Exotic Fever Records is an independent record label founded by Bonnie Schlegel in 2000 in the

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

metropolitan area. Schlegel, formerly of the band Bald Rapunzel, enlisted the help of drummer Katy Otto in running the label. Currently operated by Otto in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, bands have included

The Shondes The Shondes are a rock band from Brooklyn, NY, best known for their combination of feminist punk, rock, pop, Jewish influences, and ties to political activism. The Shondes formed in 2006 and have released two demos and five full-length studio ...

, Pygmylush, and

1905 As the second year of the massive Russo-Japanese War begins, more than 100,000 die in the largest world battles of that era, and the war chaos leads to the 1905 Russian Revolution against Nicholas II of Russia (Shostakovich's 11th Symphony i ...

, which released their only album on the label. To date, the label has issued over 50 releases, including an array of benefit compilations such as '' Keep Singing! A Benefit Compilation for Compassion Over Killing''.

History

Exotic Fever Records was founded in 2000 by Bonnie Schlegel, a

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

musician living in

. Then a member of Bald Rapunzel (

Dischord Records Dischord Records is a Washington, D.C.-based independent record label specializing in punk rock. The label is co-owned by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, who founded Dischord in 1980 to release ''Minor Disturbance'' by their band The Teen Idle ...

) and living in the Luzon House with other musicians, she was encouraged by bandmate Clark Sabine to form the label to release music from his band The Halo Project. Schlegel chose the name to project the idea that the label was home to "rare and infectious music," and started with a small catalog of records she was interested in, releasing "100 CDR copies each with cute packaging. It wasn’t very serious." She soon recruited the drummer of Bald Rapunzel, Katy Otto, to join in managing to the label. They funded early releases with their personal work savings. At the time Otto was roommates with Sara Klemm, who was organizing a compilation CD to benefit the DC Books to Prisons chapter she'd founded. The ensuing ''Literacy and Justice For All'' was the label's third release and first compilation. It included a

zine A zine ( ; short for '' magazine'' or '' fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to writ ...

with essays and prisoners' artwork, and proceeds from the album and live shows benefited DC Books to Prisons. According to Klemm, "at least in the late '90s and early aughts, the D.C. music community was pretty special in how...it supported other non-music related projects. he D.C. Area Books to Prisons Projectreally benefited from the tremendous support we got from the DIY musicians in the city—both in terms of encouragement and financial support from benefit shows." The label released the singular recording of influential DC band

in 2004, which went on to be one of their best-selling releases. More releases and compilations followed. Bonnie Schlegel left the label not long after its inception, moving to

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

to raise her daughter and work on her solo project, Edie Moss. Back in DC, Otto brought Sara Klemm in to help with the label. While not a musician, Klemm regularly worked with musicians for charity work. Klemm and Otto and became partners at the label, with Otto later taking over as they relocated to

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south and the Schuylkill River to the west. In 2009 the label released a split LP between Washington, DC's Turboslut and

Pygmy Lush Pygmy Lush (sometimes spelled as one word) is a band from Sterling, Virginia formed by ex-Pg. 99 members Mike and Chris Taylor and Johnny Ward. Other members include Mike Widman and Eric Kane, and previous associated acts include Malady, Mannequi ...

, and the next year partnered with

to release ''Searchlights'', the band's third full length. In 2011, the label released ''Improvised Weapons'' by the

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

band War on Women, as well as a concept EP ''The Animals of Ambivalence.'' In 2013, Exotic Fever released the self-titled debut of from Berlin The Dropout Patrol. A host of other releases continued, both in physical and in digital format. In 2013,

released The Garden, their second venture on the label. They followed this up in 2016 with Brighton, and a digital version of Brighton B-sides. In 2016, Exotic Fever Records released a double LP from Ghastly City Sleep, featuring ex-members of

City of Caterpillar City of Caterpillar is an American post-hardcore band from Richmond, Virginia, formed in 2000. They released a split with Pg. 99, one studio album, and a full-length compilation of demos and live tracks. Their songs, some of which are over 10 min ...

, entitled Lulling Skulls. In this year, the label also released a split LP with RedRumsey (

Vern Rumsey Vernon Emmry Aldo Rumsey (January 24, 1973 – August 6, 2020) was an American musician. He rose to prominence as the bassist for the band Unwound. He generally played a Fender Jazz bass. He was also a recording engineer who has worked with band ...

from

Unwound Unwound is an American post-hardcore band. The band was formed in 1988 in Tumwater, Washington, Tumwater and Olympia, Washington by vocalist/guitartist Justin Trosper, bassist Vern Rumsey and drummer Brandt Sandeno, and was largely based in Olym ...

in a solo endeavor/project, and Teach Me Equals. In March 2017, it was announced that the label would be releasing new projects in the summer from Cool Moon (ex-Del Cielo) and Fine Motor. In 2020, the label also announced the addition of Rainbow Crimes, Otto's new band with Leah Basarab and Alex Smith. Also in 2020, the labe
celebrated its 20th anniversary with a virtual concert
featuring Exotic Fever Records' artists raising money fo
Black and Brown Workers Cooperative.
In 2021
the label also held a virtual showcase
organized with Cool Moon's Andrea Lisi to raise money for The Tea Fund in response to attacks on access to safe and legal abortion in Texas, where Lisi lives. In 2020, in the midst of the coronovirus pandemic, Exotic Fever Records moved its planned twentieth anniversary showcase from an in person event to a virtual showcase. It streamed live and was later shared on Youtube. Additionally, the label offered tote bags and t-shirts to commemorate twenty years, along with the debut of a brand new logo.

Activism

Seminal D.C. punk and

post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...

label

handled early distribution, and their politically active nature was a significant influence on the label itself, as were DeSoto Records and SimpleMachines. Other early mentors and associates of the label included Brian Lowit of Lovitt Records, and according to Otto, "I will remain endlessly inspired till I die by the political and cultural work

Fugazi Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They are noted for their style-tr ...

did. They definitely changed my life and I attribute a lot of what I do today to the effect they had on me as a younger girl going to shows." The label continues to focus on artists interested in social change and community, and is active politically. As part of their work with Positive Force DC, the label was also involved in the project All Our Power, a three-day gathering concerned with connecting punk and activism. Through fundraising through compilations and other means, as of 2013 it supports groups such as: *AMP (All Ages Movement Project) *

Compassion Over Killing Animal Outlook, formerly known as Compassion Over Killing (COK), is a nonprofit animal advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., headed since May 2021 by Executive Director Cheryl Leahy, who succeeded Erica Meier. Formed in 1995, as a hig ...

*DC Books to Prisons Project *District Alliance for Safe Housing *Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive *Men Can Stop Rape *Positive Force DC * Provisions Library *

Vietnam Veterans of America Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. (VVA) is a national non-profit corporation founded in 1978 in the United States that is committed to serving the needs of all veterans. It is funded without any contribution from any branch of government. VVA is th ...

Benefit compilations

As of 2013 the label has released five compilations albums benefiting

, Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive, District Alliance for Safe Housing, the non-profit animal rights advocacy group

, and DC Books to Prisons. On January 29, 2008, the label released '' Keep Singing! A Benefit Compilation for Compassion Over Killing''. Genres on the compilation included

Indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

emo Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...

screamo Screamo (also referred to as skramz) is an aggressive subgenre of emo that emerged in the early 1990s and emphasizes "willfully experimental dissonance and dynamics".Jason Heller, "Feast of Reason". ''Denver Westword'', June 20, 2002Access date: ...

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

, and

post hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has be ...

. The CD booklet contained vegetarian recipes submitted by the artists, and advertisements for small, ethical companies. ''Keep Singing!'' was positively received, and according to a review: "Ranging from warm acoustic ballads to intense punk rock chops, each musician sings intelligent lyrics from the heart. There is no mistaking the messages of compassion and animal rights in this album. ''Keep Singing!'' offers a breath of fresh air to thinking people sadly wandering amidst vapid pop star-worship and destruction of the planet’s resources." A 2013 compilation of The Others discography benefited

To Write Love on Her Arms To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA) is an American nonprofit organization that aims to present hope for people struggling with addiction, depression, self-injury and thoughts of suicide, while also investing in treatment and recovery. Based in M ...

, a suicide-prevention non-profit that is primarily supported though bands and musicians.

Artists

While many releases are

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

, the label is not associated with one particular genre. According to Otto, "We like to release music we think is incredible, by people we think are exceptional, who are interested...in being part of a cultural community." Also, "in our opinion, he bandsall make sense aesthetically together - while they may sound totally different, they come from the same place of urgency." Owner Katy Otto drums or has drummed for a number of bands, including Del Cielo,

Trophy Wife A trophy wife is a wife who is regarded as a status symbol for the husband. The term is often used in a derogatory or disparaging way, implying that the wife in question has little personal merit besides her physical attractiveness, requires sub ...

, The Lonely American, Homage to Catalonia, Problems, Helsinki, Callowhill, and Rainbow Crimes. Animals of Ambivalence and The Monsters in My Bed are her concept EPs. Most of her bands have released music on the label, although frequently with dual releases on other labels such as

Eyeball Records Eyeball Records is an independent record label originally established in NYC out of Apartment 4C on 14th St at Avenue A by Alex Saavedra and Vincent Li. The label later moved to Kearny, New Jersey. Eyeball has released albums by artists such as ...

. According to Otto, the bands tend to make better group decisions when working neutrally with a third-party label, as compared to one member owning the label themselves. Trophy Wife, for example, is on 307 Knox Records for this reason. They've also done split releases with Golden Brown Records (Philadelphia) and Altin Village Records (

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Current

*A Stick and a Stone *Animals of Ambivalence *Callowhill *Cool Moon *Dropout Patrol *Fine Motor *Ghastly City Sleep *Kathy Cashel *M.G. Lederman *The Monsters in My Bed * Pygmylush *RedRumsey (

) *

*Teach Me Equals *

*Upholstery *War on Women

Past

*Andrea Lisi *Bellafea *Del Cielo *Den of Thieves *des ark *Eulcid *Exholiday *Ricky Fitts *Halflight *The Halo Project *Homage to Catalonia *Hope and Anchor *Life at These Speeds *Light the Fuse and Run *Liza Kate *The Lonely American *Mass Movement of the Moth *New Idea Society *Now Sleepyhead *The Others *Pash *polarOPPOSITEbear *Rachel Jacobs *Rainbow Crimes *Resin Hits *Resister *Respira *The Sinister Quarter *Songs of August *Thank God *Tight Phantomz *tornavalanche *Turboslut *Ultra Dolphins *

Van Johnson Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II. Johnson was described as the embodiment o ...

*Wrong Day to Quit *Gina Young

Discography

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2000 establishments in Washington, D.C. American independent record labels Record labels established in 2001