TKO Records is an independent punk rock

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

. The label is primarily known for its role in the late 1990s American street punk scene and has continued its notability as a source of new releases, reissues, and archival recordings. The '' OC Weekly'' newspaper recognized the label as "best record label" in

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

in 2011 and its record store of the same name as "best punk-rock record store" in Orange County, 2008.

History

TKO Records was founded by Mark Rainey in 1997 in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. Early on the label rose to prominence with releases from the Dropkick Murphys, Lower Class Brats, Anti-Heros,

Swingin' Utters Swingin' Utters (often typeset as $wingin' Utter$, and originally called Johnny Peebucks and the Swingin' Utters) is a Californian punk rock band that formed in the late 1980s.Bush, JohnSwingin' Utters Biography, Allmusic, retrieved September 30 ...

, The Templars, Pressure Point, Workin' Stiffs, U.S. Bombs, and The Forgotten. The label helped to establish a sound and aesthetic for the street punk scene in the United States that was then rising in popularity. As TKO's prominence within the punk rock scene increased, the label also began releasing records from veteran punk bands such as Cocksparrer,

Angelic Upstarts Angelic Upstarts are an English punk rock / Oi! band formed in South Shields in 1977. AllMusic calls them "one of the period's most politically charged and thought-provoking groups". Angelic Upstarts Biography AllMusic. accessed 3 July 2006 T ...

, the Partisans, Slaughter and the Dogs, The Bruisers,

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

, The Business, The Real Kids, and Antiseen. Eventually the label relocated to

Orange County, California Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, a ...

and from 2000 to 2005 continued building a name with notable releases from "Beach Punk" bands such as the Smut Peddlers,

the Stitches The Stitches is an American 1970s-style punk rock band formed in 1993 in Orange County, California, United States. The Stitches record on independent labels such as Disaster, Gold Standard Laboratories, Vinyl Dog, Suburbia, TKO, and Kapow. ...

, Smogtown, the Crowd and Broken Bottles while continuing to release street punk and Oi! records. In 2007 TKO Records opened a record store in

Fountain Valley, California Fountain Valley is a suburban city in Orange County, California. The population was 57,047 at the 2020 census. History The area encompassing Fountain Valley was originally inhabited by the Tongva people. European settlement of the area b ...

as part of the label's ten year anniversary. The label continues to release reissues and archival recordings from seminal punk bands, such as

Poison Idea Poison Idea was an American punk rock band formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1980. History Formation, 1980s, and 1990s Poison Idea was formed in 1980 by vocalist Jerry A. (aka Jerry Lang). The initial lineup consisted of Jerry A., Chris Te ...

, the Templars, T.S.O.L.,

The Meatmen The Meatmen are an American punk band headed by Tesco Vee, originally existing from 1981 to 1988, before reforming in the mid-1990s, and again in the 2000s. They were known for their outrageous stage antics and offensive lyrics. They reformed ...

, Antiseen,

No For An Answer No For an Answer was a Californian hardcore punk band active primarily between 1987 and 1989. The band has also done a couple of reunion shows, most notably the Revelation 25th anniversary shows in California. Members * Casey Jones (1987–19 ...

, Channel 3, and

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...

, as well as new recordings from Giuda, The label's store front relocated to Huntington Beach, California in 2013 and has hosted readings from punk rock related writers, such as

Tesco Vee Tesco Vee (born Robert Vermeulen; August 26, 1955) is an American, Michigan-based punk rock musician, and co-founder of Touch and Go Records zine. Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, he is a former elementary school teacher and the founding member, an ...

Jack Grisham Jack Grisham (born July 22, 1961) is an American rock vocalist, musician, raconteur and political activist from Southern California. He is the vocalist for the punk rock band T.S.O.L. (True Sounds of Liberty), which emerged from the late 1970s ...

, Alice Bag, Chris D. and

Legs McNeil Roderick Edward "Legs" McNeil (born January 27, 1956, in Cheshire, Connecticut, United States) is an American music journalist. He is one of the three original founders of the seminal ''Punk'' magazine that gave the movement its name; as well as b ...

, as well live performances from artists including Deniz Tek, Chuck Dukowski,

Scott Weinrich Robert Scott Weinrich (born 1961), better known as Wino, is an American singer and guitarist. He has been highly influential in helping develop and codify doom metal's trademark sound, and is also considered an influential figure in the stoner r ...

, Joe Keithley and Channel 3. The store specializes in rare, out of print records, as well as new releases from punk, hardcore, garage, reggae, ska, rock, and metal bands. In the Fall of 2014, the label relocated to Portland, Oregon. After being sold to new owners in 2016, the TKO Records record store in Huntington Beach, CA closed in January 2020. Mark Rainey has also co-run the imprint record label Flat Records, along with

Ken Casey Kenneth William Casey Jr. (born April 15, 1969) is an American musician who is a bass guitarist, primary songwriter, and one of the lead singers of the Boston Celtic punk group the Dropkick Murphys. Casey was one of the original members, sta ...

of the Dropkick Murphys. Flat's releases have included records from

Agnostic Front Agnostic Front is an American hardcore punk band from New York City. Founded in 1980, the band is considered an important influence on the New York hardcore scene, as well as a pioneer of the crossover thrash genre. History First era (1980–1 ...

and Blood For Blood.

Roster

* ANTiSEEN (2000-Present) * Lower Class Brats (1997-Present) *

(2007-Present) * the Templars (1997-Present)

Former

* 46 Short * Adolf and the Piss Artists *

GG Allin Kevin Michael "GG" Allin (born Jesus Christ Allin; August 29, 1956 – June 28, 1993) was an American punk rock musician who performed and recorded with many groups during his career. Allin was best known for his controversial live performances ...

& ANTiSEEN *

* Anti-Heros * Bad Luck Charms (side project with members of U.S. Bombs) * the Beltones * Blood Stained Kings (featuring Yoji Harada) * The Bodies * The Boils * Bottles & Skulls (featuring members of

Triclops! Triclops! was an American, San Francisco and Oakland-based acid punk/progressive rock band, formed in 2005. They released two full-length albums, a 7" picture disc single, and an EP on noted independent record labels Gold Standard Laboratories, ...

) * Broken Bottles * The Bruisers * The Business * Channel 3 *

* Class Assassins * Cocknoose * Cocksparrer * Complete Control * The Crowd * The Crumbs *

Deadbolt A dead bolt, deadbolt or dead lock is a locking mechanism distinct from a spring bolt lock because a deadbolt can only be opened by a key or handle. The more common spring bolt lock uses a spring to hold the bolt in place, allowing retraction ...

* Dead End Cruisers *

Demented Are Go Demented Are Go (DAG aka Demented Are Go!) are a Welsh psychobilly band that was formed around 1982 in Cardiff, Wales. They were one of the earliest in the initial wave of bands to mix punk rock with rockabilly, and as a result, are conside ...

* The Distraction (featuring members of

Le Shok Le Shok was an American electropunk band from Long Beach, California. The band was made up of members of various other punk bands from the area and existed from 1997 until early 2001, releasing numerous seven-inch records and splits, releasing one ...

) * Dropkick Murphys * Electric Frankenstein * The Escape * Filthy Thievin' Bastards *

The Flesh Eaters The Flesh Eaters are an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, United States, in 1977. They are the most prominent of the bands which have showcased the compositions and singing of their founder, punk poet Chris Desjardi ...

* The Forgotten * Glass Heroes *

The Generators The Generators are a punk rock band formed in 1997 in Los Angeles, created as a response to the breakup of the 90s punk rock group Schleprock. The original lineup was composed of Doug Kane on vocals, Mike Snow and Eric Ortega (Sir Doosky) on gu ...

* Giuda * Hammerlock * Hank III * Hard Skin * Hatepinks * Hollywood Hate (featuring Scotty Wilkins) *

Kill Your Idols Kill Your Idols is an American hardcore punk band from New York, active from 1995 through 2007 and again from 2013 to the present. They were signed to SideOneDummy Records. Their releases on SideOne were Funeral for a Feeling (2001), a split w ...

* The Krays * Krum Bums * Last Target (featuring members of Thug Murder) * Limecell * the Loose Lips * Meatmen * Nazi Dogs * New York Rel-X (featuring members of The Krays * Niblick Henbane *

No for an Answer No For an Answer was a Californian hardcore punk band active primarily between 1987 and 1989. The band has also done a couple of reunion shows, most notably the Revelation 25th anniversary shows in California. Members * Casey Jones (1987–19 ...

The Obsessed The Obsessed is an American heavy metal band from Potomac, Maryland, led by Scott "Wino" Weinrich. The band combines elements of doom metal, stoner rock, and punk rock. Formed in 1980, they recorded a few demos and played a handful of live ...

* Old Firm Casuals (featuring

Lars Frederiksen Lars Erik Frederiksen (born Lars Erik Dapello, August 30, 1971) is an American musician and record producer best known as a guitarist and vocalist for the punk rock band Rancid, as well as the frontman of Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards and ...

) * One Man Army * The Partisans *

Peter and the Test Tube Babies Peter and the Test Tube Babies are an English punk rock band, formed in the small town of Peacehaven, England in 1978, by Derek "Strangefish" Greening and Peter Bywaters. Due to their humorous tongue-in-cheek lyrics, they have been considered ...

* Pressure Point * The Radicts * the Randumbs * Real Kids * Reducers SF * The Rhythm Doctors * The Riffs * Slaughter and the Dogs * Shock Nagasaki * Smogtown * Smut Peddlers *

The Stitches The Stitches is an American 1970s-style punk rock band formed in 1993 in Orange County, California, United States. The Stitches record on independent labels such as Disaster, Gold Standard Laboratories, Vinyl Dog, Suburbia, TKO, and Kapow. ...

* Straitjacket * Strychnine *

* The Templars * Terminus City * Those Unknown * Tommy and the Terrors * The Truents * T.S.O.L. * The Upsets * U.S. Bombs * Vicious Circle (pre- T.S.O.L.) * Workin' Stiffs * Wretched Ones * YDi

Flat Records roster

* 30 Seconds Over Tokyo * All Systems Stop *

* BeerZone * Big Bad Bollocks * Blood For Blood * the Bruisers * The Cuffs * Dropkick Murphys * The Drunks * Ducky Boys * Hudson Falcons * Main Street Saints * Oxymoron * Pressure Point * The Randumbs * Runnin' Riot *

The Shods The Shods are a band from Lowell, Massachusetts who have released five albums and an EP to date. The Shods have a loyal regional following, and remain well known in their home state. Origins The Shods formed in 1993 in Lowell, MA with musicians S ...

* Terminus City * Thug Murder * The Trouble * The Vigilantes

References

{{Authority control Companies based in Huntington Beach, California Punk record labels American independent record labels Record labels established in 1997 Music retailers of the United States American companies established in 1997 1997 establishments in California