Today we’re psyched to tell you that OLE-981 is the Matador Records & True Panther Sounds’ 2012 Intended Play Samplerhits shelves on January 14. This (insanely) budget-priced vinyl sampler showcases new tracks and now-classics from the Matador/True Panther syndicate circa 2011-2012, and much like the Cherry Red sampler from which this LP finds inspiration, is destined to rank at #1 on all music retail charts.
Revisit your favorites from 2011, and get a preview of 2012 from your friends at Matador Records and True
Panther Sounds for under two dollars!
1 THE YOUNG – Don’t Hustle For Love*
2 KURT VILE – Life’s A Beach
3 GIRLS – My Ma
4 CEREMONY – Hysteria*
5 TANLINES – TBA
6 LEE RANALDO – Off The Wall*
7 FUCKED UP – Into The Light
8 ESBEN & THE WITCH – Hexagons II
9 PERFUME GENIUS – All Waters*
10 COLD CAVE – Confetti (edit)
11 STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JICKS – Polvo*
* unreleased
Pre-order it HERE or find it in your favorite vinyl retailer on 1/17)
…or Chase ATM’s. Grisly footage of what used to be the Mars Bar, locale of some fantastic first dates (and just as many last dates, I’d imagine). Photo swiped from EV Grieve, chroniclers of a once vibrant neighborhood being turned into, well, something that might still be fun if you’re either under 22 or a millionaire (preferably both).
Welcome back, pals. How was your Christmas? Get everything you wanted? Get that $7 check from grams? We know you’ve got that and some other Christmas money stashed away and you’re just wondering, “Where should I spend it?” Well if you’re reading this from the Austin area, here’s a hint:
1. Tell us briefly about your store.
We (Dan Plunkett & Blake Carlisle) opened End Of An Ear in May of 2005. We’re located on S. 1st Street near Boshai’s convenience store. We wanted to create a record store that focused on genres that we felt were ignored and more obscure music that we championed, but also be a regular kind of shop that carries all of the popular new releases. We also wanted to have a place that focused more on vinyl and featured lots of higher quality used stuff. We also carry books, magazines, DVD’s, VHS, and stereo equipment (used and new).
2. What got you into the independent record store business?
Being music lovers and collecting records mainly. Dan had done a record label/magazine (ND), and had previously co-owned another Austin record store (33 Degrees) for 8 years. We wanted to try and become a place that put a magnifying glass on the types of records that were being overlooked. We also wanted to eventually become a place that was filled to the brim with an ever-rotating inventory of used records.
3. Who are some of your favorite contemporary stores?
Jive Time in Seattle, Friends Of Sound and Breakaway in Austin, Vinyl Edge in Houston. Academy in NYC, Double Decker in Allentown, PA, Armageddon Shop in Providence, RI and Boston, MA, Record Surplus in LA, Grimey’s in Nashville, Stinkweeds in Phoenix, Jackpot and Mississippi in Portland, to name a few. A lot we need to visit.
4. How have things been going from a business perspective?
We are still growing and this year will be our best year yet. We are in a lucky spot in Austin where there are several major music fests such as SXSW, ACL, Chaos in Tejas, Fun Fun Fun Fest, Pachanga and several others that help bring attention to the shop. A lively and supportive local scene and just a general flow of people who are interesting and seeking out good music.
5. What do you think spells the survival for an independent record store today?
You have to stay on your toes. Besides DVDs, CDs, vinyl etc we expanded into selling new and used turntables, receivers and other audio equipment.. We also want to do more with books which we have done well with.
6. What are some of the coolest thing labels have done with you? Instores? Promotions? Sales?
We have been lucky to have a lot of cool instores: Band of Horses, Beirut, Cave, FM3, Peter Walker, Thurston Moore, Gary Wilson, The Bats, Ted Leo, Peelander Z, Exene Cervenka (and birthday party), Pierced Arrows, Rorschach, Tiny Vipers, Homosexuals, Colin Stetson, Jad Fair, Suisho No Fune, Eagle Twin, Nadja, Veronica Falls, Renderers and more that I’m forgetting.
We have done a few label features and sales such as Numero, National, Light in the Attic, VP (classic reggae titles), SPV (Krautrock titles), 4AD, Finder’s Keepers, etc.
As far as promotions, we have done giveaways via Twitter and Facebook such as free records, autographed goodies, free tickets, or get into a soundcheck and those kind of things.
7. Why do we need record stores?
Because living in a computer-only world is a sick, depressing idea. Don’t you get bored of iTunes, Amazon, Facebook and being on a computer in general? We do, and by having our store we try to reinforce the notion that going out in public, talking to people, sharing thoughts/opinions are integral steps to living an interesting and meaningful life.
8. What kind of taco is your favorite?
Anything from: Taqueria Amy’s, El Primo, Taco-Mex, Habanero, Tamale House, Maria’s, or Arranda’s. We’re into Al Pastor, Barbacoa, Carne Asada, Brisket Tacos, Lengua, Chorizo/egg, Migas plate from either Maria’s or Tamale House. Also, any food from Curra’s is amazing. Trust us we’ve lived here forevs.
9. Who are your top 3 favorite bands right now?
It would change by the second – but for now in this instant lets say: Total Control, John Maus, and Mist.
10. What is your favorite thing about your store? And you can’t say the customers. That’s like saying Einstein or Ghandi when asked “If you could meet one person, living or dead…”
Being in an old, weird building from the 60′s that’s kind of like a strange compound, and being able to live and work in an enviornment that has such a unique and historical past. We like the fact that occasionally the opportunity comes up where we can physically expand the shop, which we’ve done a few times and plan to do again in the future. The shop space itself is like an ongoing project.
11. What are your goals for the future of your store? Long term and short.
Short term – Keep improving our inventory/selection and the way the store looks.
Long term: To have Scott Walker or Robert Wyatt do an instore with an open bar and a feast catered by a kick ass Indian restaurant.
The Young are taking a short break from putting finishing touches on their 2nd album — and first for Matador — with a bunch of shows on the West Coast. Around the time of Matador’s 21st anniversary shows in Vegas going on sale, we received brutal, vicious criticism from locals who felt their cultural hotbed was routinely being passed over by our touring bands. OK, then. The Young are playing Vegas’ Beauty Bar (perhaps the place where the term “truth in advertising” originated) and I fully expect several hundred of the city’s most passionate music fans to be in attendance.
(I also believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and that the Planet Of The Apes movies are a prophecy).
Here’s the full schedule :
Wed 1/4 – Yucca Tap Room, Tempe, AZ
Thu 1/5 – Soda Bar, San Diego, CA
Fri 1/6 – Cellar Door, Visalia, CA
Sat 1/7 – Bottom Of The Hill, SF, CA
Mon 1/9 – The Satellite, Los Angeles
Tue 1/10 – The Smell, Los Angeles
Wed 1/11 – Beauty Bar, Las Vegas, NV
Thu 1/12 – Solar Culture Gallery, Tucson AZ
Fri 1/4 – Mohawk, Austin TX (with Balaclavas)
Sometimes over here at Matador HQ we like to try wacky shit like making videos featuring famous funny guys or buying a single Soda Stream for 15 people to use and then wonder why it runs out of gas after a day and a half.
But this time we’re doing something a little more simple and a lot more awesome.
As you already know, Girls are playing Terminal 5 on Saturday January 14. As you probably know, tickets are disappearing faster than (insert Kardashian wedding joke here). So just for you, NYC, we’ve teamed up with some of the best independent records stores in the Big Apple to offer a FREE TICKET when you purchase a copy of Father, Son, Holy Ghost (while supplies last, of course).
Simple as that. Buy the new album at regular price, get a free ticket to the show at Terminal 5.
For Volume 3 of our groundbreaking featurette, we dug in with Sharod Bines and Bradley Ellison, the two Floridians who run Retrofit Records. These guys rule and apparently have the kind of taste that would fit right in at Matador HQ. I dig them because they say “motherfucker” a lot.
That photo down the bottom there that’s Sharod and Bradley with a special friend. They’re clearly radical dudes.
1. Tell us briefly about your store. SB: Retrofit Records is located in Tallahasee, Florida, in the heart of downtown Tallahassee. Our store is about 950 square feet. Within our small space we host in-store performances, community events like BBQs, potlucks, listening parties, and anything else fun that we can think of! About 95% of our stock consists of new and used vinyl, while the remainder consists of about 60-80 CDs (at any given time), shop related apparel, a few publications, vinyl accessories, and new record players.
2. What got you into the independent record store business? SB: A love for music and the need to contribute in a bigger way to our city’s music scene. That, and we’re the only record store in town where you can find new and current released music. Before we opened it was a little embarassing when a band came through town and would ask us to direct them to the nearest record store and we’d have to tell them none exist. Now that we’re open, we just direct them to our shop! BE: Honestly, it also felt necessary for us (instead of anyone else) to start the store. We, to put it bluntly, are music nerds, and our knowledge of music is a little more intense and comprehensive than many other people in our town. So it really came down to who would be capable, willing, and knowledgable enough to present and sell music to our town. Plus, It’s a handy tool for instructing and recommending albums to people based on maybe one band that they are into. 3. Who are some of your favorite contemporary stores? SB: Radio-Active Records in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Vinyl Richie’s Wiggly World in Orlando, Fl, and Criminal Records in Atlanta, GA BE: Aquarius Records
4. How have things been going from a business perspective? SB: So far things have been great! I don’t come from a retail background at all (never even worked a register before now hah), so I was definitely nervous about opening a record shop. However, we actually lucked out, as in, we opened a week after major construction concluded on the main thouroughfare where our shop is located, and we opened a week before fall semester classes started, which really has helped sales and word of mouth regarding the shop. Even one of the universities interviewed us and put the article on the front page of their “Arts & Culture” section, which was really nice! So far this year has been great for us! We’re hoping 2012 goes just as smoothly. BE: Some people have questioned our logic and asked aloud “why start a vinyl store when music sales are on the decline?” We’ve proved the naysayers wrong pretty quickly by succeeding at our mission.
5. What do you think spells the survival for an independent record store today? SB: SUPPORT within the community! I can’t stress that enough. Considering that we’re the only contemporary record store in our city, we’d like to hope that people would treasure something like what we’re doing, and would want us to succeed and therefore inspire others within the community to create their own cultural exchange, no matter what form it comes in, be it music, art, culinary, etc… That being said, a large part of the onus lies with us. Part of our job as a record store is to inform and educate the public/scene on what’s available. You know, not just what’s cool or new, but what’s out there beyond mainstream radio and TV. BE: The size and focus of a store is also important. There’s no way a store can survive if it becomes bloated and tries to appeal to everyone’s slight whim. We saw a store in town fall apart by trying to grow and grow – Vinyl Fever RIP – but let’s face it: with the rise of the Internet, plus with the dreck that passes for mainstream music, most people no longer see the need to buy records. But there are always music fans out there, willing to dig and listen to new things. By keeping small, you can provide a more diverse collection of music and you don’t compete with chain stores in any way. 6. What are some of the coolest thing labels have done with you? Instores? Promotions? Sales? SB: At this point we haven’t done as much as we would like to with labels, in fact we want to do a lot MORE! Maybe the labels are waiting to see if we’ll be around in a year, or maybe they just want us to buy more inventory haha. It’s cool though, the labels we work with send us the usual schwag (posters, promos, limited edition stuff, etc..), which we more than appreciate. Some labels don’t send us anything! Either way, we’ve hosted some really fun in-store shows and events with the likes of Nobunny, Shannon & The Clams, Moon Duo, Jacuzzi Boys, Cheveu, Paul Collins Beat, etc… Oh yeah, almost forgot Keith Morris (Black Flag, Circle Jerks, OFF!) came by the store and bought a bunch of records, which was pretty cool!
7. Why do we need record stores? SB: Who doesn’t need a hang spot where you can listen to awesome records?! BE: Why do we need to breathe? Why do we need to love? Because otherwise, life would be life would merely be a dull, inescapable throbbing pain.
8. What kind of taco is your favorite? SB: I don’t eat tacos often, but I’m a pretty straight forward guy. So I’ll have to go with the original: ground beef, lettuce, tomato, and shredded cheese. BE: Oh my god! The taco, you see, is imperative to life. I prefer using tempeh and vegetables (done the same way that typically comes in a fajita), adding some guacamole and melting some cheese on the motherfucker. And before you ask, yes it’s in a hard shell. Goddamn, maybe I should start a Mexican food cart.
9. Who are your top 3 favorite bands right now? SB: The Spits, Yussuf Jerusalem, and Davila 666! BE: How cruel, cutting it down to three. Anyway, lately I’ve been obsessing over Sun City Girls, Dungen, and The Bug.
10. What is your favorite thing about your store? And you can’t say the customers. That’s like saying Einstein or Ghandi when asked “If you could meet one person, living or dead…” SB: Fulfilling one of my dreams! ..and the pride of ownership. It feels really nice to work hard for something and then see it come to fruition, there’s nothing like it. BE: Swag. No but for real, it’s what i’ve wanted to do since I was a kid.
11. What are your goals for the future of your store? Long term and short. SB: Retrofit Records world domination?! BE: Surviving and thriving motherfucker!
The following was posted at Yo La Tengo.com earlier this evening ;
Hi everybody, especially those of you with tickets to next week’s shows,
We strive to make our Hanukkah shows unpredictable, and in one unfortunate regard we’ve outdone ourselves this year. I’m going to be a little vague here, but I had a pretty serious health scare earlier this month. I’m well on the way to recovery, but I’ve not yet been deemed ready to Rock. The good news is . . . well, the good news is I’m on the way to recovery . . . but vis-à-vis next week, the good news is that I’ve been deemed ready to sit in a chair and play the concerts that mean more to me, Georgia and James than most anything else we do together. Our sets will undoubtedly be tweaked accordingly. In other words, if you were hoping to be in attendance for our annual airing of “Mushroom Cloud of Hiss,” I’m afraid that is now zooming up the Unlikely chart with a bullet. But we’re confident that it’s going to be a great eight days. We’re looking forward to seeing you all, and to not answering any questions about what happened to me!
As long as I’ve got your attention, I’ll let you know about one other change this year. We’ve filled the walls of Maxwell’s front room with a bunch of posters and other ephemera from our various closets. Some of it will be for sale (all proceeds to charity) and all of it will hopefully be entertaining.
link courtesy VHS Summer. The W.W. signature Pontiac Aztek is well beyond the means of the average Matador Records-buyer, so perhaps these sneakers are a better holiday option.
If you weren’t lucky enough to see Fucked Up perform David Comes To Life in New York City last month (or if you can’t get to Toronto on Tuesday), OR if you were there and just don’t remember it very well, Pitchfork TV has your back.
With all due respect to our friends at Sub/Pop, Columbus Discount, HoZac, and I don’t know, two dozen other labels who’ve tried it, we’re rolling out a limited edition 7″ subscription series in early 2012. A number of years back, some bright Matador exec came up with the title ‘Singles Going Home Alone’ for a proposed compilation album of the label’s early one-off, long out of print singles (Mark Eitzel, Chain Gang, The Schramms, The Pastels, Fire In The Kitchen, etc.) A few of the artists we approached politely declined (or impolitely told us to fuck off and die) and rather than repair the shattered relationships, we shelved the title. Until once fine day last October when Robby Morris suggested we do a bunch of one off singles AGAIN, only this time we’ll try not to alienate all of the participants.
We’re planning on 6 singles over the course of 2012, but if we’re having fun with this, there’s no reason we won’t have another batch lined up for 2013. The in the series will be the long-rumored split 7″ between Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks (left) and L.A. Guns (right), with the former covering the latter’s “Wheels Of Fire” and Tracii & Co. tackling the latter’s “Gorgeous George”. We’ve waited nearly 23 years to tell the world L.A. Guns are Matador Recording Artists, and finally we can say it at parties without lying.
(photo by Zac Sprague)
Edition #2 will be a couple of new songs from Austin, TX’s OBN III’s whose most recent ‘The One & Only’ LP (Tic Tac Totally) has made no shortage of 2011 top ten lists. Well, the good ones, anyway. There’s a longish interview with frontman/dictator Orville Neeley in the latest issue of Maximum Rocknroll…and if that sentence seem a tad out of place on the Matablog, well, keep in mind we just said we’re putting out a record with L.A. Guns. Surprises are relative.
Single #3 will be a new 7″ from NYC’s THE MEN, whose amazing 2nd album, ‘Leave Home’(Sacred Bones) is (again) one of the current year’s finest. It would be the height of hyperbole to claim this record hasn’t left our turntable, though it would be completely truthful to say it has on some occasions, rolled across the room and supplanted whatever else we thought about putting on.
We’ll reveal the identities behind singles 4, 5 and 6 pretty soon. If you wait until then, however, you run the not-so-small risk there won’t be any left.
- what you get: 6 subscription only 7″es every other month in 2012, plus a special secret bonus item, a tote bag and 10% off all year long on the Matador Store (which cannot be combined with other discounts)
JANUARY 17 – Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks / L.A. Guns
MARCH 20 – OBN III’s
MAY 22 – The Men
JULY 10 – TBA
SEPTEMBER 11 – TBA
NOVEMBER 6 – TBA
- prices (all inclusive of shipping – each 7″ will be shipped out separately for release date):
$45 US
$55 Canada
$70 rest of world
Alright. Let the thoroughly off-the-mark speculation about the next 3 singles commence.
(trusty 2011 Matador ballot counters voice displeasure over management cancelling a game that required them to drink 27 shots each time Total Control received a vote)
The whole year-end Best-Of thing has gotten completely out of hand. For starters, I hear Sub Pop published theirs on Labor Day. Spin’s list featured 4 albums from the same NYC indie in their top 11 ; even Vladimir Putin thinks there’s something screwy going on. Still, even though such polls reek of patronage and self-congratulation, some traditions die hard around here. And without further ado, we present the 2011 edition of “Hey Check Us Out, We Like Cool Stuff”. It is our fervent hope that after scanning these lists, you’ll never again question our cultural superiority find a hidden gem or two thoroughly ignored by the mainstream media. Or failing that, you won’t resent us too much. On behalf of the entire Matador Records family, we thank you for making 2011 one of the least litigious in our history, and here’s hoping 2012 is equally crammed with joyous milestones (weddings, births, elective plastic surgeries). Though I’d settle for a new Cat Power album. Lists after the jump ;
Speaking of gift-giving, Fucked Up are playing “David Comes To Life” in its entirety in Toronto on Dec 20, and organizing a concert the next night with several Toronto bands; both shows are for charity. Details here. There will also be a split holiday 7″ with Sloan, hopefully available at these Toronto shows, limited to just 500, and benefitting the COUNTERfit Harm Reduction Program and the Barriere Lake Legal Defense Fund.
If you’re in New York, Fucked Up are playing the Brooklyn Night Bazaar December 16; tickets just $10 and available here.
In other news, you may have missed Fucked Up’s appearance on Canada’s George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight show earlier this month. Here they are being interviewed & performing “The Other Shoe”:
Or maybe you’re planning on going on the Bruise Cruise from Miami to The Bahamas Feb 10-13 2012? Damian is cruise director and you can find more info and a holiday gift exchange video with Fucked Up here:
Oh, what else, what else. Mmmm, did I mention MAYBE THE BEST THING FUCKED UP HAVE EVER RECORDED is coming out Feb 21? Year Of The Tiger (available for pre-order here or here is the latest in their annual zodiac-themed 12″s, and this one features Jim Jarmusch, Annie-Claude Deschênes, and Austra, but mainly 15 minuted of gorgeous epic crescendoing maximalism from our heroes (and that’s just the A-side).
That’s really “tampiqueños” but WordPress chokes on titles with special characters.
This is a straight-up recipe from Diana Kennedy’s Essential Cuisines of Mexico. Unlike her tamales recipe which I posted about a couple years back, this one requires no interpretation from the experts. Just make sure you leave your tortillas out a day or so, cut into 6 triangular pieces each, to get properly stale before commencing.
The green in the sauce comes a combination of tomatillos (tomates verdes) and grilled poblano chiles, which are quite mild. The former need to be simmered for a bit to soften them; the latter you need to grill over a flame (an open gas burner works fine) until thoroughly blistered and blackened on all sides. Both go into the food processor with fresh cilantro and epazote (I used dried epazote because that’s all I could find) plus white onion and salt.
Then – in a manner surprisingly similar to Thai chile pastes, you fry the sauce in vegetable oil (I’m guessing originally in lard, but I could be wrong – apparently the pre-Hispanic recipes fried the salsa dry), and add some chicken broth.
Next you fry the tortilla triangles until “they just begin to stiffen but not brown” (harder to judge than you might think), bring the sauce to a boil, and stir in the tortilla pieces. You need to find just that right consistency between too crisp and too soggy. As Nils pointed out to me, it’s a peculiarly Mexican thing.
Finally an enormous amount of fresh cold items are put on top: roughly chopped cilantro, thinly sliced large radishes, hardboiled eggs, roughly chopped white onion and hand-crumbled queso fresco. It’s the contrast between the just-sauced tortilla chips, redolent with the tart smokiness of the sauce, and the crisp fresh ingredients on top, that makes the dish. It’s essential to get the balance right. You serve the dish immediately.
Recently we broke ground on our newest Matablog feature Get To Know Your Local Independent Retailer with L.A. vinyl gurus Origami Vinyl. This week, we travel up the Pacific Coast to Portland for a chat with Terry Currier (pictured below, on the right), owner of Rose City institution Music Millennium.
1. Tell us briefly about your store.
Music Millennium opened on march 15th, 1969. It grew to a full catalog store. Music Millennium pioneered live music in a record store putting in stage on our 10th Anniversersary with a permanent sound system. We do about 150 live performances a year.
2. What got you into the independent record store business?
I started in record retail in 1972. I did not grow up listening to the radio or recorded music. I played clarinet and was going to go to college on music scholarships. I got a car at 16 1/2 after riding a motorcycle in the rain and snow for the first six months of my 16th year. The radio got me interested in music and 2 weeks before my senior year of high school, I went to my first concert – Leon Russell & The Shelter People. Two weeks later I applied for a job in a record store and they hired me on my enthusiasm and didn’t ask me what I knew about music or I would have not got the job. 3 weeks later my girlfriend (met at the store) told me she had a surprise for me that night. It turned out to be a trip to Music Millennium. I went there almost every night after work in my record store job reading album covers back to back, specially their import section. In 1984, after the middle ownership at Music Millennium was going to file bankruptcy, I went to work for the original owner as he assumed the debt and the inventory and building. I bought pieces of of it and eventually bought the whole thing. I paid it off around the dawn of downloading.
3. Who are some of your favorite contemporary stores?
I have so many favorites but Twist & Shout in Denver and Waterloo in Austin have pretty amazing stores. Fingerprints‘ new store in Long Beach is really incredible. I always gravitate towards the vinyl section of any store i get to visit.
4. How have things been going from a business perspective?
The past decade has been very trying, especially the past couple years. The economy really has been a factor in slowing business the past couple years. It’s sad to see stores like Ear-X-Tacy go from being one of the best record stores in the country to having to close.
5. What do you think spells the survival for an independent record store today?
Anyone still doing it is doing it for the right reason – the passion of the music. That is why they are still open. Many indie labels have succeeded in these times and had much success though. I still feel that physical goods are viable and the market could increase with a unified effort. Vinyl is a bright spot as new consumers get into it everyday. Had vinyl stayed around instead of the CD in the late 80′s, the industry would have not been effected as much by digital. Everything about vinyl is great; the sound, the covers, the jackets.
6. What are some of the coolest thing labels have done with you? Instores? Promotions? Sales?
We pinch ourselves every once in a while over the instores we have hosted. Joe Strummer, Randy Newman, Soundgarden, Steve Earle, Paul Westerberg, Sleater-Kinney and Keith Emerson!
7. Why do we need record stores?
Record stores use to be community centers. Many still are but to a lesser extent. When you go to a good record store, you are going to get turned on to music you did not even know existed. You browse on the internet, you read magazines, but record store employees that you connect with can make your day. Browsing in a good store you will discover so many things. And for shopping vinyl, especially used, you have a chance to find those coveted pieces you have been looking for for years or just a fun piece like a “How To Bowl” record or “Music For Your Plants’ record. Sure, you can search online but takes the fun out it.
8. What kind of taco is your favorite?
Shrimp. With a real good and flavorful hot sauce. You don’t want to hide the flavor of the shrimp, you want to enhance it.
9. Who are your top 3 favorite bands right now?
My favorite albums of 2011 are Unfazed by Delorean and Sky Full of Holes by Fountains of Wayne. You can’t go wrong with the new album Viva Voce The Future Will Destroy Us. If i had to name my favorite bands of all-time – The Kinks, Spirit and Mott The Hoople.
10. What is your favorite thing about your store? And you can’t say the customers. That’s like saying Einstein or Ghandi when asked “If you could meet one person, living or dead…”
The favorite thing about the store is the feel. The store has character. It still has the feel it did 40 years ago. We have tried to preserve that as we have made changes over the years. You can feel the passion of the music as you walk through the store.
11. What are your goals for the future of your store?
The goal is be able to continue to be a great full catalog store.
On January 17 2012 February 7*, Rohnert Park CA’s CEREMONY will release “Hysteria“, their first recording for Matador. The 7″ is now available on the Matador store for pre-order (the first 200 orders will receive exclusive clear vinyl). The tracks will also be available for digital purchase.
Catch CEREMONY on tour in Florida next week, and keep your browser pointed at this blog and www.ceremonyhc.com for a lot more exciting news in the coming weeks.
12.8.11
Will’s Pub – Orlando, FL
Ceremony
No Friends
Khann
Demoter
Weight Of The World
12.9.11
Churchill’s Pub – Miami, FL
Ceremony
No Friends
Merchandise
Rat Bastard
Homestretch
12.10.11
Transitions Art Gallery – Tampa, FL
Ceremony
No Friends
Feral Babies
* due to delays at the pressing plant, this is now scheduled for February 7, sorry for any inconvenience
COMING FEBRUARY 21: The second album from Seattle’s PERFUME GENIUS, entitled Put Your Back N 2 It. Perfume Genius, aka Mike Hadreas, is a Seattle singer-songwriter whose 2010 debut Learning established him as one of the most endearing and quietly forceful performers today.
Though Learning’s voyeuristic window into Hadreas’s experiences resonated intensely with many people, Put Your Back N 2 It is much more universal, addressing intimacy, power, family, secrecy, and hope, not just through his impressionistic lyrics, but the music itself, which is as lush as Learning was stark.
Track list:
1. Awol Marine
2. Normal Song
3. No Tear
4. 17
5. Take Me Home
6. Dirge
7. Dark Parts
8. All Waters
9. Hood
10. Put Your Back N2 It
11. Floating Spit
12. Sister Song
Check out the song “All Waters” at the link below:
The former Declan McManus was once famously dubbed “Elvis Cosdildo” in a piece of Crypt Records propaganda some years ago, but I suspect there’s a particular point that even Tim Warren and the ever prolific Costello might see eye to eye on, to wit, the suggested list price of Costello & The Imposters’ ‘The Return Of The Spectacular Spinning Songbook’ being obscenely high (ie. $262.00). Calling the sum, “either a misprint or a satire”, Elvis weighs in with the following ;
All our attempts to have this number revised have been fruitless but rather than detain you with tedious arguments about morality, panache and book-keeping – when there are really bigger fish to filet these days – we are taking the following unusual step.
If you should really want to buy something special for your loved one at this time of seasonal giving, we can whole-heartedly recommend, “Ambassador Of Jazz” – a cute little imitation suitcase, covered in travel stickers and embossed with the name “Satchmo” but more importantly containing TEN re-mastered albums by one of the most beautiful and loving revolutionaries who ever lived – Louis Armstrong.
The box should be available for under one hundred and fifty American dollars and includes a number of other tricks and treats. Frankly, the music is vastly superior.
If on the other hand you should still want to hear and view the component parts of the above mentioned elaborate hoax, then those items will be available separately at a more affordable price in the New Year, assuming that you have not already obtained them by more unconventional means.
To which I’ll only add that while we’ve had no talks with Yo La Tengo about any sort of commercially available document of their own attempts to (ahem) reinvent The Wheel, I can pledge to you, the music-loving public that if such a thing ever comes to pass, you’ll PAY NO MORE THAN $250.00.
In under a week, Fucked Up will be touring with the Foo Fighters in Australia. They return our hemisphere in February (2/10-13) to headline the second annual Bruise Cruise (for which Damian will also act as the Cruise Director)
Check out all the dates and details below.
Fri, Dec 2 , 2011 , Melbourne , AU , AAMI Park (with Foo Fighters)
Sat, Dec 3 , 2011 , Melbourne , AU , AAMI Park (with Foo Fighters)
Mon, Dec 5 , 2011 , Adelaide , AU , Cricket Ground (with Foo Fighters)
Thu, Dec 8 , 2011 , Sydney , AU , Football Stadium (with Foo Fighters)
Fri, Dec 9, 2011, Brisbane, AU, Alhambra Lounge (FU headlining)
Sat, Dec 10 , 2011 , Gold Coast , AU , Metricon Stadium (with Foo Fighters)
Tue, Dec 13 , 2011 , Auckland , AU , Western Springs (with Foo Fighters)
Fri, Feb 10 – 13 2012 , Miami FL – Nassau Bahamas Bruise Cruise Festival (with King Khan & The Shrines, The Soft Pack, The Dirtbombs, Thee Oh Sees, Quintron & Miss Pussycat, Mikal Cronin, The Togas and more)
Today For No One, along with Refinery 29, brings us a lovely rendition of “Love Like A River” from Father, Son, Holy Ghost. The album is on sale for $6.99 at Amazon (the sale ends tomorrow, so hurry!). The session:
As announced, Girls will release an insane new 7″ on December 6th, and you can pre-order it now.
Finally, Girls have two of their biggest ever US shows coming up soon: Tuesday December 6th at the Fonda in LA (tickets) and Saturday Jan 14th at Terminal 5 in NYC (buy tickets or win them from Refinery 29). If you live in Santa Ana, you aren’t left out, either.
Sopa de lima, or lime soup, is a Yucatecan dish. This version is from Wednesday’s New York Times article by David Tanis, a welcom reprieve from a rather sad front page piece focusing on gluttony… did you know it takes a 42-mile walk to burn off the calories from a typical Thanksgiving feaast, blahhhhhh I don’t care.
Obviously you can use the leavings from any poultry feast. However as Tanis points out, turkeys were domesticated in Mexico centuries earlier than they were here, and even exported to Europe before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth. Still, the hard part is the first part: roast a large bird and have sufficient leavings. In this case, I had roasted a 14-pound turkey using a combination of the Russ Parsons dry brine and Elmer Grossman’s Hungarian-American steam-foil-bag technique from Saveur, and had a hefty, meaty carcass, an unused neck (long story) and quite a few meaty bones.
I simmered these into a broth as per Tanis’s recommendation last night. I also left some tortillas from one of the vendors at Essex Street Market out to stale. That was the limit of my prep – most of the rest of the stuff was here around the house.
The recipe calls for roasting and grinding cumin, coriander seed and black pepper, which go into a mirepoix of (white) onion, celery and carrot, along with a cinnamon stick, garlic and salt. (Sidenote: when did Mexican and Caribbean cuisines pick up these spices? Presumably from the India trade, because cumin, coriander seed, black pepper and cinnamon are so clearly subcontinental in origin? Or?) You add the broth to that and simmer 15 minutes – an intoxicating 15 minutes, I might add. A man explained to me on Thanksgiving Day that smelling food is one-half the way to eating it, and he is absolutely right.
The rest is completely straightforward and as per Tanis’s article. I put in a pinch of Mexican oregano because I had some and because Diana Kennedy calls for it in her recipe which is, however, entirely different. The one thing I’d add is that you should not stint on the salt, even if you started with a well-brined turkey and despite the fact that the recipe calls for unsalted broth. Whatever salt is in the turkey is well diluted by the 12 cups of water, and you will need plenty more.
I love how green the garnishes are in certain Mexican dishes. I completely spaced on the avocado – it would have been nice, I’m sure, but I didn’t miss it. This dish is just fantastic.
A few weeks back we posted a little piece about how – contrary to the general perception – there are plenty of independent record stores out there who are doing just fine. That post was met with such excited fervor that we’ve decided to go one step further and profile some of those stores who are out there in your town, slinging rock and taking names. For our first installment we caught up with Neil Schield, owner of one of our favorite new record shops, Origami Vinyl in Los Angeles; a small store who pack a ton of punch and are really beginning to cultivate their own community in the Echo Park area.
1. Tell us briefly about your store. Origami Vinyl is a new and used vinyl shop located in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. We opened on April 3rd, 2009 and feature a ton of amazing in-stores, a robust selection of local music, and are very active in our local community. Our shop is only 400 square feet but packs in a very diverse curated collection of independent music from a wide range of genres.
2. What got you into the independent record store business?
It started as a dream in high school that became more of a fantasy once I started my career in the music industry out of college. After being in the industry for 10 years, I was laid off twice within a matter of 2 years. I was pretty over the whole corporate landscape. Down and out and not sure where to take my career, I had a yard sale to purge some things I didn’t need, including a bunch of LPs that my parents had given me that I didn’t really listen to. That yard sale changed my life. Within hours I had sold nearly 40 records and was amazed by how many people were interested in the records I didn’t want. An old man who lived across the street came over in amazement that I had records. He had a little building in front of his house that used to be a store front. I made some joke to him that he should let me rent that front building out and turn it into a record store. He laughed and said no.
But something in me started to think that maybe it wasn’t such a far fetched idea. A couple weeks later I really started to give the dream much more thought and approached the old man again. He politely declined, but I was determined to figure this thing out. I went down the street to my friend Jeff’s bar, El Prado in Echo Park. He asked me what I had been up to and I told him about my subsequent layoffs. He asked what my next plans were, and I said I was having this crazy idea about opening a record store. His eyes lit up and he told me that him and Mitchell Frank, who also co-own The Echo, had just purchased the building next door to The Echo and were looking for a tenant. The record store would be perfect there. The next morning we met at the space and shook hands on it. Within 9 months, on April 3rd, 2009, the shop opened it’s doors.
3. Who are some of your favorite contemporary stores? Mississippi Records in Portland is by far my favorite. I love the personality of that shop. It’s so small and quaint, yet has such a tremendous amount of amazing music. I really respect Aquarius Records in San Francisco. They are one of the best shops to turn you on to unknown/obscure music. I’ve always enjoyed their level of knowledge and recommendations.
4. How have things been going from a business perspective?
It’s pretty crazy. I never was sure what to expect. I didn’t lay out a business plan or anything, but we have been blown away by the amount of support, press, and foot traffic that come through our shop. It’s been the most fulfilling decision I have ever made in my life. I’m constantly learning all the nuances of owning a retail shop and the unpredicatbility of sales trends, but the challenge makes it that much more fun.
5. What do you think spells the survival for an independent record store today?
Community. It’s our mission to be as active with our local community as possible. As a record store I believe you have to have some sort of responsibility to support your local music scene. We pride ourselves on that. Any band that wants to take the time to release something on vinyl, our doors are open for them to sell it here, promote it here, play an in-store here. Without local independent bands we wouldn’t exist.
In addition to this its extremely important to get involved with local non-profit organizations, support local education institutions, work with other local retailers and the chambers of commerce, and DJ at local venues and bars.
I also believe the future of independent record stores must be based on smaller, more curated, neighborhood shops, than big, huge warehouses of music. There’s been a major movement over the course of the last few years to support small local retailers, and we feel that. People really appreciate customer service. Having an approachable, knowledgeable staff, that get excited that they share the same interests as the customer is extremely important.
6. What are some of the coolest thing labels have done with you? Instores? Promotions? Sales?
The most memorable and maybe the most infamous, was our in-store with Jonsi. Not only was it the most amazing performance we’ve ever hosted, but the fact that it will never happen again was pretty special. I feel bad that he was so uncomfortable being so close to his fans, but at the same time, I hope he realizes in retrospect how magical that night was for everyone that witnessed it. If you haven’t seen it, check it out.
Another rad thing is 2 months after the store opened, we had one of my favorite bands of all time, Sonic Youth, completely take over the shop to celebrate their album, The Eternal. SY came up with a new store name and sign, hand selected their favorite records to sell and had 2 bands they curated to play the shop. It was insane!
Other than, we have hosted numerous epic in-stores with bands like Florence and the Machine, Superchunk, Ben Harper, Holy Fuck, Lou Barlow, Entrance Band, Dengue Fever, Youth Lagoon, Yuck, Male Bonding, The Strange Boys, Eleanor Friedberger, J Tillman, The Growlers, and so many more.
7. Why do we need record stores?
Because we’re fun people to loiter with.
8. What kind of taco is your favorite?
Al Pastor from Taco Zone in Echo Park.
9. Who are your top 3 favorite bands right now?
I’d say the top 3 albums of the year for me are from Bill Callahan, PJ Harvey, and Tune-Yards.
10. What is your favorite thing about your store? And you can’t say the customers. That’s like saying Einstein or Ghandi when asked “If you could meet one person, living or dead…”
Knowing that my dream came true.
11.Tell us about the used and collectible action you have going on over there?
We are pretty selective about what we bring in but we have some gems right now from Can, dEUS, Tom Waits, The Germs, Chuck Berry, Felt, Amon Duul, Kraut, Galaxie 500, Godflesh, Sun Ra, Mogwai, Lydia Lunch and more!
12. What are your goals for the future of your store? Long term and short.
Short term: Open an online store that focuses on LA based bands and artists. Long term: Origami East…hello Brooklyn!?
You might think we’re a pretty arrogant bunch at Matador Records and Filmworks. We used to be, at least until everything we knew about showbiz was piledriven into the pavement (GET IT?) by a group of young men from Minneapolis who I’m pretty sure will go down as the biggest thing to hit that town since Owl City Trip Shakespeare. We’ve already blown our 2012 signing budget on Ceremony and The Young, so it’ll be up to another enterprising label (Fat Possum, we’re looking right at you) to take full advantage of the musical equivalent of this friendly label throwing a big meatball right down the middle of the plate. You’re welcome!
“Please get in touch with me at the address above or contact my male secretary via electronic mail.” wrote Mr. Bickerton, though a few weeks later, he opted to send the following message rather than send a second package to my home address (thanks for that, by the way).
Dear Mr. Cosloy,
I take it the COZY promo materials I dispatched to you on the 19th of October have made their way into your hands by now. While you are doubtlessly in the process of drafting a contract worthy of a band with COZY’s limitless promise, I must urge you not to stand on ceremony any longer. Our offices here at Razzle Dazzle Ltd. have been flooded with requests from major record labels across the globe in recent weeks, including such heavy hitters as RAK, BELL, DECCA, CUBE, STATE, POLYDOR GERMANY, and RCA JAPAN. However, we would still like to give you first crack at releasing these recordings due to Matador’s reputation as a label on the cutting edge of trends in popular music. As I’m sure you are aware, the sky is truly the limit when marketing a band like COZY. Hit records are a matter of course with these boys, but the sales of merchandise aimed at their teenage fanbase (lunchboxes, dolls, posters, backpacks, trading cards, board games, chapter books. etc.) will open up a myriad of potential revenue streams for the record label lucky enough to sign them. This is to say nothing of the Cozy Variety Hour program that is being shopped around to networks at this very moment! It’s no exaggeration to say that COZY have the potential to be bigger than the Osmonds and the Defranco’s COMBINED!!!!!
Again, I implore you to act soon before this once in a lifetime opportunity slips away forever. Fortune favors the bold and dreams only come true if we have the courage to make them into reality. Let’s make some magic together.
Red-braised pork, or hong shao rou, is a popular dish in Sichuan province (there’s also a Hunan version that was allegedly Mao’s favorite dish). It’s also known as wu hua rou, or “five-flower pork,” because of the layers of skin, fat and lean in each piece of the meat.
It took me two tries to get this dish right. I initially used pork belly from Chinatown and the recipe from Fuchsia Dunlop’s Land of Plenty (known in the UK as Sichuan Cookery). I found the meat too fatty and the sauce underflavored.
After some research I learned that I’d probably not reduced sauce down sufficiently. I got a second piece of pork belly from Mario Batali’s incredible Eataly, which was significantly less fatty (although still with plenty of fat). I also took on some of the recommendations of eGullet user Prawncrackers, whose recipe for Dong Po pork on that site is served in UK Sichuan restaurants – he or she describes it as a “more ‘glamorous’ version of the dish.”
Below is the recipe that I used on my second try, which is a hybrid of the two approaches, and turned out fabulously unctuous & explosively flavorful. Served with white rice, roasted ground Thai chile powder and sriracha sauce on the side.
Some notes:
- the blanching is to rid the pork of any off flavors and make it easier to cut
- the deep frying makes the skin significantly more soft and delicate
- after 2 hours, the meat still had some chew, which I liked – you could take it to 3-4 hours to have it really melting
- like most braises and stews, it will taste even better after a night in the fridge! but is wonderful the day of as well
enough vegetable oil for deep-frying
1 1/2 lb boneless pork belly, skin still on
2-3 inch piece unpeeled ginger, smashed with a cleaver or heavy pestle
3 scallions, cut into 3 pieces each (white and green parts)
1 whole star anise
2 dried red chiles (I used Thai chiles)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tbs palm sugar
1/3 cup light soy sauce
1/3 cup dark soy sauce
1/2 cup Shaoxing rice wine
1 1/4 cup good brown chicken stock (ours was homemade from an old Gourmet recipe)
Bring a pot of water to the boil, blanch pork in boiling/simmering water for 10 minutes total.
Fill wok with enough oil to half submerge pork belly. Over highest possible heat bring to 325-350 F. Put pork belly carefully in oil, and deep-fry top for 1 1/2 – 2 mins, then carefully turn over and deep-fry the bottom for about the same time, keeping temp in that range as best as you can, also maybe 30 seconds on the sides and the thicker end of the belly if necessary. Remove pork to a plate with paper towel and allow to cool. (Prawncrackers said to pat meat dry at this point but I forgot.)
Cut belly into 2-3-inch chunks, leaving each piece with a layer of skin and a mixture of lean and fat.
Heat 2-3 tbs oil in a Le Creuset dutch oven or similar over very high heat, add ginger and scallions, and stirfry for 1-2 mins or so; add pork chunks, continue to stirfry for 1 min or so, add the rest of ingredients (the liquid should just barely cover the meat – adjust quantities for your pot, keeping proportions – do not dilute the mixture too much with the stock), bring to a boil, then let simmer gently over a low flame half-covered or uncovered for at least 2 hours.
As previously reported, Perfume Genius is gearing up to head on the road with Beirut in just about a week’s time. Get your tickets & be sure to keep it here for further information about the brand new Perfume Genius album coming out in 2012….
Saturday 11/26 – Providence, RI – Lupo’s (with Beirut) tickets
Monday 11/28 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues (with Beirut) tickets
Wednesday 11/30 – Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall (with Beirut) tickets
Friday 12/02 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue (with Beirut) SOLD OUT
Fucked Up’s whirlwind two days in New York commenced last night with a jaw-dropping performance of David Comes To Life at Le Poisson Rouge, and concludes with a reenactment of the very same album tonight at Warsaw. Sandwiched in-between is today’s live radio session on WNYC Soundcheck, which is sure to be required listening for both the unfortunates who didn’t get tickets for one of the shows AND the lucky ones who did. The show starts at 2:00PM EST and can be heard in NYC at 93.9FM or online at wnyc.org.
