Rock Ridge Music

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Rock Ridge Music
Founded 2004
Founder(s) Tom Derr, Chris Henderson, Jason Spiewak
Distributing label Warner Music Group
Genre(s) Various
Country of origin USA
Official Website http://www.rockridgemusic.com/

Rock Ridge Music is an independent record label based in New York City. Some of the more recognized artists on the Rock Ridge roster include Stroke 9, Sinch, Five.Bolt.Main, The Ike Reilly Assassination, Edgewater, Kittie, Boy Hits Car, Reel Big Fish and The Accident Experiment.

Contents

[edit] History

Rock Ridge Music was founded in 2004 by Tom Derr, who previously held positions at RCA Records, A&M Records and Noise International, and most recently was the Vice-President of Marketing and Artist Development for Universal Records. Also associated with the label are Jason Spiewak, a songwriter who held positions at Artemis Records, Studio E Records, Takeout Marketing and TVT Records, as well as Chris Henderson, current guitarist for modern rock group 3 Doors Down.

[edit] Label services

Rock Ridge’s website includes a service called "Ghidrah", the name referencing the famous Godzilla adversary Ghidorah, a dragon with three heads. In turn, Ghidrah allows visitors to listen to three random songs from Rock Ridge artists every week, and is symbolized by a dragon with three heads. Rock Ridge also has a deal with Live 365 to run an internet radio station called Rock Ridge Radio, that plays solely tracks from Rock Ridge artists past and present.

Rock Ridge also has an online store through Moon Merch that sells general Rock Ridge merchandise as well as albums and other goods from Rock Ridge acts Stroke 9, Five.Bolt.Main, Boy Hits Car, Domeshots, Cinder, Northwest Royale, Redding, The Ike Reilly Assassination, Blancodiablo, Indorphine, Six Ounce Gloves, The Accident Experiment, Psychostick, Tony Lucca, 10 Second Drop, and Sound The Alarm.

[edit] Distribution

The label's CD releases are distributed by Warner Music Group in the United States and Canada, and in digital form worldwide.

[edit] Mission statement

The company's slogan is "Artist Career Development", an odd choice considering another independent rock label, Wind-Up Records, has a similar slogan in "Developing Career Artists". This apparent coincidence is furthered by the fact that Rock Ridge then signed Boy Hits Car and Edgewater, previous Wind-Up artists.

[edit] Current Artists

(Accurate as per Rock Ridge Music website – March 4th, 2007).

  • 10 Second Drop
  • The Accident Experiment
  • Blancodiablo
  • Boy Hits Car
  • Chris Volz
  • Cinder
  • Dan Lavery
  • Domeshots
  • Edgewater
  • Ernie Halter
  • Halfdown Thomas
  • Hymns
  • The Ike Reilly Assassination
  • Indorphine
  • Legbone
  • Mr. North
  • Northwest Royale
  • Psychostick
  • Redding
  • Reel Big Fish
  • Sinch
  • Six Ounce Gloves
  • Stroke 9
  • Tony Lucca
  • Travis Mitchell Band

[edit] Previous Artists

  • Bluesuedegroove
  • Dezeray's Hammer
  • Five.Bolt.Main
  • Hades
  • Kittie
  • Lila
  • Love.45
  • Non-Fiction
  • Scars Of Life
  • Seven Witches
  • Sound The Alarm
  • They Walk In Line

[edit] Current Artist Notes

  • Many of the artists that are or have been on Rock Ridge’s roster have either been dropped by or are associated with major labels. Examples include Boy Hits Car and Edgewater of Wind-Up Records, Kittie of Artemis Records, Cinder of Geffen Records, Sinch of Roadrunner Records, Stroke 9 of Universal Records and Reel Big Fish of BMG. This gives Rock Ridge the appearance of a safe haven for acts that were or are being mistreated by major labels.
  • In addition to releasing products nationwide in stores, Rock Ridge releases a large amount of internet-only offerings through iTunes. So far these have been limited to EPs and live content. A notable exception is the internet release of Mr. North’s Lifesize.
  • Five.Bolt.Main included ex-members of Universal Records nu metal act Flaw, including vocalist Chris Volz, who has now embarked on a solo career and has also reformed Flaw. By the same token, The Accident Experiment includes P.O.D. guitarist Marcos Curiel, and Dan Lavery is a former member of the band Tonic.
  • Both Northwest Royale and 10 Second Drop's websites are currently M.I.A., and it is unclear if they are still functioning groups.

[edit] Previous Artist Notes

  • Twelve artists have disbanded, become inactive, or left the label's roster to date.
  • Bluesuedegroove had been disbanded and their collection was solely a catalog piece as Jason Spiewak, one of the label founders, was a former member of the group.
  • Dezeray's Hammer has disbanded for unknown reasons and recently played their final shows.
  • Five.Bolt.Main disbanded due to internal complications. Lead vocalist Chris Volz has since signed to Rock Ridge as a solo artist and has also reformed Flaw.
  • Hades and Non-Fiction had both been disbanded and their albums were solely rereleases of previous material.
  • Kittie only released the Never Again online-EP through Rock Ridge and has since created their own label to release their future albums.
  • Love.45 seemingly left the label for reasons unknown.
  • Scars Of Life underwent a name change to Burning Red when their vocalist departed. Burning Red has since disbanded due to a lack of financial stability.
  • Lila and Seven Witches have never actually released anything through the label and at this point do not seem to be considered part of the current roster.
  • Sound The Alarm signed to Geffen Records for their future releases.
  • They Walk In Line has seemingly disbanded.

[edit] Label Releases

(Accurate as per Rock Ridge Music website – March 10, 2007).

  • Domeshots: Self-Titled (October 12, 2004)
  • The Ike Reilly Assassination: Sparkle In The Finish (October 12, 2004)
  • Love.45: Love.45 (November 9, 2004)
  • Stroke 9: All In (November 9, 2004)


  • They Walk In Line: Medical Necessities (February 8, 2005)
  • Sinch: Clearing The Channel (March 22, 2005)
  • Hades: Resisting Success/If At First You Don't Succeed (May 10, 2005)
  • Legbone: Different Path (June 21, 2005)
  • Dezeray's Hammer: The Past That Decorates Me (July 12, 2005)
  • The Ike Reilly Assassination: Sparkle In The Finish: The B-Sides EP (July 19, 2005)
  • Scars Of Life: What We Reflect (August 9, 2005)
  • Five.Bolt.Main: Venting (September 13, 2005)
  • The Ike Reilly Assassination: Junkie Faithful (September 27, 2005)
  • Halfdown Thomas: HDT EP (October 25, 2005)
  • Non-Fiction: Preface/In The Know (November 8, 2005)
  • Mr. North: Lifesize + 3 (November 8, 2005)
  • Sinch: Live Cuts EP (December 6, 2005)


  • 10 Second Drop: 10 Second Drop (January 24, 2006)
  • Sound The Alarm: Sound The Alarm EP (January 24, 2006)
  • Seven Witches: Amped (January 24, 2006)
  • Kittie: Never Again EP (February 7, 2006)
  • Stroke 9: Cafe Cuts (February 7, 2006)
  • Domeshots: Reception (March 21, 2006)
  • Blanco Diablo: Paper Poison Revolution (April 25, 2006)
  • The Ike Reilly Assassination: The Last Demonstration EP (May 2, 2006)
  • The Accident Experiment: United We Fear (May 9, 2006)
  • Northwest Royale: Home Is Where The Hate Is (May 9, 2006)
  • Six Ounce Gloves: Timing Is Everything (June 6, 2006)
  • Bluesuedegroove: Complete (June 13, 2006)
  • Dan Lavery: Say That You Love Me EP (June 20, 2006)
  • Boy Hits Car: The Passage (July 11, 2006)
  • Indorphine: Glowsticks For Clubbing Baby Seals (July 11, 2006)
  • Redding: Redding (July 11, 2006)
  • Cinder: House Full Of No Trust (August 8, 2006)
  • Tony Lucca: Canyon Songs (August 8, 2006)
  • Edgewater: We're Not Robots (August 22, 2006)
  • Reel Big Fish: Our Live Album Is Better Than Your Live Album (August 22, 2006)
  • Psychostick: We Couldn't Think Of A Title (September 12, 2006)
  • Travis Mitchell Band: Forget What's Wrong (September 26, 2006)
  • Five.Bolt.Main: Live (October 10, 2006)
  • Hymns: Brother/Sister (October 10, 2006)
  • Mr. North: Sleeping Dogs EP (November 7, 2006)


  • Ernie Halter: Congress Hotel (February 6, 2007)
  • Mr. North: Fear And Desire (March 6, 2007)
  • The Ike Reilly Assassination: We Belong To The Staggering Evening (May 8, 2007)
  • The Accident Experiment: Arena EP (May 8, 2007)

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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