The inaugural episode of Vagrant Records: 25 Years on the Streets is available on DSPs. Serving as an oral history on the seminal punk & emo record label, the new podcast series is hosted by Matt Pryor of The Get Up Kids, who were one of Vagrant Records first major signings.
The first episode of the podcast features conversations between Pryor and Vagrant co-founder Rich Egan, Amy Fleisher Madden (Fiddler Records), Trever Keith (Face To Face), Mark Hoppus (Blink-182), Max Bemis (Say Anything), Chad Gilbert (New Found Glory), chef Danny Bowien (Mission Chinese) and more, all discussing the early days of the label and sharing behind-the-scenes stories.
With new episodes airing bi-weekly, we’ll hear from the artists, fans and people that helped make Vagrant Records one of the most influential independent labels. The series features interviews with Chris Carrabba (Dashboard Confessional), Matt Skiba (Alkaline Trio), Buddy Nielsen (Senses Fail), Derek Grant (Alkaline Trio), Riley Breckenridge & Dustin Kensrue (Thrice), The Get Up Kids, Adrianne Verhoeven (The Anniversary), celebrity chef Graham Elliot, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Craig Finn (The Hold Steady), Andy Hull (Manchester Orchestra), John Reis (Rocket From The Crypt), Francis Mark (From Autumn To Ashes) and more.
Vagrant Records celebrates its 25-Year Anniversary all year long. A list of confirmed vinyl reissues and Record Store Day titles can be found below, with more to be announced throughout the year. Hassle Records will be releasing select titles in the UK and Europe. For all up-to-date information, stay tuned to Vagrant’s newly re-launched website vagrant.com.
7/30/2021 – The Anniversary – Designing A Nervous Breakdown
8/27/2021 – The Anniversary – Your Majesty
8/27/2021 – Balance and Composure – Light We Made
8/27/2021 – Bad Suns – Disappear Here
Record Store Day Titles for June 12th:
Alkaline Trio – From Here To Infirmary
Senses Fail – Let It Enfold You
Thrice – To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere
Formed in 1996 by co-founders Rich Egan and Jon Cohen with the release of the West x North-South 5 x 7” boxset (featuring Face To Face, Samiam, Tilt, Seaweed and more), Vagrant Records saw its first big break with the signing of The Get Up Kids and the release of the band’s 1999 breakthrough album Something to Write Home About.
In a time when major labels were feeling the financial squeeze of slumping sales, the Santa Monica-based Vagrant Records grew as a trusted tastemaker and shaped the independent punk and emo music scene for generations to come – signing acts like Dashboard Confessional, Alkaline Trio, Senses Fail and Thrice and bringing commercial success to an otherwise niche genre.
Over the span of its 25-years as a label, Vagrant continues to be at the forefront of sonic shifts in the music industry – introducing North America to The 1975 via the band’s wildly successful debut album, and singing a myriad of genre-bending pioneers like Mayer Hawthorne, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Justin Townes Earle, and PJ Harvey.
