Creatures of Habit are a Alternative Rock/Americana band hailing from Glasgow, Scotland. Their style is as diverse as it is exciting.

Creatures of Habit began, as many good things do, with a drunken idea. 

 Lifelong friends Barry Fitzsimmons and Stuart McPhee had grown up together and learned guitar side by side in their early teens. Dreams of rock stardom were bandied about between the two as they jammed in houses emptied by tolerant parents, cutting their teeth covering songs ranging from thrash metal, through classic rock to the Britpop bands of the day. As they improved as players, bands were formed but these seldom moved beyond the rehearsal room. Both went their separate musical ways, reconvening briefly in a metal band before separating on different creative ventures. 

 The duo's friendship never dimmed however, and one evening through a Guiness-invoked haze the two pondered why they had never sat down and made a serious and prolonged attempt at making music with each other. Stuart had become adept at audio engineering and had recently completed a solo instrumental venture, Mournful Glory. Barry was playing in a covers band to earn some cash. The time finally seemed right to make it happen.

 Creatures of Habit was born as a result in the early spring of 2014. Both Stuart and Barry had songs ready, and new ideas were quickly seized upon and expanded in a creative explosion. Years of friendship had clearly made for an excellent writing partnership which neither had experienced before. 

 With several evenings jamming the songs into a cohesive structure, recording took place in Barry's front room over the course of four booze-fuelled days. Stuart would then spend countless agonising hours mixing the songs at home. 

 The result is the band's first album 'Free from the Cares of Man'. Drawing from a wealth of influences, the songs cover themes as diverse as homelessness, parenthood, love, loss and redemption. 

 Given that it took this pair from just outside of Glasgow nearly two decades to work together properly, Creatures of Habit are certainly worth the wait. 

Fast, melodic Hardcore from Glasgow, Scotland.
You might like us if you are a teenage skate-boarder from 1995.

In 1989, two long-time friends, Marc Ruvolo and Gar Brandt, cooked up Johann's Face Records in their hometown of Chicago. Ruvolo, having previously worked for Roadkill Records (releasing Screeching Weasel, The Effigies and No Empathy records, among others) and fledgling indie distributor Cargo Records, wanted an outlet for his many musical projects. Both Marc and Gar also wanted to document the snowballing Chicago punk scene by releasing records that they believed deserved a wider audience. Their ethic was based mainly upon the models of Chicago's Touch and Go Records and D.C.'s Dischord Records: handshake deals with friends where the label and the band split the profits fifty-fifty. The first Johann's release was a vinyl-only pressing of Chia Pet's debut "Elpee." One thousand were pressed (500 on blue vinyl) and sold out quickly. Johann's Face was on its way! The two friends would go on to release over 90 other titles, launching the careers of such legendary punk bands as The Smoking Popes, the Alkaline Trio, The Strike, Sludgeworth, Apocalypse Hoboken, and No Empathy, as well as doing records for already-established out-of-town bands such as Scared of Chaka and Zoinks!. In 1997, the label landed worldwide distribution through San Francisco iconoclasts Mordam Records and added another key member, Davey Houle, who handles graphic design and other creative duties. In 2010 Ruvolo added retail to his list of accomplishments by opening Bucket O' Blood Books and Records in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood. In 2015, Ruvolo relocated to Austin, TX, and to this day Johann's Face has remained true to its ethic: releasing quality, intelligent, melodic punk, pop and electronic  music while staying clear of all the bullshit inherent to the "mainstream" music business. This ethic continues to grow and flourish into the 21st century, and we hope to bring you many, many more years of great music. Thanks to all the people who buy our records and make this possible. We couldn't do it without your enthusiasm and dedication to keeping underground music alive.

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