BLACK LABEL EMPIRE
"The Official History of BLE"
www.blacklabelempire.com


"The Official History of BLE"
by Michael J. Cox and Prometheus Keltner

In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.  Shortly thereafter, It also
created Black Label Empire, an empire like no other that would stand the test of
time, through famine, disease, flood and fire, only to be matched by the Devil himself.

Unfortunately, all that remains today of Black Label Empire is that of a small,
independent record label based out of Nashville, Tennessee.  Far from where it
originally started, Black Label Empire nevertheless manages to forge ahead into the
future with such important, grateful leaders as Communist, Andy Bodean and the
Bottom Boys, Nuthanger, Brian Kotzur Band, Good People and Snakehammer,
among others.

Hence, prepare yourself for one of the most triumphant stories in all of rock and roll,
or the ever-evolving historical journey that is Black Label Empire.

During that earnest year of 1989, in a stuffy little attic in Gallatin, Tennessee with an
obsolete four-track recorder and a microphone attached to a stand of duct tape,
Nuthanger was born.  Shortly thereafter, the band released its first single entitled "Bob
Vila/Feelin' the Mannequin," two sleeper hits that would do well in the German charts.
Upon the single's entry into the charts, Nuthanger relocated to Munich, Germany
where it would receive much controversy over its "Black September" tour of seedy
nightclubs near the infamous Olympic village.

Upon return from Germany, Nuthanger's Prometheus Keltner and Todd Glockenspiel
decided that the business of music was for them.  On their first day of summer school
(the tour of Germany took its toll on Nuthanger's studies), Todd invited four brave souls
to a centralized, secret location in the United States to rock; then guitarist Kiki Forresstt,
drummer Brad Cummings, Playhate and Andy Bodean would find themselves in what
would soon be known as Black Label Studio.

Strangely enough, that very day, armed with an analog eight-track recorder, the very
first EP from Johnny 23 was recorded.  Prometheus remembers it clear as day: ". . .
the moment Bodean heard the raw rock [record], he threw down his algebra book and
stomped it into oblivion.  From that day forward, he has dedicated himself to only live
the rock and roll lifestyle we call the 'BLE,' or 'Black Label Empire.'"

Hence, in the mid-nineties, there were a handful of releases from Black Label Empire.
One group in particular, Amazing Burford, released an astonishing three EP's: "Boy
Kicks Man," "Egg Cream" and "The Search for Albert D."  Also during this time, Bodean
had, according to Prometheus, "locked himself away for a period of two years writing
catalogs of music we weren't even ready for: the new Johnny 23!"

Meanwhile, Nuthanger, which it seems had taken a hiatus from life, returned to
Germany to begin studies of German literature on a farm in Ecchinswell, very near the
village of Waterhip.  There, the group composed and arranged its next EP entitled
"Utonga."  The boys of Nuthanger would then return to the states to record their
masterpiece of canned madness at Black Label Studio.  In six short months, the record
was complete and Nuthanger began touring for the first time in America, though
crowds at the performances were driven out in fear for their lives.  This did not sit well
with the club owners that had booked Nuthanger; word would soon spread and the
group found the remainder of the tour to be in shambles, as no club owner would dare
take on the fury that Nuthanger delivered.

Despite Nuthanger's troubles, BLE would, beyond its wildest dreams, see an
emergence of new artists to fill its roster.  From San Francisco came Abraham, Martin
& John, a vocal trio that grew weary of the stagnant Northern California scene with its
dirty hippies and frequent drug abuse.

Following in their footsteps were Tim Chad & Sherry, a group that had previously
dismissed BLE as being nothing more than a hard-core heavy metal outfit of no fixed
ability.  Abraham, Martin & John and Tim Chad & Sherry would later become BLE's
answer to every bad, egotistical "open-mic" night in Nashville, though the two groups
would later decide that performances were not a thing to be taken seriously.

Rounding out BLE's rock department were Brian Kotzur Band (a rock band like no
other the world has seen), Communist (operatic rock at its psychedelic best), Andy
Bodean and the Bottom Boys (basic rock and roll with a twist of Johnny 23), Good
People (who, coincidentally, are very good people), Faster Than Pussy (speed metal
scream-rock), and, last but certainly not least, God's Whip (Christian rock at its worst).
It would be another two years before these six acts would put BLE on the business of
music map, as no other label would claim they owned them.

Yet, while Nuthanger was busy gaining a reputation for disorder and bad karma,
America would give birth to its own version of extreme heavy metal: Snakehammer.
Snakehammer began to mimic its German counterpart by studying Scandinavian
literature.  It was soon realized, however, that Scandinavian literature did not lend itself
to heavy metal; thus, Snakehammer would then decide that it needed a break from its
studies and concentrated solely on making music.  The band performed a number of
times in the very same clubs where Nuthanger was extradited; this instance would
create a rift between the two bands that has, to this very day, not been settled.

Coincidentally, with a little help from Coney Wynez, Black Label Empire has evolved
into what it is today.  The small, independent record label looks forward to the future
where it hopes to avoid utter annihilation and acquire a professional football franchise
or a van.  If and when it acquires this franchise, then and only then will BLE's mission
be complete; or, as Prometheus notes, "we're gonna get the band back together one
last time: no fear, no cry-babies, no sulking, only singing 'whoa, whoa, whoa.'"