Status Active Location Northern California Founded 2000 Country of origin United States of America | Genre Punk, rock Official website Official website Distributor Redeye Distribution | |
 | ||
Founder Michelle Haunold, Mike Lavella Albums High Visibility, Something to Crow About, Go USA!, Beat Me, Scumbag Country | ||
Gearhead Records is an independent record label based in Northern California, which grew first out of Gearhead Magazine in San Francisco. Wrote Exclaim!, "for a lot of the world Gearhead magazine defined the whole 'hot rod punk rock and roll revolution' back in the 90s...," with the magazine founders then starting the label and various related rock festivals and punk festivals in locations such as Sweden. The organization was later co-run out of Davis, California and is now entirely run out of Woodland, California. The label was formed in April 2000 by Michelle Haunold and Mike LaVella. In 2006, the company was split in two, the magazine and label going separate ways. The label is now fully run by Michelle Haunold in Woodland. In 2007, the label opened a retail location called Gearhead Records and Stuff.
Contents
Magazine and festivals
The organization, originally a magazine, has also hosted festivals. Wrote Exclaim! in 2003:
For a lot of the world Gearhead magazine defined the whole 'hot rod punk rock and roll revolution' back in the 90s championing bands like the Supersuckers and Rocket from the Crypt. Well, this bunch of grease-crazed garage freaks started a record label not so long ago and have also managed to put on rock fests worldwide, and some could argue that the Swedish Gearfest festival turned a lot of ears on to the retro-rock sounds coming out of there way before a lot of mainstream press was even aware of it all.
Gearfest returned in 2016 with a line up that included The Troublemakers, The Roxy Suicide (featuring Dave Mansfield from the Gearhead band The Mansfields), Red Planet, Pat Todd and the Rank Outsiders and Leesa From the Creamers. The festival was held on September 24th in Sacramento California.
Partial discography
The Swedish band The Hives released their first record on Gearhead and were later signed to Interscope.