About

About Van Conner and SER

Strange Earth Records is a new label launched by Van Conner. Strange Earth will partner with the American wing of Germany’s Finetunes Digital Media Services.

Van’s new venture seeks to fill a gap in the Northwest Music Scene (although he reserves the right to release non-Northwest acts as well) with the new label serving as a hub for independent bands that have dedicated their lives to making great music. The website (www.strangeearthrecords.com) will serve as a “one stop shop” for web surfers who want to find out who is lurking in the backwoods of the Pacific Northwest.

The label will feature online “singles” (featuring two songs and a video) that can be purchased through all the major online music shops (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon, Napster and the like) as well as EPs and full length records.
New music as well as tunes from Van’s vast archives of tunes that he and his friends have recorded over the years that never saw the light of day or have never been released online will be featured.

Upcoming scheduled releases include music from:

• VALIS
• Microdot Gnome
• Vaporland
• Argonaut
• Legend of Bigfoot
• Y.B.s
• Solomon Grundy
• Screaming Trees

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Van Conner, Northwest Rock Musician

Screaming Trees – In 1984 he co-founded the band Screaming Trees with his brother Gary Lee Conner and close friends Mark Lanegan and Mark Pickerel. On June 25, 2000, Screaming Trees announced their official breakup.

VALIS - Conner is now the bass player/vocalist of the band VALIS along with his brother Patrick and drummer Matt Vandenberge. They have released 3 full length albums and one EP. They are currently working on a new record to be released on Van Conner’s new label, Strange Earth Records.

Strange Earth Records – In 2011 with the advent of new technology and internet distribution, Van signed a deal with Germany’s Finetunes, a full service online distribution company. Through this label he will be releasing previously unreleased material from his long musical career as well as new releases from VALIS, Microdot Gnome (Gary Lee Conner), Legend of Bigfoot, Argonaut, Vaporland and much more.

Interesting Notes about Van:

• Co-Authored 2 Billboard Top 10 hits in the 1990’s with the Screaming Trees.
• Has sold over one million records
• Has had songs appear in several major movies starring actors such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bill Paxton, Meryl Streep and Kevin Bacon (…yes, there is 1 degree of separation)
• Performed on The Tonight show, Late Night with David Letterman and numerous other network television shows in America, Europe and Australia
• Music from his current band VALIS is heard on numerous professional baseball and hockey broadcasts and has recently been featured on Dog the Bounty Hunter as well as MTV’s Homewrecker.
• In 1990 he played bass in Dinosaur Jr, on a Jane’s Addiction tour.
• Van is an ordained minister and sometimes performs marriages for friends and family.

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Van Conner’s Selected Discography

Screaming Trees

Other Worlds – Self Release Tape – 1985
Clairvoyance Velvetone 1986
Even If And Especially When SST Records 1987
Invisible Lantern SST Records 1988
Buzz Factory SST Records 1989
Change Has Come – Sub Pop 1990
Uncle Anesthesia Epic 1991
Anthology: SST Years SST Records 1991
Sweet Oblivion Epic 1992
Dust Epic 1996

Solomon Grundy

Stone Soup and Other Stories – New Alliance 1990
Spirit of the Radio – Clear Vinyl Single – New Alliance 1991

Gardener

New Dawning Time – Sub Pop 1999

VALIS

VALIS/Kitty Kitty Split CD/EP – Man’s Ruin Records – 1998
Vast Active Living Intelligence System – Lunasound/Abstract – 2002
Head Full of Pills – Small Stone – 2004
Champions of Magic – Small Stone – 2005
Sucking the 70′s 2 – Various Artists – Small Stone – 2006
Dark Matter – Small Stone – 2009
Split Single with Kandi Coded – Volcom Entertainment – 2009
Northwest Mind Meld – Various Artists – Small Stone – iTunes only – 2009

Singles & Other EPs

Other Worlds – SST Records Re-Issue 1988
Change Has Come Double Single – Sub Pop 1990
Something About Today – Epic 1990
Dollar Bill – Epic 1992
Nearly Lost You -  Epic 1993
Butterfly (CD, Maxi, Promo) – Epic 1993
Shadow Of The Season (CD, Maxi, Promo) Epic 1993
All I Know ? (2 versions) Epic 1996
Sworn And Broken – White Vinyl – Epic 1996

Compilations and Other

Ocean Of Confusion: Songs Of Screaming Trees 1990-1996 (CD, Comp) Epic 2005
From The “Sweet Oblivion” Sessions (Flexi, S/Sided, Promo, Blu) Epic 1992
Winter Songs Sampler (CD, Smplr, Promo) Epic 1992
Working Class Hero – Tribute to John Lennon – Hollywood – 1995
Sleepless in Seattle – The Birth of Grunge compilation – High Wire -2006
Steve Fisk 448 Deathless Days – SST – 1987
Sub Pop 200 compilation – Sub Pop – 1988
Mark Lanegan – I’ll take care of you – 1999
Gamma Ray EP – Man’s Ruin 1996
Queens of the Stone age – Kyuss/Queens of the Stone age – Mans Ruin 1998
The Dark Fantastic – Up Records 1999

Elsewhere On the Web

www.facebook.com/vanconner
www.screamingtrees.net
www.facebook.com/StrangeEarthRecords