Half A Cow
Encyclopedia
Half a Cow is an independent record label
from Australia
, established in 1990
by Sydney
musician and music identity Nic Dalton
.
suburb of Glebe
called Dalton's Books. In late 1989, Dalton and his friend Miles Ferguson , took over the store, renamed it Half A Cow and started stocking more comics, records and tee-shirts than the 'beat' books they had been concentrating on. At the same time, they started Half A Cow Records and started working on the label's first release, Billiepeebup (hac01, released October 1990) - a 4-track recorded album of songs made between 1985 and 1989 by the Love Positions, a duo of Dalton and his then girlfriend, Robyn St Clare from The Hummingbirds
. That was the label's second release (out October 1990), the first being a 10" EP called Pleasure (cow01) by the Craven Fops in March of 1990.
In 1991, Half a Cow released the single Don't Want To Be Grant McLennan by Smudge
(about Go-Betweens co-founder Grant McLennan
), which was an indie hit, and single of the week in music magazine NME
In late 1991 Evan Dando
asked Dalton to temporarily join The Lemonheads
. An offer he initially turned down, but as Dando pointed out that it'd make his label known worldwide, and with persuasion from friends he did indeed join, and as expected in 1992 it gave a huge boost for Half a Cow. Before he left Half A Cow assistant, Dave Chatfield, was appointed to run the label, along with Robyn St Clare. In 1992 the label also signed a deal with Festival Records to distribute the label. Dalton's time with the Lemonheads was extended from an initial six months to two years. In 1994 the label switched distributor to Mercury Records
, which was followed by a change in 1998 back to Festival Records. In early 2000 Half A Cow ended its relationship with Festival Records and now the label is completely independent and distributed through MGM Distribution
. Chatfield moved to Melbourne to pursue touring with Spunk and the label is managed by Dalton.
Since its establishment in 1990 Half A Cow has put out over a hundred and forty releases by a long line of bands, including work by Dalton and bands he has been in (such as Sneeze
, Godstar, a re-issue of the Plunderers and his current band Nic Dalton and his Gloomchasers). As of May 2006, the label is based back in Sydney (after six years in NSW's central west and a year in outer Melbourne) where it continues to release contemporary Australian music as well as a series of re-issues by bands from the 1960s (like The Missing Links, The Purple Hearts and the Wild Cherries).
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, established in 1990
1990 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1990.-Events:*January 21 – MTV's Unplugged premieres on cable television with British band Squeeze...
by Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
musician and music identity Nic Dalton
Nic Dalton
Nic Dalton is an Australian musician, best known as the bass guitarist for American band The Lemonheads at the height of their popularity...
.
History
In 1987 - 1989 Dalton ran a bookshop (owned by Dalton's parents) in the SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
suburb of Glebe
Glebe, New South Wales
Glebe is an inner-city suburb of Sydney. Glebe is located 3 km south-west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney, in the Inner West region....
called Dalton's Books. In late 1989, Dalton and his friend Miles Ferguson , took over the store, renamed it Half A Cow and started stocking more comics, records and tee-shirts than the 'beat' books they had been concentrating on. At the same time, they started Half A Cow Records and started working on the label's first release, Billiepeebup (hac01, released October 1990) - a 4-track recorded album of songs made between 1985 and 1989 by the Love Positions, a duo of Dalton and his then girlfriend, Robyn St Clare from The Hummingbirds
The Hummingbirds
The Hummingbirds were an indie pop or jangle pop band from Sydney, Australia formed in 1986 from Bug Eyed Monsters. They were one of the most highly touted outfits to emerge from Sydney's inner-city scene during the late 1980s and were an early signing to the rooArt label. The Hummingbirds' single...
. That was the label's second release (out October 1990), the first being a 10" EP called Pleasure (cow01) by the Craven Fops in March of 1990.
In 1991, Half a Cow released the single Don't Want To Be Grant McLennan by Smudge
Smudge
Smudge is an Australian rock band. Its frontman Tom Morgan is better known outside Australia as a songwriting collaborator of Evan Dando and his band The Lemonheads.-History:...
(about Go-Betweens co-founder Grant McLennan
Grant McLennan
Grant William McLennan was an Australian singer-songwriter with the alternative rock band The Go-Betweens, which he co-founded with Robert Forster in Brisbane, Australia in 1977...
), which was an indie hit, and single of the week in music magazine NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
In late 1991 Evan Dando
Evan Dando
Evan Griffith Dando is an American musician, most famous for fronting the alternative rock band The Lemonheads. He is the only original member left in the current Lemonheads line-up, having served as lead singer since the band's original formation in 1986...
asked Dalton to temporarily join The Lemonheads
The Lemonheads
The Lemonheads are an American alternative rock band first formed in 1986 by Evan Dando, Ben Deily and Jesse Peretz. Dando has remained the band's only constant member....
. An offer he initially turned down, but as Dando pointed out that it'd make his label known worldwide, and with persuasion from friends he did indeed join, and as expected in 1992 it gave a huge boost for Half a Cow. Before he left Half A Cow assistant, Dave Chatfield, was appointed to run the label, along with Robyn St Clare. In 1992 the label also signed a deal with Festival Records to distribute the label. Dalton's time with the Lemonheads was extended from an initial six months to two years. In 1994 the label switched distributor to Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
, which was followed by a change in 1998 back to Festival Records. In early 2000 Half A Cow ended its relationship with Festival Records and now the label is completely independent and distributed through MGM Distribution
MGM Distribution
MGM Distribution is the largest independent distributor of Australian music and music related merchandise and was established in April 1998 by Sebastian Chase....
. Chatfield moved to Melbourne to pursue touring with Spunk and the label is managed by Dalton.
Since its establishment in 1990 Half A Cow has put out over a hundred and forty releases by a long line of bands, including work by Dalton and bands he has been in (such as Sneeze
Sneeze (band)
Sneeze is a music group from Sydney, Australia consisting primarily of Nic Dalton and Tom Morgan from Smudge. They have had many extra band members including drummers Lara Meyerratken, Russell Hopkinson from You Am I, Simon Gibson from Half Miler, Evan Dando from The Lemonheads and Andy Calvert...
, Godstar, a re-issue of the Plunderers and his current band Nic Dalton and his Gloomchasers). As of May 2006, the label is based back in Sydney (after six years in NSW's central west and a year in outer Melbourne) where it continues to release contemporary Australian music as well as a series of re-issues by bands from the 1960s (like The Missing Links, The Purple Hearts and the Wild Cherries).
Past and present roster
- 2 Litre Dolby
- Agnes Kain
- Art of FightingArt Of Fighting (band)-History:The band formed in 1995 as a duo, with Ollie Browne playing guitar and Peggy Frew on bass, with both taking turns on vocals. The couple were also in a romantic relationship at this time, though they were to split amicably later....
- Bernie HayesBernie HayesBernie Hayes is an Australian singer/songwriter who has released two albums as a solo artist and written songs for other Australian artists notably "You Made Me Hard" which was the third single from the The Whitlams Love This City album....
- Bettie ServeertBettie ServeertBettie Serveert are a Dutch indie-rock band. Their name translates to "Bettie Serves", or "Service to Bettie", which is the title of a book written by Dutch tennis player Betty Stöve, who made it to the Wimbledon ladies singles final in 1977.-Genesis:...
- Booster Valves
- BruceBruceThe English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix of the Manche département in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands"...
- Captain Denim
- CartonCartonCarton is the name of certain types of containers typically made from paperboard which is also sometimes known as cardboard. Many types of cartons are used in packaging. Sometimes a carton is also called a box.-Folding cartons:...
- CrowCrow (Australian band)Crow are an Australian rock band that is best known for three albums released in the 90s. Founded by songwriters Peter Fenton and Peter Archer in Sydney in 1986, Crow ceased all activity in 1999, only to begin playing again in 2007....
- The Daisygrinders
- Craven Fops
- Dog TrumpetDog TrumpetDog Trumpet is an Australian rock band, formed by brothers Peter O'Doherty and Reg Mombassa . Both Mombassa and O'Doherty were founder members of the iconic Australian band Mental as Anything, and they formed Dog Trumpet as an outlet for their original material...
- Deezleteens
- The Eastern DarkThe Eastern DarkThe Eastern Dark is an Australian rock band who formed in the 1980s as an offshoot from another Australian band, The Celibate Rifles.-History:...
- FragileFragileFragile may be an adjective meaning brittle.It may also refer to:-In albums::*Fragile , 1971*The Fragile, a 1999 album by Nine Inch Nails*Fragile , 2000*Fragile , 2000...
- Fuzzy
- GrandviewGrandview- Canada :* Grandview, Manitoba* Grandview, Thunder Bay, Ontario, a neighbourhood in Thunder Bay, Ontario* Grandview, Prince Edward Island, a small community in eastern Prince Edward Island- United States :*Grand View, Idaho*Grandview, Illinois...
- GloveboxGloveboxA glovebox is a sealed container that is designed to allow one to manipulate objects where a separate atmosphere is desired. Built into the sides of the glovebox are gloves arranged in such a way that the user can place their hands into the gloves and perform tasks inside the box without breaking...
- Godstar
- Hippy Dribble
- Khancoban
- Kid Cornered
- Kim Salmon and the Business
- Kim Salmon and the SurrealistsKim Salmon and the SurrealistsKim Salmon and the Surrealists were an Australian indie rock band formed by Kim Salmon in 1987 when he was living in Perth between the final two tours by The Scientists...
- Love Positions
- Luke RussellLuke RussellLuke Russell is an Australian rules footballer who was pick up by Gold Coast as an underage player from Burnie Dockers. He made his debut against Melbourne in round 4 of the 2011 season.-External links:...
- The Missing Links
- Nic DaltonNic DaltonNic Dalton is an Australian musician, best known as the bass guitarist for American band The Lemonheads at the height of their popularity...
- Nic Dalton and his Gloomchasers
- The Orange Humble BandThe Orange Humble BandThe Orange Humble Band were formed in early 1995, as the brain child of The Lime Spiders & The Someloves founder, Daryl Mather. The band consisted of Ken Stringfellow of US outfit The Posies, former Lonely Hearts member, Anthony Bautovich, American indie producer/manager legend, Mitch Easter, &...
- Papas FritasPapas FritasPapas Fritas is an American indie-rock band that formed in 1992 and released three studio albums before quietly breaking up around 2001. The band's name is Spanish for "French fries" but is also a pun on the phrase "Pop has freed us," which they used as both the name of their music publishing...
- Pip ProudPip ProudPip Proud was an Australian singer-songwriter, poet, novelist and dramatist whose idiosyncratic song-poems gained a cult following in Australia in the 1960s and around the world in the 1990s-2000s...
- Plunderers
- Pressed Meat & the Small Goods
- the Purple Hearts
- the Raylenes
- Ruby for LucyRuby for LucyRuby for Lucy is an indie folk duo from Sydney, Australia. The band, consisting of Julie Stenton and Katrina Borghetti, is currently signed to Half A Cow Records. Their debut album, Catching Bream, was released in 2010...
- The Savages
- She Loves You Too
- Sidewinder
- The SmallgoodsThe SmallgoodsThe Smallgoods is an Australian indie pop band originally from the Victorian coastal town of Port Fairy, but now based in Melbourne. The band's music draws on influences from 1960s artists such as The Beatles and The Byrds, along with more recent pop influences.The band was originally a four piece...
- SmudgeSmudgeSmudge is an Australian rock band. Its frontman Tom Morgan is better known outside Australia as a songwriting collaborator of Evan Dando and his band The Lemonheads.-History:...
- SneezeSneeze (band)Sneeze is a music group from Sydney, Australia consisting primarily of Nic Dalton and Tom Morgan from Smudge. They have had many extra band members including drummers Lara Meyerratken, Russell Hopkinson from You Am I, Simon Gibson from Half Miler, Evan Dando from The Lemonheads and Andy Calvert...
- SpdfghSpdfghSpdfgh were an all-female rock band from Sydney, Australia in the 1990s. The founding members were* Kim Bowers * Liz Payne...
- SwirlSwirl (band)Swirl were a Sydney, Australia-based indie rock band, forming around 1990 and breaking up in 2002. They released three albums and a number of EP's, mostly through independent Sydney label Half A Cow.-History:...
- Swayback
- TendrilsTendrilsTendrils is an irregular collaboration between noted Australian guitarists, Joel Silbersher and Charlie Owen. A difficult sound to describe, Tendrils features two seemingly chaotic but strangely melodic and complementary, guitar parts and occasionally stripped back percussion.Starting out billed...
- The TrianglesThe TrianglesThe Triangles are an indie pop band from Melbourne, Australia.Eleanor Horsburgh, Julie Conway, Katherine Simpson , Matt Gormann and Robert Simpson met as school friends in Boronia, a suburb of Melbourne. They began playing together in 2003 and collaborated on writing songs that mixed elements of...
- The Trouble Dolls
- Vermishus
- Warmer
- We Grow Up
- Whopping Big Naughty
- the Wild Cherries