rub wrongways records (home)

About

For the better part of this decade, Northampton's Rub Wrongways Records and recording studio has released a steady stream of albums which has stood out as some of the highest quality indie pop around.

In 2002, singer songwriter Henning Ohlenbusch packed away the bass guitar he'd been playing in both Humbert and The Aloha Steamtrain, and formed School For the Dead as a vehicle for his vast catalog of songs. Fellow Humbert members Ari Vais and Anthony Westcott also had orphaned songs in need of a home, so forming a "label", seemed like an obvious idea. Rub Wrongways Records was born.

By 2004, two more acts were added tothe catalog: The Fawns and Sitting Next to Brian. Head Fawn Lesa Bezo had been quietly writing modern classics and hiding them away before being encouraged to let the world hear them. A couple of School For the Dead members jumped on board, and a great new band was born.

Likewise, drummer for every band mentioned thusfar, Brian Marchese, had also been squirreling away songs before being encouraged to record them properly. Without a steady lineup, Sitting Next to Brian showcases Marchese's odd psych-pop sensibilities while featuring an impressive cross-section of musicians for musical support.

Most recently added to to the label are Bourgeois Heroes, headed by Jason Bourgeois, also leader of The Novels. Bourgeois Heroes blend a Jonathan Richman minimalism with a Kinks-y twist.

Lastly, Rub Wrongways has taken on the reissues business, selling some of its artists' past endeavors, namely the three celebrated releases by The Aloha Steamtrain as well as the 1994 7" by angular popsters Sourpuss.