 15, 2007

Kindercore Records was a heavyweight in the '90s and early '00s, and was the most successful label out of Athens, gaining national attention and acclaim for its firm commitment to quality pop. Due to various issues involving distribution, ownership and other legal rights, the label collapsed in November of 2003.

Corners have been turned, hurdles have been hurdled, and now Kindercore is back as not only a record label, but also a multi-media project involving comics, graphic design and a strong dedication to the Internet.

"He remembers all the good stuff and looks back on things really nostalgically," says cofounder Ryan Lewis, pointing at partner Dan Geller over a beer at Transmetropolitan recently, "while I tended to remember all the troubles and problems we had." He laughs and adds that Kindercore's rebirth has re-energized him, and that his wife, whom he met and married after the label's collapse, says she hasn't ever seen him this excited or motivated.

"I never thought that we'd be back," says Geller, "but here we are!"

The Music

Kindercore is relaunching with three bands currently on its roster: King of Prussia [see feature here], USSR and Ruby Isle. Geller and Lewis both emphasize their desire to keep most of Kindercore's releases online only - "It's less wasteful, it's better for the bands, it's better for us, it's easier for the fans," says Lewis. "Why should we do things in an outdated way?" - though King of Prussia's Save the Scene will be the label's first real-world release. "King of Prussia is exactly the kind of band that would've been a Kindercore band 10 years ago," says Geller. "People who are coming back to the label shouldn't be surprised by their sound at all."

Once all the legalities were out of the way, Kindercore was able to sell its old roster as well, though not all past Kindercore releases are available - Japancakes' old releases, for instance, are absent, though '90s and early '00s releases from Of Montreal, Dressy Bessy, I Am The World Trade Center and other Kindercore luminaries have been selling "surprisingly well," says Geller.

Lewis and Geller say they want to focus on their current trio of bands - Geller plays in both USSR and Ruby Isle - but that they already have plans for more releases, though they're staying quiet about it right now.

The Art

It's not all about the tunes with the reborn Kindercore, and one of the label's first releases is a comics compendium called Trouble Revolution - a satisfying nod to the label's mid-'90s series of compilations (released on CD and - gasp! - cassette).

"He's the comics guy," says Geller, referring to Lewis. "It's all him." Lewis counters that although he does has a stronger affinity for the sequential arts, he understands Geller's sensibilities enough to know what's appropriate for Kindercore. And Geller admits that he'll give things a yes or no.

The 28-page book offers a wide variety of stories and styles, from Patrick Dean's rhyming fable about vikings and naked fairy muses to Devlin Thompson's narrative about his relationship over the years with the Kindercore guys. Lauren Gregg's clean and charmingly direct comics are a standout, and though many of the artists are Athens natives, some out-of-towners show up. There's a consistent affinity for clean lines and vibrant colors, though like a lot of indie comics compilations, several of the contributions lack individual titles, and you'll find yourself flipping back and forth to the index to find out what it is you're looking at.

There are no specific planned releases after the Trouble Revolution anthology - "We just want to focus on what we're doing now," says Lewis - though both Lewis and Geller say they want to keep the comics coming. Trouble Revolution also offers an example of Lewis and Geller's multimedia thinking; issues of the comic will come with a card that'll allow readers to download a free MP3 sampler album of Kindercore bands.

The Rest

Beyond the obvious functions of the record label, Kindercore's looking to branch into creating an online community, a graphic design arm of the company and a video showcase.

"We didn't want to just start everything up and tell people, 'Hey, we're going to have cool stuff on the website' and have them wait for it," says Lewis, explaining why Kindercore.com went live on July 1 before any press releases were sent out, and more than a month before the upcoming relaunch show. Interactive features of the site include a forum as well as (somewhat) regularly updated blogs by Kindercore musicians, artists and others. The individual aspects of the blogs are struggling with a specific identity and purpose, but Lewis says he hopes that they'll evolve organically, and already writers are gravitating towards their own interests - comics, music, online oddness, etc.

Plans for the graphic design aspect of Kindercore are a little firmer. "Sure, you'll be able to buy a shirt with a Kindercore logo," says Geller, "but we're planning to expand Kindercore so that's it's more of a design style or aesthetic." Geller and Ryan hope to position Kindercore as a design house where customers will come for reliably quirky designs unrelated to specific bands, though several of the Kindercore comics artists are designing T-shirt artwork.

The Show

To celebrate the relaunch, Kindercore's putting on a big hullaballoo at the Caledonia Lounge on Saturday, Aug. 18, and the show will embrace the multiple aspects of the new label. Doors open early at 7 p.m., with an art show featuring work from Kindercore artists Lauren Gregg, Jesse Lockwood and Jared Brown - some will be for sale, too. During the art show, Trouble Revolution contributing comics artist and Bizarro Wuxtry guy Devlin Thompson will deejay a set of rock and roll obscurities.

At 9 p.m., bands take the stage, with Peter Alvanos' '60s-leaning Fabulous Bird opening. USSR and King of Prussia will play, and Geller's Ruby Isle makes its Athens debut. The night also features a gang of musicians performing under the name The Masters; they'll be covering songs by the defunct Kindercore band Masters of the Hemisphere. Expect a whole lot of people and a lot of in-jokes, as Kindercore is, just as it was the first time around, a tight-knit and loving family of musicians and artists.

Chris Hassiotis

WHAT: "Kindercore Reanimation Celebration"
WHO: King of Prussia, Ruby Isle, The Masters, USSR, Fabulous Bird
WHERE: Caledonia Lounge
WHEN: Saturday, August 18, 7 p.m.
HOW MUCH: $5