About Hookworm Records
The new art of an old medium.
Hookworm Records LLC was officially born on March 9, 2020. COVID 19 shut the state of Arizona (and beyond) on the following Friday, the 13th. Three years, and three records later, the ‘small label with a huge sound’ is going strong.
"The purpose of Hookworm was to give the star treatment to Arizona independent bands," founder Ryan B. Clark says. "I was enamored with Arizona indie music, but a lot of the bands didn’t have the resources to record and showcase their songs at the appex of production, engineering and mastering.”
The label’s debut release, Hookworm One (2021), featured Valley favorites Paper Foxes, The Woodworks, The Psychedelephants, and Shovel, each debuting a brand new single recorded by producer Bob Hoag (UPSAHL, Fairy Bones) at Flying Blanket Studios in Mesa, AZ.
Hookworm Two, the second compilation of Arizona artists features six new songs from six artists: Birds + Arrows, Chrome Rhino, Weekend Lovers, Daphne + The Glitches, Sliced Limes and Fairy Bones. The album is available for PREORDER now, and the release shows are scheduled for both TUCSON (September 8, 2023) and PHOENIX (September 9, 2023)
Inside the Pressing of HookwormONE
Hookworm Records proudly uses Burlington Record Plant in Vermont for all our pressings. Burlington Record Plant is a family-owned business that delivers honest, hand-made quality vinyl records with a small and caring team.
We Proudly Work With
Meet Ryan B. Clark, Founder & CEO
“Hookworm Records was born from a discussion about what was missing from the Arizona music community. If there is so much talent in Arizona, why does it seem that so few get noticed? What would it take to actually move the chains?
Combined with that series of questions, we were deeply inspired by the creativity happening out at Rancho de la Luna, in the deserts of southern California – where Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) invites artists to participate in Desert Sessions. Hookworm Records developed a model that in the ever-evolving music business, the best way to benefit the community of artists the way that we wanted to was not to sign bands – but to sponsor singles.
By doing so, we are able to put our investment behind a larger swath of the bands in Arizona, and showcase them at the highest possible level of sound recording instead of throwing all of our money behind one or two and hoping we can propel them forward. With our second record “Electric Bones” by Tucson Artist Birds and Arrows, we were able to do a project with a band directly.
Hookworm Records increased the number of bands of the second compilation to SIX, and put all of them in Flying Blanket Studios in Mesa, Arizona with the legendary Bob Hoag. “Arizona Music is about ready to be showcased in a way that it has never been before.” — Ryan B. Clark (2021)
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