Bruce Licher curates 41 tracks for new Independent Project Records compilation

Independent Project Records will release a forty-one track compilation titled The Well on November 21 for digital platforms, followed by a physical release on December 19. The collection, curated by label founder Bruce Licher, contains archival recordings, demos, and material from forthcoming studio albums.

Title: The Well: The Independent Project Records Collection II
Release Date: 2025-12-19
Description: Independent Project Records releases The Well on Dec 19. The 41-track compilation features unreleased music from Shiva Burlesque and David J.

The release coincides with the label’s 45th-anniversary event at Gold-Diggers in Los Angeles. To accompany the announcement, IPR has issued “Midnight Chapel,” the first new recording from Shiva Burlesque in thirty-five years. The track features the group’s founding members, Jeffrey Clark and Grant-Lee Phillips, with bass provided by David J (Bauhaus, Love and Rockets) and instrumentation by Dana Gumbiner.

The Well is divided into two volumes. The first includes a 1983 demo of “Vegetables” by Camper Van Beethoven, a previously unreleased recording of “Sacred” by Jeffrey Clark, and a live recording of “It’ll Be My Day” by Deception Bay. It also features “New Colours” by Spadra Moods, a track sourced from a mid-1980s cassette featuring members who later formed Savage Republic and Scenic.

The second volume contains several unreleased demos, including David J’s “No One Looks Like Christopher Walken” and Barry Craig’s “I Woke Up Dreaming,” recorded circa 1989. The track list also includes “Radiant Transfer To Non-Grey Walls” by Neef, a 1979 recording that represents the first released music featuring Bruce Licher.

Shiva Burlesque formed in Los Angeles in 1987. The group released two studio albums, a self-titled debut in 1987 and Mercury Sea in 1990, before disbanding. Vocalist Jeffrey Clark subsequently pursued a solo career and co-ran Independent Project Records, while guitarist Grant-Lee Phillips formed Grant Lee Buffalo in the early 1990s. The band’s sound was characterized by an acoustic-electric arrangement that drew from post-punk and folk traditions.

Independent Project Records was established in 1980 in Los Angeles, later relocating to Bishop, California. The label is categorized by its use of hand-fed letterpress printing for its packaging, a process managed by Licher through Independent Project Press. The label’s catalog includes releases by Savage Republic, For Against, Stereolab, and Camper Van Beethoven. Since resuming operations in 2020, the label has focused on a schedule of expanded reissues and archival compilations.

Volume One

1. Afterimage – Afterimage
2. Leslie Medford – Leslie’s Dream
3. Shiva Burlesque – Midnight Chapel
4. Greg Lisher – Zen and the Art of Long Distance Driving
5. The Ophelias – Sleepy Hamlet
6. Springhouse – Sea and Rain
7. David J – Punishment By Roses
8. Half String – Honeycut
9. Jeffrey Runnings – Heretofore
10. Driveway Ceiling – Mr Walden
11. Alison Clancy – The Valley
12. Bruce Licher – Tundra
13. Woo – The One That Got Away
14. Camper Van Beethoven – Vegetables
15. Fourwaycross – Halloween
16. Kommunity FK – Anti-Pop
17. Jeffrey Clark – Sacred
18. Deception Bay – It’ll Be My Day (Live)
19. Spadra Moods – New Colours
20. BPeople – Persecution, That’s My Song
21. Scenic – Hole in the Wall
22. A Produce – Tunnels
23. Red Temple Spirits – Dark Spirits

Volume Two

1. Savage Republic – Archetype
2. Barry Craig – I Woke Up Dreaming
3. David J – No One Looks Like Christopher Walken
4. Torn Boys – Mystery
5. Middle Class – Politic (Body and Soul)
6. Scenic – Raintree Road
7. The Invisible Opera Company of Tibet – Here I Am
8. Snuffy – Breezy
9. Woo – Tibetan Trains
10. Edward W. Dahl – A Wink and a Nod
11. The Sunflower Conspiracy – Spacetime
12. Lanterna – Aegean
13. Mike White – Hangliders Torn Wing
14. Jazz Bedouins – Mingus Mountain
15. Neef – Radiant Transfer To Non-Grey Walls
16. Scenic – Film Music #6
17. A Produce – Jimbe
18. Boxhead Ensemble – Rank

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