Sub Pop USA by Bruce Pavitt
In 1979, Bruce Pavitt moved to Olympia, WA, and began programming a show called Subterranean Pop on local community radio station KAOS-FM. Inspired by Olympia s guide to independent music, OP Magazine, Pavitt launched a fanzine version of Subterranean Pop, focusing on music with a punk, new wave, and experimental bent. Calvin Johnson of K Records joined the fanzine s staff in 1980, beginning with the second issue.Driven by the power of independent thinking, the Sub Pop zine s particular field of interest was artists from the Midwest and Northwest. Punk and new wave fans in major cities were puzzled, surprised that there were enough bands in those regions to devote a column, let alone an entire fanzine. Even more puzzling was the exclusion of artists like the Clash, Gang of Four, Blondie, or PIL, solely because of their major label associations. Early issues featured impassioned rallying cries for local action that make more sense than ever today, alongside early published artwork by Linda Barry, Charles Burns, and Jad Fair.
From Beat Happening and Pell Mell to early records by the Beastie Boys, Metallica, and Run DMC, Sub Pop was a 1980s independent music bible, written with a diverse appreciation for happening scenes across the USA. In 1986, Pavitt put his ideas into practice, launching Sub Pop Records with the historic Sub Pop 100 compilation and Soundgarden s first release. While the Sub Pop Records legacy is today legendary, the groundwork and creative wellspring that put Seattle on the musical map is assembled here for the first time.
Bruce Pavitt was born in 1959 in Chicago. At the age of nine, he sold Christmas cards door-to-door in the summer heat, earning enough money to buy his first record playerand soon after, his first record, Revolution, by the Beatles.
In 1979 he enrolled at the Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. He spent time as a DJ at KAOS-FM, and in 1980 started his own zine, Subterranean Pop, aka Sub Pop, which reviewed hard-to-find independent rock recordings. Bruce moved to Seattle in 1983 and started writing the Sub Pop music column for The Rocket. He hosted a Sub Pop radio show on KCMU, and in 1984 co-founded Fallout Records, the first indie record store in Seattle s Capitol Hill district. His complete zines and Rocket columns, an unrivalled document of American independent music during the 1980s, are collected in the book Sub Pop U.S.A.: The Subterranean Pop Music Anthology, 19801988 (Bazillion Points).
In 1986 Bruce launched the Sub Pop record label with the release of the Sub Pop 100 compilation, featuring bands including New York s Sonic Youth and Seattle s U-Men. With business partner Jonathan Poneman, Bruce opened the doors in 1988 to the Sub Pop offices at First and Virginia in downtown Seattle. By the early 1990s Sub Pop had released recordings by Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Mark Lanegan, Beat Happening, Tad, the Walkabouts, and Steven Jesse Bernstein, and had helped initiate a global interest in Seattle area music.
After 17 years living on Orcas Island, Bruce Pavitt is back in Seattle, living with his family. He remains active in music by speaking at conferences and festivals, consulting with artists and music labels, and working as a DJ. A true music fan, Bruce continues to study music history in every genre.
In 1979 he enrolled at the Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. He spent time as a DJ at KAOS-FM, and in 1980 started his own zine, Subterranean Pop, aka Sub Pop, which reviewed hard-to-find independent rock recordings. Bruce moved to Seattle in 1983 and started writing the Sub Pop music column for The Rocket. He hosted a Sub Pop radio show on KCMU, and in 1984 co-founded Fallout Records, the first indie record store in Seattle s Capitol Hill district. His complete zines and Rocket columns, an unrivalled document of American independent music during the 1980s, are collected in the book Sub Pop U.S.A.: The Subterranean Pop Music Anthology, 19801988 (Bazillion Points).
In 1986 Bruce launched the Sub Pop record label with the release of the Sub Pop 100 compilation, featuring bands including New York s Sonic Youth and Seattle s U-Men. With business partner Jonathan Poneman, Bruce opened the doors in 1988 to the Sub Pop offices at First and Virginia in downtown Seattle. By the early 1990s Sub Pop had released recordings by Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Mark Lanegan, Beat Happening, Tad, the Walkabouts, and Steven Jesse Bernstein, and had helped initiate a global interest in Seattle area music.
After 17 years living on Orcas Island, Bruce Pavitt is back in Seattle, living with his family. He remains active in music by speaking at conferences and festivals, consulting with artists and music labels, and working as a DJ. A true music fan, Bruce continues to study music history in every genre.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781935950110 |
| ISBN 10 | 1935950118 |
| Title | Sub Pop USA |
| Author | Bruce Pavitt |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Bazillion Points |
| Year published | 2014-11-24 |
| Number of pages | 400 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |