-ismist Recordings

January 2026 American record label founded in Nebraska May 2020 -ismist Recordings -ismist_Recordings_logo.jpg 1992 Dan Schlissel 2002 Indie rock, punk rock, metal, rap, ska, singer-songwriter, comedy U.S. Lincoln, Nebraska and Minneapolis, Minnesota www.ismista.com -ismist Recordings was an American independent record label founded in 1992 by Dan Schlissel. Over the 1990s, -ismist released nearly 80 albums and singles by bands including Killdozer, Season to Risk, and House of Large Sizes. It was based in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. It is most widely known for comedy albums by Lewis Black and Doug Stanhope, as well as Iowa metal band Slipknot's 1996 debut/demo, Mate.Feed.Kill.Repeat. Cory Matteson Comedy record producer learned the ropes in Lincoln https://journalstar.com/entertainment/performing-arts/comedy-record-producer-learned-the-ropes-in-lincoln/article_764449b6-457b-5f9d-aa80-7a638ce43626.html Lincoln Journal Star Lincoln, Nebraska August 3, 2013 February 20, 2020 By the early 2000s, after Slipknot had moved on to major label Roadrunner Records and Schlissel had found greater success with comedians like Black and Stanhope than with indie rock, he changed his focus to comedy albums on a new, Minneapolis-based label, Stand Up! Records, which eventually replaced -ismist entirely.Rod Smith City Pages Minneapolis http://citypages.com/databank/25/1208/article11849.asp https://web.archive.org/web/20070930220635/http://citypages.com/databank/25/1208/article11849.asp September 30, 2007 A Man Walks Into A Bar September 30, 2007 February 25, 2020 History In 1988, Schlissel was a student at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he majored in physics, worked at an off-campus record store called Feedback, and booked concerts for the university as chairman of the concert and dance committee.http://mfkr1.com/web/ismist-recordings/ https://web.archive.org/web/20180816154754/http://mfkr1.com/web/ismist-recordings/ August 16, 2018 Mate Feed Kill Repeat: IsmIist Recordings February 22, 2020 Matt Snyders Indie comedy label Stand Up! has produced the edgiest comedy in the country http://www.citypages.com/news/indie-comedy-label-stand-up-has-produced-the-edgiest-comedy-in-the-country-6682706 City Pages Minneapolis May 21, 2008 February 20, 2020 In 1992, inspired by the success of indie music labels such as Sub Pop, he founded the label which would eventually become -ismist Recordings, at first basing the business out of his dorm room at the university. The label's original name, -ism, was short for "In Spite of Myself" and was also meant to embrace a wide diversity of art and philosophy. http://ismista.com/history-1992-2000/ History 1992–2000 -ismist Recordings February 27, 2020 In 1996, Schlissel changed the name to -ismist, short for "In Spite of Myself, In Spite of Them," after New York punk band Ism objected that the original name was too similar to its own.Jake Austen Roctober Chicago Slissel August 2013 The label's first record, released in late 1992, was Nebraska indie-rock band Such Sweet Thunder's Redneck, a CD which also included the band's previous self-released album Burning Ditches. A review by Allmusic's Jason Birchmeier called it "a dizzying retrospective" by a band that made "a lasting, influential impression on the healthy '90s Nebraskan indie rock scene," and also noted that as the first -ismist release, the album "becomes even more noteworthy, functioning as the foundation for that label's healthy growth during the '90s."album redneck-burning-ditches-mw0001187035 Review of Such Sweet Thunder, Redneck/Burning Ditches Birchmeier Jason March 1, 2020 This was followed by other local Lincoln groups such as Floating Opera, Honeyboy Turner, Fullblown, and Polecat. Instead of confining itself to a single genre, -ismist's catalog ranged across musical styles, including punk rock, ska, singer-songwriter, rap, metal, and alternative rock. In 1996, it released Madison, Wisconsin noise-rock band Killdozer's final 7-inch single, Go Big Red, featuring the songs "Sonnet '96" and a Hank Williams cover, "I Saw The Light." Other notable -ismist releases included the vinyl edition of Cedar Falls, Iowa, alt-rock band House of Large Sizes' album Glass Cockpit, and the 1999 split 7-inch single '"Ace of Space"/"Tall and Thin Hit Men", split between Kansas City bands Season to Risk and Molly McGuire. Schlissel, via -ismist, also distributed other Nebraska and Midwestern indie labels, including Speed Nebraska Records, Corn Pie Records, and Two Olive Martini Records, and organized two music festivals in 1996 and 1997. In an effort to document the Nebraska music scene as a whole, -ismist also released two compilation records, 1994's LINOMA: A Nebraska Compilation and 1999's LINOMA II: Riot on the Plains, which Allmusic's Birchmeier called "an excellent summation of the harsh sound so prevalent in the '90s Nebraskan indie rock scene" and "an excellent beginning point for anyone interested in the surprisingly deep pool of Nebraskan bands recording otherwise largely ignored hard indie rock."album linoma-a-nebraska-compilation-mw0000969713 Review of Linoma: A Nebraska Compilation Birchmeier Jason March 2, 2020 album linoma-vol-2-riot-on-the-plains-mw0000970324 Review of Linoma, Vol. 2: Riot on the Plains Birchmeier Jason March 2, 2020 One -ismist release, Omaha, Nebraska band Polecat's 2500 Ft of Our Love, even inspired the name of another music label when its A-side single, "Saddle Creek," was used for Omaha label Saddle Creek Records. Patrick Sisson 'Saddle Creek' chronicles iconic record label's story https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2005-09-03-0509030024-story.html Chicago Tribune Chicago September 3, 2005 February 25, 2020 Slipknot After meeting Shawn "Clown" Crahan of Iowa metal band Slipknot at Crahan's Des Moines bar Safari Club, Schlissel helped the group release its first album, Mate.Feed.Kill.Repeat, which it had originally self-pressed.Joel McIver Slipknot: All Hope Is Gone https://books.google.com/books?id=wDoDAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT53 March 7, 2012 Omnibus Press 978-0-85712-772-3 53– Schlissel and -ismist distributed the last third of the 1,000-copy run of the album, and helped the band get its first significant notice from music critics and radio airplay. (Original pressings of the album have since grown in value considerably among collectors.) https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/slipknot-another-ultra-rare-copy-of-mate-feed-kill-repeat-being-auctioned/ SLIPKNOT: Another 'Ultra-Rare' Copy Of 'Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat' Being Auctioned March 14, 2007 Blabbermouth February 27, 2020 MFKR Real or Fake? http://www.matefeedkillrepeat.com/main/realorfake/realorfake.html MFKR.com February 29, 2020 Slipknot later signed with major label Roadrunner Records, ending their relationship with -ismist. Lewis Black and the move to Stand Up! Records After the loss of Slipknot and other setbacks in the late 1990s, Schlissel became disillusioned with running a music label, and moved away from Nebraska in 1998 to take a job at a software company. Schlissel told one interviewer, "The label started to disintegrate because bands eventually break up or move away, and at the same time I relocated to Minneapolis."The Art of the Laugh with Stand Up! Records and Dan Schlissel https://www.tptoriginals.org/the-art-of-the-laugh-with-stand-up-records-and-dan-schlissel/ February 20, 2020 TPT Originals David Roth PBS Twin Cities PBS 2019 He considered folding -ismist, but instead found new focus after convincing Lewis Black to work with him after meeting the comedian after a show in Minneapolis.Wood Drew July 12, 2018 Q&A with Dan Schlissel of Minneapolis Label Stand Up! Records http://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/q-a-with-dan-schlissel-of-minneapolis-label-stand-up-records/ Mpls.St.Paul Magazine Minneapolis February 20, 2020 Schlissel recorded Black's The White Album in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1999, with John Machnik, who would be his production partner for many years. John Machnik artist john-machnik-mn0001962261 credits April 18, 2020 Released on -ismist, the album was an immediate success, eventually selling around 60,000 copies, more than the entire previous -ismist catalog combined. Schlissel decided to reinvent -ismist entirely, moving from indie-rock and punk to comedy. The label would go on to release several other comedy albums, including two by Doug Stanhope, Sicko and Something to Take the Edge Off, and Jimmy Shubert's Animal Instincts, while Schlissel launched a new label, Stand Up! Records, in 2000. By 2002, -ismist had effectively closed down and been replaced by Stand Up! Records. Schlissel has occasionally revived the -ismist name, such as for the 2006 tribute compilation We Will Bury You: A Tribute to Killdozer. Discography 30em 1992 Such Sweet Thunder, Redneck/Burning Ditches 1993 Greg Markel, Bloodcake Urethra Franklin, Power Peach Water, Water Greg Markel, "Crash Pansy" (7-inch single) Hour Slave, Begin 1994 Various artists, LINOMA: A Nebraska Compilation Honeyboy Turner, Preachin' the Blues Young Executives, Cottonwood Polecat, "2500 ft. of Our Love" (7-inch single) 1995 Pop Sickle, "1977 Owner's Manual" (7-inch single) Todd Grant, Strangled Soul Stew, Lower Ritual Device, "Rabe" (7-inch single) Fun Chicken, I'm Drinking Your Spinal Fluid The Sissies, Songs from the Sack Plastik Trumpet, Are You P.T.? Frontier Trust, Speed Nebraska Honeyboy Turner Band, Live at the Zoo Ritual Device, Trademark of Quality 1996 Killdozer, Go Big Red ("Sonnet '96" b/w "I Saw The Light") Red Max, "Voodoo Liquor Hot Rod" (7-inch single) Beyond, "Game of Death" (cassette single) Rascal Basket, vs. the Hordes of Venus Sawdust Devil, Affirmative Slipknot, Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. The Return, Greatest Demos vol. 1 Plastik Trumpet, "Are You P.T.? EP" (7-inch single) Floating Opera, Everybody's Somebody's Monster 1997 The Lost Dogs, The Lost Dogs Richard Schultz, "Foreshadows" (7-inch single) Ravine, Ravine Clayface Regular, "Clayface Regular" (7-inch single) Solid Jackson, "Fell" (7-inch single) D is for Dragster, "Chrysler Solid State" (7-inch single) Wide & Stew, The Perfect Gift / Karma Suture (split LP) Scrid, The Island of Misfit Toys Jimmy Skaffa, "Bitch on Sunday" (7-inch single) The Return, "High Enough Yet?" (CD single) Row 8 Plot 30, Dowsers Fullblown, Fullblown 1998 Mimi Schneider, Catasterpiece Wide, Hidden Agenda Sean Benjamin, Delta Blue Coffee Gladhands, "Do You Have a Reservation?" (7-inch single) Fullblown, "Clowns in Action" (7-inch single) House of Large Sizes, Glass Cockpit Kung Pao / Tucker, "Nakoma" b/w "Trailer Pumpkin Fuss" (split 7-inch single) Sputnik, Favorite Songs of the Soviet Cosmonauts Various artists, It's Craptacular 1999 Season to Risk & Molly McGuire, Tour 7" 7-inch single ("Ace of Space" b/w "Tall and Thin Hit Men") The Return, the/return Scrid & Sludgeplow, "Miss L" b/w "Passion Fruit" (split 7-inch single) Various artists, LINOMA II: Riot on the Plains Floating Opera, It's Not Easy Listening Anymore Beyond, Droppin' the Next Shit Fullblown, Agents of Entropy The Return, "She's Got It Coming" (CD single) 2000 Graig Markel, "July" (7-inch single) Kung Pao, Bogota Plastik Trumpet, "I Love You So Much I Could Vomit" (CD single) Ninja School, "Choking Hazard" (7-inch single) Lewis Black,The White Album Doug Stanhope, Sicko Doug Stanhope, Something to Take the Edge Off Entertainment, "Shake" b/w "Pretty Lips are Red" (7-inch single) 2001 Fifty Tons of Black Terror (aka Penthouse), "Hungry Hollow" (7-inch single) Jimmy Shubert, Animal Instincts Sofa Kit XL, Day of the Race Pioneer Disaster, "Bootstraps" b/w "Cactus Town" (7-inch single) 2002 The Monroes, "Kiss Your Elbow Goodbye" (7-inch single) The Return, 3 Kung Pao, Sheboygan Wide, Gay 2003 Sofa Kit XL, Heated Electronic Break-Up 2006 Various artists, We Will Bury You: A Tribute to Killdozer References External links ismista.com -Ismist Recordings collection at Nebraska State Historical Society Category:American independent record labels