Secretly Canadian
Secretly Canadian | |
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Founded | 1996 |
Founder | Chris Swanson Ben Swanson Eric Weddle Jonathan Cargill |
Distributor(s) | Secretly Distribution |
Genre | Various |
Country of origin | U.S. |
Location | Bloomington, Indiana |
Official website | www |
Secretly Canadian is an American independent record label based in Bloomington, Indiana[1] with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin.[2] Secretly Canadian is a label included in Secretly Group, which also includes Dead Oceans and Jagjaguwar.[3] Secretly Group includes the three record labels as well as a music publisher known as Secretly Publishing, representing artists, writers, film makers, producers, and comedians.[4]
History[]
Secretly Canadian was founded in 1996 by Chris and Ben Swanson, Eric Weddle, and Jonathan Cargill while they attended Indiana University.[5] The Swanson brothers, originally from Fargo, North Dakota, decided to move to Bloomington after a Billboard article painted the Midwestern college town's scene as the next Seattle and an incubator for up-and-coming bands.[6][7][8]
Before Secretly Canadian was founded, Chris Swanson and Eric Weddle met in 1995 as sophomores involved in Indiana University's campus radio station, WIUX.[9] Then Chris met Jonathan Cargill through a job at the Collins Living-Learning Center cafeteria on campus.[10] Soon after, Chris' younger brother Ben Swanson moved to Bloomington to earn his undergraduate degree[11] from the Jacobs School of Music in ethnomusicology.[12][13]
In 1996, Secretly Canadian was founded out of the Swansons' house. They had little experience and spent months researching how to make a CD.[14]
The label's first official release was a re-issue of an album by June Panic from Grand Forks, North Dakota; the Glory Hole CD.[15] The second release in 1997 was Jason Molina's, under the Songs: Ohia moniker, often referred to as "The Black Album".[16] After the Swanson brothers tracked down Molina's email address and drove hours to Molina's in-store gig at Adult Crash in New York.[17][18] After signing Molina, the record label became more popular in the indie music scene.[19]
Secretly Canadian then signed other notable early releases, including Marmoset and Swearing At Motorists.[20]
Weddle soon left to form label Family Vineyard – and later followed by Cargill as well.[21] After that, Chris Swanson and Darius Van Arman became friends in 1999 and Secretly Canadian joined forces with Van Arman's Jagjaguwar.[22][23]
The early 2000s yielded reissues from Swell Maps, Nikki Sudden, and Danielson.[24] Damien Jurado, the Seattle singer-songwriter, made his way to Secretly Canadian in 2002.[25] Two years later, Jens Lekman joined the label's roster.[26]
Anohni also signed to the label in the 2000s.[27][28] Formerly known as Antony and the Johnsons earlier in her career, the Swanson brothers became enamored with Antony and the Johnsons’ self-titled debut from 2000. Antony and the Johnsons’ first record with Secretly Canadian, I Am a Bird Now, released in 2005, sold 100,000 copies in the first two months.[29][30][31]
Secretly Canadian then signed The War on Drugs, the Philadelphia-based band whose third record,[32] Lost in the Dream, struck as both a critical and commercial success in 2014.[33] Secretly Canadian also began a partnership with Chimera Records in the form of Yoko Ono's reissues beginning in 2016,[34] and the debut release from William Eggleston, in 2017.[35] Secretly Canadian's roster also includes Cherry Glazerr, Whitney, Alex Cameron, Joey Dosik, Stella Donnelly, Faye Webster, and serpentwithfeet, among many others.[36]
In 2007, the addition of Dead Oceans to Secretly Canadian and Jagjaguwar's partnership led to the formation of Secretly Group.[37] In 2015, Secretly Group began a partnership with The Numero Group as well.[38][39]
In 2018, Secretly Canadian was listed as #8 on Paste Magazine's top 10 record labels of 2018. Jagjaguwar was listed as #4 and Dead Oceans was listed as #7.[40]
Artists[]
- Alasdair Roberts
- Alex Cameron
- Anohni
- Antony and the Johnsons
- Ativin
- Ben Abraham
- BLK JKS
- Bobb Trimble
- Bodies of Water
- Catfish Haven
- Cayucas
- Cherry Glazerr
- Damien Jurado
- Danielson
- Dave Fischoff
- David Vandervelde
- Don Lennon
- Dungeonesse
- Early Day Miners
- Electric Youth
- Exitmusic
- Faye Webster
- Foreign Born
- Frida Hyvonen
- Gardens & Villa
- Havergal
- The Horns of Happiness
- I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness
- The Impossible Shapes
- Instruments of Science & Technology
- Intro to Airlift
- Jason Molina
- The Japonize Elephants
- Jens Lekman
- jj
- Joey Dosik
- Jorma Whittaker
- June Panic
- Little Scream
- Luke Temple
- Magnolia Electric Co.
- Major Lazer
- Makeness
- Marmoset
- Molina and Johnson
- Music Go Music
- Nightlands
- Nikki Sudden & The Jacobites
- Nite Jewel
- Normanoak
- The Panoply Academy
- Porcelain Raft
- Porridge Radio
- Racebannon
- Richard Swift
- Scout Niblett
- serpentwithfeet
- She-Devils
- Shura
- Simon Joyner
- Songs: Ohia
- Stella Donnelly
- Steven A. Clark
- Suuns
- Suzanne Langille & Loren MazzaCane Connors
- Swearing at Motorists
- Swell Maps
- Taken By Trees
- Throw Me The Statue
- Tig Notaro
- Tomas Barfod
- Tren Brothers
- The War on Drugs
- Whitney
- Windsor for the Derby
- Woman's Hour
- Yeasayer
- Yoko Ono
- Zero Boys
Notable awards and honors[]
GRAMMY AWARDS (US/GLOBAL)
- 2018, The War on Drugs, ‘A Deeper Understanding’ - Best Rock Album (WON)
- 2017, Tig Notaro, ‘Boyish Girl Interrupted’ - Best Comedy Album (nominated)
- 2014, Tig Notaro, ‘Tig Notaro Live’ - Best Comedy Album (nominated)
EMMYS / TELEVISION ACADEMY (US/GLOBAL)
- 2016, Tig Notaro, ‘Boyish Girl Interrupted’ (HBO) - Best Writing For A Variety Special (nominated)
A2IM LIBERA AWARDS (US)
- 2019, serpentwithfeet, ‘soil’ - Album of the Year (finalist)
- 2019, serpentwithfeet, ‘soil’ - Best Outlier Album (finalist)
- 2019, serpentwithfeet, ‘soil’ - Best R&B Album (finalist)
- 2018, Alex Cameron ‘Forced Witness’ - Best Outlier Album (finalist)
- 2017, ANOHNI, ‘Drone Bomb Me’ - Video of the Year (finalist)
- 2017, ANOHNI, ‘HOPELESSNESS’ - Best Dance/Electronic Album (finalist)
- 2017, Whitney, ‘Light Upon the Lake’ - Breakthrough Artist of the Year (WON)
- 2015, Secretly Canadian, Label of the Year (finalist)
- 2015, The War on Drugs, ‘Lost in the Dream’ - Album of the Year (WON)
- 2014, Secretly Canadian Label of the Year (finalist)
MERCURY PRIZE (UK)
- 2016, ANOHNI, ‘HOPELESSNESS’ (shortlist)
- 2005, Antony and the Johnsons, ‘I Am a Bird Now’ (WON)
BRIT AWARDS (UK/GLOBAL)
- 2017, ANOHNI – Best Female Solo Artist (nominated)
- 2015, The War on Drugs – Best International Group (nominated)
- 2006, Antony and the Johnsons – Best British Male Solo Artists (nominated)
AIM INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS (UK)
- 2014, Secretly Group – Independent Label of the Year (nominated)
NME AWARDS (UK)
- 2006, Antony and the Johnsons – Best Solo Artist (nominated)
ARIA AWARDS (AUSTRALIA)
- 2015, Marlon Williams, ‘Marlon Williams’ - Best Blues and Roots Album (nominated)
NEW ZEALAND MUSIC AWARDS (NZ)
- 2018, Marlon Williams, ‘Make Way For Love’ - Album of the Year (WON)
- 2018, Marlon Williams, ‘Make Way For Love’ - Best Alternative Artist (nominated)
- 2018, Marlon Williams, ‘Make Way For Love’ - Best Solo Artist of the Year (WON)
- 2015, Marlon Williams, ‘Marlon Williams’ - Album of the Year (nominated)
- 2015, Marlon Williams, ‘Marlon Williams’ - Best Alternative Album of the Year (nominated)
- 2015, Marlon Williams, “Dark Child” - Single of the Year (nominated)
- 2015, Marlon Williams – Best Male Solo Artist (WON)
- 2015, Marlon Williams – Breakthrough Artist of the Year (WON)
See also[]
References[]
- ^ "Secretly Canadian Artists Cover Each Other On CD". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
- ^ "Secretly Group". secretlygroup.com. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ "Secretly Group". secretlygroup.com. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ "Secretly Publishing |". Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ "Info". Secretly Canadian. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ by (2018-03-27). "Scratch Entrepreneur #23 - Secretly Canadian". Shine Insurance Agency. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1996-05-04). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
- ^ "Info". Secretly Canadian. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ "Secretly Canadian: A Local Success Story". WIUX. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ "Not so Secretly Canadian". Indiana Daily Student. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ admin (2012-08-13). "An Interview with Ben Swanson, Partner/A&R Secretly Canadian". Seagate Blog. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ "Chris Swanson Interview | Co-Founder of Secretly Group & Music Supervisor of Wild Wild Country". Pop Disciple | Film Music & Music Supervision Interviews | Music in Media News. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ Locke, Greg. "Long-term relationships and independent rock". NUVO. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ "Not so Secretly Canadian". Indiana Daily Student. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ "June Panic". www.puremusic.com. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ "A Jason Molina Primer". Vinyl Me Please. 2018-04-18. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ "Jason Molina of Songs: Ohia and Magnolia Electric Co. Has Died, Label Confirms". Spin. 2013-03-18. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ "We're All Supposed To Try | Jason Molina & The Magnolia Electric Co". GoldFlakePaint. 2014-08-28. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ Blau, Max. "Jason Molina's long dark blues". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ "Secretly Canadian – MusicBrainz". musicbrainz.org. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ Locke, Greg. "Long-term relationships and independent rock". NUVO. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ "Jagjaguwar: the indie label roaring to success". www.musicweek.com. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ "'We need to believe what we're working on is making the world better'". [PIAS]. 2016-11-09. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ "Secretly Canadian – MusicBrainz". musicbrainz.org. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
- ^ "Damien Jurado age, hometown, biography". Last.fm. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
- ^ "Jens Lekman Will See Himself Now". NPR.org. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
- ^ "Tracking Anohni's Avant-Garde Evolution on Stage". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (2016-04-21). "Anohni: Embracing a New Name, and Sound". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
- ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (2005-09-24). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
- ^ "Antony and the Johnsons: I Am a Bird Now". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
- ^ "The Quietus | Features | A Quietus Interview | An Intimate Portal: Antony Hegarty Interviewed". The Quietus. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
- ^ "The War on Drugs: Future Weather EP". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
- ^ "The War on Drugs sign to Atlantic Records". Consequence of Sound. 2015-06-12. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
- ^ "Yoko Ono Announces Reissue Project". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
- ^ "William Eggleston, Godfather of Color Photography, to Release First Music Album". Observer. 2017-09-01. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
- ^ "Secretly Canadian Complete Artist Roster". Ranker. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
- ^ "Secretly Group restructures A&R and publishing teams; adds new hires". Music Business Worldwide. 2018-12-06. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
- ^ "Numero Group Joins Secretly Canadian, Jagjaguwar, Dead Oceans in Newly Formed 'Secretly Label Group' (Exclusive)". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
- ^ "Numero, Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar and Secretly Canadian come together as Secretly Label Group". FACT Magazine: Transmissions from the underground. 2013-06-24. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
- ^ "The 10 Best Record Labels of 2018". pastemagazine.com. 2018-12-31. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
External links[]
- Record labels established in 1996
- American independent record labels
- Indie rock record labels
- Bloomington, Indiana