-ismist Recordings

-ismist Recordings was an American independent record label established in 1992 by Dan Schlissel in Lincoln, Nebraska. Schlissel created the label after working at the Feedback record store, booking concerts at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and observing the influence of independent labels such as Sub Pop. The business initially operated from his university dormitory and concentrated on artists from Nebraska and the wider Midwestern underground scene. The label began under the name -ism, derived from “In Spite of Myself.” The name was intended to suggest openness to different artistic and philosophical viewpoints, as well as a willingness to work outside a narrow genre identity. In 1996, after the New York punk group Ism objected to the similarity between the names, Schlissel changed it to -ismist, an abbreviation of “In Spite of Myself, In Spite of Them.” During the 1990s, the label developed a broad catalog spanning punk, noise rock, ska, metal, rap, singer-songwriter material, and alternative rock. Its first release was Such Sweet Thunder’s Redneck, a CD that combined the band’s earlier self-released album Burning Ditches with new material. Subsequent releases involved regional acts including Floating Opera, Honeyboy Turner, Fullblown, and Polecat. The label also issued work by more established independent acts, including Killdozer, House of Large Sizes, and Season to Risk, while distributing releases from smaller Midwestern imprints such as Speed Nebraska Records, Corn Pie Records, and Two Olive Martini Records. A major part of -ismist’s cultural role was its effort to preserve and promote the Nebraska music community. The label issued LINOMA: A Nebraska Compilation in 1994 and LINOMA II: Riot on the Plains in 1999. These anthologies presented a cross-section of the region’s hard-edged independent music and have been described by music critics as useful introductions to the depth of the 1990s Nebraska scene. The label also organized music festivals in 1996 and 1997. One release, Polecat’s 2500 Ft of Our Love, contributed indirectly to the naming of Omaha’s later Saddle Creek Records through the song “Saddle Creek.” The label’s most historically prominent music release was Slipknot’s 1996 album and demo Mate.Feed.Kill.Repeat. Schlissel met percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan at Crahan’s Safari Club bar in Des Moines and helped distribute the group’s self-pressed recording. -ismist handled the final portion of an approximately 1,000-copy pressing and helped the band obtain early critical and radio attention. Slipknot subsequently signed with Roadrunner Records, taking the group beyond the label’s independent-release infrastructure. By the late 1990s, Schlissel had become less interested in continuing a conventional indie-rock label. Several affiliated bands had broken up or relocated, and he moved away from Nebraska in 1998 to work for a software company in Minneapolis. His direction changed after he met comedian Lewis Black and arranged to record Black’s The White Album in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1999, working with producer John Machnik. The release became the label’s commercial breakthrough, selling roughly 60,000 copies according to published accounts and exceeding the combined sales of the earlier catalog. The success of Black’s comedy album led Schlissel to shift the label toward spoken-word and stand-up releases. -ismist issued further comedy albums, including Doug Stanhope’s Sicko and Something to Take the Edge Off and Jimmy Shubert’s Animal Instincts. In 2000, Schlissel launched Stand Up! Records as a new Minneapolis-based comedy label. By approximately 2002, Stand Up! had effectively replaced -ismist, although the older name was occasionally revived, including for the 2006 Killdozer tribute compilation We Will Bury You: A Tribute to Killdozer. -ismist is therefore best understood as a defunct independent imprint whose legacy combines regional music documentation, an early Slipknot release, and the transit…

-ismist Recordings emerged from the Lincoln, Nebraska independent music environment of the early 1990s. Its founder, Dan Schlissel, had studied physics at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, worked at the off-campus Feedback record store, and booked concerts through the university’s concert and dance committee. Those activities connected him with local performers and gave him practical experience in music promotion. Inspired by independent labels that had built recognizable regional identities, Schlissel established the imprint in 1992 and initially ran it from his dormitory. The label was first called -ism, a name associated with the phrase “In Spite of Myself.” Schlissel intended the name to accommodate a wide range of music and ideas rather than communicate a single genre. In 1996, the imprint became -ismist, short for “In Spite of Myself, In Spite of Them,” after the New York punk band Ism raised an objection to the original name’s similarity to its own. Such Sweet Thunder’s Redneck was the first release, combining the band’s previous independent album Burning Ditches with additional material. The label then built a varied regional catalog involving acts such as Floating Opera, Honeyboy Turner, Fullblown, and Polecat. Unlike a specialist imprint, -ismist moved among punk, ska, noise rock, metal, rap, singer-songwriter, and alternative rock. It also released or distributed projects by artists from outside Lincoln, including Killdozer, House of Large Sizes, Season to Risk, and Molly McGuire. Its distribution activities extended to other small Midwestern labels, including Speed Nebraska Records, Corn Pie Records, and Two Olive Martini Records. Regional documentation was central to the label’s identity. The two LINOMA compilations, released in 1994 and 1999, assembled artists associated with Nebraska’s independent scene and helped give a broader audience access to music that otherwise had limited distribution. The label also organized festivals in 1996 and 1997. Its catalog had an indirect local legacy as well: Polecat’s song “Saddle Creek,” issued on 2500 Ft of Our Love, later supplied the name of the Omaha label Saddle Creek Records. The most consequential artist relationship came through Slipknot. Schlissel met Shawn “Clown” Crahan at the Safari Club in Des Moines and assisted with distribution of Mate.Feed.Kill.Repeat, which Slipknot had originally pressed itself. -ismist handled the final part of a limited run of about 1,000 copies and helped the group gain early radio and critical attention. Slipknot later signed with Roadrunner Records, and the band’s move to a major independent label removed one of the imprint’s most visible developing acts. The late 1990s brought structural and strategic pressure. Some associated bands broke up or moved away, and Schlissel relocated to Minneapolis in 1998 for software employment. He considered closing the label, but a meeting with comedian Lewis Black led to a different direction. Black’s The White Album was recorded in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1999 with producer John Machnik and released through -ismist. Its reported sales of about 60,000 copies made it more successful than the label’s earlier catalog in aggregate. That result encouraged a transition from independent rock toward comedy. The imprint issued additional comedy albums by Doug Stanhope and Jimmy Shubert, while Schlissel founded Stand Up! Records in 2000. The newer company became the main vehicle for his comedy business, and by around 2002 it had effectively replaced -ismist. The older imprint was not entirely erased: it was occasionally reused, most notably for a 2006 Killdozer tribute compilation. Its active life was therefore concentrated in the 1990s, but its historical importance rests on three connected roles: a documentarian of Nebraska music, an early supporter of Slipknot, and a bridge between regional indie publishing and modern comedy-record distribution.

1. 2006Occasional revival for Killdozer tribute

   The -ismist name is revived for We Will Bury You: A Tribute to Killdozer.

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2. 2002-ismist effectively closes

   Stand Up! Records becomes the effective successor to -ismist as the founder’s primary label.

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3. 2000Stand Up! Records launched

   Schlissel creates a new Minneapolis-based label focused on stand-up comedy.

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4. 1999LINOMA II: Riot on the Plains

   The second Nebraska compilation extends the imprint’s documentation of the regional hard-indie scene.

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5. 1999Lewis Black’s The White Album

   The comedy recording becomes the label’s commercial high point and changes Schlissel’s publishing strategy.

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6. 1998Schlissel relocates to Minneapolis

   The founder moves away from Nebraska for software work as the original indie-rock network begins to contract.

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7. 1997Second label-organized music festival

   A further festival reinforces the label’s role in presenting the Nebraska and regional underground scene.

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8. 1996Name changed to -ismist

   The label adopts the -ismist name after a naming objection from the New York punk band Ism.

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9. 1996Mate.Feed.Kill.Repeat distribution

   -ismist distributes the final portion of Slipknot’s limited self-pressed run and helps bring the Iowa band wider early attention.

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10. 1996First label-organized music festival

    The imprint organizes one of two music festivals associated with its effort to promote Midwestern independent artists.

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11. 1994LINOMA: A Nebraska Compilation

    The first LINOMA anthology documents the breadth of Nebraska’s independent music community.

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12. 1992Label founded in Lincoln

    Dan Schlissel establishes the imprint, initially operating it under the name -ism and basing the business in his University of Nebraska–Lincoln dormitory.

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13. 1992First release: Such Sweet Thunder’s Redneck

    The label begins its catalog with a CD combining Redneck and the band’s earlier self-released album Burning Ditches.

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A flexible Midwestern independent label focused first on Nebraska and regional alternative music, later repositioned around commercially successful stand-up comedy recordings.

• RedneckAlbum1992

  Such Sweet Thunder’s Redneck was the label’s inaugural release. The CD also incorporated the band’s earlier self-released album Burning Ditches, making it both a new label launch and a retrospective presentation of a Nebraska indie-rock group. The release established -ismist’s early commitment to regional artists and helped anchor its subsequent catalog in the Lincoln music community.

• LINOMA: A Nebraska CompilationRegional compilation1994

  The 1994 LINOMA compilation assembled music from Nebraska artists and presented the state’s independent scene as a connected cultural ecosystem rather than a collection of isolated local acts. It reflected -ismist’s role as both a record publisher and a regional archive, giving listeners outside Nebraska a consolidated entry point into the area’s alternative and hard indie music.

• Go Big Red7-inch single1996

  Go Big Red was Killdozer’s final 7-inch single and featured “Sonnet ’96” alongside the band’s version of Hank Williams’s “I Saw the Light.” The release illustrates the label’s willingness to work with nationally recognized independent acts while retaining the compact, limited-run format associated with underground record culture.

• Mate.Feed.Kill.RepeatMetal album/demo1996

  Slipknot’s early recording Mate.Feed.Kill.Repeat was originally self-pressed by the Iowa band. -ismist distributed the final portion of an approximately 1,000-copy run and helped the group receive early critical and radio exposure. The limited original pressings later became desirable among collectors, while Slipknot’s subsequent move to Roadrunner Records ended the label relationship.

• 2500 Ft of Our LoveAlternative-rock album

  Polecat’s 2500 Ft of Our Love was one of the label’s regional alternative-rock releases. Its A-side included the song “Saddle Creek,” a title that later became associated with the Omaha label Saddle Creek Records. The release is therefore remembered not only as part of -ismist’s catalog but also for its indirect connection to the naming of another influential Nebraska label.

• LINOMA II: Riot on the PlainsRegional compilation1999

  The second LINOMA anthology, issued in 1999, continued the project of documenting Nebraska’s independent music. It broadened the historical record of the local scene and represented the label’s continuing investment in regional compilation work even as its business was beginning to move toward comedy.

• The White AlbumComedy album1999

  Lewis Black’s The White Album was recorded in Madison, Wisconsin, with producer John Machnik and released by -ismist in 1999. Its reported sales of approximately 60,000 copies made it the label’s strongest commercial release and exceeded the combined sales of its earlier catalog. The album redirected Schlissel’s attention from indie rock toward comedy publishing.

• SickoComedy album

  Doug Stanhope’s Sicko was among the comedy recordings issued during the label’s transitional period. It formed part of the small but commercially significant stand-up catalog that followed the success of Lewis Black and preceded the full replacement of -ismist by Stand Up! Records.

• Something to Take the Edge OffComedy album

  This Doug Stanhope comedy album was another release from the imprint’s late period. Its inclusion shows how -ismist moved beyond its original Nebraska-centered indie-rock identity and began functioning as a vehicle for stand-up recordings before the creation of the dedicated Stand Up! label.

• Animal InstinctsComedy album

  Jimmy Shubert’s Animal Instincts belonged to the comedy-focused phase of -ismist. It was issued as Schlissel developed a new business direction centered on recorded stand-up and spoken-word material.

• We Will Bury You: A Tribute to KilldozerTribute compilation2006

  This 2006 tribute compilation was an occasional revival of the -ismist name after Stand Up! Records had effectively replaced the original imprint. Its connection to Killdozer also referenced one of the notable independent-rock relationships from the label’s 1990s catalog.

• 19971997 -ismist music festival

  Nebraska · United States

  A second festival continued the label’s community-building and live-promotion work around the Nebraska underground music scene.

  Outcome. The festival added to the imprint’s regional cultural footprint, although detailed attendance and financial results are not documented in the cited material.

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• 19961996 -ismist music festival

  Nebraska · United States

  The label organized a music festival as part of its effort to support and connect Nebraska and Midwestern independent artists.

  Outcome. The event reinforced the imprint’s role as a regional promoter in addition to its record-release activities.

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• 2002Effectively close -ismistStrategy

  The newly created Stand Up! Records had become the main platform for Schlissel’s comedy business.

  What changed. The founder allowed Stand Up! Records to supersede the -ismist imprint.

  Aftermath. The -ismist name became inactive in normal operations, with only occasional later revivals.

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• 2000Launch Stand Up! RecordsStrategy

  The success of comedy recordings suggested that stand-up was a more promising long-term focus than the label’s earlier indie-rock model.

  What changed. Schlissel established a new Minneapolis-based label dedicated to comedy recordings.

  Aftermath. Stand Up! Records eventually replaced -ismist as the founder’s primary publishing operation.

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• 1999Shift from indie rock toward comedyStrategy

  The regional rock network had weakened as bands broke up or relocated, while Lewis Black’s The White Album achieved unusually strong sales for the label.

  What changed. Schlissel expanded the imprint’s comedy catalog with releases by Lewis Black, Doug Stanhope, and Jimmy Shubert.

  Aftermath. The change led to the creation of Stand Up! Records and the eventual practical closure of -ismist as an active label.

  Reported sales of The White Album. Approximately 60,000 copies (1999 and subsequent sales period)

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• 1996Rename the imprint from -ism to -ismistOther

  The original name -ism was considered too similar to the New York punk band Ism’s name.

  What changed. Dan Schlissel changed the label name to -ismist, explained as “In Spite of Myself, In Spite of Them.”

  Aftermath. The revised name became the label’s principal identity for the remainder of its active 1990s period.

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• 1996Distribute Slipknot’s Mate.Feed.Kill.RepeatProduct launch

  Slipknot had self-pressed the recording and needed help extending its reach beyond the band’s immediate network.

  What changed. -ismist distributed the last portion of the approximately 1,000-copy run and helped secure early critical and radio exposure.

  Aftermath. Slipknot later signed with Roadrunner Records and moved beyond the imprint’s independent distribution relationship.

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• 2006The -ismist name returns for a Killdozer tribute compilation

  The imprint was used again for We Will Bury You: A Tribute to Killdozer, an occasional revival after the label had ceased operating as Schlissel’s main business.

  Product launchOther
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• 2002Stand Up! Records replaces -ismist as Schlissel’s primary label

  After the business shifted toward comedy recordings, the newer Minneapolis-based Stand Up! Records effectively superseded -ismist.

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• 1999-ismist expands into comedy with Lewis Black’s The White Album

  Lewis Black’s album became the label’s major commercial breakthrough and prompted Dan Schlissel to reconsider the imprint’s focus.

  Product launch
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• 1996-ismist Recordings releases Slipknot’s early recording Mate.Feed.Kill.Repeat

  The label helped distribute the Iowa metal group’s self-pressed debut-era recording and supported its first significant exposure before the band moved to Roadrunner Records.

  Product launchProduct generation
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1. -ismist Recordings
2. -ismist Recordings official website