We’re Number Two!
July 30th, 2012 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Asthmatic Kitty came this close to dominating the Best of Indy 2012 poll for top local Indianapolis label. We join other venerable Hoosier-based runners-up in the annual Nuvo survey, including second best pork tenderloin, Edwards Drive-In; second best place for ‘hooking up’, the Alley Cat; and second best local pro sports team, the Pacers.
We’re already preparing to dominate next year’s readers’ poll. People of Indianapolis, brace yourselves.
Dots Will Echo’s Infectious Debut Releases Later This Month
July 11th, 2012 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Nick Berry and Kurt Biroc make music prolifically while keeping day jobs. The duo that form the New Jersey-based band Dots Will Echo move back and forth between the half-lit world of kicking around ideas, dreaming up sounds, and playing riffs in a garage to the office-lit reality of finishing a project, checking a box off a to do list, and turning out the lights. Dots Will Echo’s debut release Drunk is the New Sober/Stupid is the New Dumb is available July 24th on Asthmatic Kitty. Recorded over the course of three days, the album ranges from perfectly impulsive to transcendent.
Berry and Biroc work together (Biroc is Berry’s boss) and make music as Dots Will Echo on their off hours. Berry plays everything from Andean charango to hammered dulcimer and Biroc plays drums on the album. The duo tease out irregular, tattered post punk-infused pop hooks that move between capricious and infectious. “I meant this to be a very raw recording, capturing the way we sound live,” says Berry. He describes Dots Will Echo’s sound as, “A little bit The Incredible String Band, a little bit AC/DC. A little bit Nick Drake, a little bit Cheap Trick.”
Before forming Dots Will Echo in 2004, Berry played with the power pop trio DWE Mk I, recording a single that made it to No. 4 on Sweden’s rock charts. In 2001, Berry contributed to the Will Ackerman track “Fear Not, Mary.” The song appeared on Ackerman’s Grammy nominated album Hearing Voices.
Drunk is the New Sober/Stupid is the New Dumb comes in at an epic 23 tracks. The CD was originally slated to be split into two disks. The double LP includes a code to access digital bonus track downloads.
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Raymond Byron & the White Freighter; New Band, New Album
June 28th, 2012 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Going on five full-length records since 2004, Asthmatic Kitty’s Castanets has given us a wide-lens look at deconstructed Americana. Come September 4th, Castanets’ Ray Raposa will debut a new band, Raymond Byron and the White Freighter, and a brand-new full-length, Little Death Shaker.
Where the ‘Nets trafficked in improv and avant-country gone coal black, Raposa’s new stuff is pure roadhouse blues. Stripped of all noise influences and focusing on straight-up songs, Little Death Shaker is a record evocative of late nights and dusty parking lots, long drives and boozy hookups. This is the work of a dude who’s spent his youth and young manhood on tour and it comes through in both the music and the lyrics.
One of Little Death Shaker’s real charms is you can close your eyes and see these 13 tracks played live; you can see the drummer leaning over his kit with his brushes, the backup singers standing around the mic, beers in hand, eyes closed, swaying side to side, the lights crisscrossing the stage. In a world of records that bands can’t duplicate live, it’s crazy-refreshing.
Meet Raymond Byron and the White Freighters and their record Little Death Shaker. Here’s to the new.
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Precious Remedies For Everyone; New Welcome Wagon Out Now
June 13th, 2012 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices, the Welcome Wagon’s second album, is out today! The follow-up full length to their 2008 debut, Presbyterian minister Vito Aiuto and his wife Monique present a brand new collection of folk-infused gospel gems.
Precious Remedies was recorded over the course of a work week in an old Brooklyn rectory. The tracks were produced by Alexander Foote and feature musical contributions from friends, including Foote and Sufjan Stevens. Spanning from sweet to transcendent, the record is the perfect summer soundtrack for lazy afternoons and back porch gatherings.
Above is a fantastically filmed video of a rehearsal of “Remedy,” a David Crowder cover. Friends of the Welcome Wagon Alex and Aaron Craig do the honors.
You can help yourself to some Precious Remedies on CD, LP, or MP3 by clicking here.
WELCOME WAGON RELEASE SHOW TUESDAY
June 4th, 2012 , by Asthmatic Kitty
The Welcome Wagon are holding a release party tomorrow night at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, and Andrew Rose Gregory and his Color Red Band will open. You should go! Admission is $15.
Shannon on tour, in-store in Indy on Saturday
May 25th, 2012 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Pull It Together, the new album from Shannon Stephens, is out and about. And so is Shannon herself! Tonight she is playing in Grand Rapids at Schuler Books and Music – tomorrow she’s playing in Indianapolis at Radio Radio opening for Ben Sollee.
A little before that, Shannon will be doing a free in-store show at LUNA Music at 2pm.
Then on Sunday, catch her in Dayton. For more details click here.
New Shannon Stephens Album Out Now
May 22nd, 2012 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Seattle-based singer-songwriter Shannon Stephens’ third full-length Pull It Together releases today. Throughout the album’s 11 bluesy racks, Stephens sings about the weighty world, joy, and rest. A shortlist of fine musicians make appearances, including DM Stith and Jeff Fielder. Stephens also teams up with Bonnie Prince Billy (Will Oldham) on the track “Faces Like Ours.”
Seattle Weekly sings the album’s praises, saying, “From Stephens’ band mates to her personal, well-spun compositions, great instincts and well-adapted acoustic flourishes define Pull It Together and make it a deeply satisfying spin.” Read the whole review over on the Weekly’s site.
You can order a copy of Pull It Together on CD or LP here. Also available: a pressed-to-order Tae Won Yu t-shirt in sizes for men and women.
NEW WELCOME WAGON UP FOR PREORDER, EP FOR FREE VIA NOISETRADE, RELEASE SHOW
May 21st, 2012 , by Asthmatic Kitty
All those months you’ve been patiently waiting, biding time cleaning out closets, sorting book spines by color, and shining your shoes, are about to come to an end. The Welcome Wagon’s latest full-length, Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices, will be ready for ears everywhere in a few short weeks.
We officially release the Welcome Wagon’s new album June 12, and we’re taking pre-orders now. To reserve a copy on CD or LP, click here.
To prep for the release, The Welcome Wagon decided to set their last EP, Purity of Heart Is to Will One Thing, free on Noisetrade. Get the EP here, or see below.
THIS JUST IN: Record release party in Brooklyn on June 5th at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Brooklyn at 7pm! Beautiful poster design by Brian Jones here.
NEW SHANNON STEPHENS VIDEO, TOUR [MP3, VIDEO]
May 9th, 2012 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Shannon Stephens’ strong-hearted songwriting distinguishes her infectious third release, Pull It Together. The album’s blues-meets-indie folk melodies hover underneath challenging lyrics born out of the Great Recession. And she's taking it on tour.
Stephens begins her Pull It Together Tour on May 16 in Allentown, PA, winding her way through New York, Ontario, Michigan, New Jersey, Illinois, and Ohio before playing a final show in her hometown of Seattle June 8. For a complete list of tour dates, click here.
We're also releasing her brand new single today, entitled “Care of You.” The song captures the essence of the new record: a bluesy ragged jam, as if pulled together on a bar stage with close friends. Watch the video, directed by Christian Sorensen Hansen, above, or download it off of Soundcloud right here.
We're lucky to be releasing Pull It Together May 22nd. To preorder a copy of the album, click here – $10 for CD, $15 for LP.
You can also get her new t-shirt, pressed to order and designed by cover artist Tae Won Yu, here.