On the Fringe
By Austin Powell, Fri., Oct. 19, 2007
C-Side
Established by Matt Pittman in 2002 (see Music feature "All My Love," Jan. 26, 2007), familial imprint C-Side Records provides a communal outlet for songwriting collective the Channel, led by brothers Brent and Colby Pennington of Secret Sideshow and Driftin' Luke respectively, and indie rock offshoot Golden Bear.
Misc. Music
The self-proclaimed "Dysfunctional Music Corporation," Misc. Music fosters from the polluted mind of Aliens and Channel Catfish Audio guitarist Blake Sandberg and welcomes all things weird in Austin, as evidenced by a recent 28-song sampler featuring Damage Pants, Lazar Wolf, and Danny & the Nightmares, among others. The label's latest is the third collaboration between Jad Fair and Japanese noisemaker Naofumi Ishimaru, Half Monster.
Superpop!
A bedroom-studio-turned-indie-imprint, founders Peter Stafford and Seth Gibbs produce and perform with each act on Superpop!'s budding roster, which features enchanting songstress Hope Irish, San Marcos' the Archibalds, Leatherbag, and Gibbs' solo project, Brother Machine.
Indierect
Graphic designer and photographer Dániel Perlaky originally formed Indierect as a publicity company for local acts before releasing recordings from Purchase New York and the Arm, as well as Ghostland Observatory's debut, Delete.Delete.I.Eat.Meat. The label's second wave is led by Lomita, whom Perlaky also manages, and electro-pop outfit Belaire.
Autobus
A vehicle of the Wheel Collective, Autobus Records is driven by Voxtrot multi-instrumentalist Jared Van Fleet's seasonal song cycles as Sparrow House, namely last year's gorgeous Falls and the impending Television Snow. Other local projects include Brazos' sensuous debut EP, A City Just as Tall, and Mark David Ashworth's Viceroy.
Unseen Worlds
Reissues imprint Unseen Worlds, co-founded by local librarian Tommy McCutchon, rescues rather abstract musical artifacts from the vaults of time. The label surfaced earlier this year with "Blue" Gene Tyranny's 1977 classic, Out of the Blue, followed by Lubomyr Melnyk's imaginative piano piece KMH. Next to be unearthed is Carl Stone's 1983 debut, Woo Lae Oak.
