S.P.A.M. Records
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S.P.A.M. Records (short for Smarmy Post-Angst Musicians) was an underground DIY record label based out of Oakland, CA. S.P.A.M. operated from its inception in 1996 until 2002, releasing over 100 records. They were also responsible for organizing the Geekfest and Libertatia (at first a joint festival with the [Pyrate Punx]) music festivals in the late 90s.
S.P.A.M. began in 1996 as a collective of musicians and artists in Pinole, a suburb about 10 miles from Oakland. Frustrated by the lack of all-ages venues available (most of them were under 21), and disillusioned by the insular nature of the punk scene at 924 Gilman, they began organizing free, guerrilla festivals on the beach at Point Molate in nearby Richmond, both as a community service and as shameless self-promotion for their own bands.
The location was ideal for loud music, as there were no nearby residences, and the legal limbo the area was in (as a decommissioned Navy fuel depot) led to lax law enforcement. The original idea for using Pt. Molate was inspired by free raves which were held there during the mid 90s.
Geekfests were typically held one Sunday per month and featured 10-14 bands. At nearly every Geekfest ever held, one of those bands would be Bobby Joe Ebola and the Children MacNuggits, an acoustic folk-punk duo which was made up of S.P.A.M. founding members Dan Abbott and Corbett Redford, with occasional backing vocals from fellow S.P.A.M. founder John "Geek" Mink (now the vocalist for punk group Fleshies). It could be argued that S.P.A.M. was created largely to promote Bobby Joe Ebola, and the fates of both the label and the band were intertwined. The label's first release was Bobby Joe Ebola's debut EP, "Two Cats Running", in late 1996.
More releases followed in subsequent years, as Geekfest organizers gradually formed a network of DIY bands with whom they shared artistic and political sensibilities. Personal relationships always trumped economic considerations, and musically the releases on S.P.A.M. were wildly divergent, from rockabilly and punk to hip hop music and electropop. Though many bands on S.P.A.M. broke up shortly after the release of their records, others used it as a stepping stone to larger labels. Fleshies, Gravy Train!!!!, and Blast Rocks! all moved on to more prestigious indie labels. By 1998, most of the collective members had resettled in Oakland, and quickly put down roots in the punk rock community there.
Aware of the political implications of the anti-consumerist punk ethic in which they were grounded, S.P.A.M. assumed a tongue-in-cheek revolutionary stance, often sending out press releases disguised as secret communiques from fictional guerrillas, advocating the abolition of the economic system. "Buy Into the Revolution Today" became the battle cry of S.P.A.M.'s fictitious military wing, the U.S.A.F. (United Suburban Ascension Front).
Officially and philosophically, S.P.A.M. was an anarchist collective, with decisions made by consensus. In practice, however, a few motivated individuals did most of the work and decision making. John Mink gradually assumed the title of "head honcho" and was in practice the general manager.
The breakup of Bobby Joe Ebola in 2000 marked a turning point for S.P.A.M. Abbott gradually withdrew from his involvement in the label, and Mink officially quit in 2001 to devote more energy to Fleshies. Redford assumed control of S.P.A.M. and released an impressive spate of records. However, personal conflicts and spiralling debts forced the final breakup of the label in 2003.
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