Second Nature Recordings

Second Nature Recordings is an independent record label based in Kansas City, Missouri. The label is associated primarily with indie rock and related underground guitar music, and has also worked as a co-release partner for vinyl editions issued in cooperation with other labels. Its catalog includes releases connected with Coalesce, The Blood Brothers, Waxwing, These Arms Are Snakes, and The Casket Lottery. The label grew out of a publishing project started by Dan Askew while he was in high school. That project, also called Second Nature, began as a zine. Askew later combined it with a friend's zine and developed the idea into a vehicle for releasing compilation CDs. This transition from independent music publishing into record production and distribution reflects the close relationship between zine culture, touring networks, and small-label activity in the American alternative-music scene. One of the label's early notable projects was a CD bringing together unreleased Coalesce material and the band's 7-inch demo recordings. The release connected Second Nature with an important Kansas City hardcore and post-hardcore act and helped establish the label's role in documenting material that might otherwise have remained scattered across demos, small-run singles, or unreleased recordings. Askew also joined Coalesce for a tour, further linking the label's activities with the working relationships of the bands it supported. Second Nature's business model has centered on specialist catalog development rather than mass-market music distribution. Its releases have generally served listeners interested in independent rock, hardcore, post-hardcore, and adjacent scenes. In addition to issuing releases under its own imprint, the label has participated in co-releases and vinyl pressings for other labels, a common practice among independent record companies that share manufacturing, distribution, and promotional resources. The available reference material does not establish a precise founding year, a current ownership structure, a definitive present-day operating status, or a complete catalog. It also does not identify a listed parent company or a public financial profile. Accordingly, Second Nature Recordings is best described as a historically documented independent label whose significance lies in its support for underground and independent rock releases and in its connection to Kansas City's music community.

Second Nature Recordings originated in the independent publishing and music culture surrounding American underground rock. Dan Askew began a zine named Second Nature while he was in high school. He subsequently combined that publication with a friend's zine and redirected the project toward producing compilation CDs. This early history placed the label within a network where writing, physical media, local scenes, and band relationships overlapped. The project developed into an independent record label headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Rather than operating as a large commercial music company, Second Nature focused on specialized releases for listeners involved in indie rock, hardcore, and related forms of alternative music. Its activities included issuing records under its own name as well as collaborating with other labels on vinyl pressings and co-releases. A significant early release assembled unreleased Coalesce recordings with the band's 7-inch demo material. The project gave the label a connection to Coalesce, a Kansas City band associated with the development of mathcore and influential post-hardcore. Askew also joined Coalesce for a tour, illustrating how the label was closely connected to the practical touring and community infrastructure of the scene rather than functioning only as a detached business entity. The label's documented catalog later included material by The Blood Brothers, Waxwing, These Arms Are Snakes, and The Casket Lottery. These associations placed Second Nature within a broader independent-rock ecosystem that crossed regional scenes and connected hardcore-derived music with emo, post-hardcore, and other forms of underground guitar music. Its emphasis on physical releases, including vinyl, also reflected the continuing importance of small-run records and collector-oriented editions in independent music. Public reference material does not provide a complete chronology, a verified founding date, detailed ownership information, or a confirmed account of the label's current operations. There is no reliable information here about a parent corporation, stock listing, revenue, or executive succession. The documented record therefore supports understanding Second Nature Recordings primarily as a Kansas City independent imprint with a notable role in releasing and preserving music from underground rock communities.

• Second Nature begins as a high-school zine

  [1]Second Nature Recordingsen.wikipedia.org

  Dan Askew started a zine named Second Nature while he was in high school, establishing the project from which the record label later developed.

• The zine project evolves toward music releases

  [1]Second Nature Recordingsen.wikipedia.org

  Askew combined his zine with a friend's publication and pursued the idea of issuing compilation CDs, marking the transition toward label activity.

• Coalesce archival CD project

  [1]Second Nature Recordingsen.wikipedia.org

  Second Nature released a CD combining unreleased Coalesce tracks with the band's 7-inch demo material.

• Expansion of the independent-rock catalog

  [1]Second Nature Recordingsen.wikipedia.org

  The label's documented roster expanded to include releases by The Blood Brothers, Waxwing, These Arms Are Snakes, and The Casket Lottery.

A specialist independent label serving underground indie rock, hardcore, and adjacent guitar-music communities through artist releases, archival projects, and collaborative physical-format editions.

• Compilation CD

  Coalesce archival and demo-material releases

  A documented Second Nature project compiled unreleased Coalesce recordings with the band's 7-inch demo. The release represents the label's early role in preserving and packaging hard-to-find material from an important Kansas City hardcore and post-hardcore band.

• Recorded music

  Independent indie-rock catalog

  Second Nature's catalog includes material associated with The Blood Brothers, Waxwing, These Arms Are Snakes, and The Casket Lottery. These releases place the imprint across indie rock, hardcore-derived music, emo, and post-hardcore networks.

• Vinyl records

  Collaborative vinyl pressings

  The label has been described as participating in co-releases and vinyl pressings for other labels. These collaborative physical editions reflect the resource-sharing model common among independent record companies.

1. 1Second Nature Recordingsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Second Nature Recordings at Rate Your Musicrateyourmusic.com