Our First Birthday?!

How the time flies! Our beloved label is now one year old! Well, kinda, sort of….. we think.
Let us explain:

It was in May of 2020 that Oak Honest Records technically obtained our business license, so in some sense, it was that moment that we started our journey. Now, you could argue that this dream of making music began a long time ago, like many musicians, in our earliest stages of development. However, this was the moment when this lifelong dream manifested a physical and concrete step towards being actualized. So, we acknowledge the importance of this moment, and we are grateful to be here one year later observing the progress we’ve made.

When we first started, all we had was a name and a dream. Then came a website and our iconic logo! Once we established our identity, we went to work looking for artists, venues, and studios that were willing to get their hands dirty! This is where Robot Dog Studio comes in! We found Ryan, Robot, and Sam in the modern fashion; via an internet search. However, their passion, commitment, and humanity are totally old-school! While we plugged away at what was supposed to be the label’s first release, we organized a few shows at what has become our ‘home base’ over the years, Stella Blues.

As we made our quiet progress something unexpected happened; bands wanted to join us! Not just one or two, but a lot of bands reached out to see what we were all about here at OHR! This really struck us as odd because at this time we were a label with no music. We were still almost a year away from releasing my debut EP and had no sounds to offer the public or these interested parties.

One band in particular really stood out to us. They had some quality releases already under their belt. They had style. They had flair. They were there! They are of course, The Cosmic Vultures, the first addition to our roster. They came ready to rumble and they dropped their album Too Many Shapes in November of 2020 – we also acknowledge this moment as the birth of our label, I mean what’s a label without tunes!?

With an album released and some fresh life, we then picked up some steam and as well as some additional artists. These additions included our long time friend, Michael James Anderson! We met in 2007 while we were both on indie label Sling Slang Records. When I was first starting out MJA took me ‘under his wing’ and helped me secure some of my first solo gigs. It was an honor to be able to establish this label and work together again.

Next to hop on board was the Red Idle Rejects, a hardworking Americana group from Ohio. Much like our Vultures, these folks had a documented track record of producing quality tunes and we were proud to play a part in that lineage.

Our most recent addition to our roster was bad ass funk trio Mojo Dojo. We’ve had the pleasure of sharing many shows with them over the years. The quality of their compositions are undeniable but beyond that – they are our friends and musical allies. We built this label for ourselves, our friends, and our community at large.

As per usual, we will be commemorating this early milestone with an Instagram giveaway! Be sure to follow us on IG to have a chance of winning!

Celebrate with us by checking out our label playlist on Spotify! It includes all of our artists’ releases on the label and it’s contents will span the musical channel to present you with the highest quality Rock, Funk, Pop, Punk, and Country. It’s all music and it’s all Oak Honest!

We appreciate you coming along for the ride. It’s been a kick-ass first year and we excited to see what comes next!

Respect,
Derek/OHR