415 Records

415 Records was the first North American record label devoted to new wave music (Stiff Records in England was the first new wave label in the world). 415 was founded in San Francisco in 1978 by writer and promoter Howie Klein, Aquarius Records (San Francisco) store owner Chris Knab, and music retailer/collector Butch Bridges. In 1979, Butch Bridges sold his interest in the label to Queenie Taylor, a long time employee of the legendary management and promotion agency, Bill Graham Presents. In the late 1970s, San Francisco was one of the leading centers for what was then called New Wave music and what would now be called "alternative" music. (Some critics have said that new wave was a melodic reaction to punk). The label primarily featured punk and new wave music from San Francisco bands although as the label grew they signed bands from other cities as well. The label name 415 is a reference both to the telephone area code for the San Francisco area, and to the police code for "disturbing the peace."

From its inception, 415 benefitted from the support of Bill Graham,and manager/producer David Rubinson, who owned one of the top recording studios in the world, The Automatt. Rubinson was a great believer in 415's future, and allowed 415 bands to record in his studios at a greatly reduced rate and sometimes on "spec" ("speculation," meaning that the studio would share in the profits of the sales). Graham helped 415 artists to gain wider exposure by booking them as opening acts for major headlining bands such as Duran Duran and Journey

The first records released by the label included a single by Pearl Harbour and the Explosions ("Drivin' ") and albums by New Math, SVT, and Romeo Void. Following the success of Romeo Void's first LP "It's A Condition"in 1982, 415 Records affiliated with Columbia Records and signed a contract to work with the major label that would be the basis for dozens of similar associations over the next two decades. The deal gave Columbia the "right of first refusal" to co-brand, manufacture, promote and produce 415 artists, while allowing 415 to retain (nearly) full artistic control over signings, artwork, recording and song selection. Under this partnership, Columbia/415 released critically acclaimed albums by Romeo Void, Translator,Wire Train, Until December and the Red Rockers. Albums by The Uptones, Monkey Rhythm, and the Pop-O-Pies were released on 415 independently of Columbia.

David Kahne served as the label's in-house producer and engineer until 1982 when he took a job as Vice President of A&R for Columbia Records in Los Angeles (he continued to produce records for 415 artists, as well as records by The Bangles, Bruce Springsteen and Tony Bennett) and became one of the industry's most respected producers. After Kahne left 415, Daniel Levitin, a well-known Bay Area musician and producer, began working in the artists and repertoire/talent acquisition department and became the label's Director of A&R in 1984, serving as a staff engineer and in-house producer responsible for developing new artists. Three new bands under Levitin's supervision, The Stir-Ups, The Big Race, and The Scene were in the studio and ready to record albums when 415 and Columbia ended their relationship in 1989. Three additional Levitin-produced bands, The Furies, Rhythm Riot and The Afflicted (the latter named one of the Top 10 recordings for the year 1985 in GQ Magazine), were given to another San Francisco independent label, Infrasonic Records, and all three releases received very high critical marks. In 1989, Howie Klein was named General Manager and in 1995 President of Reprise and Executive Vice President of Warner Brothers Records, a position he held until 2001. During that time, Klein oversaw the careers of The Talking Heads, Madonna, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, Morrissey, Depeche Mode, The Barenaked Ladies, and many other top artists.

In the beginning, 415 was hindered by the same factors that hinder most independent labels - difficulty reaching a national audience. The 1982 Columbia affiliation changed the situation dramatically. Columbia used their marketing knowledge and established relationships with radio, television, and retailers, to bring 415 records to a much wider audience. Romeo Void has been singled out by critics and musicians as one of the seminal groups ofthe New Wave movement.

Romeo Void's lead singer Debora Iyall released a solo record on Columbia and is currently recording a new project. Wire Train were signed to MCA Records where they released three CDs. After having a song featured in the soundtrack of the film "Repo Man," The Big Race changed their name to"Pray For Rain" and contributed soundtrack music to the film "Sid and Nancy." Former guitarist for Pearl Harbor, Peter Bilt, pursued a solo career, and fronted the band "Free Will" for the award-winning Levitin-produced soundtrack to the film "Architects of Victory", awarded Best Production for a short film at the Venice, Italy film festival.

After Klein left 415, Levitin helped Klein run the label for 3 months until Sandy Pearlman (producer and manager of Blue Öyster Cult and Black Sabbath) bought the label. Perlman changed the name to Popular Metaphysics, and released one record by the group World Entertainment War in association with MCA Records. (Al Teller, who had been president of Columbia Records when the 415/Columbia alignment was forged, was president of MCA in 1989 making MCA a logical choice for a new alliance). In 1985 Christopher Knab sold out his interest in the label and moved to Seattle, Washington to manage the University of Washington alternative radiostation KCMU. Queenie Taylor moved into managing SF nightclub Wolfgangs in the early 80s, and Slims (owned by Boz Scaggs) in the early 90s. David Kahne is currently Vice President of A&R at Warner Brothers Records. Levitin worked as an A&R representativefor Columbia, RCA, Miramax and other companies before returning to college, receiving a B.S. in Cognitive Science from Stanford University,and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Oregon. Levitin is currently a professor of psychology, neuroscience, and music at McGill University in Montreal.

415 Records that are currently in print or readily available include: Red Rockers: Good As Gold/Schizophrenic Circus Romeo Void: Warm,In Your Coat Translator: Everywhere That We Were: The Best of Translator Wire Train: In A Chamber Wire Train: Last Perfect Thing: A Retrospective The Best of 415 Records