Blackhouse Records

Lore & Background

Blackhouse Records began in July 2000 as a vehicle for releases by the band Scatterbox, quickly becoming a platform for local and regional Northwest artists. In 2008, the label re-issued the spoken-word compilation 'The Birth of Tragedy Magazine's FEAR POWER GOD' on CD for the first time, featuring pieces by Henry Rollins, Charles Manson, Anton LaVey, Lydia Lunch, Allen Ginsberg, and Jello Biafra. This release gained the label press attention and an exclusive distribution deal with Lumberjack/Mordam Records, an independent distributor, though the relationship ended due to Lumberjack/Mordam's financial woes and closure.

Reader's Guide

Blackhouse Records matters as a case study of an independent label that adapted its identity over two decades, moving from a punk-focused imprint to a multi-genre operation encompassing metal, hip-hop, and experimental music. Its 2008 reissue of a rare spoken-word compilation brought it wider recognition and a major-label distribution deal, illustrating how niche releases can elevate a small label. The label's willingness to partner with other imprints—such as Awful Records and Candy Drips—and to expand into book publishing in 2020 shows a pragmatic approach to survival in a changing industry. While never a dominant force, Blackhouse's roster reflects the eclectic tastes of its founders and the Inland Northwest scene, and its history documents the rise and fall of distribution networks like Lumberjack/Mordam. Its legacy is that of a resilient, genre-blurring independent label that has consistently provided a platform for regional and underground artists.

Did You Know?

• Blackhouse Records was originally just a logo created in 2000 for selling Scatterbox records and promoting local punk concerts.
• The label's exclusive distribution deal with Lumberjack/Mordam Records ended because of that company's financial woes and closure.
• Blackhouse expanded into publishing book titles in 2020, releasing seven books including art books and fiction/non-fiction paperbacks.

Origins in the Inland Northwest

Blackhouse Records traces its roots to July 2000, when drummer Scott Rozell—also known for his work with Moral Crux and Scatterbox—teamed up with Tony Shields to create what was initially nothing more than a logo. The purpose was narrow: give Scatterbox a vehicle for putting out records and provide a banner under which local punk rock shows in the Inland Northwest could be promoted. Operating out of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and Spokane, Washington, the project had no grand ambitions beyond serving a tight-knit regional scene. What began as a simple identity for one band's releases gradually absorbed other Northwest artists looking for a home, and by the 2000s the roster was dominated by punk and pop punk acts. The label grew organically from a two-person, single-band operation into a moderate-sized independent imprint, always anchored in the Pacific Northwest's DIY ethos. That grassroots origin story—logo first, infrastructure later—remains central to how Blackhouse understood its role in the music world.

The FEAR POWER GOD Reissue and a Brief Major-Label Moment

In 2008, Blackhouse made a move that would significantly raise its profile. The label reissued FEAR POWER GOD, a spoken word compilation originally put out in the 1980s by CFY Records, a Bay Area imprint run by Oxbow frontman Eugene S. Robinson. The collection, which had been out of print for years and never previously available on compact disc, featured contributions from Henry Rollins, Charles Manson, Anton LaVey, Lydia Lunch, Allen Ginsberg, and Jello Biafra. The reissue generated considerable press attention and caught the eye of the distribution world, ultimately landing Blackhouse an exclusive deal with Lumberjack/Mordam Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. However, the partnership proved fragile. Financial troubles at Lumberjack/Mordam led to the company shutting down its operations, ending the arrangement abruptly. For a small Inland Northwest label, the episode was both a validation of its curatorial instincts and a reminder of how quickly the machinery of major-label distribution could collapse around an independent partner.

Genre Expansion and a Prolific Mid-2010s

Starting in 2013, Blackhouse deliberately broadened its sonic palette beyond the punk and pop punk foundation that had defined its earlier catalog. The label began signing metal and hip-hop acts including Slug Christ, The Drip, The Colourflies, Rot Monger, Zan, Lord Narf, Ras Kass, Coodie Breeze, Absurdist, Prison Religion, Cold Blooded, and Nobodies. A short-lived imprint called TF Media was launched to house noise and grindcore releases, though those artists eventually folded back under the main Blackhouse name. The period from 2017 to 2018 proved especially prolific: the label entered a non-exclusive manufacturing and distribution agreement with rapper Father and his Awful Records imprint, putting his albums Who's Gonna Get F***ed First? and Young Hot Ebony onto physical format for the first time. Blackhouse also collaborated extensively with Nashville-based cassette label Candy Drips and partnered with the blog and label DatPizz on shirt projects. A highlight came in 2017 when the label hosted a full showcase at the Inlander magazine's Volume Music Festival kickoff, bringing virtually every active artist on the roster to a single stage.

Modern Era: Global Distribution and the Leap into Publishing

From 2019 onward, Blackhouse cycled back toward its metal and punk roots while continuing to diversify. New signings included The Accüsed, Narrow Minded, N8NOFACE, Tender Fury, Sterileprayer, and a collaboration between Oxbow frontman Eugene S. Robinson and French experimental noise artist Philippe Petit. The label also entered a distribution partnership with Southern Records/Proper Music to handle European and Asian territories, extending its reach well beyond the Pacific Northwest. In 2020, Blackhouse made a notable operational leap by expanding into book publishing. To date, the label has released seven books spanning coffee-table hardcover art volumes to both fiction and non-fiction paperback titles, including work by Dirty Rotten Imbeciles vocalist Kurt Brecht. This move into publishing signaled a label that saw itself as a broader cultural publisher rather than strictly a music company. The trajectory from a 2000 logo for one Scatterbox release to a multi-genre, multi-format independent imprint operating across continents and media reflects a steady, if unglamorous, commitment to giving artists—across punk, metal, hip-hop, noise, and the written word—a physical home for their work.