Frogville Records

Frogville Records is an independent record label and recording studio based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States. It grew out of a creative co-op of musicians, songwriters, painters and photographers that came together around 2002–2003, and it has been operating as a studio and label since 2003. The label was started by visual artist and music lover JC Treadwell, who moved to Santa Fe in 1989 to study visual arts at the College of Santa Fe and later purchased a small 900-square-foot adobe house on a hill overlooking the city in 1999; that property became the Frogville recording studio. Treadwell recruited Nathan Moore to lead the acts and Bill Palmer to handle recording, and the project took shape as an independent label supporting local bands plus a studio to capture their music. The studio sits at roughly 7,000 feet above sea level in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, on three acres of private land with 360-degree views. Its centerpiece is the Big Room, approximately 26 by 36 feet with a 17-foot ceiling, adobe earth walls and ponderosa pine viga beams, which gives the space a distinctive sound suited to horns, strings, full bands, mariachi and marimba ensembles. Frogville is stocked with classic analog gear, a growing microphone closet (Neumann, Sennheiser, AKG, Coles, Sony, RCA), a Hammond C3 organ from Chuck Berry's Memphis studio, a 1957 German EMT 140 plate reverb that was at RCA/NYC until 1971 and then Wally Heider on the west coast, and around 40 vintage tube amps including a Marshall Plexi Super Bass 100. An upstairs bunkhouse sleeps 8–10, making the studio convenient for touring bands recording on the road. As a label, Frogville describes itself as an award-winning co-op of musicians, songwriters, painters and photographers that has been amazing fans since 2003. It has been nominated for dozens of New Mexico Music Awards over roughly 15 years and has won 17, including album of the year twice, best recording engineer twice, best rock album five times, best country twice, best Native American twice, best folk and best religious/gospel. The label and studio have released and recorded hundreds of projects, and the wider Frogville operation includes Frogville Radio (the Frogville Radio Hour, Thursdays at 7pm on 98.1 FM), Frogcasts, a blog, and art sales alongside music. Frogville remains a private, artist-run independent operation based in Santa Fe.

Frogville Records traces its origins to the late 1990s and early 2000s in Santa Fe, New Mexico. JC Treadwell moved to Santa Fe in 1989 to study visual arts at the College of Santa Fe and spent spare time following the Grateful Dead. In 1998 he discovered a local folk jam band called ThaMuseMeant, followed them for a few years, and made friends well enough to join the band's bus for a few months to film a documentary called 'Movin' by Lovin''. In 1999 Treadwell purchased a small 900-square-foot adobe house on a hill overlooking Santa Fe; within a few years that house became the Frogville recording studio. The Frogville concept came together in 2002–2003 around a co-op of musicians, artists and photographers in the Santa Fe area, forming an independent record label to support these bands and a recording studio to capture their music. Visual artist and music lover JC Treadwell started the label and recruited Nathan Moore as 'pied piper' to lead the acts, with Bill Palmer employed to get a handle on the recording process. Treadwell gradually gave his house over to the project as he researched analog recording. Since 2003 Frogville has operated as both a label and a studio, helping artists record original music and accumulating hundreds of projects. The studio is at about 7,000 feet above sea level in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, on three acres of private land with 360-degree views. Its Big Room is roughly 26 by 36 feet with a 17-foot ceiling, adobe earth walls and ponderosa pine viga beams, and it is stocked with classic analog gear, a growing microphone closet (Neumann, Sennheiser, AKG, Coles, Sony, RCA), a Hammond C3 from Chuck Berry's Memphis studio, a 1957 German EMT 140 plate reverb that was at RCA/NYC until 1971 and then Wally Heider on the west coast, and around 40 vintage tube amps including a Marshall Plexi Super Bass 100. An upstairs bunkhouse sleeps 8–10 for touring bands. Frogville describes itself as an award-winning co-op of musicians, songwriters, painters and photographers that has been amazing fans since 2003. Over roughly 15 years it has been nominated for dozens of New Mexico Music Awards and won 17, including album of the year twice, best recording engineer twice, best rock album five times, best country twice, best Native American twice, best folk and best religious/gospel. The wider Frogville operation includes Frogville Radio (the Frogville Radio Hour, Thursdays at 7pm on 98.1 FM), Frogcasts, a blog, and art sales alongside music. The label has released music by artists such as Felecia Ford, John Courage, Lonesome Doves and Alfa Valova, and the studio has been featured in videos by The Mavericks. Frogville remains a private, artist-run independent operation based in Santa Fe.

• 2025

  Frogville upgrades ProTools and computer with HDX; new Felecia Ford CD 'Ocean Of Love' released.

• 2003

  Frogville begins operating as an independent record label and recording studio.

• 2002

  The Frogville concept comes together around a co-op of Santa Fe musicians, artists and photographers.

• 1999

  Treadwell purchases a small 900-square-foot adobe house on a hill overlooking Santa Fe, later the Frogville studio.

• 1998

  Treadwell discovers local folk jam band ThaMuseMeant and later films a documentary about them.

• 1989

  JC Treadwell moves to Santa Fe to study visual arts at the College of Santa Fe.

Artist-run independent label and destination recording studio in Santa Fe, known for analog gear, a distinctive adobe Big Room and New Mexico Music Awards recognition.

• Frogville Records releases

• Frogville recording studio services

• Frogville Radio Hour

• Frogcasts

• Art sales

1. 1Frogvilleplanet - Frogville Studiosfrogvilleplanet.com
2. 2Frogville History - Frogville Studiosfrogvilleplanet.com
3. 3Why You Should Record At Frogville Studios - Frogville Studiosfrogvilleplanet.com
4. 4Santa Fe, NM - Frogville Studiosfrogvilleplanet.com
5. 5Frogville Records - Wikidatawikidata.org