AND SO IT BEGINS: A FULL HALF-WEEK OF SHAPES AND SIZES
May 21st, 2007 , by Asthmatic Kitty
As of today we have officially released Shapes and Sizes’ new album, Split Lips, Winning Hips, a Shiner. You should be able to find it on the shelves of your local independent record store. You can also purchase it from our online site by clicking here for the CD, here for the vinyl, or here for iTunes. We have a couple free mp3s, and a full, free audio stream of the entire record, on the album page.
To celebrate this new release (that we are very proud of, if you can’t tell!), we’re kicking off a Half-Week of Shapes and Sizes content, and oh what a half-week it will be: with videos, reviews, sidebar write-ups, AKradio playlists, photographs, and origami – OH MY!
Ok, no origami. But with all the material we’re posting this week, you won’t have time to fold paper! Check here everyday until Friday for new material.
NEW NEWS ON THE HALF-HANDED CLOUD FRONT
May 18th, 2007 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Think things are quiet on the Half-Handed Cloud front? We’re about to prove you wrong, with only three fingers. No wait, four fingers!
ONE: John Ringhofer, the brains and brawn behind the band, just drew a gorgeous rendition of the current HHC lineup which you see previewed above. You can click here to see it in all its Flickr glory here.
THREE: Half-Handed Cloud has a new song entitled "Bees Baked a Loaf for Me (or Flour from Flowers?)" on a compilation from Italian record label My Honey. It’s good! Very beezy! Information to purchase is on their website.
FOUR: We checked our mail the other day and nestled in between the grocery coupons, bills, and flyers for the weekend fish fry was a nice package of 150 copies of Half-Handed Cloud’s limited edition I’m So Sheepy EP! Beautifully crafted and printed by Jonathan Dueck, these 150 discs deserve good homes. Say, your home looks nice! Buy it here for only $7 plus shipping.
STRING QUARTET PLAYS SUFJAN! SHAPES & SIZES RELEASE RECORD!
May 13th, 2007 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Don’t miss the Asthmatic Kitty/Unusual Animals Matinee Concert This Sunday!
@ Union Hall, Brooklyn, NY – $10, 1:30pm doors, ALL AGES.
Bring your tape cassette recorders!
See here for more information, or click more, below, for lineup and times.
FEATURING, in reverse order:
5:00 — OSSO String Quartet to play selections from Sufjan’s “Enjoy Your Rabbit," featuring Rob Moose, violin; Olivier Manchon, violin; Marla Hansen, viola; and Maria Bella Jeffers, cello.
4: 00 — SHAPES & SIZES lambast wild, gorgeous rock songs in celebration of the release of their new record “Split Lips, Winning Hips, A Shiner.”
Available NOW from the shop.
3: 00 –STARS LIKE FLEAS are awesome. Check them out here.
2:00 — FLYING, a collective of four artists, translate magic words and mysterious noises into chaotically sweet music.
YEAR TWO OF DAYTROTTER MEANS CASTANETS
May 12th, 2007 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Daytrotter just celebrated their first birthday, which included a year of excellent session recordings, art, and writing. They’re on year two now and keeping it real. Castanets happened by their studio the other day and talked with Daytrotter’s Sean Moeller about the Kentucky Derby, muggers, and living street.
In traditional Daytrotter fashion, they’ve also provided three streaming and downloadable tracks from Castanets, including the unreleased "This is the Early Game."
SAVE IT
May 11th, 2007 , by Asthmatic Kitty
On March 2, 2007, The U.S. Copyright Royalty Board determined that net radio operators should pay a high climbing rate fee from 2006 retroactively to 2010. The fee would cost net radio stations more than satellite radio pays right now – from 60% to 300% of net radio’s earnings. The decision is set to activate on July 15 of this year.
Asthmatic Kitty Records officially thinks this stinks. We support net lobbying against this legislation like SaveNetRadio.org, and the efforts of Senators Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) and Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) to introduce a bill that would repeal the Board’s decision.
We hope you thank these two Senators, and visit SaveNetRadio.org to see what else you can do to fight this unfair rate hike.
SPLIT LIPS SPLIT OPEN
May 8th, 2007 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Shapes and Sizes’ new album, Split Lips, Winning Hips, a Shiner, is available for preorder now. The first 150 who preorder will receive the limited release Shapes and Sizes and Castanets’ Tour EP along with their order. Buy the CD here, or the vinyl LP here. Stay tuned for Shapes and Sizes Half-Week!
FREE THINGS WITH SPLIT LIPS
May 2nd, 2007 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Shapes and Sizes’ new album, Split Lips, Winning Hips, a Shiner, releases May 22, but you can order it right here on asthmatickitty.com starting next Tuesday, May 8th. Those who do will probably receive their copy a few days before the records stores.
And the first 150 who order Split Lips from our website starting May 8th will receive a limited release Shapes and Sizes and Castanets’ Tour EP, shipped straight from honest Wyoming.
Those that have heard Split Lips seem to really enjoy this record. Uncut Magazine filed it under "fractured indie rock with hints of Scandinavian improv-jazz." And The Plugg said that Shapes and Sizes have "upped the stakes" with this one. Other interested parties can listen to a free, full-album stream here. That should be enough to prepare you for the upcoming Shapes and Sizes Half-Week, which will start May 22.
CASTANETS SUBVERT ON CLOAK & DAGGER RADIO
April 22nd, 2007 , by Asthmatic Kitty
The most recent podcast for Cloak and Dagger is the first landing site for new Castanets material, from a new full length due in the fall. Castanets also cover friends Viking Moses and Jana Hunter in the casting of the pod. And in between sets, Ray Raposa’s voice crackles over the weary airwaves of the Internet as he explains "night weeks." Hear him, his band, and his music by clicking to Cloak & Dagger’s website, then on their radio link, or you can download the files as tracks here.
FEED YOUR SHEEP A BRAND NEW VIDEO
April 16th, 2007 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Tyrone Davies of loaf-i productions conjured up this magical video of Half-Handed Cloud’s "Feed Your Sheep a Burning Lamp," from Halos & Lassos. Thanks Tyrone!
CURTAINS SHARE AUDIO SCRAPEBOOK VIA AKRADIO
April 4th, 2007 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Having completed a broad United States tour and then released their debut album on vinyl, The Curtains came to the sad realization that not everyone in the Americas could make it to one of the shows, or owned a record player. And that’s why they’ve decided to release a few tracks onto the populist partition of the streaming Inter-nets we call AKradio.
Like the rising army of middle-class suburbanites who construct those colorful and carefully cut scrapbooks, The Curtains selected a few pop gems from a variety of sources, including a recent tour EP and an appearance on a live web radio show. Taken together in this new context, the songs combine into a happily offbeat but entirely listenable playlist. Enjoy!