Welcome to Clubhouse Records.

We're an independant, artist owned and operated record company focusing on contemporary folk, world music and contemporary instrumental music. We perform, record, engineer, write, and produce original material with help from "in-house" musicians. Musically we experiment a lot, take risks and try to stay true to the music.

Located in Northern California, the company was started in 1988 by two musicians, Phil Hirsch and Tor Olson, who were in the same band together in the late sixties in the San Francisco Area.

In the nineties, Phil has a contemporary instrumental album out called "Sweet Coralia" and a band, "Phil's Harmonic Orchestra" which is now playing locally. Phil is in the process writing his second album. His musical goal is to create a "New" sound or style--we think he's doing pretty well with it. Check out his current album!

Tor released an orchestrated contemporary folk album in mid '93 called "Picture" and has a group "Tor Olson & Friends" that plays weekly in Berkeley, Calif. Tor's musical goal is to write songs "native" to Northern California and supported by original rhythms, i.e. World Music, which is reflected in his second album now under construction.

About Clubhouse

Located in Northern California's Sonoma County, Clubhouse Records had it's beginning as a regional recording studio.

Two major events led to the foundation of Clubhouse records. The first was in 1969 at the opening of the band "The Only Alternative" at the Hungry I in San Francisco." Phil Hirsch was in the audience when Tor Olson opened at the Hungry I in San Francisco in the late '60's. Six months later Phil joined Tor's band, 'The Only Alternative.' "I had never met Tor or heard of 'The Only Alternative,' says Phil, 'But I thought the band was playing some really interesting, innovative music. Basically, they were improvising contemporary instrumental music, live, on stage, and it was great. Not long after Phil joined the band he picked up the electric bass. "The addition of Phil's bass playing greatly focused our sound and eventually led to our being signed by Warner Bros. in 19__ Says Tor. The Warner Bros. relationship was not successful and the band was dissolved.

The second event was when Phil opened a small recording studio in Forestville by converting the spare bedroom in his house in 1979 and recorded over 24 albums for local bands and musicians, often providing arrangement and production skills as needed. Phil gained the reputation of being a talented producer and recording engineer. Basically self taught, he developed a creative and unique production style. This eventually led to a desire on Phil's part to write and produce his own work. Phil then teamed up with Tor Olson (A previous band partner from the late '60's) to form a record company that becomes a vehicle for the realization of musical goals and ideas that had their origins in the late '60's band.

It was not until 1984 that Tor and Phil started talking musical partnership again. "I had my own architectural practice at that time and Phil owned and operated a successful local recording studio. "There was something from the late '60's that was unresolved. We never really got a chance to complete or explore the musical ideas that we were just touching on back when we signed with Warner Bros." says Phil. Phil provided his 10 years of studio work and Tor had organizational skills derived from 15 years of architectural practice.

This newest partnership was formed in 1988 just after Phil released his first album "Small Arms" under the band name "Felix Culpa."

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