About Sign Guy Records
Sign Guy Records is an independent donations based record label. We release music, you download it. If you dig it, that’s awesome. If you really dig it, throw us a few bucks and help us keep doing what we love; releasing quality music.
Why Donations?
When Sign Guy Records first started in 2000 as a DIY label, we were releasing music on cassette tapes. Then as CD-R’s became affordable, we switched to releasing our music on that format. By mid-decade digital downloads were becoming the norm. So just like we made the switch to CD-R’s, we are making the jump to an all digital format. With a twist. We’re offering our music to you, to download, with no strings attached. You can keep it, delete it, give it to your friends, whatever you want to do. All we ask is that if you really enjoy it, think about maybe throwing a few bucks at us so we can keep putting out music in this format.
FAQ’s
Q. Will you sign my band?
A. Maybe. Contact us and we’ll talk.
Sign Guy Records- A History
Sign Guy Records was born on a cold winter day in Arlington Texas.
In 2000, high school student, Darrel Smith Jr, wanted to contribute to his local music scene. Since was not in a band, he did what he thought was the next best thing. He started this label. Darrel worked at a record store back then and was constantly seeing shows or helping bands at his high school with their 4-track (remember 4-track recorders!?) demos, so he had the idea to start a compilation series entitled “Soundcheck to An Empty Room”. Since it was 2000 and CD-R’s weren’t as affordable (or as obsolete) as they are now, he decided to do this on cassette tape. By the spring of 2000, he had gotten enough bands together, some from his high school, some from other parts of the local scene, and the first Soundcheck to An Empty Room cassette tape went on sale at the record store. He even had a release show and life was good.
After the record store closed down and shortly before Darrel graduated high school in 2001, he decided, because he had access to a CD recorder, to re-release Soundcheck to An Empty Room on CD-R, this time with about 14 more songs and almost as many new bands.
After that release there was a failed attempt to produce a compilation with a local recording studio but in the fall of 2001 Darrel reformed (with the blessing of the original members) Springfield U. Before the new Springfield U. started playing shows Sign Guy Records released an “anthology” of all the original Springfield U. songs plus a few new tunes that were never released and one new track from the new class of Springfield U. There were lofty goals to release a split EP with a hardcore band called Springfield A&M…but that soon fizzled.
It wasn’t until the spring of 2003 that Springfield U. once again was reformed with even more new members and finally a new Springfield U. EP was released. It consisted of mostly old Springfield U songs re-recorded by the new band but it was the start of a very productive period for Sign Guy Records.
During the spring and into the fall of 2003, SGR released the Sandwich Mafia’s debut EP, “Six Long Years, Six Short Songs”, the aforementioned Springfield U. EP and even another volume of Soundcheck to an Empty Room.
Around this time, No Time For Heroes came into the SGR family. We recorded and released the No Time For Heroes self-titled EP. The following year we released their follow up EP, “Forever Was Never”.
In the spring of 2005 we partnered with Mookie Dog Records to release Thorn Vs. Side’s “Arson” EP.
And then…nothing. There were plans for many releases that fell through during the dormant years. And it seemed SGR was no more.
But now, in 2011, we’re coming back. We’re ditching physical releases and going all digital. We’re also ditching price tags. Donations based is how we’re going to roll. Like the music? Let us know. Like the music a lot? Throw us some bones! Want us to release your stuff? Get in touch and we’ll talk!