This page is for the paperback edition. If you’d prefer the hardback collector’s edition, which comes packaged in a unique pizza box with a sticker sheet, you can order it here.
Shovelin’ The Shit Since ’87 is the complete, as-yet-untold, story of US garage rock powerhouse Estrus Records, which for nearly two decades churned out hundreds of releases from some of the biggest garage, trash, surf, and punk bands worldwide, among them The Makers, The Mummies, Man or Astroman?, and label head honcho Dave Crider’s drunk-punk quartet The Mono Men.
Shovelin’ charts the label’s highs and lows – from its highly successful hosting of the annual Garageshock – arguably the greatest series of garage rock “festivals” – to the devastating loss of its warehouse in a fire that virtually wiped out its mail-order stock, as well as master tapes and precious personal possessions. Estrus is one of the few record labels whose cover art and other graphics matches the brilliance of its music, thanks to the contributions of US trash-culture visionary Art Chantry, as well as Alex Wald and Darren Merinuk , and the book is packed with many of its iconic visuals. It also draws on lively, extensive interviews, never-seen-before archival photos, oddball artefacts and more to give a fascinating insight into the major players behind one of garage rock's most influential and successful independent record labels.
Estrus: Shovelin’ the Shit Since ’87 has its very own page on Facebook and Instagram.
About the Authors
CHRIS ALPERT COYLE, Author
Chris Alpert Coyle is a nomadic journalist whose work has appeared on CBS News, CBS Radio, WGN, The Inlander and KEXP. His limited musical ability has allowed him to tour the US with fantastic bar bands like Squish! and Sir Coyler & His Asthmatic Band. He has ties to Sacramento, San Diego and Seattle.
SCOTT SUGIUCHI, Designer
Scott Sugiuchi has been designing for more than 30 years. Highlights include work for Artisan Films (The Blair Witch Project), the American Film Institute and countless bands, record labels and venues. He is the founder of Hidden Volume Records, a boutique record label with more than 50 releases and is currently the Art Director for Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
IN ASSOCIATION WITH...
Dave Crider co-founded Estrus in 1987 as a way to release music by his then band The Roofdogs. After taking over as label head a few years later, Crider expanded the roster and watched his hobby inadvertently change into a cultural phenomenon.
Art Chantry is a designer most often associated with the logos, posters and album art he created for countless punk, grunge and rock bands and their labels. His work has been exhibited at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Museum of Modern Art, Seattle Art Museum, the Smithsonian and the Louvre. He is the author of the cult book Art Chantry Speaks: A Heretic’s History of 20th-Century Graphic Design.
Reviews
"The sound and aesthetics of Estrus Records always stood out. Innovative and nostalgic at the same time. I love that the bands on the label stayed true to that wonderful vision.”
— Fred Armisen (Portlandia, Saturday Night Live, Trenchmouth)
"Sharing a studio space with Art Chantry in the early '90s gave me the unique opportunity to literally look over his shoulder and see the many designs being created for Estrus. Art showed his true genius in turning those crusty old art boards and photocopies into visuals that helped define a record label and movement."
— Jeff Kleinsmith (Creative Director, Sub Pop)
