Simple Machines Records

Welcome to Simple Machines

As of April 1998, Simple Machines is no longer an active record label, although our back catalog lives on! From this site you can read about the history of Simple Machines, see the 8 year project discography, flip through the catalog and order stuff, and find out more about your favorite bands. Since we are no longer actively working on the label, we hope that this website serves as a scrapbook for projects we did and an information source about the bands and records that carry on.

Post-Simple Machines

SMR's co-owners Jenny Toomey and Kristin Thomson are both actively involved in music, media, and technology issues through the Future of Music Coalition -- a DC based nonprofit that examines the critical issues and the intersection of music, law, technology and policy. By organizing the independent communities, FMC hopes to have enough muscle to provide a strong and articulate voice for artists and labels in the policy-making venues of Washington, DC. Jenny Toomey was FMC's Executive Director until 2008, when she became the Media and Cultural Policy program officer for the Ford Foundation. Kristin Thomson is currently FMC's Education Director.

When we're not busy writing testimony, reports, or conducting surveys, we find time to play music. In August 2002 Tsunami practiced hard and got its chops in gear for Ladyfest DC. Since that went pretty well, we also played Ladyfest Philly in March 2003. Are there more Tsunami shows in the future? Stay tuned....

Jenny has released two solo records on Misra Records. In 2001 she put out the double CD Antidote, and in 2002 she released Tempting -- a fantastic record of Jenny singing the songs of SMR alum and songwriting master Franklin Bruno. Kristin is in a lady-powered band in Philadelphia called Ken, whose 2006 album Parade of Sinners was voted best Punk Rock album in the Just Plain Folks Music Awards.