SONGS FOR CHRISTMAS NOW STREAM-ABLE AND PRESALE-ABLE
October 31st, 2006 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Celebrate Christmas on Halloween!? Who ever heard of such a thing? Of course we haven’t forgotten Halloween either.
In the same way that brisk, Northern wind whipped by you last week with its chilly reminder that the holiday season is closer than you think, here it is: Sufjan’s 5 CD Songs for Christmas in all its free, streamy goodness, available for enjoyment right now. These computer bytes of joy broadcast over the Internet feature albums recorded by Sufjan over the course of 5 yuletides (from 2001 to 2006), each employing different friends, instruments, and moods to tease and swizzle the Christmas spirit in all of us, even as early as October. Say, maybe it is time to swirl some shortbread and toss a little tinsel.
Of course, you can’t gift-wrap an internet stream. For those who prefer their Christmas with lovingly reused golden bows and Santa-in-pajama wrapping paper, we will be taking preorders for Songs for Christmas on October 31st, the Christmas of October to ship November 14th. This wonderful set weighs at least 15 pieces of coal, with 5 individually wrapped CDs, stickers, short stories, an essay, a video, a comic strip, songbooks, and an Official Original Christmas Family Portrait of Santa Sufjan! Check those off your list! If we could have placed the CDs in snowman adorned cookie tins and delivered them to you by hand at your Christmas office party, we would have. But we just don’t have enough helper elves.
SIDEBAR-A-THON
October 25th, 2006 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Remember A-thons, when "original programming" meant making a new graphic for seven consecutive hours of Magnum PI? Or what about those all weekend long 007-A-Thons on TNT? The oh-so-dreamy, timeless hours of Moonlighting-A-Thons on Lifetime, or the bumbling but lovable Columbo-A-Thons on A&E, or even the Xtreme Celebrity Bowling-A-Thons on ESPN4?
That well established historical legacy of A-Thons is precisely what we’re capitalizing on to launch asthmatickitty.com’s newest feature: The SIDEBAR. Simply put, the sidebar is a place where our very own artists, friends, and arch-enemies will post reviews, thoughts, and diatribes, all on a regular or not-so-regular basis. These range from observations, like John Ringhofer’s Airport Muzak Log; to music, like Michael Kaufmann’s loving unwrapping of Dabrye’s Two/Three; to Rafter’s risky but rewarding theater-hopping.So what a better way to launch than day after day of sidebar update! This week, expect daily updates on the sidebar, including Johnny Bob’s game-by-game commentary on the strange, niche phenomena known as the "World Series." Raymond Raposa of the Castanets will ramble beautifully through the bushes of his current musical brush, and we will introduce our Blogger Hometown Reviews. And More!
And in case this whole "record label" thing doesn’t work out, we think we can sell the sidebar as a dotcom to Google in 3 years for 1.7 billion – exactly .1 billion dollars more than they paid for YouTube. Invest/divest now. In the meantime, pull out the ole Cheetos from the shelf, the seven day old generic Cola from the fridge, and cuddle up to warm phosphorus glow of the sidebar…
CALAMITY HITS STORES TODAY
October 24th, 2006 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Now that it is finally in outer space, as in the space outside of the inner space of Chris Cohen’s brain where only a shrunken Dennis Quaid could get to it, people are starting to think about the sound of The Curtains’ new album. The Bay Area’s very own Owl Mag diagnosed Calamity with "sugary hiccups." The Internet’s Pitchfork has called Calamity a struggle between "twee pop tendencies" and experimentation. And the American grocer’s Spin wrote that this 13 track album is "boisterous and inventive."
Maybe Calamity is best characterized as walking music for the mildly paranoid. Or maybe it’s minimalism falling apart – can that even happen? Why did the cymbal stop? I think it just did. Did I just see that same car on 13th Street? Huh. Whatever Calamity is, it’s not tragedy.
Ohp, there’s the cymbal.
DIAMOND GIRL SHINES ON HIP-HOP COLLABORATION
September 24th, 2006 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Babygrande Records announced the September 19th release of Jedi Mind Tricks’ fifth album, Servants In Heaven, Kings In Hell. Jedi’s renowned status as one of the most revered and reviled groups in independent music is a testament to their unwavering commitment to a unique aesthetic. The album marks the return of indie hip-hop favorites with guest appearances by ILL Bill, Sean Price, R.A. The Rugged Man and more as well as pioneering indie rock collaborative efforts including two tracks with Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond, as well as a reworking of Sufjan’s "Dumb I Sound" off of his debut record, A Sun Came.
Asthmatic Kitty and underground hip-hop? Surprised? Well, if you are, be prepared for many more surprises to come in the new year.
LISTEN: Jedi Mind Tricks featuring Shara Worden – Razorblade Salvation
BUNKY IS BACK! AND HEADED TO SPAIN
September 18th, 2006 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Our favorite party band is back in town and rocking fiercely. They sway, they stagger, they sweat and they get the dance floor moving. Most importantly, they are now an Asthmatic Kitty export and they will be on their way to Spain where they are quickly becoming first class citizens of nuevo funk. Rumor also has it that a new record is in the works. Check the [tour dates] if you are within driving distance of Spain.
MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND DESIGNS FOR CHARITY
September 10th, 2006 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Yellow Bird Project asked Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond to draw a t-shirt design for the charity of her choice. Shara chose the Road Recovery charity, which is comprised of entertainment industry professionals whose lives have been touched by addiction and other adversities and now wish to make a positive impact on the lives of others. Shara has known members of the executive board of Road Recovery for many years and believes in their work, so she felt great about supporting them! You can support them too by purchasing a tee shirt.
The tees are $25 and are available through the [Yellow Bird Project Website].
SUFJAN TO RELEASE 5-DISC CHRISTMAS BOX SET
September 4th, 2006 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Forget the 50 States. Christmas is a bigger concept. As some of you may or may not know, for the past few years, as a holiday tradition, Sufjan has embarked on an extraordinary experiment to record an annual Christmas EP. It started in 2001, the year of Epiphanies, and continued onward (skipping only 2004), culminating into an odd and idiosyncratic catalog of music that has only existed in the Asthmatic Kitty archives (and on a number of file sharing sites). The recording process took place every December, for one week, usually at home, provoking collaborations with friends, roommates, and musical peers. Armed with a Reader’s Digest Christmas Songbook (and a mug of hot cider) Sufjan & friends concocted a musical fruit cake year after year, implementing every musical instrument they could find lying around the house: banjo, oboe, Casiotone, wood flute, a buzzy guitar, hand claps, sleigh bells, Hammond organ, and some tree tinsel. Did we mention sleigh bells?
RESHAPE CONTEST, ITALY TAKES THE GOLD
September 1st, 2006 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Our panel of celebrity bloggers have reached a verdict and we are pleased to announce the winners of the Offiical "Reshape & Resize Shapes & Sizes" Contest. We would like to thank all of you who submitted covers and remixes and we would also like to thank our [judges] for their listening time. And the winners are…
GOLD – Davide Loi – [LISTEN]
SILVER – Josh Boles – [LISTEN]
BRONZE – "number 1, i love you" – [LISTEN]
Runner-up
Sebastian Saint – [LISTEN]
Aleric – [LISTEN]
(sorry John Devon, we messed up)
We will be posting all the tracks next week for your listening pleasure.
WE ENDORSE PYGMALION MUSIC FESTIVAL
August 31st, 2006 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Even though there are not any Asthmatic Kitty artists on the Pygmalion Music Festival line-up, we are still pleased to be an official sponsor of the festival. Why? Well for one it is run in part by the Nicodemus Agency who just so happens to be the new Shapes and Sizes and Liz Janes booking agent. It also features some of our good friends (Danielson, David Bazan, Weird Weeds, Unwed Sailor) and some bands we really like (Man Man, Elanors, Of Montreal, Elf Power, Metal Hearts, etc.) And, it is in the Mid-West, and we like the Mid-West. So we highly recommend you go!
MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND RECORD RELEASE SHOW
August 17th, 2006 , by Asthmatic Kitty
On August 24th My Brightest Diamond and Asthmatic Kitty Records celebrate the release of Bring Me the Workhorse (in stores August 22nd) with a record release show in the famous Spiegel Tent. Currently at South Street Seaport at Pier 17 in New York City this touring 1920’s venue is a tent of a 1000 mirrors, velvet and stained glass. A magical context for a magical artist.