UNUSUAL ANIMALS EMERGE IN PORTLAND

September 24th, 2007 , by

We didn’t think it was possible either, but here they are, staring at us from the darkness of two sides of the country: two herds of Unusual Animals appearing at the same time, one in Houston, and then this variant, peering up from the waters that run beneath the bridges of Portland.

Our own Half-handed Cloud will be there of course, making the migration from the coast, but so too will indigenous Portland booty-shaking The Beauty, the lo-fi-ically precise Upsidedown Cat, and the charmed-before-you-know-it Kelli Schaefer, as well as nearby Olympia Washington’s hand-clapping Lake.

Film too! Thanks to The Journal of Short Film, who must have tossed the right kind of fish food into the Columbia river, these Animals also include works from acclaimed filmmakers like Jeremy Bird, Uli Beutter, Ryan Jeffrey, Karl Lind, Matt McCormick Vanessa Renwick, Stephen Slappe, and Chel White.

Yes, there will be puppetry.

Did we say this is for humans of all ages, and free? It is.

Click more to see an illustrated representation of the Portlandian Unusuals by Jesse Hamm.

UNUSUAL ANIMALS CORRALLED INTO HOUSTON

September 21st, 2007 , by

You’ve seen them before. Maybe in Austin, Brooklyn, or Indianapolis. You thought they were a bit peculiar, a little errant, unusual even. Furry, maybe. Sometimes not. But animals.  Definitely animals. Unusual Animals.

We predict an appearance of these creatures again, this time in Houston, Texas. If the trend continues, a band or two from our own roster will show up – probably Future Rapper, and perhaps someone else. We also think local bands will emerge from the foliage, bands like Hearts of Animals, The Wiggins, Space City Gamelan, or Moth Fight. Carefully fed and cared for by generous hosts like KTRU, Microcenema, Poison Girl bar, Saint Arnold’s Brewery, Signal to Noise, Sound Exchange, and Tito’s Vodka, these animals will congregate and find friends on October 20, 3pm at the Diverseworks Art Space.

Payment of course will be unnecessary, as these wondrous creatures operate on instinct alone, and perhaps a little love.

MBD OVER THE SEA AND WITH TIM

September 18th, 2007 , by

Photo by Matt Wignall

My Brightest Diamond has crossed the ocean! She’s touring in Europe for September, hitting the festivals and then some clubs in the UK, Germany, and Switzerland. After that she’ll return home for a brief spin around the Midwest, Canada, and New England, joined this time with Tim Fite. Tim crafts some very fine sample-pop gems. If you don’t believe us, go to his website and download his latest album, Over the Counter Culture…FOR FREE! Then you can even sing along at the shows! 

Click here for tourdates.

LIZ AND SHAPES TO PLAY AT PYGMALION FESTIVAL, AK TO SPONSOR

September 17th, 2007 , by

The Pygmalion Festival, now in its third year, is proving to be a formidable festival with each iteration. How could we not sponsor this fantastic grouping of musicians? From Andrew Bird to Catfish Haven to Denison Witmer, and our very own Liz Janes and Shapes & Sizes, Pygmalion 2007 is on track to be the best one yet.

Tickets are selling out quickly and are just $45 for the whole three days. Buy them on the festival’s website, here.

HAPPY 25TH BIRTHDAY, K RECORDS!

September 12th, 2007 , by

We here at Asthmatic Kitty Records want to extend a very special Happy Birthday to K Records.  Why K?  Because not only has K survived 25 years in the record biz, but more importantly because it has done it with integrity, authenticity and originality.  With a truly community based and D.I.Y. spirit, K Records has put out an amazing catalog of music and influenced many other labels in their approach not only to music, but the business of music. 

A few months ago, we decided that we wanted to start championing other independent labels by profiling them on our website, so what better way to kick it off then with a birthday?  So these next couple weeks we will be posting memories and reviews of the K Records legacy. We also have launched this cyber-celebration with a K Records Tribute compilation which we are currently streaming in our AK Radio player (see above, just below the banner).  There is more to come so check back regularly.

Click here to see the birthday cake in all its chocolate glory.

INTRODUCING CHRIS SCHLARB

August 31st, 2007 , by

Photo by Adriana Schlarb

Pegging Chris Schlarb down into one category is a tall order. He teaches music, he plays jazz guitar, he’s founded a record label and a fifty member free form ensemble and a free-jazz-drone band, he’s a husband and father, and  . . . well, we could go on, for a long time.

That’s why it’s so lucky that we’ve managed to peg him onto our artist roster, and we’re honored to do it. Of course, he’s already been hanging around for a while; Chris has worked with Sufjan Stevens, Castanets, Liz Janes, and Half-Handed Cloud already on more than one project, so it’s just natural that he’s part of the crew.

And he brings with him his first release on Asthmatic Kitty, Twilight and Ghost Stories, a delicately crafted forty-minute composition that somehow manages to incorporate all of the above. We’ll be releasing it on December 4th of this year. In the meantime, you can read his bio here, or an album description here.

ROUND-UP WITH SHAPES AND SIZES

August 29th, 2007 , by

Photographed by Murat Eyuboglu

Music blog Stereogum have posted an outtake from Shapes and Sizes’ recent Split Lips, Winning Hips, a Shiner, and they’re "glad the lil’ life ‘n’ death-marching-hymn-that-could has finally surfaced." Go to Stereogum’s post here to march for yourself.

We are too, because it’s a good tune, but it probably has something to do with Shapes and Sizes’ new tour with the Brooklyn pop-rock quarter Yeasayer (their MySpace page is here), recently signed to new Monitor Records’ spin-off WE*ARE*FREE group. The tour will start in Shapes’ homebase, Montreal, and end up in Hanover, New Hampshire, homebase to Jon Spencer. Click here for dates.

"2080," Yeasayer

  "Sunrise," Yeasayer

ROUND-UP WITH CASTANETS

August 27th, 2007 , by

While the Castanets gear up a major fall tour to promote their new album, In the Vines, they thought they’d knock out a few stops while they’re around. They’ll be playing in Brooklyn, NYC, and Philadelphia during mid-September. See here for dates.

In the meantime, our own in-house remixer Rafter thought he’d remix one of the tracks from the upcoming albums. The result will make you dance even if you don’t want to. Stream it below, or read Paper Thin Walls‘ review here. They gave it a 6.5, but an astute commenter observed that it’s "less one for the brain and more one for the booty." Yep.

And finally, our Official Policy and Position is that we maintain a 100% Spoiler-Free Atmosphere around here. You didn’t see anything about Harry Potter 7 on our site, did you?

But we can’t help but post a photograph found by MySpace member Litten Missa Röd Stöveln. Click more to see the full image. We’ll say nothing else, except that you will see someone actually grow a full beard in season four of Lost.

"Strong Animal," Rafter remix of Castanets

ROUND-UP WITH LIZ JANES

August 24th, 2007 , by

Here’s something we could all use: a visit to Liz Janes by the Ghosts of Christmas (in August. They’re bored).

The Ghost of Christmas (in August) Past tells us that a few years ago, Liz Janes recorded a song for the San Diego Zoo, for the ad agency Signing Serpent – hey, there goes Rafter!  Good news for those not in San Diego: the video of the commercial has appeared on YouTube. View it here.

Also from the Ghost of Christmas (in August) Past: A few years ago,  Liz provided backup vocals for a burgeoning Californian artist named Douglas Armour. He’s working on a full-length for label The Social Registry, but has released a 7 inch through their Social Club limited series to pacify our never-ending indie-pop urges. Listen to him, and Liz sing backup, on his MySpace page here or at the bottom of this post.

The cheery Ghost of Christmas (in August) Present is saying that  Liz plays tonight in Indianapolis at Locals Only at 8pm with many other great musicians (see details here). Doors open at 8pm. INTake Weekly rated the show the second in the top 10 things to do this weekend. And that’s with Rush playing in town!

And finally, the Ghost of Christmas (in August) Future has ghoulishly moaned to us that Liz will be playing for the Pygmalion Music Festival on Saturday, September 22 at 6pm, in Urbana-Champaign. Passes are $40 and includes admission to other fine artists like Andrew Bird, Denison Witmer, Catfish Haven, Okkervil River, and our very own Shapes and Sizes. Buy tickets here.

  "Prince of Wands Nights" Douglas Armour (with Liz Janes)

LIZ JANES AT INDY LABEL FEST

August 18th, 2007 , by

We just wrapped up the Unusual Animals Party in Indianapolis, but in typical Naptown fashion, the party never stops – it just takes breaks to munch on corn fritters from the State Fair.

Hence the Indy Label Festival Volume 2, which takes place this coming Friday.

Just like last year’s Volume 1, our very own Liz Janes will be on stage for Volume 2. Artists from Indianapolis based labels Joyful Noise Recordings, Standard Recording Company, and Underwater Tea Party  include More Animals of the Artic, Child Bite, Arrah & The Ferns, Resting Rooster, Grandpall Jookabox, and Everthus the Deadbeats.

Nuvo Newsweekly is also sponsoring. And what’s a party without beverage? Thankfully, Upland Brewery will provide their always delicious award-winning hops.

Doors open at 8pm on Friday August 24th at Locals Only. Click on more to see the lineup and times and to see the full poster.

8-8:30 More Animals of the Arctic
8:45-9:15: Liz Janes
9:30-10: Child Bite
10:15-10:45: Arrah & The Ferns
11-11:30: Resting Rooster
11:45-12:15: Grandpall Jookabox
12:30-1: Everthus the Deadbeats

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