Gravity is an underground

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

from

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

.Trevor Kelley, "California Screaming". ''

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...

'' 17 (2003), pp. 84-86. It was formed in

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

by Matt Anderson, a member of the influential underground band

Heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...

. It has been central in developing and promoting the "San Diego sound" – an idiosyncratic form of

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 ...

with loose, chaotic musicianship and vocals, initiated by Heroin,

Antioch Arrow Antioch Arrow was an American punk rock band from San Diego, California, that formed in 1992. Most of their discography was released through the San Diego independent label Gravity Records. The label was responsible raising San Diego's profile ...

, and Clikatat Ikatowi, as well as Mohinder from the Bay Area and Angel Hair from Colorado. The sound is associated with the first wave of

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: ...

, and the label played an important role in the development of

in the 1990s. Gravity has also branched out into other forms of

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...

independent music Independent music (also commonly known as indie music or simply indie) is music that is produced independently from commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, a process that may include an autonomous, do-it-yourself approach to recording a ...

, releasing seminal early works by

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 ...

Black Dice Black Dice is an American experimental noise music band based in Brooklyn, New York and consisting of brothers Bjorn and Eric Copeland along with Aaron Warren. Formed in 1997, the group was initially inspired by hardcore and noise rock, but subse ...

, The Rapture, and a full-length from

Man Is The Bastard Man Is the Bastard was an American hardcore punk band based in Claremont, California. The band existed from 1990 to 1997, releasing mostly vinyl splits, extended plays, and albums on obscure labels from around the world. By 1997, the group ended ...

Label roster

* Angel Hair *

Bastard Noise Bastard Noise is an American noise band founded in 1991 by musicians Eric Wood, Henry Barnes, and W. T. Nelson. The project started as a type of sister band to the trio's previous group Man Is The Bastard. While Man Is the Bastard broke-up in l ...

The Black Heart Procession The Black Heart Procession (occasionally spelled The Blackheart Procession) is an American indie rock band from San Diego, California. Biography Early years The band was formed in 1997 by Pall Jenkins (Mr. Tube and the Flying Objects, Palllap ...

Born Against Born Against was an American hardcore punk band from New York active between 1989 and 1993. In addition to their radical leftist politics, the group espoused a DIY punk message and challenged what they perceived as being a problem within the p ...

* Clikatat Ikatowi *

The Convocation The Convocation (formerly The Convocation Of...) is an American psychedelic rock band from Baltimore, Maryland. History As The Convocation Of..., the band was formed by George France, Tonie Joy, and Guy Blakeslee in August 1998. Joy had previo ...

Crime Desire In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...

Crom-Tech Krallice is an American black metal band formed by New York City musicians Colin Marston, Mick Barr, Nick McMaster and Lev Weinstein. They play an experimental, highly technical style of black metal. The band has released twelve studio albums and ...

A Day Called Zero A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...

Earthless Earthless is a mostly instrumental psychedelic rock band from San Diego, California, consisting of guitarist Isaiah Mitchell, bassist Mike Eginton and drummer Mario Rubalcaba. The band formed in 2001 and released their first album, ''Sonic Pray ...

Evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

* Fisticuffs Bluff * The Fucking Angels * Get Hustle *

Huggy Bear Huggy may refer to: * Huggy (Pillow Pal) *Huggy Boy * Huggy Face *Huggy Leaver *Huggy Ragnarsson *Huggy Wuggy, an antagonist in the horror video game ''Poppy Playtime ''Poppy Playtime'' is an episodic horror video game developed and publishe ...

* John Henry West *

Lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...

* Les Aus *

Man Is the Bastard Man Is the Bastard was an American hardcore punk band based in Claremont, California. The band existed from 1990 to 1997, releasing mostly vinyl splits, extended plays, and albums on obscure labels from around the world. By 1997, the group ended ...

Men's Recovery Project Men's Recovery Project was an American experimental noise rock band formed by Sam McPheeters and Neil Burke in Richmond, Virginia, active from 1993–2002. The group's post-modern absurdist musical attitude resulted in a diverse and consistent ...

* Mohinder *

Monorchid Monorchism (also monorchidism) is the state of having only one testicle within the scrotum. Terminology An individual having monorchism can be referred to as ''monorchid''. Causes This can be due to: * One testicle not descending into the sc ...

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

* Prizehog * The Rapture * Sea of Tombs * Second Story Window * The Spacewürm * Spacehorse * Stacatto Reads *

Three Mile Pilot Three Mile Pilot (often shortened to 3MP) is an American indie rock band from San Diego, California, formed by Armistead Burwell Smith IV (a.k.a. Zach Smith) from Pinback, Systems Officer, Neighborhood Watch on bass and vocals, Pall Jenkins (Th ...

* Tristeza *

Universal Order of Armageddon Universal Order of Armageddon was an American hardcore band, active from 1992 to 1994 and reformed in 2010. History The band formed in September 1992. By early 1993, after quickly gaining a small but devoted following, they recorded and toured ...

* The V.S.S. * Vicious Ginks * Young Ginns

Discography

This list is organized by catalog number. Also note that two releases that have the catalog number 2 and, there is no release in the Gravity Records catalog to have the catalog number 50.

References

External links

Gravity Records website

Gravity Records Discogs page

Matt Anderson/Gravity records Interview
{{Authority control American independent record labels Post-hardcore record labels Record labels established in 1991 Experimental music record labels Alternative rock record labels Indie rock record labels 1991 establishments in California

Label roster

Discography

See also

References

External links