About Us

Kentland Records


Not exactly a killer name for a "music hub/record label" etc   What does it mean?  Must mean something?? 

In short - YES - It means something. 

Our history as brief as possible:  Way back in 1985, two kids started a band. The band was named "Topaz".  Yeah, not too amazing, but it worked at the time.  In the words of Dave Grohl, they started playing on shitty gear in garages, basements etc.  Played block parties, frinds houses and just about everywhere a kid could score a "gig":  Years went by, they got better.  Topaz recorded in the neighborhood of 50 songs, played hundreds of shows and it was time to move forward.

Founders Mark "Spiv" Grzelak and Tony Porfirio went on to form a band called Simple Simon.  1993 debued the first releae "Funky Dog" with great local/regional acclaim.  The tours ensued, the recordings ensued, amazing shows, fests, sold out clubs blah blah... A microcosm in the music universe, but noteworthy regardless. 

After said "burnout' ensued, Simple Simon combined forces with gret friends in a band that they shared many a tour with, the Vibe Tribe out of Terre Haute IN.  In the early 2000's, Blackmaker was formed out of members of both Simple Simon and Vibe Tribe.  "Staggering to the surface" was the only full length record recorded by the band - and it is AWESOME.

The Kentland connection:

We were NUTS.  On Mondays after a half day at work, the Chicago members of the newly formed BLACKMAKER would drive 2.5hrs for a WEEKLY band rehearsal down south to meet the other two members of Blackmaker.  Sometimes they's drive up as well.  Crazy? Yes.  Dedicated/Driven? No doubt. Passion-fueled? Absolutely. But still CRAZY.  All that said - the somewhat mid-point between Chicago and Terre Haute-ish was a town called Kentland, Il.  When either group coming N or S reached Kentland, they'd reach out to the others via phone to let them know they were half way there. 

That's it.  No huge story, no lions jumping through fire rings.  However, something stuck with the non-hip nature of Kentland as the name of the record label.  Means nothing but also means to dig deeper into what may seem as just another star in the system.  So that's it.

Blackmaker/Vibe Tribe members spawned another band called JAVELINAS.  Great band, great music.

Simon Members and friends spawned a band called FROSTING.  Great band, great music.

Simon Members and friends spawned the amazing cover band RED POP FURY.  GREAT BAND.

Offshoots of bands involved in the 'Kentland world" keep morphing year to year.

The shows are great, the music is bad ass, the entertainment value is exactly what you want - ROCK AND ROLL done right.

Not much more to say here.  Check out our song threads, go to facebook, look up kentland records, etc etc.......... if you have read this far, you get it.

Rock on - Spiv