Established in 1999, Lilypad is a boutique, musique imprint providing services to creatives that need professional expertise at a cost they can afford. The other half of Kouderay.com, we are located in a rural setting centrally located between Chicago, Milwaukee, and Madison at the Illinois/Wisconsin border.

Here's a sampling of things we've worked on:

JETSTREAM PONY

England’s purveyors of "schrammel-pop" mixed their excellent, debut album, Jetstream Pony (Shelflife/USA - KUS/EU - Spinout Nuggets UK 2020), with us. I Close My Eyes (b/w It'll Take More Than A Friday) (KUS 2019) - a limited-edition 7” single, along with Self-Destruct Reality (KUS 2018), were also mixed here and still available along with demos, covers, posters, and organic t-shirts, direct from their Bandcamp store.

GARRET JOHNSON
Garret hails from Morris, Illinois 60 miles southwest of Chicago. He arrived at Kouderay in the late winter of 2017 and sporadically reappears to create music in our kitchen. His songs comprise recordings affectionately dubbed, The Shakey Toothpick Sessions. "Already There" (Lilypad 2020) out in stores and streaming everywhere.

THE WILDROOTS

Championed by the likes of recording warrior Timothy Powell (Metro Mobile), manager Dave Frey (Cheap Trick/Neville Bros.), and Chicago's finest ROCK - 93'XRT, The Wildroots attracted a wide range of fans, labels, and well-wishers, while opening for legends such as Alex Chilton, The Replacements, and Southside Johnny. "Candy Store" appeared on the compilation, "It Came From Jay's Garage" (Moving Target Records 1987). In 2023, JD Dragus has begun recording staples from their live catalogue at Thunderclap Recording in Indiana with John Carpenter, Dan Massey, and Kerry Kelekovich.

CARPMEN

Naked In Nature  In 1986, a mind-meld of five friends from three bands united for the love of noise, rock, song, and Guinness (not necessarily in that order). Recorded in Studio B at Columbia's film sound studio with the help of our departed brother-in-arms and audio legend, Diego Trejo Jr.

JONNIE WARMER

A Month Of Tuesdays In October 1993, Tuesdays were scheduled by this duo resulting in a dozen songs featuring guest contributions from a diverse collection of talents. Their full length never surfaced.

CATH CARROLL
Former NME writer, Catherine Ryecroft (Miaow/Hit Parade), and producer, Kerry Kelekovich (Wildroots/Michael McDermott), wrote and performed together as Cath Carroll from 1994 to 2010 resulting in numerous singles, books, compilations, and three albums: True Crime Motel (Teenbeat 1995); Glommer - aka, Cath Carroll (Heart & Soul 2000), and The Gondoliers Of Ghost Lake (LTM 2002). Their music is available everywhere you listen or buy.

MIAOW

Priceless Restoration (Lilypad 2010) the long-lost Factory Records' ten-song, demo collection from 1986-87 for the never-recorded album, "Priceless Innuendo."  Restored from the original, damaged cassettes plucked from a moldy suitcase and released for a very limited time. Liner notes were contributed by music-journalist, Peter Terzian. SOLD OUT.

MARK ALONZO

Lost Highway(Couderay/Lilypad 1999) Former Chicago singer-songwriter now resides outside Nashville with his family performing as Nashville Rhythm Kings. He came to our little startup in 1999 before Lilypad even launched and was the very first project we created from the ground up. It featured a truly stellar lineup of musicians including John Prine's Small Potatoes bassist, Tom Pikarski. RIP, Pickles.

HOLLUS

Live At Lilypad (Lilypad 2007), The Joker And The Queen(Wooden Nickel 2009) and Part One (Wooden Nickel 2010) were Lilypad's favorites before this evolving quartet went on permanent hiatus. Part Two was an excellent collection, too. It went unreleased.

SAYONARA

It's Nothing Personal (Lilypad 2012) Texas duo, Debbie and Sean, recorded "Discourage Wolf" - their Lilypad debut single - at Kouderay. Sayonara eventually became a three-piece before calling it quits in 2013.

WORLDWIDERIOT

Posters Boys For The Apocalypse (Lilypad 2008 EP) The Morris, Illinois duo's debut written and performed by Sean Blythe and Eric Enger is a full ashtray of singer-songwriter angst wrapped in chaos and is still available today at our store or online everywhere.

CAPO5FOUR

​Return To The Reflecting Pool (Lilypad 2020 EP) Remixer/composer or maybe your multi-instrumental/ex-bandmate, C54 has been remixing the remains of the day since joining forces with a wide array of songwriters, bands, and multimedia types. This dark-ambient improvisation, recorded live while bidding farewell to the 'teens, was recorded at Kouderay and firmly entrenched in the "other" category whilst straddling an experimental universe.