Ok. Welcome, everyone. Yes, I see that many of you already have the hand-out. Good good. Terrance? Please start the projector. We have a lot to cover today, and it’s all good, so stick with me. Excellent. Let’s get to the issue at hand: the wonder, the movement, the belief . . . that is . . . Cryptacize.

Tour. They’re touring. Right now the Official Cryptacize Van of Touring – you have the IP on that Danny? – is slowly making its way across the Midwest of the US. Eventually it will make it to Boston, New York, south from there to Austin and Los Angeles. Please save questions for the end and yes, they are visiting the UK not long after that. You’ll see it on page 84, or you can click here.

Ok. Next. Karaoke. "The act of singing along to a music video, esp. one from which the original vocals have been electronically eliminated." It’s hot, it’s what the kids are doing, and Cryptacize are definitely in with the kids. They’re karaoke-ified one of their songs for the karaoke-ing masses. It’s a contest, there’s dough involved. A fantastic video viewable here – good job to Kristen’s team on that, no clapping please. Who’s that scuba diver? Get him on the next project Tom.

Yep, you read right. Cash prize of $150. Details on page 133, or here. Please remind your staff that submissions are due June 15. EOW. STAT. PRONTO.

And finally, Sufjan turned in some nice copy on the band. You’re missing it Jesse? Terrance, share yours yes? A good read. "Magic crystals." Good one. We’ll use that for the toothpaste project. And the scuba diver. Nice. Read here.

Anything else? I think that covers it. Jeff, you heard right, no weekend overtime, and I was lying about taking questions.

Is Cryptacize tired, you might ask? They’ve released an album, embarked on many far and wide tours since that album. That would tire me, you might say.

To which Cryptacize would say, "We are not tired. We are tireless. But we do need your help."  They are touring again, this time drawing a big circle of music around the United States: trekking across the Midwest (Chicago), then to NYC, down to Balt-ee-more, then to Knoxville, on to Texas, and back to California. If you’ve missed them on a previous tour, don’t think this will last forever!  Cryptacize is rare and flighty!

"They said they need my help," you might remind us. It is true. To fuel their explorative journey across the United States, they are hoping that all peoples of the Internet join them in song, that is to say, karaoke. As their record label, we are happily sweetening the deal with cash prizes.

Record a karaoke version of "Cosmic Sing-a-Long" and email the mp3 to akcontest [at] gmail [dot] com, or post your video to YouTube or Vimeo and email the link to that same email. You can sing as a group or solo, make up new lyrics, choreograph dance, puppets, employ special effects and extensive CGI and/or stop-motion, or anything really. Points galore for creativity.

Deadline is June 7th. We’ll announce the winner on or around June 15th. Get karaokeing!!!

Click here to view the video in Vimeo, or click more to view. And click here to download the Karaoke MP3, or here for the original.

THE COSMIC SING-A-LONG CRYPTACIZE KARAOKE CONTEST from Asthmatic Kitty on Vimeo.

There are four evenings between Thursday and Monday, and for all four Cryptacize will be playing somewhere near you if you live on the upper West Coast. Thursday: Portland, Friday: Seattle, Saturday: Vancouver, and Sunday: Eugene. They’re playing with a new band or set of bands each night, so if you were inclined to follow them from show to show you’d get a good quickfire representation of the state of west coast pop-rock. See details of the tour here.

We can use your help spreading the word about these shows as well as getting the word out about their June tour in which they will be covering most of the United States.  Here are two very practical ways in which you can help us.  Click here for a PDF of a handy 8.5×11 black and white you can print out and take to all your local community bulletin board hotspots.

You can also email us at wordofmouth at asthmatickitty dot com and let us know you would like to help and how you can help and we will arm you with some promotional goodies.  Thanks!

Cryptacize’s first album is now available, either here on the website or at your favorite independent record store. We’ve had the pleasure of listening to it for some time, and we think you’ll enjoy it’s swirling simplicity.

In case you need something to listen to until your album arrives via mail, or the bus arrives to take you to the record store, Michael, Chris, and Nedelle of Cryptacize have carefully created a playlist of some of their friends’ music. You can listen to it right on AKradio by clicking here.

Click here to order the album from website, or on more to view Cryptacize’s "Cosmic Sing-a-Long" in video form.

Cryptacize – Cosmic Sing-a-long from Asthmatic Kitty on Vimeo.

It has been a while since Chris Cohen and Nedelle Torrisi brushed their teeth and happened upon Cryptacize, along with the help of Michael Carreira. Since then the trio has toured, made a video, and even recorded an album!

This miniature journey, free fantasia, dreamy habitat they called Dig That Treasure is now available for purchase from our store, in both CD and LP formats. Click here to buy the CD ($10), here for the LP ($12), or here to read more about the album. The album will be available in your favorite independent store on Tuesday the 19th.

Yes, it is cold. This is the worst part of winter, what with the holidays done and gone and the sun all but hidden by the clouds.

Yet, the fair Cryptacize is never one to sit in and mope. Instead, they are looking to the sunny future, when green abounds, baby rabbits start nibbling on that same green, and flowers begin to push their way through the dirt. It is then when Cryptacize, too, will emerge from their snowy hibernation and tour the United States wide. By then, their mysterious and mystical Dig That Treasure will have found its way into the hands of the general and not-so-general public. How coincidental!

And who better to tour with than Anticon Record’s pitter-pattering why? who, coincidentally (!), also have an album due soon! Along the tour, expect visits from Son Lux, Brother Danielson, and Doofgoblin. For a sample of Cryptacize’s future tourmates, why?, click here to download why?’s cover of The Cure’s "Close to Me."

For details of the tour, click here.

Until you catch them live, you can catch them YouTubed, with their first official video: "Cosmic Singalong." Click on more to view!

Cryptacize has joined the Asthmatic Kitty family, and everyone around here is happier for it.  Here is why:

1. The band was birthed near C&H Sugar Factory, which you can take a panoramic tour of by clicking here.

2. The band’s name comes from a toothpaste-related incident. However antithetical that sounds due to the bands’ proximity to a sugar factory, it is true.

3. This cowbell video on YouTube. If you watch it, your eyes will text message you "WE R AMAZED."

Together, Chris Cohen of The Curtains and formerly of Deerhof, soloist Nedelle Torrisi, and percussionist Michael Carreira are on a mission. We didn’t bother to ask them what it was though because we were too busy tapping our feet to their beat, but if the crusade is as pleasant to ingest as their music, we’re in.

They mean business. You can tell because of the look in their eyes, and their upcoming tourdates. They promised to release an album one day and we’re holding them to it. We’ll let you know more when we can. Click here for their artist page.