Plan It X Records
| Plan-It-X Records |
 | center |
|
| Parent company |
independent |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Founder(s) | Chris Johnston, Sam |
| Distributing label | No Idea Records, as well as other independent channels |
| Genre(s) | Punk rock, Pop-punk, folk-punk, folk |
| Country | US |
| Web address | http://www.plan-it-x.com/ |
Plan-It-X Records is an
independent record label originally based in
Bloomington, Indiana, but now located in
Olympia, Washington. They are most notable for having released one
EP by the band
Against Me! (
Crime As Forgiven By), which was later removed from the label's catalog. The label has released albums by some of the most notable DIY punk bands of modern times, including
Carrie Nations,
Japanther,
Defiance, Ohio,
The Bananas,
This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb, and
Operation: Cliff Clavin.
Founded in
1994 with a strict
DIY punk ethic, the label refuses to sell any CDs for more than five dollars. Plan-It-X has a philosophy that is summed up in their slogan: "If it ain't cheap, it ain't punk". Plan-It-X strives to illustrate that the practices of the
major record labels do not need to be duplicated by the
independent record labels in order for smaller labels to be successful. They support other small labels and encourage others to do so as well (and even go as far as to suggest starting your own label - and many have done so, following the example set by Plan-It-X).
The label is run by Chris Johnston and his friends. Johnston currently plays in the band
Ghost Mice, and is a former band member of
Operation: Cliff Clavin,
The Devil is Electric,
The Ted Dancin' Machine,
Peanucle, and
The Sissies.
Beyond the release of musical albums, Plan-It-X has released a book by author
Greg Wells (
Complete Control: An Anthology 1997-2005), as well as a DVD featuring live performances of bands filmed during Plan-It-X Fest 2004 (see below).
In 2004 Plan-It-X Records celebrated its 10-year anniversary with a three day festival in
Bloomington,
Indiana. A large portion of the bands involved with the label performed throughout the three day event.
With the success of the 2004 fest, Plan-It-X decided to take the festival on the road the following year in 2005 with a number of their bands in one schoolbus. The school bus toured throughout the eastern and midwestern
United States.
2006 saw the
third Plan-It-X fest return to
Bloomington,
Indiana as a six-day "Punk Rock Summer Camp," with bands playing every night and workshops and other activities throughout the afternoon. Like the two previous fests, 2006's fest raised money for charity. This year a total of $8,200 was split amongst three different charities.
The following is an alphabetized list of bands that have worked with Plan-It-X to release albums or split-albums on the label. It also includes Plan-It-X South bands (see below regarding PIX South).
*
Abe Froman*
Against Me!*
Antsy Pants*
The Bananas*
The Blank Fight*
Captain Chaos*
Carrie Nations*
The Connie Dungs*
Dave Dean's Musical Forklift*
The Dauntless Elite*
Dead Bird*
Defiance, Ohio*
The Devil Is Electric*
Disarm (precursor to The Devil Is Electric)
*
The Door-Keys*
Erin Tobey*
The Four Eyes*
Ghost Mice*
Henry Rollins and the Sweater Band*
I Like Japanese Hardcore*
Japanther*
Lava Lava*
Left Out*
Los Gatos Negros*
Madeline*
Matty Pop Chart*
The Max Levine Ensemble*
Michael Jordan Touchdown Pass*
One Reason (PIX South)
*
Operation: Cliff Clavin*
Paul Baribeau*
Peanucle*
Rosa*
Saw Wheel*
Sexy (PIX South)
*
Shotwell*
The Sissies*
Soophie Nun Squad*
Spoonboy*
Stressface*
The Ted Dancin' Machine*
This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb*
Your Heart BreaksPlan-It-X South is a part of the main Plan-It-X label, but is run by Teddy of
This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb (not Chris Johnston). Plan-It-X carries all of the Plan-It-X South releases in their main catalog. This arrangement benefits Chris Johnston, as Teddy operates and finances PIX South, so the burden is taken off of Johnston. And since the releases are distributed through the main PIX catalog, it allows Teddy the opportunity to take part in the production and release of more music, distributed through a channel already proven successful.
PIX South shares the same
DIY punk ethic of its mother label.
*
List of record labels* CDs Featuring Plan-It-X Bands
**
You Call This Music?! Volume 1**
You Call This Music?! Volume 2**
Dropping Food On Their Heads is Not Enough: Benefit For RAWA*
Official Site*
Official Message Board*
Official Plan-It-X Fest 2006 Site*
Official Plan-It-X Fest 2005 Site
