company info

The Undertow Collective began in 1996 as a group of friends sharing ideas, resources and a love of music. We work closely with a select roster of artists we love, respect and call our friends. Our goal is to create a friendly and productive environment for these people to make music while keeping their integrity and artistic vision intact. We serve as managers for some of these artists, for others we serve as a conduit to help them release their music through digital and physical outlets. Thanks to the miracle of modern technology we are able to stay connected to each other and continue to share our resources and ideas while living in different cities around the country. We currently run shops in Champaign, Boston, Saint Louis, Nashville, New York and Portland.

Submission Policy

It’s always exciting and flattering to hear from people who like what we do and want to be part of the family. But It is very unlikely we would take on any new artists considering how busy we are with our current projects. There is very little turnover on our roster. We have been working with some some of our artists for over 15 years. Please do not send CDs by mail or MP3s by e-mail. If you wish, you may send a link to your website or myspace page where we can hear a few songs. Please don’t take it personally if you don’t hear back from us. Remember that part about us being very busy? Don’t worry, if we fall in love with your music and think we can assist you in some way, you’ll hear from us. We are not shy.

Who We Are (A to Z)

Bob Andrews
bob [at] undertowmusic [dot] com
Artist Manager
Bob grew up in Nashville on a steady diet of southern soul music and indie rock. He got his start in the music business in 1991 working in the drum shop at the historic Hewgley’s Music in downtown Nashville. In 1993 he took a job as tour manager for Uncle Tupelo and worked with them until their final show in 1994. He worked as tour manager for Wilco during the recording and touring to support their debut album in 1995. Around that time he started working with the Bottle Rockets, Centro-matic, Nadine and Dolly Varden. Bob and some friends joined together to form Undertow in 1996 as a means to help bands record and release music without the restrictions associated imposed by traditional record labels. He moved to Chicago in 2000 and over the next few years expanded his management roster to include Pedro the Lion, Jay Bennett, Mark Eitzel, American Music Club, and Grammy award winner Jesse Harris. Bob moved to Champaign, IL in 2005 where he enjoys the lack of traffic and slightly less snow. He constantly thinks about LP records, vintage BMW motorcycles, bicycles, iced tea, and The Big Lebowski.

Chris Grabau
chris [at] undertowmusic [dot] com
Artist Manager / Project Manager / Record Label
Chris grew up southeast of the Devil’s Promenade in Joplin, Missouri. A musician that has played in numerous bands over the years, his current band is Magnolia Summer. In addition to his own musical endeavors, Chris has helped others make records since he was a teenager by creating album artwork, producing recordings, and serving as a guest musician.  In 2001, Chris began working with Undertow to help coordinate album releases for several bands. In addition to making music and helping artists he loves, Chris works at a university where he is completing his PhD in education. Chris is obsessed with Tex Avery and with finding the perfect Tofu scramble recipe.

Adam Klavohn
adam [at] undertowmusic [dot] com
Artist Manager / Mail Order Manager
Adam is a graduate of Millikin University. He spent a year splitting his time between Undertow and Polyvinyl Records before coming to Undertow full-time in 2006. Adam restlessly oversees logistics and career planning for several of our busiest bands. He’s the glue that holds this place together. In his spare time Adam enjoys bargain shopping at the grocery store, riding bikes, and

Caleb Palma
caleb [at] undertowmusic [dot] com
Artist Manager / Tour Manager
Caleb was a Recording Industry Management major at Middle Tennessee State University when he joined Undertow in 2008. He takes care of the daily business for Via Audio and is the regular tour manager for David Bazan. When he’s not touring or thinking about burritos he spends time buying records, and writing his senators to ask for a more efficient public transit system.

Jeff Macklin
jeff [at] undertowmusic [dot] com
Artist Manager
Jeff swirled around the Undertow family since 1997 until making it “official” in 2004, and has been involved in just about every corner of the music world – tour managing, marketing, producing, on-line retail, and multi-media software. When you mix this with his graduate business degree and prior status as an Airborne Ranger Army officer, we don’t know what the hell you get…. other than someone who has a passion for everything he does. Jeff lives in Boston with his wife, Shannon, as well as two very personable BADs (Big Ass Dogs). He’s been known to partake in Adventure Racing and marathons, requests a bucket of KFC every year for his birthday, and thinks the BBC should be venerated for contributing Ali G and “The Office” to the American cultural landscape.

Mark Ray
markundertow [at] me [dot] com
Creative Director / Spiritual Guidance / Record Label
Mark Ray came up with the Undertow concept back in 1996. He is responsible for the amazing package designs, posters, and over-all vibe of Undertow. He’s an award winning director and designer who has done short films and videos for Son Volt, Dolly Varden, Centro-matic, his own band Waterloo, and many international commercials. Mark lives in Portland, Oregon where he runs North.

Christine Sanley
christine [at] undertowmusic [dot] com
Artist Manager
Christine is originally from Omaha, Nebraska, where she first discovered her love of music.  A graduate of Saint Louis University, she spent her college days as Music Director of the university radio station and booking manager for The Billiken Club, SLU’s on campus venue.  Through these two endeavors, Christine was certain she wanted to be involved in the music industry in several capacities.  Along with joining the Undertow family, she works as a radio promoter in New York City.  Christine’s interests include improving her record collection, photography, shuffleboard, and playing in the rain.