Wicked Cool Record Co.

Wicked Cool Record Co., commonly referred to as Wicked Cool Records, is an independent American record label created by musician, producer, radio host, and entertainment entrepreneur Steven Van Zandt. The label operates within Van Zandt's broader Renegade Nation organization and grew out of the audience and musical identity of Little Steven's Underground Garage, a radio program devoted to garage rock, classic rock, punk-influenced power pop, and other forms of guitar-driven music. The imprint was established in 2004 with a mission of giving developing and overlooked rock artists a dedicated platform. Its roster has generally drawn from musicians who had previously worked with small independent labels or who occupied specialist scenes outside the commercial mainstream. In addition to signing and releasing contemporary artists, the label has issued archival projects, reissues, tribute records, and themed compilations. This combination gives Wicked Cool a role that is part artist label, part curation project, and part preservation outlet for rock traditions that receive limited attention from major-label catalogs. Its first release was Davie Allan and the Arrows' Fuzz for the Holidays, issued in December 2004. Early releases also included recordings by The Charms, The Chesterfield Kings, and The Cocktail Slippers, helping establish the imprint's emphasis on garage, psychedelic, mod, glam, and power-pop sounds. The label's compilation series Little Steven's Underground Garage Presents the Coolest Songs in the World connected the record company directly to the radio show's programming and brand. Seasonal Halloween and Christmas collections further extended that curatorial approach. In 2007, Wicked Cool entered a retail partnership with Best Buy intended to make music featured on Underground Garage more readily available in physical stores. The arrangement reflected the label's effort to bridge specialist radio exposure and mainstream retail distribution at a time when physical albums still played an important role in discovery. The label has also released music by Van Zandt himself, including Soulfire in 2017, his first new solo album since 1999. The release connected the label's founder and flagship radio personality with the same artist-centered ecosystem that supported its wider roster. Artists associated with the label have included The Chesterfield Kings, The Dollyrots, The Empty Hearts, The Len Price 3, Jesse Malin, The Woggles, The Urges, The Launderettes, Soraia, The Grip Weeds, The Rascals, Michael Des Barres, Brian Ray, Marc Ribler, Kurt Baker, Steve Conte, and many others. The roster has changed over time, and published lists distinguish between current and former artists. The Dollyrots joined the label in 2018, one of the later additions specifically identified in the available reference material. Wicked Cool's positioning is deliberately independent and scene-oriented rather than mass-market. Its catalog favors artists with a strong live identity, recognizable influences, and connections to garage rock, punk, roots music, beat music, glam, and power pop. Through its relationship with Renegade Nation, the imprint also sits alongside radio, live-event, management, television, and publishing activities. The available reference material does not establish a precise current roster, headquarters, ownership structure beyond its relationship with Renegade Nation, or detailed recent release schedule.

Wicked Cool Record Co. was founded in 2004 by Steven Van Zandt as an independent record-label imprint within Renegade Nation. Its origins are closely tied to Van Zandt's long-running interest in rock music and to the development of Little Steven's Underground Garage. After his 1989 album Revolution received limited attention and RCA declined to release material that later became associated with Born Again Savage, Van Zandt worked outside the major-label system. The subsequent growth of Underground Garage created a platform for a broader music and entertainment operation, including radio, artist management, live events, television, and a record label. The label was designed to support new and underexposed rock acts rather than compete directly with major labels for mainstream pop releases. Its musical territory includes garage rock, psychedelic rock, power pop, punk, glam, roots rock, mod music, and adjacent forms of guitar-led popular music. Many affiliated artists had previously released music through small independent companies. Wicked Cool also developed a catalog of reissues and recordings that had not achieved substantial commercial success when originally released. The first documented release was Davie Allan and the Arrows' Fuzz for the Holidays, issued on December 14, 2004. Other early projects included Strange Magic by The Charms, The Mindbending Sounds of...The Chesterfield Kings, Mastermind by The Cocktail Slippers, and the tribute album CBGB Forever. These releases established the label's blend of contemporary independent artists, established cult acts, and historically minded projects. A central part of the label's identity has been the Little Steven's Underground Garage Presents the Coolest Songs in the World compilation series. The series translated the radio program's editorial voice into a record product and gave listeners a route into the label's wider catalog. Wicked Cool later added Halloween and Christmas compilations, reinforcing its use of themes and curation as part of its brand strategy. In 2007, the company announced a partnership with Best Buy. The arrangement was intended to help consumers find albums played on Underground Garage in a major retail environment. It represented an effort to connect a specialist radio audience with physical distribution beyond independent record shops and direct fan channels. The label's catalog also includes recordings by its founder. Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul released Soulfire through Wicked Cool in 2017, his first new solo album since 1999. The release gave the imprint a high-profile connection to Van Zandt while remaining consistent with its focus on rock and soul-rooted music. The roster has included The Chesterfield Kings, The Cocktail Slippers, The Dollyrots, The Empty Hearts, The Len Price 3, Jesse Malin, The Woggles, The Urges, Soraia, The Launderettes, The Grip Weeds, The Rascals, Michael Des Barres, Brian Ray, Marc Ribler, Kurt Baker, Steve Conte, The Nervous Eaters, The Shadows of Knight, and other artists. Available reference material also identifies a number of former artists, including The Charms, Davie Allan and the Arrows, Locksley, The Novaks, Outrageous Cherry, and The Stabilisers. The Dollyrots were identified as joining in 2018. Wicked Cool's exact current corporate structure, headquarters, financial performance, and present-day roster are not established by the supplied sources. It remains best understood as a Renegade Nation-affiliated independent label whose principal value lies in artist development, catalog curation, and the preservation and promotion of non-mainstream rock traditions.

• 2018

  The Dollyrots join the roster

  [1]Renegade Nationen.wikipedia.org

  The Dollyrots are identified as a later addition to the label's artist roster.

• 2017

  Soulfire is released

  [1]Renegade Nationen.wikipedia.org

  Little Steven's Soulfire is released through Wicked Cool, marking Van Zandt's first new solo album since 1999.

• 2008

  Seasonal compilation program begins

  [1]Renegade Nationen.wikipedia.org

  Halloween and Christmas-themed compilations begin appearing as part of the label's broader curated catalog.

• 2007

  Best Buy retail partnership

  [1]Renegade Nationen.wikipedia.org

  Wicked Cool partners with Best Buy to improve physical-store access to music featured on Underground Garage.

• 2004

  Wicked Cool Records is founded

  [1]Renegade Nationen.wikipedia.org

  Steven Van Zandt establishes Wicked Cool Records within the Renegade Nation entertainment group to support new and overlooked rock artists.

• 2004

  First release arrives

  [1]Renegade Nationen.wikipedia.org

  Davie Allan and the Arrows' Fuzz for the Holidays is released on December 14 as the label's first documented album.

A curator-led independent rock label focused on garage rock, power pop, roots rock, punk-adjacent music, archival material, and artists connected to the Underground Garage community.

• Compilation series

  Little Steven's Underground Garage Presents the Coolest Songs in the World

  A compilation series derived from the programming identity of Little Steven's Underground Garage. The albums function as curated introductions to garage rock, power pop, punk-influenced rock, and related independent artists, while also serving as a bridge between the radio program and Wicked Cool's label catalog.

• Album · 2004

  Fuzz for the Holidays

  An album by Davie Allan and the Arrows and the first documented release issued by Wicked Cool Records. Its holiday framing and fuzz-oriented rock sound illustrate the imprint's interest in themed projects and cult or historically significant guitar music.

• Studio album · 2017

  Soulfire

  A 2017 album by Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul. It was Van Zandt's first new solo album since 1999 and became one of the label's most prominent founder-linked releases.

• Tribute album

  CBGB Forever

  A tribute project associated with the New York club and its musical legacy. Its inclusion in the early Wicked Cool catalog reflects the label's interest in documenting influential rock scenes and honoring the histories that shaped independent music.

• Album

  The Mindbending Sounds of...The Chesterfield Kings

  A release by The Chesterfield Kings, an act associated with garage and psychedelic rock revivalism. The album represents the label's early focus on specialist rock artists with strong connections to 1960s-inspired sounds.

• Album

  Mastermind

  An album by The Cocktail Slippers and one of the early releases cited in descriptions of the Wicked Cool catalog. It fits the imprint's emphasis on melodic, garage-influenced rock and independent artists.

• 2007

  Expand physical retail access through Best BuyStrategy

  Background

  Music promoted through Underground Garage was primarily associated with specialist audiences and independent distribution.

  Action taken

  Wicked Cool entered a partnership with Best Buy so albums heard on the radio program could be more easily found in stores.

  Aftermath

  The partnership broadened the label's physical retail reach, although the supplied sources do not provide sales figures or its duration.

  Source

• 2004

  Create a dedicated independent rock imprintStrategy

  Background

  Van Zandt's Underground Garage radio project had created an audience for garage rock and related music, while many artists in that scene lacked broad commercial exposure.

  Action taken

  Renegade Nation established Wicked Cool Records to sign, develop, compile, and reissue artists aligned with the program's musical identity.

  Aftermath

  The label developed a catalog spanning contemporary independent acts, archival projects, tribute albums, seasonal compilations, and releases by Van Zandt himself.

  Source

1. 1Renegade Nationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Wicked Cool Records official websitewickedcoolrecords.com