Splice Records Won’t Give Up on the Good Times
HOUSTON PRESS
Adam Ohayon | May 4, 2017
Houston is not especially known for its music industry. Great bands start up and break up here, sometimes without ever being heard outside the city limits. But sometimes this lack of structure and history gives a chance for something new to happen.
Shaun Brennan and Craig Kinsey founded Splice Records after a night of drinking and sharing music. The name of the label came from home movies Brennan made with his brother as a kid under the moniker “Splice of Life Films." In college, Brennan started a production company and kept the name after he began working with local musicians. After The Artery, a longstanding Houston arts venue where Brennan had been working, closed because of gentrification, Brennan was left without a creative outlet and decided to found Splice over a bottle of Johnny Walker with local singer-songwriter Craig Kinsey, after the former Sideshow Tramps leader played Brennan a copy of his solo album American Roots and Machines, which became Splice's first official release.
"I asked how he was planning to release it," recalls Brennan. "Expecting more than what came out of his mouth, I said, 'That’s it? I can do better than that!' and it all started from there. Since then it’s been a labor of love and a great friendship.“