No one is more surprised by the longevity of Suicide Squeeze Records than David Dickenson, founder and (practically) sole proprietor of the label over the past two decades. His grit and determination (he didn’t pay himself for the first nine years) has allowed what began as something of a hobby to become a treasure trove of indie music gems from the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
The early days of the discography included one-of-a-kind seven inches and EPs from the likes of Modest Mouse, Pedro the Lion and Elliot Smith, as well as King Tuff, The Melvins, The Unicorns, San Francisco dream poppers The Aislers Set, and local melodic prog-rock/pop wizards Minus the Bear. Since then they’ve significantly expanded their catalog to encompass bands like Atlanta punk trio The Coathangers, post-hardcore group These Arms Are Snakes, garage-punkers Audacity, and wry Seattle rockers CHILDBIRTH, among many, many others.
Over the years, Suicide Squeeze has been housed in at least six “offices,” starting with a humble closet on First Hill. The label is now stashed discreetly inside a small mother-in-law cottage in a suburban Phinney Ridge backyard, where David Dickerson delved deep into the history of the label. We also asked friends, former employees, and bands to weigh in on how and why Suicide Squeeze has endured—an effort that yielded a proper oral history of the label on its twentieth anniversary.