Prank Records (California)

Hardcore punk label formed in 1995 by former WEGL 91.1 FM radio DJ, Maximum Rock & Roll columnist and reviewer, former 924 Gilman Street booker and long time Mordam Records employee Ken Sanderson. Modeling the label after classic 1980's punk labels like Pusmort and Over The Top Records, the label focuses not only on its local San Francisco Bay Area punk scene, but also bands from the owner's native Southeast and additional points around the globe.

In 1995 Prank hosted the first Japanese Hardcore band to tour in the US, a brief mini-tour by Assfort which paved the way for multiple tours of Japanese hardcore bands in the US, including one the following year by Japanese punk legends Gauze. The next year the band began its association with southerners His Hero Is Gone and Damad whose dark, low end distorted records for the label helped define "The Prank Sound" associated with the label. In 1997 and 1998 Prank hosted two "Prank Fest" festivals in Atlanta, Georgia, showcasing the strong Southeast punk Scene and bands associated with the label. This festival was revised and relocated in 2004 to Austin, Texas.