Happy Happy Birthday to Me

POPFEST PICS

2008-08-29T17:01:00.003-04:00

Been awhile since the last post. The Athens Popfest went over really well. Still can't believe we had Roky Erickson, the last Boyracer show, and the Music Tapes kazoo parade all work out without a hitch. The planning for PopFest 2009 is already underway. For now though please go and check out a very close friend of the Popfest Shane Byrd's yearbook style PopFest photos. The photo above is one Shane took of me on the Thursday night of the festival. Shane also shot some promo photos of the Lolligags while in town as well, so I'll post those when it's ready. Also look for some video posts, and lots of MP3's next week as well. Oh yeah, in Smittens news, the preorder versions of the new album are all gone now, but we still have the regular version of the new album available. HHBTM will have a CMJ Showcase at Spike Hill in Brooklyn on the 22nd of October. A Full line up will be announced on Monday.

CATCHING UP WITH HHBTM

2008-07-23T00:27:00.000-04:00

With the Athens PopFest coming up, and the singles club still a major project that takes up a lot of my time, I have been a bit slack on posting lately. Lots and lots of stuff is in the works currently, so there should be lots more posts over the next few weeks. We have the PopFest going on from August 12th – 16th. The new Cars Can Be Blue album Doubly Unbeatable is doing great. Nate & Becky will be doing a short two week tour with Hotpants Romance right after PopFest. The Smittens new album The Coolest Thing About Love is moving quickly with just a handful of preorders left. The Smittens are having a blast in the UK and will be playing the Indietracks Festival along with their label-mates Red Pony Clock who are also touring the UK. The newest signing to HHBTM Hotpants Romance are getting ready for the stateside release of their debut album It’s a Heatwave. The Lolligags are also preparing for PopFest while also being excited to debut their new EP Out of Perversity Join Hands. In singles club news the Apples in Stereo / Patience Please split single is at the plant and the sleeve is being designed by David Crane of the band Boat. The All Girl Summer Fun Band / Cars Can Be Blue single is being mastered this week, and will be in the plant next week while Jen Sbragia finishes up the sleeve. We are also working out a fall tour for Cars Can Be Blue of the Midwest / Northeast / Southeast for October and November. Andy from Denver is working on the artwork for his new CD for a fall release. We are also hoping for word anyday now about our CMJ showcase. If we get it, then be on the lookout for a awesome show with Bearsuit, Velcro Stars, Cars Can Be Blue, Eux Autres, the Lolligags, Andy from Denver, and Keith John Adams. Bunnygrunt, Casper & the Cookies, the Love Letter Band, and Velcro Stars are all hard at work on new albums. Shortly after PopFest I will also be announcing a special compilation and zine with a early 2009 release. I think it might even be mailorder only, still working out the cost of doing it. Also anyone wanting one of the HHBTM Twee as Satan shirts be sure to have someone grab you one at PopFest. Till next time. Mike

Pop Yr Heart

2008-07-18T01:03:00.003-04:00

Happy Happy Birthday to Me is pleased to present “The Coolest Thing About Love”, the new album by The Smittens, the gentlest gang in town! Sincere honest pop music with a gentle heart and good intentions! Herein lie some of the Smittens softest and sweetest songs yet. Lovingly home recorded by the Smittens themselves with new sounds and friends chipping in and then mixed and produced with Eric Masunaga and the gang working to make their new favorite record to share with friends and lovers and family and fans the world over. Look out! Tune in! Don't mess with the rainbow! PREORDER – the Smittens “the Coolest Thing About Love” for $12.00 postage paid in the US and Canada. The preorder comes with a bonus button & artwork print outs. Limited to 50 preorders. You can also catch the Smittens over in the UK over the next two weeks.

Jul 21st @ the Red House – Sheffield - The Parallelograms, The Seven Inches

Jul 22nd @ the Sunflower Lounge - Birmingham – Zebras, Red Pony Clock

Jul 23rd @ the Captain’s Rest – Glasgow – Zoey van Goey, The Just Joans

Jul 24th @ the Brudenell – Leeds – Ballboy

Jul 25th @ the Cardigan Arms – Leeds – Red Pony Clock, The Rocky Nest, Cliquant

Jul 26th & 27th @ INDIETRACKS – Butterley –

Jul 28th @ Fuel – Manchester – The Seven Inches, Awesome Wells

Jul 29th @ Club Ifor Bach – Cardiff – Ballboy, Red Pony Clock, The Bobby Mcgees

Jul 30th @ Thekla - Bristol – Ballboy

Jul 31st @ the Luminaire - London – Ballboy, Pocketbooks

Aug 1st @ the Rescue Rooms - Nottingham – The Deirdres, The Pete Green Corporate DJs

Gumdrops

2008-07-16T03:11:00.001-04:00

The Smittens are back with another new video. It's for the soon to be international indie pop hit "Gumdrops". I say international as the Smittens will be doing their first UK tour starting this weekend. Tour dates, new album news, mp3's, and more news coming tomorrow night. Enjoy the video. Mike

NEWS UPDATE - SINGLES CLUB

2008-07-03T03:26:00.002-04:00

For all the HHBTM Singles Club subscribers round two of the singles club shipped out last Friday through Monday. You should all be recieving your new split singles by Tullycraft / Smittens, Poison Control Center / Ideal Free Distribution, Red Pony Clock / Andy from Denver, and Keith John Adams / Velcro Stars. The Apples in Stereo / Patience Please single is going into the plant next week, and Cars Can Be Blue / All Girl Summer Fun Band will follow in early August. The goal is for round three to be completed and shipped out before the end of the year.

Hotpants Romance - It's a Heatwave

2008-06-25T03:59:00.001-04:00

Hotpants Romance are the newest kids on the old Happy Happy Birthday to Me block. These ladies will be coming over for the Athens PopFest and then for a 2 week tour with Cars Can Be Blue. Dates to be posted soon.

Yet Another KJA video

2008-05-27T01:08:00.001-04:00

Keith John Adams just never stops making videos. The new video from Keith is for the song "Looking Around the Planet" from the album Unclever. we'll miss Keith At this year's PopFest, but we'll see him this fall for sure.

Like the McRib Cars Can Be Blue never went away, but they are back.

2008-04-25T04:20:00.004-04:00

Today we have two new songs from Cars Can Be Blue. The new album “Doubly Unbeatable” hits the streets on June 10th, 2008. We are doing a special pre-order where you will get the CD, a button, a bonus CD, and a cheap Cars Can Be Blue t-shirt all for $15.00 postage paid. The album was recorded by Jeff Walls (Guadalcanal Diary & the Woggles) and engineered by Joel Hatstat (Pegasuses XL) and mastered by Jason Nesmith (Casper & the Cookies). Nate & Becky are also hitting the road this May and June so catch them if you can.

NEW SONGS

Cars Can Be Blue - Sun Blows Up

Cars Can Be Blue - Coat Tails

MAY
29th - Athens, GA @ Caledonia Lounge
30th – Chattanooga – J.J.’s Bohemia
31st - Murfreesboro, TN @ TBA
JUNE
1st – Memphis, TN @ TBA
2nd - St Louis, MO @ CBGB
3rd - Chicago, IL @ South Union Arts
4th – ???
5th - Toledo, OH @ TBA
6th - Cleveland, OH @ Bela Dubby
7th – Washington DC @ TBA
8th - Philadelphia, PA @ HOUSE SHOW
9th - New York City, NY @ Cakeshop
10th - Boston, MA @ TT the Bear’s
11th- Brattleboro, VT @ Tender Box
12th- Northampton, MA @ Sierra Grill
13th - Baltimore, MD @ Charm City Art Space
14th – Charolette, NC @ Snug Harbor
15th – Florence, SC @ 511 House

Red Pony Clock - My New Best Friends

2008-04-24T01:17:00.001-04:00

I just found this on YouTube in one of those searching for new videos of bands on the label type searches and wow! new Red Pony Clock video. I hope you get as much of a laugh out of it as I did.

P/R/F/R/E

2008-04-24T00:03:00.005-04:00

Today’s late night post is inspired by Gordon Lamb’s record store day post last week. Gordon did a store by store account of record stores that have meant something to him in his life, and it really made me think of my own life in terms of the record stores that mean or meant the most to me. I grew up in Panama City Florida, which as fun of a time as you think might be had there, one thing it sadly lacked was an independent record store. So my life in record stores can be broken up in four time periods.

Time Period #1: record stores before the being able to drive. Between the record buying ages of 6 to 16 I was stuck buying my records at Turtles, Sound Shop, and Camelot Music. Sure I not only bought my copies of the Fat Boys “Crushin”, the Beastie Boys “License to Ill”, or Men at Work “Cargo” at these shops, but I also bought my Cure, Smiths, Depeche Mode, Dead Milkmen, 7 Seconds, and anything with 4AD on the spine. Sure the staff couldn’t point me in the direction of anything beyond the big pop hits, but at least at this time the chain stores really did carry at the least the bigger indie titles.

Time Period #2: record stores after being able to drive. The two year period of 16 – 18 was a golden age of record shopping and overall chance taking music wise for me. Every Saturday became a day of nonstop record shopping. With only $15 to spend, I was out for bargains. By this point I had discovered that you can also find records, CDS, and tapes at pawn shops, goodwill, salvation army, and flea markets. My goal was to find at least 4 new records per week, and most of the time I did just that. I took chances on bands like the Clean, the Sundays, Trash Can Sinatras, Pylon, and many more not to mention the $1 Goodwill finds like a mint debut B-52’s LP and the Robert Rauschenberg sleeve version of Talking Heads “Speaking in Tongues”. This was also the time when it struck me that there were other towns nearby which had their own record stores. So it wasn’t long before I was on the road to Tallahassee to Vinyl Fever (? - present date). It was at Vinyl Fever that I started to buy imports, bootlegs, and the stuff that never made it to the chain stores.

Time Period #3: record stores during the brief art school years. I went to art school in Memphis, TN and it was the first time where I lived in a town that had multiple record stores. There was the skate shop Cheap Skates (1985 - present date) that focused on bootlegs, hardcore, and punk vinyl, Shangri-La (1988 - present date) which was a block from where I lived which was the Grifters' record store, house, and recording studio. I found so many rare indie singles and posters there. I can’t remember the names of the comic shop that focused on promos or the place right down the street which was so overpriced, but the racks were deep with rare records. I think they had so many rare records due to the fact they priced them so high that they could never sell them. Then there was also Pop Tunes (now Cat's Music) (1946 - present date) which was a chain just in Memphis. Not the best stock, but you could find lots of cut out LP’s and marked down import titles. I would also make trips over to Nashville at this time to shop at Phono-Luxe (? to present date) which were rich in promo only and rare LPs, Great Escape (? - present date) which moved lots of titles on sheer low prices and focused on moving lots of records quickly. The kind of place you had to check a few times a week to be able to get a crack at the good stuff. Then there was Lucy’s (1992 - 1998), which was like Shangri La’s in Memphis. Small but what was in the racks was top notch and there wasn’t much filler. I also went to my first instore there which was They Might be Giants. It was at this time the zine culture and DIY ethic first hit me as far as music was concerned.

Time Period #4: record stores post art school. I came back to live in Panama City after Memphis, and record store withdrawal was in full effect. It’s like winning the lottery only to turn around and broke the next day. I was able to get my first record store job at a Blockbuster Music (1993 to 2000) while going to college back home part time. The discount was nothing and the pay wasn’t much better, but I was at least working at a record store, too bad we couldn’t order anything I ever wanted in the store. There was no doubt that the world's biggest video store at the time was never going to be able to do both things well. Blockbuster Music even though it was owned by Viacom (mtv, sony, etc) has zero chance to make it as a record store. It was at this time that I started driving to see shows in Atlanta , Athens, and Pensacola and I found new second homes at some of these stores. I would spend hours, and I mean upwards of 5-8 hours going through every inch of the stores that I could. Atlanta had Wax’N’Facts (1977 to present date) which is still there to this day. I didn’t know it was the home of DB Records until I moved to Athens, but some of the items I found there I still can’t believe. They were on top of current imports, but also one of the old stores which had deep deep deep back stock so even when you thought you had picked up that hard as hell to find Robyn Hitchcock 12” picture disc, they had 5 more in the back. At this time Panama City got it's first independent record store called CD Exchange. It was a small store, but we now had used CD's and bootlegs. Pensacola had this little house turned record store East Hill (1995 to present date) CD while not the best stock, the owner Elvis was a great surf drummer, and he had some rare singles, and it grew to be one of the better hidden stores you could ever stumble upon. They started out with just a front room of the house with some record crates, some cassettes, some rare singles, and a decent amount of used CDs to opening up almost half the house with each room housing a different format. Panama City soon had a second indie record store pop up called Binjo Records (1999 to 2002). This shop had limited stock and no real upstart money and no advertising, so it poked along for a few years, but in the end the kids in town never got behind it fully, and it tanked. It was a cool place to hang out, and Scott the owner always stocked loads of Elephant 6 stuff on vinyl, but there just wan't enough people to keep it going, and he didn't have the bank roll to keep newer charting titles in stock for folks just coming in off the street. Then there is Athens, the town I now call home which is home to Wuxtry Records (1976 to present date)where I work. To be honest the first time I went to Wuxtry I was treated rudely and the records were way over priced. The store had a history though, and I just kept coming back. The prices went down over the years, and the person who was really rude to me is now a friend, (no it wasn't Gordon who was rude) so all is well.

It hit me on last Saturday that I have spent over ¾’s of my life obsessed with records. So much so that I have worked at two record stores Blockbuster Music and Wuxtry Records for a combined total of 8 years. I published and wrote a music zine the Bee’s Knees for 10 years. I dj’d at a college station WKGC for 2 years. I have put on the Athens PopFest now in it’s 5th year, and Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records has been going strong for almost 9 years this July. I wonder when I’ll reach that point where it’s time to grow up. I can honestly say I hope that I never do.

Fishboy on TOUR

2008-04-23T02:21:00.001-04:00

Fishboy are heading out on the road today, so here are the dates, and a video for "A Surprise Return".

April
23rd - Fayetteville, AR @ Boom Boom Room
24th - St Louis, MO @ Way Out Club
25th - Lawrence, KS @ Replay Lounge
26th - Clear Lake, IA @ Surf Room
27th - Milwaukee, WI @ Borg Ward
28th - Bloomington, IN @ Statehouse
29th - Chicago, IL @ Quenchers
30th - Lexington, KY @ 503 Oldham Ct
MAY
1st - Baltimore, MD @ Charm City Art Space
2nd - NYC, NY @ Knitting Factory
3rd - Worchester, MA @ 926 Main St Apt#2
4th - OFF DAY
5th - Rochester, NY @ 6 Barton St
6th - live on WITR Rochester, NY Radio
7th - Philadelphia, PA @ the Khyber
8th - Greenville, NC @ Spazatorium Galleria
9th - Charleston, SC @ 255 Ashley Ave
10th - Athens, GA @ Caledonia Lounge
11th - OFF (looking for a southeast show)
12th - OFF (looking for a southeast show)
13th - Huntsville, AL @ Lowe Mill
14th - OFF (looking for a show)
15th - Chattanooga, TN @ Cafe Mi Aroma
16th - Murfreesboro, TN @ Tomato Tomato
17th - Shreveport, LA @ Actor's Cafe

the Fishboy kids are needing shows in Atlanta, Birmingham, Nashville, Augusta, pretty much the Southeast for a few dates. If you have a show they can hop on, or a house party please let me know. Mike

Daniel Johnston w/ Love Letter Band aka Bad Weather California

2008-04-08T02:50:00.001-04:00

wow! no really wow!

Bad Weather California aka the Love Letter Band

2008-04-08T02:28:00.004-04:00

On April 5th, 2008 the Love Letter Band (aka Bad Weather California) were hand picked to be not only the opening band for Daniel Johnston, but to also be his backing band. Casper & the Cookies had this opportunity back last Athens PopFest, and Fishboy got to open for him last Spring in Dallas. So Daniel Johnston and HHBTM seem to cross paths every few months it seems. Right now however we are proud to post this link to Denver Westwood documentary about Bad Weather California and Daniel. I'll be posting a Youtube video above in the next day or so from the show. As far as news goes for Love Letter Band aka Bad Weather California they will have a single w/ Tender Forever out this fall in the HHBTM singles club. They are also busy at work on their new album that will be debuted at the Athens PopFest this August. So it's been pretty busy for the guys.

A Bit Late

2008-03-22T19:32:00.002-04:00

It's been awhile since the last post, but quite a bit has happened. Bearsuit were sent packing, Andy from Denver & Keith John Adams hit the road, the Foxy Boxer singles made it in, and I got food poisoning. So let's jump right in.

Bearsuit were set to play 8 shows at SXSW this year, but the US Customs had other plans for them. Two members were allowed in, while three others were detained, questioned, and then sent back to the UK . So the band were not able to play any SXSW shows as a full band, but they were able to do interviews and such. Guees it looks like it will be CMJ before they get to debut a full band live set in the States.

We did get the Bearsuit 7" "Foxy Boxer" in on Tuesday. So those will be at the website soon, but if you can't wait, send me an email, and we'll sort it out.

Andy from Denver & Keith John Adams hit the road on Thursday and have played Panama City & Pensacola already. They will be playing a house show in Gainesville tonight, but look below for the dates for the rest of their tour. If you can, you should try to go and catch them, as they have a few numbers where they will be playing together.

March

24th - Charleston, SC @ the Map Room

25th - Greenville, NC @ 21:11

26th - New York City, NY @ the Cakeshop

27th - Chapel Hill, NC @ the Night Light

28th - Murfreesboro, TN @ the Boro w/ Velcro Stars

29th - Nashville, TN @ Grimey's (instore)

April

1st - St Louis, MO @ CBGB w/ Bunnygrunt

2nd - Chicago, IL @ Silvie's Lounge w/ Nice Peter & Panda Riot

3rd - Bloomington, IN @ Cinemat

4th - Toledo, OH @ Frankie's w/ the Hat Company

5th - Cleveland, OH @ Bela Dubby w/ Afternoon Naps

6th - Lexington, KY @ TBA

7th - Knoxville, TN @ the Bird House

8th - Athens, GA @ Flicker Bar & Theatre w/ Casper & the Cookies

BEARSUIT More Soul Than Wigan Casino

2008-03-13T04:54:00.001-04:00

HHBTM has some bands playing SXSW this year, you can check out Fishboy, Bearsuit, Ryan Anderson, and Spring Tigers at showcases and parties all week. Today we have another video for you, on top of Fishboy's "Parachute" debut, we bring you Bearsuit's "More Soul Than a Wigan Casino". Enjoy.

Fishboy: Parachute (Using The Ghost Of Buddy Holly As A)

2008-03-13T04:52:00.001-04:00

Wow! seriously kids wow! How can you not just love Fishboy even more after seeing this video.

SXSW

2008-03-07T02:43:00.005-05:00

One of my all time favorite bands ever is this little Norwich , England band named Bearsuit. They sent me a demo CD-R back in the summer of 2004, but at that time I was in the middle of the label's first Athens PopFest. I loved the CD, but I couldn't commit to releasing it due to all the label funds being tied up in the festival. The day that I decided to just say what the hell and offer to release it anyway money or no money I'd find a way to put their CD out. That same day I received an email from the Microindie Records newsletter stating they were putting out the Bearsuit record in the states. I was too late. (This would happen to me once again after last year's popfest when I waited to sign Black Kids, when I could have before the festival. I loved their songs on Myspace, but I waited, and you see where they are now Urghhhhhhh, that's another post entirely) When Bearsuit were getting ready to release Team Ping Pong in the UK I had emailed trying to license the record for the states, but no luck. When I heard they were in the studio recording Oh:io I emailed the band and their label that instant. After months of negotiation HHBTM was able to release Oh:io in the states. I think this is their best and most focused record yet. As luck would have it Bearsuit will be playing SXSW next week, but I won't be able to go. They will however be coming back over for CMJ, and I plan on being with them for most of their fall tour. If you get the chance to see them at SXSW please go check them out, and then email me and tell me how great they were. Bearsuit's new album Oh:io will be released via HHBTM on March 25th.

BEARSUIT @ SXSW

3/13/08 – 12:00 PM @ Brush Square BBQ w/ Scouting for Girls
8:00 PM @ Chain Drive w/ No Age, Mika Miko
11:00 PM @ West’s Art Gallery
3/14/08 – 5:30 PM @ HHBTM PARTY w/ Fishboy, Ryan Anderson, the Besties
10:00 PM @ Thirsty Nickel w/ Scissors for Lefty, Eagle Seagull
3/15/08 - 12:30 PM @ KVRX Radio Stage
3:00 PM @ Waterloo Cycles w/ the Besties
3/16/08 - 6:30 PM @ the Enchanted Forest

One of our own little powder kegs of excitement and joy Fishboy will be playing some SXSW shows as well. Their drummer John can make pacemakers skip beats with his powerful drum skills. No Joke, he really can.........feel the wrath of his might drum rolls.

FISHBOY @ SXSW

3/12/08 – 8:00 PM @ Lovejoys BUSINESS DEAL SHOWCASE
3/13/08 – 8:00 PM @ Habbana Annex
3/14/08 – 12:00 PM @ HHBTM PARTY w/ Bearsuit, Ryan Anderson, the Besties

NEWS (no Huey Lewis contained below)

2008-03-05T01:38:00.003-05:00

Lots of news to report this week, so I'll jump right in. The Smittens have finished recording and mastering their upcoming Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records release which will be titled The Coolest Thing About Love. We are just waiting on David to finish the artwork. The lead single on the album will be Gumdrops , which a video is being made for as well. The rough release date is July 29th. We are thinking up some fun pre-order ideas now.

Russian Spy Camera, (although not a HHBTM band anymore) have decided to release their new album as a free download. You can snag Mutiny in the Kitchen with Knives (whatever the hell that means) here.

Bearsuit will be coming over to the states next week, and will be playing a million SXSW shows. The dates will be posted with a huge Bearsuit story on Friday.

Cars Can Be Blue are working on the artwork for their new album, which should be ready to ship to the plant in the next week or two. We are also currently booking them a short tour this June. They will also be heading over to the UK in July...more news on that as it comes available.

The Lolligags are recording the last two tracks for their next EP which will be titled Out of Perversity Join Hands with Jason Nesmith at Bel Air Studio next weekend.

The vinyl for Bunnygrunt's Karen Hater's Club is in, and can be picked up at the HHBTM web store for $8 bucks.

Fishboy's Albatross: How We Failed to Save the Lone Star State with the Power of Rock and Roll will be released in Japan soon by 1977 Records. Fishboy will also be touring the Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast April through May. Dates will be posted as soon as the tour is fully booked.

Last but not least, our good friends the Besties dropped by and had a fun Athens show last weekend, and if you get the chance to see them on tour, go check them out. They have a new single for sale on the road, and you can check the songs at their MySpace.

Eux Autres new Video

2008-03-05T01:37:00.001-05:00

Eux Autres have created a beautiful stop motion video for the song "Anne Boleyn" from their Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records release Cold City.

WAY TOO MUCH

2008-02-28T02:23:00.003-05:00

I never wanted the label blog to get really too personal, but lately I think I should just post what I want when I feel like it. I have fallen off my original plan of certain days having set posts, but that's really a bit boring. Lately I've been so busy that the blog has dropped in priority, and it was bumming me out knowing I had let a full week pass between updating. This is the same thing that used to happen with the Bee's Knees. A month of writing everyday, then life happens and you don't write at all for weeks. I guess if you check the blog on a regular basis and it seems to have slowed down, it's more than likely it will be due to being super busy. Right now is the crazy time of year for me. There is the constant work of PopFest, the singles club, Buddies Helping Buddies show promotion, the label, trying to find a house to move in to, my day job, and somehow finding time to have a bit of fun and to try to work on my own music and art from time to time. I'm not complaining about these things, I am very happy to be so busy, so please don't get me wrong. Just know if the blog falls behind a week or so, it's just due to be really busy or there really isn't any news to post about.

HHBTM Singles Club UPDATE: Apples in Stereo, Velcro Stars, and Poison Control Center all have their songs in. Jason Nesmith will be mastering the songs that need to be mastered this week. So it looks like there will be 5 singles in the next round to be mailed out in May. (I know the date keeps getting moved back, but the sleeves are a bit more detailed on this round).

Wow, It's Been Nearly 14 Years

2008-02-27T03:07:00.001-05:00

I have spent the last week watching Britpop Docs on YouTube, and it struck me that it was nearly 14 years ago that Blur released Parklife. It also struck me that the UK was undergoing a musical and political change at the time, much like we are having now in the states. Maybe this post will get me back in the swing of things, and I'll start posting again on a more regular basis.

Sing a Long

2008-02-18T21:41:00.001-05:00

Cryptacize released their debut CD this week, and it's a must have. The band is made up of Nedelle, Chris (ex-Deerhoof), and this fun drummer they found on MySpace or YouTube or something like that. Here is the lead video from the album. Hope you enjoy it.

It's About Time

2008-02-17T20:30:00.003-05:00

Been so busy this last week that the blog just had to wait. I am finishing up the Keith John Adams Unclever pre-orders tonight, and since Monday is a holiday and the postal service will be closed the pre-orders will ship on Tuesday. Keith sent me the final three songs last week, and they are posted below. Our good friends at Indie-Mp3 UK posted another of the 5 tracks, so please go check those out as well, with 18 out of 43 songs available for free online. Cars Can Be Blue wrapped up their new album, and now we are down to the artwork and mastering. The new record is a bit trashy not only in the lyrics but in sound. This new one would be right at home on the Crypt label. In singles club news the Red Pony Clock / Andy from Denver split single goes to the plant this week. The Lolligags just booked time to record the rest of their next EP in March at Bel Air Studio. The Smittens have finished their as of this time untitled new album. We are just waiting on a title and artwork, and off to the plant it goes. We should be getting in copies of Karen Hater's Club by Bunnygrunt on vinyl anyday now. Both Fishboy and Bearsuit will be playing at SXSW this year, and we are busy working on as many shows as possible while they are there. The Love Letter Band AKA Bad Weather California will be doing a small west coast tour starting next week, with the dates below. That's it for now. Enjoy the 3 new Keith John Adams songs, and a bit of what the next Love Letter Band will sound like.

Keith John Adams - Perspective
Keith John Adams - Sane Boyfriend
Keith John Adams - whatayawant
the Love Letter Band - You Be the Jesus

Love Letter Band AKA Bad Weather California TOUR
February
22 - Denver, CO @ the Hi-Dive
23 - Albequerque, NM @ Burt's Tiki Lounge
24 - Tucson, AZ @Cafe Passe (Early Show)
24 - Tucson, AZ @ Dry River (Late Show)
25 - San Diego, CA @ Che Cafe
26 - Los Angeles, CA @ the Smell
27 - Las Vegas, NV @ the Bunkhouse Saloon
28 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
29 - Grand Junction, CO @ the Spotlight Lounge

Magical Times

2008-02-12T22:31:00.001-05:00

I just had to post this video. I feel like a kid after watching this. I can't wait for a new Music Tapes album. Seeing the Music Tapes in a club setting was strange, but by the end of the performance it wasn't a club anymore, and you weren't just watching the show. In that 45 minutes somehow the music just took you to somewhere else. If you think the album was from a different world, the show was another galaxy in itself.

Where It All Began

2008-02-12T04:38:00.000-05:00

Back in 1999 Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records released Happy Happy Birthday to Me Volume 1. The CD was to be the final goodbye to my at that time what seemed to me long running zine the Bee's Knees. The zine had ran for about 4 years at that point, and the CD was like a big send off. I went around and asked bands that I had interviewed, or had reviewed to see if they had anything they might want to put on the CD. I told them I was going to press about 500 to 1,000 copies, and that each member of the band would get a copy plus a few extras. The comp filled up in a matter of a week. It was going to be a CDR at first, as my friend Anthony had a CD burner. It didn't take long but after doing the math, I figured I should have this CD proffesionally manufactured. I found a CD replicator in Canada that had the best price for raw disc manufacturing, so I figured I'd save some money and hand make the sleeves. I spent the next two months making a cake log stamp. cutting this thin cardboard into small CD jackets, and hot gluing them all together. I cut out 500 CD wallets with glueable tabs. Then I cut out 500 strips of fabric and had my mom sew them into little bags. I then stamped the wallets with the cake stamp on the front, another stamp with the address on the back, a catalog number stamp, and hand numbered each one. I did the same for a small carstock insert that went into each cloth jacket as well. I also made an insert with all the track info, and went the cheap route and had them photo copied. I posted the zine for pre-order with the CD on the old Elephant Six newsgroup, and from there a few distributors caught wind of it, and I had orders for almost the entire pressing in under a week. The zine went on to last another 6 years, and the label is still going as you can surely see to this day. The hand made element is still present in mostly pre-orders, but I still can't believe it all started for me with this little comp CD back so long ago. So today, I have for you kids out there, 3 of the tracks that have most people trying to track this thing down.

Elf Power - Historical Ant Wars
Of Montreal - Hello from Inside a Shell DEMO VERSION
the Minders - 40 Ferndal Rd

In other label news: Keith John Adams new album Unclever is out on Tuesday Feb 12th. However the pre-order copies will not ship until next week. Keith finished the 40 tracks, but he is sending me the extras this week, and so Unclever, the 2 CDR bonus discs, and the button will be shipping early next week. Sorry for the delay, but you can check out 5 more songs over at Three Imaginary Girls. I will post links when the other songs pop up this week on the other sites and blogs.

Singles Club UPDATE: Red Pony Clock sent in their song, so the next four singles to go to the plant or some are at the plant now will be/are. Red Pony Clock / Andy from Denver, Ideal Free Distribution / Poison Control Center, Tullycraft / the Smittens, and Velcro Stars / Keith John Adams. Singles should hopefully ship in late April, early May as long as nothing goes wrong at the pressing plants. FINGERS CROSSED.