::''This page is about the record label. For the Small Stone effect pedal, see

Electro-Harmonix Electro-Harmonix (also commonly referred to as EHX) is a New York City-based company that makes electronic audio processors and sells rebranded vacuum tubes. The company was founded by Mike Matthews in 1968. It is best known for a series of g ...

''. Small Stone Records is an American

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the prod ...

based in

Detroit, MI Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

. It was founded in 1995 by Scott Hamilton and is a self-dubbed "heavy rock" label. The label has released a number of

stoner rock Stoner rock, also known as stoner metal or stoner doom, is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of doom metal with psychedelic rock and acid rock. The genre emerged during the early 1990s and was pioneered foremost by Kyuss and Sleep ...

compilation albums, as well as releases by

Dozer Dozer is a stoner rock band from Sweden. History Early years Dozer was formed in the great north in 1995 by Tommi Holappa, Fredrik Nordin, Erik Bäckwall and Magnus Larsson, playing local youth centres and supporting any bands that came to ...

Los Natas Los Natas or Natas are an Argentinian stoner rock band formed in 1994 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In their later releases, they had been leaning towards a more experimental sound described by them as ''free rock''. Musical style Their musical in ...

Halfway To Gone Halfway to Gone is an American heavy metal band from New Jersey. The band formed in 1999 when bassist and founding member of Solarized, Lou Gorra got together with Lee Stuart (Solarized's touring guitarist), and drummer Danny Gollin. Chuck Du ...

Solace Consolation, consolement, and solace are terms referring to psychological comfort given to someone who has suffered severe, upsetting loss, such as the death of a loved one. It is typically provided by expressing shared regret for that loss and ...

, and many others in the stoner rock,

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...

, blues-rock, and

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science ...

genres.

History

Small Stone Records was founded in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

by Scott Hamilton in 1995, who remains owner and operator. Hamilton claims he mostly started the label to put out records by friends and his favorite bands such as

Big Chief "Big Chief" is a song composed by Earl King in the early 1960s. It became a hit in New Orleans for Professor Longhair in 1964,Berry/Foose/Jones, ''Up from the Cradle of Jazz''. University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press, 2009, p. 148. featuring a ...

The Laughing Hyenas Laughing Hyenas was an American post-hardcore band from Ann Arbor, Michigan, that existed from 1985 to 1995, fronted by Negative Approach vocalist John Brannon. According to AllMusic, "At first, the band specialized in dirges overlaid with the ...

, Mule, and Slot. Hamilton started the label with a $5000 loan and named it after the Small Stone effects pedal made by

. The label's first release was a single by 36-D, which had members of Big Chief, Born Without a Face, and Slot. The label's first album release was a 1995 compilation titled ''Detroit Rust City,'' which sold 1,000 copies the first week, and featured

Kid Rock Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock (also known as Bobby Shazam), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. His style alternates between rock, hip hop, country, and metal. A self-taught musician ...

and Big Chief. Shortly afterward the label released Morsel's sophomore EP. In 1997 the label released an album by Perplexa, a band which included a member from WIG, who later went on to become

West Indian Girl West Indian Girl is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States. The band's name comes from a type of lysergic acid (LSD) that was popular in the early 1960s. The initials are also a reference to Robert James' and Francis T ...

. Five Horse Johnson also signed to the label that year. The label initially featured a number of different rock genres but soon began focusing on the

blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre that combines elements of blues and rock music. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock (electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums, sometimes w ...

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

and

genres, and what Hamilton dubs "heavy rock." Besides albums by groups such as

Acid King Acid King is an American stoner metal band from San Francisco, California. It was formed in 1993 by frontwoman Lori S., drummer Joey Osbourne and bassist Peter Lucas. Acid King have since recorded four studio albums and two EPs with a series o ...

, Greenleaf, and

, the label has released a number of stoner rock compilations. The first, '' Right in the Nuts: A Tribute to Aerosmith'', featured covers of Aerosmith, and was released in 2000. In January 2002, the label released ''

Sucking the 70s ''Sucking the 70's'' is a two disc collection of 1970s songs covered by modern stoner rock bands. It was released by Small Stone Records in 2002. A second album, '' Sucking the 70's – Back in the Saddle Again'', was released in 2006. The album ...

'', a two disc collection of 1970s songs covered by stoner rock bands. In 2006, the label released the compilation ''

Sucking the 70's - Back in the Saddle Again Suction is the colloquial term to describe the air pressure differential between areas. Removing air from a space results in a pressure differential. Suction pressure is therefore limited by external air pressure. Even a perfect vacuum cannot ...

'', which featured covers of various 1970s songs. According to Hamilton, early on the Small Stone bands relied on networking with other bands on the label to organize tours and musical projects. In 2006, Small Stone began issuing the lost recordings of the band Slot, whose founder and guitarist had recently died. Remaining members of the ban
Sue Lott
(bass) and Eddie Alterman (drums) were then joined by Phil Durr of Five Horse Johnson and Scott Hamilton on guitar to play at

SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, ...

in the spring of 2007. The new reformation soon garnered Five Horse Johnson drummer Eric Miller, and formed the ban
Luder
Their first album, ''Sonoluminescence'', was released on Small Stone in November 2009. Reviews dubbed the style " grunge-

gaze In critical theory, sociology, and psychoanalysis, the gaze (French ''le regard''), in the philosophical and figurative sense, is an individual's (or a group's) awareness and perception of other individuals, other groups, or oneself. The concept ...

." The label continues to put out approximately 10 to 12 new releases a year. Small Stone's newer bands, such as Lo-Pan, Backwoods Payback, and Freedom Hawk continue to maintain busy touring schedules. Small Stone records is sometimes referred to as the "new home" for Man's Ruin bands. Acts like Acid King, Los Natas, Dozer, Sons Of Otis, Tummler, and Men Of Porn were picked up by Small Stone after the demise of the Man's Ruin record label (Some of those earlier Man's Ruin records have since been reissued by Small Stone, most notably the albums by Dozer, Acid King, and Sons Of Otis). Beginning in February 2014, Small Stone Records entered into a distribution agreement with

Alternative Distribution Alliance Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA) is a music distribution company owned by Warner Music Group, which represents the rights to various independent record labels. ADA provides "independent artist and label partners with access to the resource ...

Artists who have signed to Small Stone Records

* Abrahma *

* All Time High * Antler * Asteroid * A Thousand Knives of Fire * Axehandle * Backwoods Payback * Blackwolfgoat * Black Sleep of Kali * Bottom * Brain Police * The Brought Low * Deville *

Dixie Witch Dixie Witch is a Texas-based hard rock trio formed by guitarist Clayton Mills, drummer/vocalist Trinidad Leal, and bassist/vocalist Curt Christensen in 1999. The band released their self-produced album ''Into the Sun'' on Brainticket Records in ...

* Dwellers * Erik Larson * Five Horse Johnson *

Fireball Ministry Fireball Ministry is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1999. Biography Formed in Cincinnati in the late 1990s by James A. Rota II and Emily Burton, Fireball Ministry moved to New York City before settling in ...

* Freedom Hawk * Gozu * Greatdayforup * Giant Brain *

Gideon Smith & the Dixie Damned Gideon Smith and the Dixie Damned is a band based in North Carolina. Gideon Smith began singing with local bands in the Carolina music scene in 1989. In 1997, he formed "Gideon Smith & The Dixie Damned" with friends Otis Hughes and Boo Duckworth ...

The Glasspack The Glasspack is an American psychedelic punk rock band from Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The band was formed in 1999 by frontman and native Louisvillian "Dirty" Dave Johnson, in hopes of giving a better alternative to the classic and ha ...

* Greenleaf * Hackman *

Halfway to Gone Halfway to Gone is an American heavy metal band from New Jersey. The band formed in 1999 when bassist and founding member of Solarized, Lou Gorra got together with Lee Stuart (Solarized's touring guitarist), and drummer Danny Gollin. Chuck Du ...

* Honky * House of Broken Promises * Infernal Overdrive * Iota * Ironweed * Isaak * It's Not Night: It's Space * Jeremy Irons & the Ratgang Malibus * LaChinga * Larman Clamor * Lo-Pan * Lord Fowl * Lord Sterling *

* Luder * Mangoo * Medusa Cyclone * Mellow Bravo * Mother of God * Milligram * Miss Lava * Mog Stunt Team * Morsel * Mos Generator * Neon Warship * Nightstalker * Novadriver * Obiat *

The Men of Porn Men of Porn, sometimes typeset as Porn (The Men Of) and now simply known as Porn, is an American, San Francisco-based stoner rock band. They toured with Melvins on their "Double-Drumming Rock for Peace" tour at the end of 2006, and later played ...

* Puny Human * Red Giant *

Roadsaw Roadsaw is an American rock band, formed in 1994. To date, the band has released six studio albums. History Early years (1994–1997) In the year 2000, the band gave the following explanation for their name:"We were really, really stoned, ...

* Roundhead *

Sasquatch Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a purported ape-like creature said to inhabit the forest of North America. Many dubious articles have been offered in attempts to prove the existence of Bigfoot, including anecdotal claims of ...

* Shame Club * Slot * Skånska Mord * SNAIL *

* Soul Clique * Sun Gods In Exile * Supermachine * Suplecs * The Might Could * The Socks * Throttlerod * Tia Carrera * Tummler *

VALIS ''Valis'' (stylized as ''VALIS'') is a 1981 science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick, intended to be the first book of a three-part series. The title is an acronym for ''Vast Active Living Intelligence System'', Dick's gnostic visi ...

Whitey Morgan and the 78's Whitey Morgan and the 78's are an American honky tonk country band based in Flint, Michigan. In 2010, they signed a recording contract with Chicago-based Bloodshot Records. Formation and early history Started in 2005, under the name Whitey ...

* Wo Fat * ZUN * 36D

References

External links

*
Small Stone Records
on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin ...

Small Stone Records
on

Last.fm Last.fm is a music website founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. Using a music recommender system called "Audioscrobbler", Last.fm builds a detailed profile of each user's musical taste by recording details of the tracks the user listens to, ...

{{Authority control American record labels Alternative rock record labels Record labels established in 1995

History

Artists who have signed to Small Stone Records

See also

References

External links