News

2009 and the New Releases

2009-01-12T23:35:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year Friends and Enemies of Midriff Records,

"Fresh starts and healthy resolutions abound! 2009 is going to see a brand new me!"

The act is all very cute but we all know that regardless of the best intentions you're going to swallow that third donut, open that fourth bottle of wine and choke down that entire pack of smokes in one evening, all while telling yourself that you're an adult and can make your own decisions. Well, the Midriff Records camp doesn't judge. We are only here to support your efforts to improve yourself this year. Consider the following a helping hand.

Midriff Records T-Shirts are here. As promised a few months ago, we are now giving you the opportunity to show your support of Midriff to everyone you meet. The stylish shirts come with the full color Midriff logo on a black shirt or the logo on a light blue shirt (limited run Midriff Team style). All are printed on American Apparel shirts. Like I said… stylish. You can order them today for you and your family via PayPal on the Midriff Records website which is www.midriffrecords.com … and if you don't know, now you know. Take us to the street… KA-PLOW!!!!

With a new year come new releases. We have a slew you should know about. You will need them to get you through your day. We know best. Here is our/your Spring 2009 release schedule.

March 9, 2009: The Spanish Armada – (Self Titled Full Length CD/Digital)
April 29, 2009: Hands and Knees – "Et Tu, Fluffy?" (Full Length CD/Digital)
May 26, 2009: Eldridge Rodriguez – "You Are Released" (Full Length CD/Digital)
June 23, 2009: Ian Adams – "Stay Up Late" (Full Length CD/Digital)

All of these releases will have releases shows and all show info will be available on the Midriff site closer to each album's release date. Want to check out music by these acts or learn more about their most personal and private moments… again, www.midriffrecords.com

On February 3rd we will be opening the Midriff Records Online Store on the Midriff Records Online Site. Soon you will be able to buy the entire Midriff catalog directly from us. Lost The Beatings "Italiano" album but sick of supporting that smarmy Mac and his passive aggressive campaign to destroy poor PC's self esteem? We are there for you. Finally come to realize that the whole "stealing Pending Disappointment and Get Help albums on free file sharing sites" fad has gotten sweaty? We got your back. In addition, the Midriff Online Store will be shilling live, experimental, demo and non-album tracks on the cheap. You will want to check it out on a regular basis because content will be updated regularly.

At the end of the month The Beatings go into Liberty and Union Recording Studio to record a new album with L + U proprietor Ray Jeffery. The upcoming album is the band's follow up to their critically lauded 2006 release "Holding on to Hand Grenades". We expect similar ass-kissing with this album… in fact we expect it. You can expect it Fall or 2009.

And now your upcoming shows…

1/17 Dave Grabowski of Scuba solo @ PA's Lounge Somerville, MA
1/22 The Spanish Armada @ Great Scott Allston, MA
2/1 Eldridge Rodriguez solo @ PA's Lounge Somerville, MA
2/21 The Beatings + The Spanish Armada @ Beachcomber Quincy, MA for Danielle Fest
3/14 Spanish Armada Record Release Show @ PA's Lounge Somerville , MA
4/30 Hands and Knees Record Release Show @ Great Scott Allston , MA

Finally in Midriff news, congratulations to… my wife and me. On Jan. 2, 2009 my wife Jean gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Theodora ("Ted") Powers Keiber was born at 7 lbs 8 oz at Mt. Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, MA. Both mom and baby are happy and healthy at home. In a show of solidarity with showbiz brethren like the Beckhams and the Simpson/Wentz's we briefly considered naming her after New York neighborhoods that we have spent no significant time in. She will be glad come high school that Bushwick Keiber never stuck. So if you see her out and about say hi, just don't touch her with your germ-y hands. She'll be the one in the "This Is Not A Fugazi" onesie. Later, suckers.

Get Help - The End of the New Country

2008-10-07T14:31:00.002-04:00

Greetings one and all from Midriff Home and Appliances. Today as we wait for the leaves to fall from the trees so we may rake them into piles and dig deep within them to hide from our creditors, we would like to let you in on some events in our imminent future.

In one week, we will release the newest addition to the Midriff catalogue: the full-length CD entitled The End of the New Country by our very own Get Help. Get Help features Tony Skalicky from Midriff flagship band The Beatings and Mike Ingenthron from NYC's Strikes Again.

Together they have put together a sprawling, 15-song adventure of intelligent pop that should be classified as criminal in its catchiness. Early reviews have been positive, as we knew they would be: National Public Radio calls The End of the New Country "consistently impressive" with moments of "inspired beauty." And those guys know how to use a dictionary.

The End of the New Country will be available via our website in CD form on October 14. Want some instant gratification? Well, you're in luck, the album is available in the iTunes Music Store this very instant. But if you have to hold it in your hands to believe it's real, the boys will be performing live very soon and will have CDs available at their shows.

And as always, the boys from Get Help have a blog where they compile home recordings, outtakes, and weird experiments that are totally free to download.

We are very excited to have this album see the light of day at long last. Be sure to tell your friends and family: Get Help.

New Additions to the Midriff Fam... Oh, and other music related stuff

2008-08-18T18:54:00.001-04:00

Feel it Hot! Hot! Hot!.... and damn it's humid. Can you feel it... yes you can.

There are some goings-on here at Camp Midriff and I figured we'd let you all in on it. First off...

Shows, shows, shows....

We are super psyched that some of our roster were asked to participate in the Band in Boston Podcast Residency that is going on at PA's Lounge in Somerville this week. Band in Boston (bandinbostonpodcast.com) has quickly become the best and most relevant weekly source of finding out what is going on in and around the Boston music scene. We are huge fans and honored to be a part of the celebration. Here is how we are involved...
Tuesday 8/19, Greg Lyon (Spanish Armada, Pending Disappointment) will be performing a solo set on the Party Stage and the following night, Wednesday 8/20, Eldridge Rodriguez will be headlining the Main Stage with a stripped down set. Please come out everybody and support the "Little Podcast that Did". Check in with them often, you'll always find something new and exciting. Please check PA's Lounge (paslounge.com) for set times and info.

Also on the 20th of Aug.... Scuba will be at the Middle East Upstairs. So, that's two ways you can catch Midriff bands this Wednesday.
On Sept. 3rd the Spanish Armada will be at the Mid-East in all their glory and on 9/25 Eldridge Rodriguez will be at the Mid- East with our friends from Detroit, Child Bite (childbite.com) as part of a Ryan's Smashing Life Blog (http://ryanssmashinglife.blogspot.com) showcase.

Next month you will be able to wear us around everywhere. Midriff Records T-Shirts will be available through our website and feature the new Midriff logo on a Black T-Shirt. Dig it! Keep checking the website for ordering details.

Discs you'll be listening to in the future? We got 'em. Get Help's debut disc "The End of the New Country" featuring Tony of The Beatings and Mike of Strikes Again is confirmed for a Oct. release date and the debut Spanish Armada disc is confirmed for a Jan. '09 release. You will need both... expect them.

In other Midriff news, Eldridge Rodriguez has finished mixing his follow up to 2007's "This Conspiracy Against Us" and Ian EEE Adams has finished the recording his debut solo disc (produced by Eldridge Rodriguez). Both discs are presently untitled but details will be passed on as they are available. Midriff is planning a disc of re-mastered Beatings material to be released next year to commemorate the band's 10th anniversary. The disc will include re-mastered versions of their earlier Ep's and singles as well as live and unreleased tracks. Repackage!... we know, but most of you missed it the first time.

Camp Midriff has "Baby Fever"... we would like to congratulate Midriff founder Mike "The Fox" Italiano and his wife Susannah on the birth of their daughter, Elise, last month. And we extend our congrats to Beatings drummer Dennis Grabowski and his wife Amy Ward on the birth of their daughter, Olive Marie, last week. And....... if that's not enough rocker/baby news for ya'.... congrats to Ian EEE Adams and his wife Jennifer on the birth of their son Zepherin this past weekend. Whoooooo. Is there a dirty diper in a box of jewel cases or has it always smelt like that around here.

Finally... Congrats to Midriff founder and Beatings member Tony Skalicky on his engagement to girlfriend Ann Lepore. The couple live in the NYC area, so if you bump into them buy them a drink.

That's all for now. See you next Fall.

Get Help with The Spanish Armada and Midriff Boston's new home

2008-07-07T16:35:00.002-04:00

June/July is here and we couldn't be more excited. The beaches are getting crowded, the price of gas is climbing and there is a mosquito hiding out just around the bend who can't wait to stick you with his proboscis when you're not looking. So, instead of packing up for the weekend and traveling in search of a perfect wooded/beach fantasy that's never gonna come, join us in a dark club and enjoy the sounds of summer. Shows... we got 'em. Here's where we're at in the future.

This Saturday June 28, 2008 Midriff Records artists Get Help will be traveling up from little old NYC to share the stage with fellow Midriff kids, The Spanish Armada. The show takes place at The Church in Boston's Fenway area (address - 69 Kilmarnock St. Boston, Ma and the show will also feature Shadwell and Daily Pravda). Get Help features Tony from Boston rock heroes The Beatings. The boys will be releasing their debut disc, The End of the New Country, on Midriff and we will be making it available for consumption this Fall. So, you don't want to miss their set because it's sure to preview tracks from the recently completed disc.

And as we look farther into the future... A quick list of shows to come.

Thursday July 10th @ Great Scott in Allston, MA The Ryan's Smashing Life Blog Presents... wait for it... The Beatings!!!!!! Yea!!!!!! The best band in the world performing for you and yours. A Beatings performance is becoming more and more rare, so you do not want to miss it when the kids do get together. Also, on the bill that night - Hundred Years War, Vivian Darkbloom and The Sunsets Quick.

Still further in the future... Eldridge Rodriguez at the end of July in NYC and Boston... but not at the same time. Friday July 25th he and the band will be at Pianos in NYC. It is and early show (8:30...PM) so plan a late dinner that night to insure you make it. Then on Thursday July 31 he will be headlining at TT's the Bears in Cambridge MA w/ Hands and Knees, Midriff-ers Scuba and more acts to be announced. E.R. has recently finished production on his full length follow up to last years This Conspiracy Against Us w/ Ray Jeffery at Liberty and Union Recording studios. The as yet untitled disc was co-produced by E.R. and Jeffery and will be released on Midriff some time later this year or early next. Keep an ear to the street for it.

Finally, Midriff Records - Boston has moved. We are no longer in Boston's historic N. End. We built a Midriff compound and established a permanent address in Allston Rock City. As of 6/28/08 our new address is ...

Midriff Records - Boston Compound
c/o Cameron Keiber
3 Adamson St.
Allston, MA 02134

Please make a note of it. Until we speak again... thanks for the support.

Shows, Digital Downloads and Get Help Bloggin'

2008-05-27T21:36:00.002-04:00

Hey, it’s Spring again and we just wanted to let you all know about what’s happening at the Midriff camp. Things that are important to us… things that are important to you.

First up, shows! There are a bunch of Midriff related shows featuring Midriff related artists happening in and around the Boston area in the upcoming weeks that you should know about. Here they are in order of immediacy.

This Friday May 16th, our good friend The Ryan’s Smashing Life Music Blog is hosting a stellar show at TT the Bears Place (Central Square in beautiful Cambridge, MA) featuring Midriff Records own Scuba. The doors open at 8 PM and we are told to get there early for free CD giveaways. The RSL blog is one of, if not the greatest music blogs here in Boston, if not the entire world. Details on the rest of the line up and other surprises that night can be found at their website: http://ryanssmashinglife.blogspot.com

Next up… Make sure to block off Saturday May 31 on your calendars. Pending Disappointment will be playing a show at Club Aurora in Taunton, MA. Club Aurora is part of the Bandstand Live Complex down in the Southern burbs of Boston. If you have never been there, you are doing yourself a disservice. They have live shows, stores, recording and artist studios, skate parks and batting gages all within the same complex. Plus Pending will be playing there that evening (supporting their recent full length release “New York, Penn, NY”) so now you have an excuse to check out the digs. Cost for the show will be $10.

Finally on the show tip… closing out May but technically in June, Eldridge Rodriguez will be headlining a show at Harper’s Ferry in Allston, MA on Sunday June 1. He will be joined by an ever changing gaggle of backing musicians… it really is anybody’s guess who will be supporting him that night (although at the time of this release we have confirmed ex-Clouds/ex-Miltown bassist J Cannava, Liberty and Union Recording Studio proprietor Ray Jeffery, and The Spanish Armada’s L. Tiburon Pacifico and Dan Parlin… but this could all change at a moments notice).

In other Eldridge Rodriguez news, be sure to check out the June issue of Verbicide Magazine for a righteous feature on the man friends call E.R. Verbicide can be found online at www.verbicidemagazine.com or in print at your local FYE, Coconuts, Strawberries, Newbury Comics, Tower Records, Wherehouse Music, and Hastings, as well as select Borders, Barnes & Noble, Hudson News, Books-A-Million, Universal News, Chapters, and Indigo locations.

In still other E.R. news starting in June and running throughout the summer Midriff Records will be making available new E.R. material for free on our website. The free digital singles will be offered for a limited time with no strict or particular timetable or advance notice. So you will need to check out the Midriff Records website regularly or else miss a chance to download demos, album outtakes, random recordings, new arrangements, live cuts and remixes by E.R. and his crew.

Also, if you haven’t already please check out the Get Help blog, which can be found linked off of the Midriff site. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the band, which consists of Tony from The Beatings and Mike, formally of NYC’s Strikes Again, the blog offers MP3 downloads, quick witted insights and previews the band’s upcoming full-length release due out on Midriff later this year. The Get Help blog can be found at http://www.midriffrecords.com/gethelp/

Well, that’s all for May. As always, much more info on Scuba, Pending Disappointment, Eldridge Rodriguez and Get Help can be found at our site, www.midriffrecords.com
If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions please don’t hesitate to shoot us an email at clayton@midriffrecords.com . We’ll all touch base again in June, when we’ll have new info on a rare upcoming Beatings performance and the new Midriff Boston mailing address… how exciting. Thanks for the support.

Roller Derby and The Beatings... and Some Other Stuff

2008-02-15T16:25:00.006-05:00

February is in full swing and here is what is a-going on. There is a fantastic event coming up that everyone should know about and more importantly attend (that's right Dee, go tell Mama). On March 8th at 5PM at the Shriners Auditorium The Boston Massacre will be taking on The Bronx Gridlock in all girl roller derby madness. And who will be playing in between periods to keep it all going? Midriff's own... The Beatings. It's going to be a violent night. So swing by. If you have never been to a roller derby bout you are denying yourself of one of America's last great traditions. Plus, The Beatings will be there. For more info and to purchase tickets check out The Boston Derby Dames website at http://www.bostonderbydames.com

If you are reading this then you have already seen the rad new Midriff logo and website designs (designed by Tony of Beatings/Get Help fame). Hope you like it. Let us know what you think by shooting us an email via our contacts page. Keep an eye out for new T-shirts sporting the new logo to be popping up for sale on this site soon.

The song of the month is Eldridge Rodriguez's "Black History Month" from last year's This Conspiracy Against Us record. It seemed apropos. Also, swing by Andy and Jen's of the Band in Boston podcast, at www.bandinbostonpodcast.com to hear Rodriguez and the boys rip through a new set. It's fun... everyone gets involved.

Finally, we are currently (and always) looking for folks to join the Midriff Street Team in either the Boston or NYC areas. The low impact duties include flyer-ing, stickering, etc.. In return you get free CDs (YES, THEY HAVE TO BE MIDRIFF CDs), stickers, and other promo stuff, as well as entrance to cool shows. Interested parties should contact Cameron (for Boston) or Clayton (for NYC) at our Contact page. We have a lot planed for this year and you are going to want to be involved. Former street team members have included God, pandas and seamen. Get wit' it. We will not discriminate. Keep warm, keep safe, keep it to yourself. We love you.

A New Year

2008-01-02T21:59:00.000-05:00

What a great year we had. E.R. dropped This Conspiracy Against Us in the Spring and then the online only EP … And the Thunder Chief in the Fall to wide spread critical praise. If you don't believe us check what we discovered today while perusing the interweb (pssssst… it's under the Top 15 of 2007) That's right, our roster makes best-of lists … how you like us now?
We also managed to bring you awesome discs by Scuba (S/T) and the second release by Pending Disappointment, New York Penn, NY. Hopefully you caught one of the Midriff Records Showcase shows that featured our roster along with local friends like The Bon Savants and Black Helicopter. Or maybe you made it out to the Midriff Records/Band in Boston show, that was a part of a week long series of shows celebrating the critically acclaimed Band in Boston podcast. Early Spring finally brought us the final version of the one and only Beatings video for Feel Good Ending, to everyone's delight. And our bands played out constantly. Hopefully you didn't miss 'em.

We think you will dig it what we have in store for the upcoming year. A new full length disc by Eldridge Rodriguez, debut discs by Get Help (Tony of The Beatings and Mike of Strikes Again), a debut solo effort from the Dark Prince of Allston; Ian "EEE" Adams, and the long awaited disc by The Spanish Armada. In addition, always be checking the website for online only releases, like a full length by Midriff super group La Faccia Brutta ( E.R., w/ members of The Beatings and Pending Disappointment) and random Ep's , singles and rarities. Speaking of the website, expect a total overhaul of the site in early 2008 as well as a new logo that will look bitching on the T-Shirts, patches and stickers, that are being ordered... now. And that is just what we have on the calendar; I promise more (like the new Beatings disc that the band has been tirelessly working on in secret).

New York Penn, NY

2007-11-08T22:48:00.000-05:00

Dearest citizenry of Midriff Nation: My address will be brief. I basically just wanted to point out that Midriff Records has a new member in its catalogue-ish family. Please welcome Pending Disappointment's "New York, Penn, NY." We here at Midriff are very excited to put this record out, and are even more excited to see the Pending guys play out in support of it.

For more information or to order the record, click here .

We hope you are doing well as we begin to lose daylight. I guess it's sad. But there's something about it, too, isn't there? Anyway, thanks for your continued support. We know we don't say it enough, but we luh- ... um, we luh- ... we likes you a whole bunch.

...And the Thunder Chief

2007-09-25T23:34:00.000-04:00

There's really no equivalent for "Spring has sprung ..." at this time of year, ("Fall hath fallen?") but we do know that the Midriff Elves have been busy as bees in their Midriff elf tree to have ready for you the new online-only EP release from Eldridge Rodriguez hisself, "...And the Thunder Chief." And they may or may not have produced massive quantities of a delicious array of cookies and crackers as well.

Yes, that's correct. E.R.'s long-anticipated sonic-assault-in-EP-format is now available exclusively from Midriff Records (go here to buy it for five (5) American dollars). We can only hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we know E.R. enjoyed making it.

UPDATE!! I neglected to explain what to do. Go to the page mentioned above. Once you have bought the EP via Paypal, an email will be sent to you within a day explaining what to do to get the actual tracks.

This is an experiment for us, an online-only release, and we hope to streamline the process and be able to bring you more music from your favorite Midriff bands. We have made available all the songs in MP3 format, as well as high resolution images for the album artwork, just in case you're as afraid to let go of the glorious past as we are, and want to make your own hard copy at home.

We hope the beginning of autumn finds you well. We've got a few shows lined up for the next month. Please check our Shows page soon for details. Then come out and say hi and we'll all have some cider and convince you that your "Sexy Lawyer" halloween costume idea just doesn't make any sense.