Asthmatic Kitty Records | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Founded | 1999 |
Founder | Sufjan Stevens Lowell Brams |
Genre | Indie rock |
Country of origin | United States |
Location | Lander, Wyoming Indianapolis, Indiana Brooklyn, New York |
Official website | asthmatickitty |
Asthmatic Kitty Records is an American independent record label founded in 1999 by a community of musicians from Holland, Michigan led by Sufjan Stevens and his stepfather Lowell Brams. Some were Holland natives, and others had come to attend local colleges and universities. While the original Holland nucleus has dispersed across the country, the community has grown, with new artists and shared projects with other independent record labels. The Library Catalog Music Series, inaugurated in 2009, showcases instrumental music from a wide variety of musicians, with eighteen albums in print as of February 2013, and more scheduled for release. Asthmatic Kitty is now based in Lander, Wyoming, Atlanta, Georgia and Brooklyn, New York.
The label's name refers to Sara, a stray with feline asthma adopted by Lowell in 1994. From 2002 on, she lived in Lander, Wyoming (elevation 5,358 ft / 1,633 m), where the thin, dry air alleviated most of her asthma symptoms. Sara died in December 2008, aged fifteen or sixteen years old.[1]
Between 2007-2010, Unusual Animals was a special series of limited edition vinyl releases, parties, artist showcases, and music events.[2][3] In 2007, the Unusual Animals Project Space founded by Michael Kaufmann at the Harrison Center for the Arts in Indianapolis featured exhibitions by Cindy Hinant and Stuart Snoddy.[4][5]
In 2020, Sufjan Stevens and Lowell Brams released Aporia, a 21-track album.[6] The album has been described as "mixing organic instrumentation with experimental electronics, intertwining both new age and ambient music."[7]
Active artists
[edit]- James McAlister 900X
- Angelo De Augustine
- Denison Witmer
- Half-handed Cloud
- Sisyphus
- Sufjan Stevens
- The Welcome Wagon
Former artists and alumni
[edit]- Cecile Believe
- Castanets
- Cryptacize
- DM Stith
- Dots Will Echo
- Epstein
- Fol Chen
- Helado Negro
- Hermas Zopoula
- I Heart Lung
- Jookabox
- Julianna Barwick
- Land of a Thousand Rappers
- Lily & Madeleine
- Liz Janes
- My Brightest Diamond
- Ombre
- Osso String Quartet
- Linda Perhacs
- Pepe Deluxé
- Rafter
- Raymond Byron and the White Freighter
- Roberts and Lord
- Royal City
- Chris Schlarb
- Shannon Stephens
- Shapes and Sizes
- The Curtains
- Trumans Water
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Goodbye to Sara, an "asthma kitty," 1993–2008". Asthmatic Kitty. 29 December 2008. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
- ^ Krinsley, Jeremy (2007). "Unusual Animals Hitting Its Third City". No. July. Impose Magazine. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
- ^ "Debut of Unusual Animals Project Space in Indianapolis". Puddlegum. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- ^ McCormick, Craig. "Cindy Hinant at Unusual Animals Project Space". On The Cusp.
- ^ Watt Grade, Susan (September 19, 2007). "Cindy Hinant: Cascades". Nuvo.
- ^ "Album Review: Sufjan Stevens and Lowell Brams Design an Atmosphere for Daydreaming on Aporia". Consequence. 2020-03-25. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
- ^ Writer, Drew Gadbois Daily Arts (30 March 2020). "'Aporia' is a captivating collaboration from Sufjan Stevens and his stepfather". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
External links
[edit]