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Engine Company Records
Founded	2002 (2002)
Founder	Blake Morgan
Status	Active
Distributor(s)	Burnside Distribution
Genre	alternative rock, soul, emo/punk, classical, pop rock, adult contemporary
Country of origin	United States
Location	Manhattan, New York
Official website	EngineCompanyRecords.com

Engine Company Records is an American independent record label based in Manhattan. Founded by rock musician and producer Blake Morgan in 2002, artists have included Janita, James McCartney, indie band Shimmerplanet, Mike Errico, Lesley Gore, film composer Tyler Bates, David Cloyd, Melissa Giges, and others. Morgan produces the releases, and genres vary significantly. Despite releasing only a few albums a year, in 2005 the label landed five albums in the Top 20 simultaneously, including Lesley Gore's Ever Since and Rick Henrickson's Reaching For A Gun. The label continues to be active, and recently released Haunted by Finnish singer-songwriter Janita, The Complete EP Collection by James McCartney, and I Could Disappear by David Cloyd.

The label is distributed by Burnside Distribution. As of 2012, sublabels include James McCartney, Almost Blue Music, Big Pop Records, Curb Cut Records, Dylanna Music/MPL, and EverGreene Music.

History

Engine Company Records was founded in 2002 by singer-songwriter and producer Blake Morgan. In 1996 Morgan had signed a seven-record deal with Phil Ramone's N2K Sony/Red label. However, he quickly became frustrated being on a corporate label. After his first tour he found a loophole in the contract. Despite being the label's most successful artist at the time, he told Ramone he wanted out of the deal. Morgan then began going to bands and artists he was recording at the time, and pitched an independent label where they would have control over their own material and output. He officially launched Engine Company Records in Manhattan, New York City in 2002, and remains president and owner.

The associated publishing company is called Big Red Firetruck Music. As of 2012, sublabels include James McCartney, Almost Blue Music, Big Pop Records, Curb Cut Records, Dylanna Music/MPL, and EverGreene Music. Similar to Rick Rubin's relationship with American Recordings, Morgan produces the music for the label. Genres have ranged from emo/punk, to alternative rock, to classical. Recordings have taken place in locations such as The Hit Factory in New York and Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas. Among artists and producers that have worked with the label are James McCartney, Lesley Gore, Janita, David Cloyd, Tyler Bates, Mike Errico, Patti Rothberg, David Kahne, Phil "Butcher Bros." Nicolo, Terry Manning, and Azam Ali.

Notable releases

In the first year of its existence, the label released four albums by artists such as indie band Shimmerplanet and professional musician Mike Errico.

In summer of 2005 the label landed five albums in the Top 20 simultaneously, including Lesley Gore's Ever Since and Rick Henrickson's Reaching For A Gun. Gore's first album of new material since the 1970s, Ever Since was recorded with Morgan. The album received extensive national radio coverage and acclaim from The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Billboard Magazine. Several songs from Ever Since have been used in television shows and films, and the track "Words We Don't Say" was featured in an episode of The L Word.

Morgan's solo album Buring Daylight was released on the label on July 12, 2005. Co-produced with Grammy Award-winner Phil "Butcher Bros." Nicolo, it reached #1 on eMusic's album charts. The bonus track of his cover of Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed" became the most successful track in the history of the label, and climbed high on iTunes charts.

The Lesley Gore rendition of his song "Better Angels" was featured in the 2005 season premiere of CSI: Miami. In 2006 his song "It's Gone," also performed by Gore, was featured in the final scene and closing credits of the independent film Flannel Pajamas. The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. On March 18, 2009, Morgan's track "Better Angels" was featured in MTV's The Real World: Brooklyn.

In June 2008, the label released 20th Century Duos for Violin and Cello with works by Zoltan Kodaly, Roger Sessions and Maurice Ravel, which received a glowing review for performance and engineering in The New York Times. Two years later, following releases by David Cloyd, Melissa Giges, and Morgenstern & Adkins, singer-songwriter Janita released her solo LP Haunted on the label.

Singer-songwriter and producer David Cloyd signed to the label in 2008, and released his debut LP Unhand Me, You Fiend! in 2009. The album peaked at #1 on eMusic's Album Charts, and according to a review, "took the indie rock scene by storm." His second album, I Could Disappear, included solo acoustic versions of his debut album, with Cloyd on vocals, piano, and guitar. He released a cover of Paul McCartney's 1971 song "Dear Boy" in September 2011. As of 2011 he is Vice President of Label Relations at Engine Company Records.

Available Light, James McCartney's first official release as both a performer and songwriter, was released electronically by the label in 2010. It was produced by David Kahne and Paul McCartney, and received positive reviews. The label released his second EP, Close at Hand, in 2011. The Complete EP Collection, which combines the previous two EPs along with five new original tracks and two new covers, was released in late 2011.

Artists

The following is a list of artists, current as of January 2012. Template:Multicol

• Blake Morgan
• David Cloyd
• Eyelevel
• Jonathan Ellinghaus
• Jordan Berlant
• Lesley Gore
• Melissa GigesTemplate:Multicol-break
• Mike Errico
• Gil Morgenstern and Adkins
• Patti Rothberg
• Puzzleball
• Rick Henrickson
• Tyler BatesTemplate:Multicol-end

Discography

References

1. ^ "Blake Morgan: Home". Engine Company Records. Retrieved 2011-11-22.
2. ^ "Janita = Discography". Discogs. Retrieved 2011-11-28.
3. ^ Rizik, Chris. "Janita Biography". SoulTracks. Retrieved 2011-11-28.
4. ^ Fuentes, Catherine (October 20, 2011). "Exclusive Song Premiere: James McCartney's Cheerful Pop Track 'Angel'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2011-11-20.
5. ^ "Home". Engine Company Records. Retrieved 2011-07-06.
6. ^ Monger, James Christopher. "Blake Morgan Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-11-22.
7. ^ "Featured Record Label Owner: Blake Organ". Unified Manufacturing. Retrieved 2011-11-22.
8. "Interview: Blake Morgan". Such Cool Stuff. Retrieved 2011-11-22.
9. Goldenberg, Lindsay. "All In, [[Maxim]]". Alpha Media Group. Retrieved 2007-06-11. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
10. Collar, Matt. "Silencer: Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-11-22.
11. Tommasini, Anthony (June 1, 2008). "Turns From Indie Label, Piano Pair and Philip Glass". New York Times. Retrieved 2011-11-22.
12. "Janita - home". Engine Company Records. Retrieved 2011-11-28.
13. ^ McElhaney, Carla (March 7, 2010). "An Interview with David Cloyd". CarlaMcElhaney.com. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
14. ^ "David Cloyd". Engine Company Records. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
15. "David Cloyd: I Could Disappear". Allmusic. June 29, 2010. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
16. "David Cloyd: "Dear Boy"". Allmusic. September 13, 2011. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
17. Parker, Lyndsey (10 Sept. 2010). "Apple Not Far from the Tree: Paul McCartney's Son to Release Debut EP". Yahoo Music News. Retrieved 2011-11-20. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
18. Weiss, David (September 19, 2010). "James McCartney Releasing "Available Light": 5 Questions for David Kahne, Co-Producer & Mixer". SonicScoop. Retrieved 2011-11-20.
19. Friedman, Roger (September 21, 2010). "Paul McCartney's Son, James, Releases First Album". Parade. Retrieved 2011-11-20.
20. ^ "James McCartney Biography". JamesMcCartney.com. Retrieved 2011-11-20.

External links

• Official website
• Engine Company Records on MySpace (Official)
• Engine Company Records on Facebook (Official)

• American record labels
• Record labels established in 2002
• Companies based in Manhattan