Fat Mike of NOFX Launches New Fat Wreck Chords Label Imprint BOTTLES TO THE GROUND
Fat Mike, punk rock legend and independent music mogul is at it again with an announcement of a new record label, Bottles to the Ground. Already the co-owner with Erin Kelly-Burkett of the highly influential record label Fat Wreck Chords, Fat Mike created Bottles to the Ground as an imprint that will focus on music projects from bands that don’t fit neatly into the typical sound of the main label.
Codefendants ~ Credit: Nik Hampshire | The Meffs ~ Credit: Jonathan Dadds | Melvinator ~ Credit: Martin Grønvold BøeAmong the bands that will record for Bottles to the Ground are Fat Mike’s newest band Codefendants. Eric Melvin, the bandmate of Fat Mike in NOFX, will also release music from his EDM project, Melvinator through the new imprint. The name of the new label has its origin tied to NOFX. Fans of the legendary SoCal punk band will recognize the name as the title of an EP recorded by NOFX.
“When NOFX first played Amsterdam in 1988, we were invited to the closing night of one of the most infamous squats in the city,” said Fat Mike. “Not just a squat, this was a punk bar that instructed everyone to smash all glasses and bottles on the street after we emptied them. Apparently, there would be no repercussions from the city because no one owned it. So, we drank all night along with hundreds of punks, and every fucking bottle got smashed. To me, it looked like how punk rock music should feel. Bottles to the Ground is the beauty of disaster.”
To reinforce the NOFX connection, Fat Mike offered his bandmates ownership of Bottles to the Ground.
“Erin and I both decided that NOFX deserved to be co-owners for all their years of loyalty and support for Fat Wreck Chords,” said Fat Mike. “Of course, their percentage isn’t as big as mine, but hey…”
There is already music out from Bottles to the Ground. Fat Mike’s newest project, Codefendants have released a new video for the song “Suicide by Pigs.” The track is available to stream alongside the previous release, “Abscessed.” The Meffs’ new EP Broken Britain, Broken Brains Pt. 1 has been digitally released with an accompanying music video for the title track. The video features album producer Frank Turner in a cameo.
In an official statement, The Meffs explained the idea behind the new track:
‘“Broken Britain, Broken Brains" - A dialogue that resonates with the masses. This song spits truths about society, the daily grind, and the price we pay for happiness. We owe you a beer if the chorus isn’t stuck in your head for the rest of the day. The video was filmed in Clacton-on-Sea, where Lily was born and bred. Being about a 'Broken Britain' it felt apt filming by the most deprived town in the UK... on a boiling hot day.”
Eric Melvin has transitioned from punk guitarist to EDM producer and DJ making remixes and mashups of punk rock, hip-hop, and funk music under the name Melvinator. Now through Bottles to the Ground, Melvinator will release new versions of classic NOFX songs produced by Fat Mike and Baz the Frenchman. The first release from Melvinator on the new imprint is a reworked version of ‘American Errorist’ out now digitally and on vinyl.
“I’m so excited to share this track with the world,” said Melvinator. “I have been experimenting in my private labs for what seems like an eternity, but I'm finally ready to start sharing my creations with you. While the synthesis of Punk Rock & EDM might seem like an unholy matrimony to some, I think more will delight in the similarities as I do. The high energy, the sonic intensity, and the refusal to conform has made this path clear for me. I see connections in the most unlikely places. This just might be one of them. ‘American Errorist’ is only the beginning. Thank you for being here with me and facilitating my artistic expression as this new landscape echoes with boundless possibilities.”
