10.14.2008
This blog is not gonna be updated...
... this blog is not gonna be updated anymore. Please go to 20buckspin.com and put the frontpage news section (or any other page) into your news reader. Thanks!
10.11.2008
New Website & Samothrace "Life's Trade" Out Now
Lots of news today folks.
First up, our new websites have been launched. 20buckspin.com has received a full makeover. It’s more organized and easy to look at now. At the same time it’s more stripped down. The homepage is now our news/blog page, and is RSS enabled, as are the other pages on the site. This blog will replace 20buckspin.blogspot.com so please update your news feeds.
You’ll notice when you click on the store link you are taken to a separate, but similar looking website now, Phantomcityrecords.net. This site is still run and maintained by 20 Buck Spin. We wanted to give our physical store in Olympia a web presence and it made the most sense to just combine the stores into one. So going forward Phantomcityrecords.net is the official online store for 20 Buck Spin releases and mailorder distro as well as our new spin off label Actual Noise. Additionally we’ll be selling online some stuff through Phantom City that we normally wouldn’t have via 20 Buck Spin.
The store itself is an easy to use storefront based on the OScommerce system. You only have to register once and the site will store your address info so you don’t have to do it everytime. You’ll notice prices have been lowered, this is because previously we were using postage paid prices, and now the system calculates exact postage so we’ve taken the postage out of the prices. We still use the US postal system. When your package ships you will now receive a notification of shipment as some of you that have ordered recently have noticed. All domestic packages are now shipped with delivery confirmation.
TO CELEBRATE THE LAUNCH OF OUR NEW STOREFRONT AND WEBSITE WE ARE HAVING A 20% OFF SALE THROUGH WEDNESDAY. In order to get 20% off your order you will need to enter the following coupon code during checkout: PY6DFT. The discount will automatically be applied to your pre-shipping total. Again the 20% off sale is good for orders placed now through Wednesday October 15th.
If you notice any problems with the new site or have any questions please email: orders@phantomcityrecords.net.
The other big news this week is that the Samothrace debut album “Life’s Trade” is now available. The Gatefold 2xLP is available both on black, and on limited edition gold vinyl (150 copies). It is cut at 45 RPM. All copies include a poster the same A2 size as was included with the Coffins and The Endless Blockade LPs. All vinyl also includes a coupon for a free download of the entire album. The direct mailorder version also comes with an embroidered Samothrace logo patch and a sticker of the amazing artwork by David D’Andrea. The CD version is also available now.
Be sure to catch Samothrace on tour right now through mid-November. Check their site, myspace.com/samothraceproject for dates all over the US. Here’s a description of the album:
20 Buck Spin first heard Samothrace at a party in Austin during SXSW 2007. A crude rehearsal recording, but instantly we recognized how amazing these songs were gonna be. After inquiring about who it was we immediately got in touch with the Lawrence, Kansas band and offered to release their debut record.
Fast forward to the present and the album, Life’s Trade, has finally materialized. Samothrace plays ultra heavy doom with harsh alcohol-soaked vocals. And yet a somber melodic sense also permeates the 4 long tracks on Life’s Trade. Not in the overused, weepy Euro-doom tradition, but distinctly Midwestern, soulful and blues inflected. The songs shimmer with desperation, hopelessness and pain. “Awkward Hearts” is both world weary for the plight of the oppressed and also intensely personal. The melodic interplay of guitarist Bryan Spinks and Renata Castagna is distinct in doom played this heavy and each song is meticulously crafted for maximum emotional impact.
With several US tours under their belts, Samothrace have already familiarized themselves and won over doom fanatics across the country. With a planned 70 date fall tour, the band will be out in heavy support of Life’s Trade during 2008, with more US and Europe touring planned for early 2009. Recorded and mixed by Sanford Parker (Buried At Sea, Pelican, Nachtmystium) Life’s Trade rates as a stunning debut by a band soon to be on top of the doom genre.
Boise, Idaho’s Pussygutt has a new album coming out on 20 Buck Spin on November 18th called “She Hid Behind Her Veil”. The digipak CD features a single 46 minute track falling somewhere between Black Boned Angel, Phillip Glass and Corrupted. Look for it in our store prior to that date.
The new Hammers of Misfortune double album Fields / Church Of Broken Glass will be released in late November. A gatefold 2xLP with separate and distinct album artwork for each album (The artwork will be inverted on one side, both inside and out, to further distinguish the two separate LPs). The album will have printed inner sleeves and will include a coupon for a free download of both albums. 100 colored vinyl LPs will be available for mailorder – separate colors for each LP of course. The CD version of the album is being handled by Profound Lore.
Much more news to come soon regarding Actual Noise and upcoming 20 Buck Spin releases for 2009. In the meantime let us know what you think of the new websites.
First up, our new websites have been launched. 20buckspin.com has received a full makeover. It’s more organized and easy to look at now. At the same time it’s more stripped down. The homepage is now our news/blog page, and is RSS enabled, as are the other pages on the site. This blog will replace 20buckspin.blogspot.com so please update your news feeds.
You’ll notice when you click on the store link you are taken to a separate, but similar looking website now, Phantomcityrecords.net. This site is still run and maintained by 20 Buck Spin. We wanted to give our physical store in Olympia a web presence and it made the most sense to just combine the stores into one. So going forward Phantomcityrecords.net is the official online store for 20 Buck Spin releases and mailorder distro as well as our new spin off label Actual Noise. Additionally we’ll be selling online some stuff through Phantom City that we normally wouldn’t have via 20 Buck Spin.
The store itself is an easy to use storefront based on the OScommerce system. You only have to register once and the site will store your address info so you don’t have to do it everytime. You’ll notice prices have been lowered, this is because previously we were using postage paid prices, and now the system calculates exact postage so we’ve taken the postage out of the prices. We still use the US postal system. When your package ships you will now receive a notification of shipment as some of you that have ordered recently have noticed. All domestic packages are now shipped with delivery confirmation.
TO CELEBRATE THE LAUNCH OF OUR NEW STOREFRONT AND WEBSITE WE ARE HAVING A 20% OFF SALE THROUGH WEDNESDAY. In order to get 20% off your order you will need to enter the following coupon code during checkout: PY6DFT. The discount will automatically be applied to your pre-shipping total. Again the 20% off sale is good for orders placed now through Wednesday October 15th.
If you notice any problems with the new site or have any questions please email: orders@phantomcityrecords.net.
The other big news this week is that the Samothrace debut album “Life’s Trade” is now available. The Gatefold 2xLP is available both on black, and on limited edition gold vinyl (150 copies). It is cut at 45 RPM. All copies include a poster the same A2 size as was included with the Coffins and The Endless Blockade LPs. All vinyl also includes a coupon for a free download of the entire album. The direct mailorder version also comes with an embroidered Samothrace logo patch and a sticker of the amazing artwork by David D’Andrea. The CD version is also available now.
Be sure to catch Samothrace on tour right now through mid-November. Check their site, myspace.com/samothraceproject for dates all over the US. Here’s a description of the album:
20 Buck Spin first heard Samothrace at a party in Austin during SXSW 2007. A crude rehearsal recording, but instantly we recognized how amazing these songs were gonna be. After inquiring about who it was we immediately got in touch with the Lawrence, Kansas band and offered to release their debut record.
Fast forward to the present and the album, Life’s Trade, has finally materialized. Samothrace plays ultra heavy doom with harsh alcohol-soaked vocals. And yet a somber melodic sense also permeates the 4 long tracks on Life’s Trade. Not in the overused, weepy Euro-doom tradition, but distinctly Midwestern, soulful and blues inflected. The songs shimmer with desperation, hopelessness and pain. “Awkward Hearts” is both world weary for the plight of the oppressed and also intensely personal. The melodic interplay of guitarist Bryan Spinks and Renata Castagna is distinct in doom played this heavy and each song is meticulously crafted for maximum emotional impact.
With several US tours under their belts, Samothrace have already familiarized themselves and won over doom fanatics across the country. With a planned 70 date fall tour, the band will be out in heavy support of Life’s Trade during 2008, with more US and Europe touring planned for early 2009. Recorded and mixed by Sanford Parker (Buried At Sea, Pelican, Nachtmystium) Life’s Trade rates as a stunning debut by a band soon to be on top of the doom genre.
Boise, Idaho’s Pussygutt has a new album coming out on 20 Buck Spin on November 18th called “She Hid Behind Her Veil”. The digipak CD features a single 46 minute track falling somewhere between Black Boned Angel, Phillip Glass and Corrupted. Look for it in our store prior to that date.
The new Hammers of Misfortune double album Fields / Church Of Broken Glass will be released in late November. A gatefold 2xLP with separate and distinct album artwork for each album (The artwork will be inverted on one side, both inside and out, to further distinguish the two separate LPs). The album will have printed inner sleeves and will include a coupon for a free download of both albums. 100 colored vinyl LPs will be available for mailorder – separate colors for each LP of course. The CD version of the album is being handled by Profound Lore.
Much more news to come soon regarding Actual Noise and upcoming 20 Buck Spin releases for 2009. In the meantime let us know what you think of the new websites.
10.03.2008
Early Samothrace Review
Early 'Thrace review:
Life's Trade is out 10/14. Look for it direct via 20buckspin.com around the 10th.
This review is from Teethofthedivine.com
myspace.com/samothraceproject
Hailing from Lawrence, Kansas, Samothrace (not sure if named after the Greek Island or a race of Emperor guitarists) have come out of nowhere with a stunning debut album that mixes the girth and throb of psychedelic sludge/Post Rock (think Minsk and Rwake) with the utterly rending, layered harmonies and beautiful yet wilting melody of Anathema, Morgion or even the Finnish doom/death scene.
Life’s Trade is 4 songs and just over 45 minutes of draining, soul crushing music that will leave your heart shattered and spent but with a glimmer of hope gleaming through the shroud of despondency. Seriously, the mix of typically fuzzed out Sanford Parker produced sludge/doom, gruff roars, sprawling ambience and truly evocative, layered guitar work might move you to tears-it almost did me.
Opener “La Llorona’s” (”The Crying lady”-named after a child drowning ghost of Mexican folklore) is a moping, heaving monster of lethargy and a slight Southern drawl mingled with the haunting throes of the subject matter. Then, standout track “Awkward Hearts” renders arguably one of the most moving pieces of music I’ve heard in 2008. While my full time job has rendered me an emotionless prick, music still has the ability to physically affect my emotions and the opening delicate strums and cascading peak of “Awkward Hearts” is that rare piece of music that feels like God reaching into my chest, grabbing my heart, wringing it out, and leaving it a withered husk. Think Anathema’s “Lovelorn Rhapsody” and Morgion’s “Canticle” mixed with the crushing ebbs of Isis or Neurosis. Simply fucking amazing.
“Cacophony”, has a tall order to follow, but manages to keep me enthralled initially a heftier, sludgier repast before gently transitioning into a shimmering, psychedelic mid song trip and tumbling, stoner doom ending climax. Closer “Cruel Awake” gives a fittingly despondent , 13 minute endnote with a crumbling, epic lope littered with layered melodic acoustics and again, a slightly hazy, swampy feel and the closing 3 minutes coming close to recreating the sheer mournfull bliss of “Awkward Hearts”.
Like Deadbird, Samothrace isn’t the biggest name in the genre, but by god have they delivered one of the year’s better albums and like Deadbird’s Twilight Ritual, look for Life’s Trade to flirt with my year end list.
Life's Trade is out 10/14. Look for it direct via 20buckspin.com around the 10th.
This review is from Teethofthedivine.com
myspace.com/samothraceproject
Hailing from Lawrence, Kansas, Samothrace (not sure if named after the Greek Island or a race of Emperor guitarists) have come out of nowhere with a stunning debut album that mixes the girth and throb of psychedelic sludge/Post Rock (think Minsk and Rwake) with the utterly rending, layered harmonies and beautiful yet wilting melody of Anathema, Morgion or even the Finnish doom/death scene.
Life’s Trade is 4 songs and just over 45 minutes of draining, soul crushing music that will leave your heart shattered and spent but with a glimmer of hope gleaming through the shroud of despondency. Seriously, the mix of typically fuzzed out Sanford Parker produced sludge/doom, gruff roars, sprawling ambience and truly evocative, layered guitar work might move you to tears-it almost did me.
Opener “La Llorona’s” (”The Crying lady”-named after a child drowning ghost of Mexican folklore) is a moping, heaving monster of lethargy and a slight Southern drawl mingled with the haunting throes of the subject matter. Then, standout track “Awkward Hearts” renders arguably one of the most moving pieces of music I’ve heard in 2008. While my full time job has rendered me an emotionless prick, music still has the ability to physically affect my emotions and the opening delicate strums and cascading peak of “Awkward Hearts” is that rare piece of music that feels like God reaching into my chest, grabbing my heart, wringing it out, and leaving it a withered husk. Think Anathema’s “Lovelorn Rhapsody” and Morgion’s “Canticle” mixed with the crushing ebbs of Isis or Neurosis. Simply fucking amazing.
“Cacophony”, has a tall order to follow, but manages to keep me enthralled initially a heftier, sludgier repast before gently transitioning into a shimmering, psychedelic mid song trip and tumbling, stoner doom ending climax. Closer “Cruel Awake” gives a fittingly despondent , 13 minute endnote with a crumbling, epic lope littered with layered melodic acoustics and again, a slightly hazy, swampy feel and the closing 3 minutes coming close to recreating the sheer mournfull bliss of “Awkward Hearts”.
Like Deadbird, Samothrace isn’t the biggest name in the genre, but by god have they delivered one of the year’s better albums and like Deadbird’s Twilight Ritual, look for Life’s Trade to flirt with my year end list.
9.10.2008
New Mailorder Stuff 9/10
some newbies in mailorder:
the endless blockade - turn illness into a weapon lp
plastic crimewave sound - plastic crimewave sound lp
alcest - souvenirs d'un autre monde lp
the skull defekts - the sound of defekt skulls cd
the endless blockade - turn illness into a weapon lp
plastic crimewave sound - plastic crimewave sound lp
alcest - souvenirs d'un autre monde lp
the skull defekts - the sound of defekt skulls cd
9.05.2008
Samothrace US Tour
Hey folks, Samothrace is hittin' the road in support of Life's Trade the new album on 20 Buck Spin. The album will be out in October on CD / 2xLP (sooner via the 20BS website). In the meantime go hear it live. Also, there's a track up at myspace.com/20buckspin. And for all you midwest dudes complaining about no tours - here you go:
Sep 7- Olliewood w/ The Cast Pattern... Topeka, Kansas
Sep 8- The Replay... Metal School / Tour Kickoff w/ Hammerlord!!! Lawrence, Kansas
Sep 9- B-side Gallery w/ Dead Commuter, Cordycep Deth, Church of the Burning Snake... Wichita, Kansas
Sep 10- Rubber Gloves w/ Resigned to Fate, Hyperion, TBA... Denton, Texas
Sep 11- Bar of Soap w/ Blood Ov, Varvadoss, and Cleric... Dallas, Texas
Sep 12- Room 710 w/ The Roller, Fuck Work, The Malestrom... TBA Austin, Texas
Sep 13- Memo’s Sports bar w/ PLF, Perpetual Madness and Satannabis... Pasadena, Texas
Sep 14- Mojo’s w/ Ketea... Shreveport, Louisiana
Sep 15- Andy’s Place w/ Pussyhawk and Barghest... Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Sep 16- Dragon’s Den w/ Mars, Pussyhawk, TBA... NOLA, Louisiana
Sep 17- TBA Birmingham/Mobile, Alabama
Sep 18- TBA... Pensacola, Florida
Sep 19- Transitions w/ Howl, Liquid Limbs, Dark Castle, Flying Snakes, and Saltmine... Tampa, Florida
Sep 20- Black Box Collective w/ Dark Castle, TBA... Orlando, Florida
Sep 21- Nobby’s w/ Dark Castle, TBA... St. Augustine, Florida
Sep 22- Shantytown w/ Dark Castle... Jacksonville, Florida
Sep 23- TBA... Savannah, Georgia
Sep 24- Caledonia Lounge w/ Armazilla, Subrig Destroyer, and Aquila... Athens, Georgia
Sep 25- Lenny’s Bar w/ Sons of Tonatiuh... Atlanta, Georgia
Sep 26- The Local w/ Hoth, Light Pupil Dilate, TBA... Chattanooga, Tennessee
Sep 27- TBA... Asheville, North Carolina
Sep 28- TBA... ???, North Carolina
Sep 29- Nara Sushi w/ Cough, TBA... Richmond, Virginia
Sep 30- Corpse Fortress w/ Oak, Cough, TBA... D.C., Washington DC
Oct 1- Barclay House w/ TBA... Baltimore, Maryland
Oct 2- Millcreek Tavern w/ Khann, Wetnurse, Wizard Eye, TBA... Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oct 3- TBA... Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oct 4- Rudy’s w/ Sea of Bones, TBA... New Haven, Connecticut
Oct 5- TBA Boston/Surrounding Area, Massachusetts
Oct 6- Lit Lounge w/ Aquila, TBA... New York City, New York
Oct 7- The Pussy Barrel w/ Spoonful of Vicodan, Ordinary Men and Women, TBA... Rochester, New York
Oct 8- Legion of Doom w/ TBA... Columbus, Ohio
Oct 9- The Bluerock Tavern w/ Beneath Oblivion, TBA... Cincinnati, Ohio
Oct 10- TBA...Ft. Wayne/ Area
Oct 11- Chicago... Metal Shaker w/ Lone Wolf and Cub, TBA,... Chicago, Illinois
Oct 12- 319 Garfield w/ Abaddon, TBA... Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Oct 13- Madison... TBA... Madison, Wisconsin
Oct 14- TBA... St. Louis/Area
Oct 15- Off
Oct 16- The Grill/ROTC w/ Deadbird and Dirtmother... Fayetteville, Arkansas
Oct 17- Noel, Lisa, Cedric, etc... House!!! Tulsa, Oklahoma
Oct 18- Conservatory w/ The Flood, Rainbows Are Free, TBA... Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oct 19- Spinks @ Neil Diamond Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oct 20- Off... Lawrence, Kansas
Oct 21- off... Lawrence, Kansas
Oct 22- Replay... Samothrace LP/CD Release Show w/ Rabbid Rabbit, TBA... Lawrence, Kansas
Oct 23- Blast-o-Mat w/ Burn Heavy, TBA... Denver, Colorado
Oct 24- TBA Albuquerque, New Mexico
Oct 25- TBA Fladstaff, Arizona
Oct 26- TBA Phoenix, Arizona
Oct 27- House Show @ Chuey / Jaime’s w/ Barren, TBA... Los Angeles, California
Oct 28- Hazmat w/ Embers, TBA... Oakland, California
Oct 29- Thee Parkside Bar w/ Giant Squid, One Hundred Sons, TBA... San Francisco, California
Oct 30- Monstros Pizza w/ The Makai, TBA... Chico, California
Oct 31- Halloween Show in PDX...TBA... Portland, Oregon
Nov 1- Squid and Ink w/ TBA...Seattle, Washington
Nov 2- Green Frog Acoustic Room w/ Piano Mover, TBA... Bellingham, Washington
Nov 3- TBA Tacoma, Washington
Nov 4- TBA Olympia, Washington
Nov 5- TBA Portland, Oregon
Nov 6- TBA Boise, Idaho
Nov 7- TBA Salt Lake City
Nov 8- Curtis St. Bar w/ TBA... Denver, Colorado
Nov 9- TBA Lincoln, Nebraska
Nov 10- Arts Center Undergorund w/ Servium, TBA... Vermillion, South Dakota
Nov 11- TBA Fargo, North Dakota
Nov 12- TBA Minneapolis, Minnesota
Sep 7- Olliewood w/ The Cast Pattern... Topeka, Kansas
Sep 8- The Replay... Metal School / Tour Kickoff w/ Hammerlord!!! Lawrence, Kansas
Sep 9- B-side Gallery w/ Dead Commuter, Cordycep Deth, Church of the Burning Snake... Wichita, Kansas
Sep 10- Rubber Gloves w/ Resigned to Fate, Hyperion, TBA... Denton, Texas
Sep 11- Bar of Soap w/ Blood Ov, Varvadoss, and Cleric... Dallas, Texas
Sep 12- Room 710 w/ The Roller, Fuck Work, The Malestrom... TBA Austin, Texas
Sep 13- Memo’s Sports bar w/ PLF, Perpetual Madness and Satannabis... Pasadena, Texas
Sep 14- Mojo’s w/ Ketea... Shreveport, Louisiana
Sep 15- Andy’s Place w/ Pussyhawk and Barghest... Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Sep 16- Dragon’s Den w/ Mars, Pussyhawk, TBA... NOLA, Louisiana
Sep 17- TBA Birmingham/Mobile, Alabama
Sep 18- TBA... Pensacola, Florida
Sep 19- Transitions w/ Howl, Liquid Limbs, Dark Castle, Flying Snakes, and Saltmine... Tampa, Florida
Sep 20- Black Box Collective w/ Dark Castle, TBA... Orlando, Florida
Sep 21- Nobby’s w/ Dark Castle, TBA... St. Augustine, Florida
Sep 22- Shantytown w/ Dark Castle... Jacksonville, Florida
Sep 23- TBA... Savannah, Georgia
Sep 24- Caledonia Lounge w/ Armazilla, Subrig Destroyer, and Aquila... Athens, Georgia
Sep 25- Lenny’s Bar w/ Sons of Tonatiuh... Atlanta, Georgia
Sep 26- The Local w/ Hoth, Light Pupil Dilate, TBA... Chattanooga, Tennessee
Sep 27- TBA... Asheville, North Carolina
Sep 28- TBA... ???, North Carolina
Sep 29- Nara Sushi w/ Cough, TBA... Richmond, Virginia
Sep 30- Corpse Fortress w/ Oak, Cough, TBA... D.C., Washington DC
Oct 1- Barclay House w/ TBA... Baltimore, Maryland
Oct 2- Millcreek Tavern w/ Khann, Wetnurse, Wizard Eye, TBA... Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oct 3- TBA... Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oct 4- Rudy’s w/ Sea of Bones, TBA... New Haven, Connecticut
Oct 5- TBA Boston/Surrounding Area, Massachusetts
Oct 6- Lit Lounge w/ Aquila, TBA... New York City, New York
Oct 7- The Pussy Barrel w/ Spoonful of Vicodan, Ordinary Men and Women, TBA... Rochester, New York
Oct 8- Legion of Doom w/ TBA... Columbus, Ohio
Oct 9- The Bluerock Tavern w/ Beneath Oblivion, TBA... Cincinnati, Ohio
Oct 10- TBA...Ft. Wayne/ Area
Oct 11- Chicago... Metal Shaker w/ Lone Wolf and Cub, TBA,... Chicago, Illinois
Oct 12- 319 Garfield w/ Abaddon, TBA... Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Oct 13- Madison... TBA... Madison, Wisconsin
Oct 14- TBA... St. Louis/Area
Oct 15- Off
Oct 16- The Grill/ROTC w/ Deadbird and Dirtmother... Fayetteville, Arkansas
Oct 17- Noel, Lisa, Cedric, etc... House!!! Tulsa, Oklahoma
Oct 18- Conservatory w/ The Flood, Rainbows Are Free, TBA... Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oct 19- Spinks @ Neil Diamond Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oct 20- Off... Lawrence, Kansas
Oct 21- off... Lawrence, Kansas
Oct 22- Replay... Samothrace LP/CD Release Show w/ Rabbid Rabbit, TBA... Lawrence, Kansas
Oct 23- Blast-o-Mat w/ Burn Heavy, TBA... Denver, Colorado
Oct 24- TBA Albuquerque, New Mexico
Oct 25- TBA Fladstaff, Arizona
Oct 26- TBA Phoenix, Arizona
Oct 27- House Show @ Chuey / Jaime’s w/ Barren, TBA... Los Angeles, California
Oct 28- Hazmat w/ Embers, TBA... Oakland, California
Oct 29- Thee Parkside Bar w/ Giant Squid, One Hundred Sons, TBA... San Francisco, California
Oct 30- Monstros Pizza w/ The Makai, TBA... Chico, California
Oct 31- Halloween Show in PDX...TBA... Portland, Oregon
Nov 1- Squid and Ink w/ TBA...Seattle, Washington
Nov 2- Green Frog Acoustic Room w/ Piano Mover, TBA... Bellingham, Washington
Nov 3- TBA Tacoma, Washington
Nov 4- TBA Olympia, Washington
Nov 5- TBA Portland, Oregon
Nov 6- TBA Boise, Idaho
Nov 7- TBA Salt Lake City
Nov 8- Curtis St. Bar w/ TBA... Denver, Colorado
Nov 9- TBA Lincoln, Nebraska
Nov 10- Arts Center Undergorund w/ Servium, TBA... Vermillion, South Dakota
Nov 11- TBA Fargo, North Dakota
Nov 12- TBA Minneapolis, Minnesota
8.30.2008
New Mailorder Stuff 8/30
New stuffs added to the website today (20buckspin.com)
Extortion - Sick LP
Infest - Mankind 10 inch
Insect Warfare - World Extermination LP
Kaamos - Kaamos CD
Kaamos - Lucifer Rising CD
Man Is The Bastard - DIY CD
Man Is The Bastard - Sum Of The Men... The Brutality Continues CD
Necrovation - Breed Deadness Blood CD
Noisear - Pyroclastic Annihilation LP
Nominon - Terra Necrosis LP
Shank - Coded Messages In Slowed Down Songs CD
Suppression - 9296 CD
Wadge - The Road To Hana CD
Weekend Nachos - Punish And Destroy / Torture CD
Extortion - Sick LP
Infest - Mankind 10 inch
Insect Warfare - World Extermination LP
Kaamos - Kaamos CD
Kaamos - Lucifer Rising CD
Man Is The Bastard - DIY CD
Man Is The Bastard - Sum Of The Men... The Brutality Continues CD
Necrovation - Breed Deadness Blood CD
Noisear - Pyroclastic Annihilation LP
Nominon - Terra Necrosis LP
Shank - Coded Messages In Slowed Down Songs CD
Suppression - 9296 CD
Wadge - The Road To Hana CD
Weekend Nachos - Punish And Destroy / Torture CD
8.12.2008
Hammers Of Misfortune - Fields/Church Of Broken Glass
Heralded art metal contingent HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE has completed their new album, or more like two new albums that will be presented as one package. Almost like, as the band say, a split with themselves.
With one entitled “Fields” and the other album entitled “Church Of Broken Glass,” both albums, while joined at the spine, will be distinct from each other musically, conceptually, aesthetically, and even have different artwork and logos.
What will be Hammers’ most challenging offerings yet, “Fields” and “Church Of Broken Glass” are unlike anything Hammers mastermind John Cobbett has presented before with his brainchild. What will easily present itself as the most complex, different, and unique Hammers material yet, both albums present a much more vintage sound, with the ‘70s prog-rock influence making it’s presence felt like never before, all while manifesting influences from classic rock to classic metal to theater metal and through a wide spectrum of ultra-progressive musical fervor.
The different sound and approach Cobbett took on creating the new albums was also of course because of the new members within the Hammers fold; namely new (male) vocalist/guitarist Patrick Goodwin and new (female) vocalist Jesse Quattro who bring a new voice to the Hammers sound. While Goodwin brings a more classic rock-like approach to the band than his predecessor (namely Mike Scalzi of SLOUGH FEG fame), Quattro comes in as the most prominent female Hammers vocalist yet.
Here is the tracklisting for “Church Of Broken Glass”:
1. Almost (Left Without You)
2. Butchertown
3. The Gulls
4. Church Of Broken Glass
5. Train
And for “Fields”:
1. The Fields Trilogy: a) Agriculture, b) Fields, c) Motorcade
2. Rats Assembly
3. Always Looking Down
4. Too Soon
Look for "Church Of Broken Glass" and "Fields" to be released as a double CD via Profound Lore Records late October. The vinyl will be handled by 20 Buck Spin.
With one entitled “Fields” and the other album entitled “Church Of Broken Glass,” both albums, while joined at the spine, will be distinct from each other musically, conceptually, aesthetically, and even have different artwork and logos.
What will be Hammers’ most challenging offerings yet, “Fields” and “Church Of Broken Glass” are unlike anything Hammers mastermind John Cobbett has presented before with his brainchild. What will easily present itself as the most complex, different, and unique Hammers material yet, both albums present a much more vintage sound, with the ‘70s prog-rock influence making it’s presence felt like never before, all while manifesting influences from classic rock to classic metal to theater metal and through a wide spectrum of ultra-progressive musical fervor.
The different sound and approach Cobbett took on creating the new albums was also of course because of the new members within the Hammers fold; namely new (male) vocalist/guitarist Patrick Goodwin and new (female) vocalist Jesse Quattro who bring a new voice to the Hammers sound. While Goodwin brings a more classic rock-like approach to the band than his predecessor (namely Mike Scalzi of SLOUGH FEG fame), Quattro comes in as the most prominent female Hammers vocalist yet.
Here is the tracklisting for “Church Of Broken Glass”:
1. Almost (Left Without You)
2. Butchertown
3. The Gulls
4. Church Of Broken Glass
5. Train
And for “Fields”:
1. The Fields Trilogy: a) Agriculture, b) Fields, c) Motorcade
2. Rats Assembly
3. Always Looking Down
4. Too Soon
Look for "Church Of Broken Glass" and "Fields" to be released as a double CD via Profound Lore Records late October. The vinyl will be handled by 20 Buck Spin.
8.07.2008
Corrupted - Paso Inferior CD, etc
New stuffs:
Corrupted - Paso CD
Trees - Lights Bane CD version
Nadja - Desire In Uneasiness CD
Restock:
Monarch - Dead Men Tell No Tales CD
Corrupted - Paso CD
Trees - Lights Bane CD version
Nadja - Desire In Uneasiness CD
Restock:
Monarch - Dead Men Tell No Tales CD
8.03.2008
New Black Boned Angel CD & Trees LP Out Now
Lots of news to start August. First two new releases are available exclusively through the 20 Buck Spin website. Black Boned Angel’s new CD “The Endless Coming Into Life” and the limited LP version of Trees “Light’s Bane”. These are released officially on August 26th of this year but are available now direct. MP3 samples from both albums are up at 20buckspin.com as well as myspace.com/20buckspin
Black Boned Angel “The Endless Coming Into Life” Digipak CD
Campbell Kneale, of prolific one-man bliss drone project Birchville Cat Motel, returns to his metallic alter-ego Black Boned Angel.
Both projects chase a similar idea from different ends of the spectrum. The Endless Coming Into Life is Kneale's third full-length release as Black Boned Angel (in addition to a slew of CDR EPs), all released by 20 Buck Spin. This work is perhaps Kneale's most obvious combination of the extreme minimalism of his ambient tendencies and the extreme maximalism of his forays into the center of the subterranean metal guitar riff. The album first lulls one into a meditative state of relative calm before plummeting into the chasm created by the vibrations of a single, snarling riff so heavy it could rip a hole in the heavens.
Consisting of a sole one-hour track, The Endless Coming Into Life sits comfortably alongside the darker end of Kneale's ever-growing catalog of work dedicated to finding the light (or dark) source of the universal drone.
In honor of the new Black Boned Angel release we are also offering it together with the previous BBA release “Bliss & Void Inseperable” at a discounted rate. Visit the site for more info.
Trees “Light’s Bane” LP (limited to 500, 400 black, 100 white)
The darkened sky and rain-soaked soil of Portland, Oregon, gave birth to the sickly black doom of Trees. Their two-track debut is a shivering trudge through murky, thick, sub-bass sludge riffs with an occasional beat or two.
Recalling the early days of Sub Pop-era Earth and the diseased doom of Burning Witch, Trees continue in the fine tradition of low-end wreckage that the Pacific Northwest seems to breed in its purest (de)form. With a vocalist who terrifies with his depraved screams and oral exorcisms, Trees create an atmosphere of psychic terror, like an acid trip gone horribly awry. The members of the band are all long-time adherents to the art of the slow-motion concussion; some sharing time in Portland drone wizards Tecumseh.
This vinyl version of Light's Bane is strictly limited to a one-time pressing of only 500 copies. 100 copies have been pressed on white vinyl, 80 of which are available from 20 Buck Spin.
We have set a late October release date for the debut album from Lawrence’s Kansas’ Samothrace. The album is called “Life’s Trade” and will be released on CD and 2xLP. As always the LP will include a poster in all editions and a limited mailorder version will include colored vinyl. The band will embark on a 70 date US tour starting in early September and continuing into November. The album was recorded by Sanford Parker and has new artwork from our comrade David D’Andrea. A track from the forthcoming album “Awkward Hearts” has been put up on the 20 Buck Spin myspace page at myspace.com/20buckspin. As per usual the album will be available through 20 Buck Spin and on tour prior to its official release date.
Book Of Black Earth will be embarking on a month long North American tour in October opening for Sweden’s Watain. Withered will also support. The band’s new album “Horoskopus” will be released via Prosthetic Records around that time. The debut album on 20 Buck Spin “The Feast” will be repressed in time for the tour.
We’ve got a master for the new Hammer’s Of Misfortune 2xLP now, an album the band wrote specifically for the 2xLP format as two distinct albums. Artwork is nearly done for the gatefold and we’re looking at a late October / early November release for that. Expect heavy metal theater of the highest order. The CD will be handled by Profound Lore.
The Endless Blockade are currently in the midst of a Canadian tour. Apart from a few local shows the band has no more tour plans in 2008 and will concentrate on writing new material for an upcoming 12 inch for 20 Buck Spin and a collaborative album with Bastard Noise of which a CD will be released by 20 Buck Spin and an LP by Fatalist.
We’re also pleased to announce we’ll be releasing a CD before the end of the year from obscure Boise, Idaho duo Pussygutt. The CD is a 45 minute long piece lying somewhere in the deep black void between SUNN and Philip Glass. The band continues to play shows in and around the Pacific Northwest. More info can be found at pussygutt.com
Finally some new additions to the mailorder:
Swedish Death Metal – The Book
Cobalt – Landfill Breastmilk Beast
Gates Of Slumber – Conqueror
Krallice – Krallice
Wold - Stratification
www.20buckspin.com
Black Boned Angel “The Endless Coming Into Life” Digipak CD
Campbell Kneale, of prolific one-man bliss drone project Birchville Cat Motel, returns to his metallic alter-ego Black Boned Angel.
Both projects chase a similar idea from different ends of the spectrum. The Endless Coming Into Life is Kneale's third full-length release as Black Boned Angel (in addition to a slew of CDR EPs), all released by 20 Buck Spin. This work is perhaps Kneale's most obvious combination of the extreme minimalism of his ambient tendencies and the extreme maximalism of his forays into the center of the subterranean metal guitar riff. The album first lulls one into a meditative state of relative calm before plummeting into the chasm created by the vibrations of a single, snarling riff so heavy it could rip a hole in the heavens.
Consisting of a sole one-hour track, The Endless Coming Into Life sits comfortably alongside the darker end of Kneale's ever-growing catalog of work dedicated to finding the light (or dark) source of the universal drone.
In honor of the new Black Boned Angel release we are also offering it together with the previous BBA release “Bliss & Void Inseperable” at a discounted rate. Visit the site for more info.
Trees “Light’s Bane” LP (limited to 500, 400 black, 100 white)
The darkened sky and rain-soaked soil of Portland, Oregon, gave birth to the sickly black doom of Trees. Their two-track debut is a shivering trudge through murky, thick, sub-bass sludge riffs with an occasional beat or two.
Recalling the early days of Sub Pop-era Earth and the diseased doom of Burning Witch, Trees continue in the fine tradition of low-end wreckage that the Pacific Northwest seems to breed in its purest (de)form. With a vocalist who terrifies with his depraved screams and oral exorcisms, Trees create an atmosphere of psychic terror, like an acid trip gone horribly awry. The members of the band are all long-time adherents to the art of the slow-motion concussion; some sharing time in Portland drone wizards Tecumseh.
This vinyl version of Light's Bane is strictly limited to a one-time pressing of only 500 copies. 100 copies have been pressed on white vinyl, 80 of which are available from 20 Buck Spin.
We have set a late October release date for the debut album from Lawrence’s Kansas’ Samothrace. The album is called “Life’s Trade” and will be released on CD and 2xLP. As always the LP will include a poster in all editions and a limited mailorder version will include colored vinyl. The band will embark on a 70 date US tour starting in early September and continuing into November. The album was recorded by Sanford Parker and has new artwork from our comrade David D’Andrea. A track from the forthcoming album “Awkward Hearts” has been put up on the 20 Buck Spin myspace page at myspace.com/20buckspin. As per usual the album will be available through 20 Buck Spin and on tour prior to its official release date.
Book Of Black Earth will be embarking on a month long North American tour in October opening for Sweden’s Watain. Withered will also support. The band’s new album “Horoskopus” will be released via Prosthetic Records around that time. The debut album on 20 Buck Spin “The Feast” will be repressed in time for the tour.
We’ve got a master for the new Hammer’s Of Misfortune 2xLP now, an album the band wrote specifically for the 2xLP format as two distinct albums. Artwork is nearly done for the gatefold and we’re looking at a late October / early November release for that. Expect heavy metal theater of the highest order. The CD will be handled by Profound Lore.
The Endless Blockade are currently in the midst of a Canadian tour. Apart from a few local shows the band has no more tour plans in 2008 and will concentrate on writing new material for an upcoming 12 inch for 20 Buck Spin and a collaborative album with Bastard Noise of which a CD will be released by 20 Buck Spin and an LP by Fatalist.
We’re also pleased to announce we’ll be releasing a CD before the end of the year from obscure Boise, Idaho duo Pussygutt. The CD is a 45 minute long piece lying somewhere in the deep black void between SUNN and Philip Glass. The band continues to play shows in and around the Pacific Northwest. More info can be found at pussygutt.com
Finally some new additions to the mailorder:
Swedish Death Metal – The Book
Cobalt – Landfill Breastmilk Beast
Gates Of Slumber – Conqueror
Krallice – Krallice
Wold - Stratification
www.20buckspin.com
7.30.2008
Interview With David D'Andrea
Here's an interview with our friend and favorite illustrator David D'Andrea.
7.15.2008
New Mailorder Stuff
Some new things in:
Bohren Und Der Club Of Gore - Sunset Mission CD
Boris - Smile 2xLP
Earth - The Bees Made Honey In The Lions Skull CD
OM - Live In Jerusalem LP
Wolves In The Throne Room - Two Hunters CD
order at 20buckspin.com
Bohren Und Der Club Of Gore - Sunset Mission CD
Boris - Smile 2xLP
Earth - The Bees Made Honey In The Lions Skull CD
OM - Live In Jerusalem LP
Wolves In The Throne Room - Two Hunters CD
order at 20buckspin.com
7.02.2008
Leviathan 2xLP and Other New Mailorder Stuff
New in mailorder today - order at www.20buckspin.com
Leviathan - Massive Conspiracy 2xLP (Limited to 500)
Corrupted - Paso Inferior LP
Crom - Hot Sumerian Nights LP (Limited to 370)
Aldebaran - Dwellers In Twilight LP (Limited to 313)
Stormcrow / Skaven - Split EP
The Skull Defekts - The Drone Drug CD (Limited to 500)
Nadja - Truth Becomes Death CD
Nadja - Radiance Of Shadows CD
Nadja - Touched CD
Tim Hecker - Mirages CD
Nekrasov - The Form Of Thought From Beast CD (Limited version)
Leviathan - Massive Conspiracy 2xLP (Limited to 500)
Corrupted - Paso Inferior LP
Crom - Hot Sumerian Nights LP (Limited to 370)
Aldebaran - Dwellers In Twilight LP (Limited to 313)
Stormcrow / Skaven - Split EP
The Skull Defekts - The Drone Drug CD (Limited to 500)
Nadja - Truth Becomes Death CD
Nadja - Radiance Of Shadows CD
Nadja - Touched CD
Tim Hecker - Mirages CD
Nekrasov - The Form Of Thought From Beast CD (Limited version)
6.24.2008
Coffins Buried Death CD In Stores Today
Buried Death, the CD version, is in stores today. Go get it if you haven't already. The LP which is available direct from 20 Buck Spin now, will be in stores on July 7th
20 Buck Spin And Invisible Oranges
The metal blog Invisible Oranges is covering 20 Buck Spin related records all this week. Check it at invisibleoranges.com
6.08.2008
Blockade Decibel Interview Unedited
Blockade recently had an interview in Decibel. Here's the full unedited text:
I always hate to do this, via email, over the phone or in person, but can you give the Coles Notes version of TEB's history and introduce the other fellers?
This is the most answer anyone ever gets to this question:
Current and final line up: Carroll. Edgar. King. Nolan
Formed in Toronto in late 2003
In a not-so recent piece on power violence in Decibel, Eric Wood of MITB fame mentioned yourselves and Apt. 213 as two of the only bands, that he knows of anyway, playing true powerviolence as he understands it. Were you surprised/flattered/bored by his comments? Had you had any previous contact with Wood? Do you think being tagged as such puts pressure on you guys to live up to some form of invisible standard? Aren't there already enough invisible standards to live up to in metal and hardcore?
Eric is a friend of ours, though we weren't aware until the article came out that he'd said that. I think we were approached to be in the piece primarily because Eric Wood and Chris Dodge had said good things about us.
I could care less if we're true power violence or not, I think that whole discussion is a complete and utter dead end. The fact that Eric Wood named us as one of the only two real power violence bands in 2008 seems to mostly please other people who either call bullshit on it or use it as some kind of proof of whatever spurious point they're arguing. The bottom line is this, if we changed our language slightly no one would care as to whether or not power violence really exists and who is or isn't real power violence.
The Endless Blockade are influenced by Neanderthal, Man is the Bastard, No Comment, Crossed Out and Capitalist Casualties amongst others. That much is clear to anyone with a set of ears attuned to this kind of stuff. We're influenced by power violence, hey, argument gone, there's no debating that point. There's no need for an endless back and forth on whether any band not specifically name checked on the song HSMP can call themselves power violence or not.
Maybe there is an invisible standard we now have to live up to, but I don't know if I'm going to break my back trying to prove myself to someone who thinks a band in a genre that can shift a mere 2,000 records is somehow 'trendy'
I wish the invisible standards in hardcore and metal were a little less invisible; we'd probably have to put up with far less shit like Killswitch Engage and Every Time My Heart Bleeds Tears Last Summer. People forget that genre imposed limitations should define rather than restrict most bands. There's nothing wrong with external influences, hell, we wouldn't exist if that was the case, but people need to understand how to appropriate other ideas seamlessly and not lose track of the defining elements of their core sound. Otherwise you just get bad unfocused bands that don't seem to know what they"re doing
Do you consider what you do powerviolence? Or is what you do simply what you've done since you decided to do what you do and what you do just turned out this way?
I consider what we do to be hardcore punk first and foremost; it's the spirit that informs all our material. Even when we're stealing Hellhammer riffs and singing about Russian emasculation cults we're still a punk band.
Something funny – I thought so, anyway – I saw on the Sound Pollution website is where, in describing TEB, it said something to the effect of "they can't decide if they want to be a fast hardcore band with slow sludgy parts or a slow sludgy band with fast hardcore parts." How would you respond? Is that a fair estimation? How much self-analysis goes into the writing, recording and artwork processes?
Just another risible bio I'm afraid though I suspect I penned that particular outpouring of bullshit myself. I think the original bio from 20 Buck Spin had some part about freeing the slaves ("let my people go!!!") through power violence or some bloody nonsense
As far as self analysis goes I'd say it's generally paramount for anyone in a band to have a good sense of what makes their band sound like their band and maintain a sense of internal logic. Everyone over a certain age has been fooled at least once by some new LP from former legends being billed as "a stunning return to form!" only to find it's complete crap. How many "their best release since Reign In Blood/ Clandestine/ Street Cleaner/ Hear Northing See Nothing/ ad infinitum" can we really be expected to suffer through?
For this record there was definitely a conscious decision to limit the parameters of our sound; it was basically Heresy, Autopsy, Grief, SOB, Infest and little else as the musical bedrock. Pre-practice rituals usually consisted of doing bench presses to mix tapes of Crossed Out and BGK interspersed with Mary Anne MacLean and Marshall Applewhite motivational speeches.
I would also like to publically state that The Endless Blockade are not one of those tedious apologist bands that will tell anyone that listens just how damn musically open minded they are even if their band is mundane grindcore. Primitive was not influenced on any level by Iannis Xennakis, Lalo Schifrin or conscious Hip Hop.
Is there going to be any difference between the 20 Buck Spin release of "Primitive" and the original release? How did this pairing come about and could this see the beginning of a slow down when it comes to the number of different labels you guys have worked with/work with?
Do you mean original release as in first LP? (Primitive is our second LP)
I'd been e mailing back and forth with Dave for a while due to utterly non power violence related mutual obsessions. He came to see us in the bay area and wow oh my god this is all fucking thrilling stuff…
We basically work with our friends, I think we're supposed to be doing something on Relapse this year (ANb split) but even that we consider a Scott Hull project that Relapse just happen to be stumping up the money for.
We're not going to be working with one primary label but we're probably going to stick with the people that have already released stuff for us in the past with a few exceptions who are our friends and we want to work with. God, this is exciting…
I guess it comes down to this:
We work with our friends; we don't care about anyone else. We don't even need a label really other than for major releases (like Primitive) where we need someone else to do it greater justice.
What was the original motivation/reason for naming the band TEB? Has the meaning or significance of the moniker changed at all in the period of time you've been able to develop as a band and people?
We're called The Endless Blockade for equal parts a love of Japanese hardcore the end result of a ritual to remove several obstacles in my life. The ritual worked, that aspect of the name is no longer needed and every song on Primitive is a cosmic "thank you" for that.
If anything we've devolved as a band and people.
Lots of splits, lots of vinyl. This flies in the face of what the overlords of the record selling industry are telling us peons about sales plummeting and the digital age. I'm assuming collectors drain your limited and coloured vinyl runs, but overall, how do you find the market for actual copies of your music?
We seem to do OK as far as sales go I guess, I wouldn't know. I mean, we're not going to be on the cover of Decibel or the free CD that comes with Terrorizer ever. I do think this band is selling less copies of releases than a band I was in over ten years ago was but we definitely sell things a lot faster.
The real things that have changed is the amount of time a release is fresh; by the time this issue of Decibel comes out Primitive will already be old news amongst most people who would already know about us. The whole reason for coloured vinyl and limited editions now is strictly to force people's hands into buying directly from you. If a kid at your show thinks he can get your record anytime he wants from a local record store then he's probably less likely to pick it up (this is the downfall of punks' better business and distribution sense). If you're selling something that he can only get at the show (some silk screened cover with blue vinyl for example), you're going to sell it immediately. No one wants to see a record they could have bought for ten bucks going for fifty on e bay three months later, even if they don't want to sell it on e bay. It still makes them feel good to be able to say "I have that record, it's worth $50", even if it isn't really worth $50…
How about a discography for those of us who haven't been paying attention?
Out:
Three demos
a few comps
Turn Illness Into a Weapon LP/ CD
split LP w/ Warzone Womyn
Come Friendly Bombs 7"
split LP w/ Hatred Surge
split LP w/ Iron Lung
Primitive LP/ CD
first demo with original three piece line up on 7"
Coming out in 2008:
Split 7" w/ Wadge
Split 7" w/ Agoraphobic Nosebleed
split 7" w/ Shank
collaboration LP w/ Bastard Noise
partial discography CD
remix CD of Primitive w/ Joshua Norton Cabal, Sixes, Nordvargr, Contagious Orgasm, Noah Creshevsky, Sickness and possibly one or two others, depending on space
How many of the dates on your upcoming tour are with Coffins? How did the Coffins dates come about?
Coffins are playing all their non-MDF dates with us. We presently share a record label so it seemed to be a natural thing for Dave (20 Buck Spin dude) to ask us if Coffins could play a week of shows with us when we tour in may.
I'm assuming still self-booked as far as tours and shows are concerned. Have you ever thought of handing over that job to a booking agent? Why/why not?
This band is 100% about the four of us. It's something we do because we genuinely need some kind of an outlet. If you sealed us from the rest of the world we'd just play our shit to four walls and a sink.
Anyone else is an outsider to the process and doesn't belong; we only let friends release our records and we only do splits with our friends. If we don't know you and you don't get us on a level that goes beyond "awesome, you guys sound like Crossed Out" we're not interested. We're genuinely grateful to anyone that helps us out in any way at all but only four people have any say in the band. Consequently we're not interested in booking agents at all and are only barely interested in a small number of record labels, band interviews and the usual trappings that come with being in a band.
We're less about DIY as a political practice and more about it as an isolationist tendency. We support musical elitism and exclusivity. We endorse the idea of a scene as a closed system with its own language and codes that must be learned properly to participate properly. We endorse scenes dying of natural causes and new ones being built in their wake.
What's your favourite tour story – the one that, when you tell it to a rapt audience, always seems to start with, "Dude, you gotta hear this!"?
We tend to conveniently (and purposefully) side step most wacky tour shenanigans on the whole. However one of our favourite tour stories that isn't merely mean spirited observation involves a master shoplifter/ martial artist, a elderly relative, a room covered floor to ceiling in human shit and a 6am distressed cry of "GRANDMA!!! NO!!!!!!"
What are your influences? Are you vegans? Are your influences vegans?
Magus Wampyr Daoloth and Naomi Klein are our influences. And 80s thrash, we love that shit; mosh maniacs in flipped up caps, that's us.
I always hate to do this, via email, over the phone or in person, but can you give the Coles Notes version of TEB's history and introduce the other fellers?
This is the most answer anyone ever gets to this question:
Current and final line up: Carroll. Edgar. King. Nolan
Formed in Toronto in late 2003
In a not-so recent piece on power violence in Decibel, Eric Wood of MITB fame mentioned yourselves and Apt. 213 as two of the only bands, that he knows of anyway, playing true powerviolence as he understands it. Were you surprised/flattered/bored by his comments? Had you had any previous contact with Wood? Do you think being tagged as such puts pressure on you guys to live up to some form of invisible standard? Aren't there already enough invisible standards to live up to in metal and hardcore?
Eric is a friend of ours, though we weren't aware until the article came out that he'd said that. I think we were approached to be in the piece primarily because Eric Wood and Chris Dodge had said good things about us.
I could care less if we're true power violence or not, I think that whole discussion is a complete and utter dead end. The fact that Eric Wood named us as one of the only two real power violence bands in 2008 seems to mostly please other people who either call bullshit on it or use it as some kind of proof of whatever spurious point they're arguing. The bottom line is this, if we changed our language slightly no one would care as to whether or not power violence really exists and who is or isn't real power violence.
The Endless Blockade are influenced by Neanderthal, Man is the Bastard, No Comment, Crossed Out and Capitalist Casualties amongst others. That much is clear to anyone with a set of ears attuned to this kind of stuff. We're influenced by power violence, hey, argument gone, there's no debating that point. There's no need for an endless back and forth on whether any band not specifically name checked on the song HSMP can call themselves power violence or not.
Maybe there is an invisible standard we now have to live up to, but I don't know if I'm going to break my back trying to prove myself to someone who thinks a band in a genre that can shift a mere 2,000 records is somehow 'trendy'
I wish the invisible standards in hardcore and metal were a little less invisible; we'd probably have to put up with far less shit like Killswitch Engage and Every Time My Heart Bleeds Tears Last Summer. People forget that genre imposed limitations should define rather than restrict most bands. There's nothing wrong with external influences, hell, we wouldn't exist if that was the case, but people need to understand how to appropriate other ideas seamlessly and not lose track of the defining elements of their core sound. Otherwise you just get bad unfocused bands that don't seem to know what they"re doing
Do you consider what you do powerviolence? Or is what you do simply what you've done since you decided to do what you do and what you do just turned out this way?
I consider what we do to be hardcore punk first and foremost; it's the spirit that informs all our material. Even when we're stealing Hellhammer riffs and singing about Russian emasculation cults we're still a punk band.
Something funny – I thought so, anyway – I saw on the Sound Pollution website is where, in describing TEB, it said something to the effect of "they can't decide if they want to be a fast hardcore band with slow sludgy parts or a slow sludgy band with fast hardcore parts." How would you respond? Is that a fair estimation? How much self-analysis goes into the writing, recording and artwork processes?
Just another risible bio I'm afraid though I suspect I penned that particular outpouring of bullshit myself. I think the original bio from 20 Buck Spin had some part about freeing the slaves ("let my people go!!!") through power violence or some bloody nonsense
As far as self analysis goes I'd say it's generally paramount for anyone in a band to have a good sense of what makes their band sound like their band and maintain a sense of internal logic. Everyone over a certain age has been fooled at least once by some new LP from former legends being billed as "a stunning return to form!" only to find it's complete crap. How many "their best release since Reign In Blood/ Clandestine/ Street Cleaner/ Hear Northing See Nothing/ ad infinitum" can we really be expected to suffer through?
For this record there was definitely a conscious decision to limit the parameters of our sound; it was basically Heresy, Autopsy, Grief, SOB, Infest and little else as the musical bedrock. Pre-practice rituals usually consisted of doing bench presses to mix tapes of Crossed Out and BGK interspersed with Mary Anne MacLean and Marshall Applewhite motivational speeches.
I would also like to publically state that The Endless Blockade are not one of those tedious apologist bands that will tell anyone that listens just how damn musically open minded they are even if their band is mundane grindcore. Primitive was not influenced on any level by Iannis Xennakis, Lalo Schifrin or conscious Hip Hop.
Is there going to be any difference between the 20 Buck Spin release of "Primitive" and the original release? How did this pairing come about and could this see the beginning of a slow down when it comes to the number of different labels you guys have worked with/work with?
Do you mean original release as in first LP? (Primitive is our second LP)
I'd been e mailing back and forth with Dave for a while due to utterly non power violence related mutual obsessions. He came to see us in the bay area and wow oh my god this is all fucking thrilling stuff…
We basically work with our friends, I think we're supposed to be doing something on Relapse this year (ANb split) but even that we consider a Scott Hull project that Relapse just happen to be stumping up the money for.
We're not going to be working with one primary label but we're probably going to stick with the people that have already released stuff for us in the past with a few exceptions who are our friends and we want to work with. God, this is exciting…
I guess it comes down to this:
We work with our friends; we don't care about anyone else. We don't even need a label really other than for major releases (like Primitive) where we need someone else to do it greater justice.
What was the original motivation/reason for naming the band TEB? Has the meaning or significance of the moniker changed at all in the period of time you've been able to develop as a band and people?
We're called The Endless Blockade for equal parts a love of Japanese hardcore the end result of a ritual to remove several obstacles in my life. The ritual worked, that aspect of the name is no longer needed and every song on Primitive is a cosmic "thank you" for that.
If anything we've devolved as a band and people.
Lots of splits, lots of vinyl. This flies in the face of what the overlords of the record selling industry are telling us peons about sales plummeting and the digital age. I'm assuming collectors drain your limited and coloured vinyl runs, but overall, how do you find the market for actual copies of your music?
We seem to do OK as far as sales go I guess, I wouldn't know. I mean, we're not going to be on the cover of Decibel or the free CD that comes with Terrorizer ever. I do think this band is selling less copies of releases than a band I was in over ten years ago was but we definitely sell things a lot faster.
The real things that have changed is the amount of time a release is fresh; by the time this issue of Decibel comes out Primitive will already be old news amongst most people who would already know about us. The whole reason for coloured vinyl and limited editions now is strictly to force people's hands into buying directly from you. If a kid at your show thinks he can get your record anytime he wants from a local record store then he's probably less likely to pick it up (this is the downfall of punks' better business and distribution sense). If you're selling something that he can only get at the show (some silk screened cover with blue vinyl for example), you're going to sell it immediately. No one wants to see a record they could have bought for ten bucks going for fifty on e bay three months later, even if they don't want to sell it on e bay. It still makes them feel good to be able to say "I have that record, it's worth $50", even if it isn't really worth $50…
How about a discography for those of us who haven't been paying attention?
Out:
Three demos
a few comps
Turn Illness Into a Weapon LP/ CD
split LP w/ Warzone Womyn
Come Friendly Bombs 7"
split LP w/ Hatred Surge
split LP w/ Iron Lung
Primitive LP/ CD
first demo with original three piece line up on 7"
Coming out in 2008:
Split 7" w/ Wadge
Split 7" w/ Agoraphobic Nosebleed
split 7" w/ Shank
collaboration LP w/ Bastard Noise
partial discography CD
remix CD of Primitive w/ Joshua Norton Cabal, Sixes, Nordvargr, Contagious Orgasm, Noah Creshevsky, Sickness and possibly one or two others, depending on space
How many of the dates on your upcoming tour are with Coffins? How did the Coffins dates come about?
Coffins are playing all their non-MDF dates with us. We presently share a record label so it seemed to be a natural thing for Dave (20 Buck Spin dude) to ask us if Coffins could play a week of shows with us when we tour in may.
I'm assuming still self-booked as far as tours and shows are concerned. Have you ever thought of handing over that job to a booking agent? Why/why not?
This band is 100% about the four of us. It's something we do because we genuinely need some kind of an outlet. If you sealed us from the rest of the world we'd just play our shit to four walls and a sink.
Anyone else is an outsider to the process and doesn't belong; we only let friends release our records and we only do splits with our friends. If we don't know you and you don't get us on a level that goes beyond "awesome, you guys sound like Crossed Out" we're not interested. We're genuinely grateful to anyone that helps us out in any way at all but only four people have any say in the band. Consequently we're not interested in booking agents at all and are only barely interested in a small number of record labels, band interviews and the usual trappings that come with being in a band.
We're less about DIY as a political practice and more about it as an isolationist tendency. We support musical elitism and exclusivity. We endorse the idea of a scene as a closed system with its own language and codes that must be learned properly to participate properly. We endorse scenes dying of natural causes and new ones being built in their wake.
What's your favourite tour story – the one that, when you tell it to a rapt audience, always seems to start with, "Dude, you gotta hear this!"?
We tend to conveniently (and purposefully) side step most wacky tour shenanigans on the whole. However one of our favourite tour stories that isn't merely mean spirited observation involves a master shoplifter/ martial artist, a elderly relative, a room covered floor to ceiling in human shit and a 6am distressed cry of "GRANDMA!!! NO!!!!!!"
What are your influences? Are you vegans? Are your influences vegans?
Magus Wampyr Daoloth and Naomi Klein are our influences. And 80s thrash, we love that shit; mosh maniacs in flipped up caps, that's us.
6.03.2008
Coffins Buried Death LP Version Available Now
First of All, The Coffins “Buried Death” LP is now available at 20buckspin.com. The actual street date is June 24th, for the LP and CD both. Until then, you can only get it direct. The LP is a gatefold and comes with a large poster. The first 200 copies via mailorder will also receive an embroidered patch and two Coffins stickers. There are 100 copies on blue/black/white translucent splatter vinyl.
Coffins are back in Japan after a successful string of shows with The Endless Blockade, culminating with a manic show at the Maryland Deathfest. The band had a great first experience and we’re already working on a West Coast tour for the Spring of 2009.
The Endless Blockade has also just finished up touring around the East Coast and Midwest. They head out for a Canadian tour in August. Their critically lauded new LP “Primitive” was recently hailed by the clearly knowledgeable Mark Griffiths of Kerrang Magazine as “painfully slow” and a “pretentious, unlistenable bucket of arse gravy” comparing the album to Neurosis and SUNN who they obviously sound exactly like.
Book Of Black Earth has signed on with the Prosthetic label for their next LP. We wish em the best of luck in the big leagues.
As previously mentioned Wormwood are calling it a day. Their last show takes place on Saturday June 14th at El Chorazon in Seattle. Iron Lung, Grey, In Haste and The Kept also play. Visit myspace.com/wormwood for more info.
Next releases on tap for 20 Buck Spin are the vinyl version of Portland’s Trees’ debut album “Light’s Bane” which will be limited to 500 copies. Also a new CD from Black Boned Angel titled “The Endless Coming Into Life”. These should see the light in July/August.
At the end of June we’ll be taking over Phantom City Records in Olympia. A lot of the stock from the store will be incorporated into the online selection. A new website is forthcoming to mark the transition and larger inventory. The metal and experimental stock within the store will grow by several times its current size as well, certainly a welcome change for Olympia’s punks, hippies and indie rockers.
More news soon.
www.20buckspin.com
Coffins are back in Japan after a successful string of shows with The Endless Blockade, culminating with a manic show at the Maryland Deathfest. The band had a great first experience and we’re already working on a West Coast tour for the Spring of 2009.
The Endless Blockade has also just finished up touring around the East Coast and Midwest. They head out for a Canadian tour in August. Their critically lauded new LP “Primitive” was recently hailed by the clearly knowledgeable Mark Griffiths of Kerrang Magazine as “painfully slow” and a “pretentious, unlistenable bucket of arse gravy” comparing the album to Neurosis and SUNN who they obviously sound exactly like.
Book Of Black Earth has signed on with the Prosthetic label for their next LP. We wish em the best of luck in the big leagues.
As previously mentioned Wormwood are calling it a day. Their last show takes place on Saturday June 14th at El Chorazon in Seattle. Iron Lung, Grey, In Haste and The Kept also play. Visit myspace.com/wormwood for more info.
Next releases on tap for 20 Buck Spin are the vinyl version of Portland’s Trees’ debut album “Light’s Bane” which will be limited to 500 copies. Also a new CD from Black Boned Angel titled “The Endless Coming Into Life”. These should see the light in July/August.
At the end of June we’ll be taking over Phantom City Records in Olympia. A lot of the stock from the store will be incorporated into the online selection. A new website is forthcoming to mark the transition and larger inventory. The metal and experimental stock within the store will grow by several times its current size as well, certainly a welcome change for Olympia’s punks, hippies and indie rockers.
More news soon.
www.20buckspin.com
5.13.2008
COFFINS - BURIED DEATH CD AVAILABLE NOW
The new Coffins CD “Buried Death” is now up on the 20 Buck Spin website available to order. Won’t be in stores until June 24th. Coffins will also have copies of “Buried Death” with them at their shows on the East Coast. An MP3 for the song “Under The Stench” was added as well.
Also available now is the new Coffins shirt design for “Buried Death”, and a very limited two-sided zipper hoodie.
The LP and Limited LP version of “Buried Death” will be ready in the first weeks of June.
20buckspin.com
Also available now is the new Coffins shirt design for “Buried Death”, and a very limited two-sided zipper hoodie.
The LP and Limited LP version of “Buried Death” will be ready in the first weeks of June.
20buckspin.com
5.05.2008
Sale Ends Tomorrow. New Stuff In Stock
The mailorder sale will last through Tuesday and then it's back to normal. Some titles have sold out during the sale.
We are distributing exclusively in the US the new album from Nordvargr "Helvete". It is now available via 20buckspin.com Here's a description:
All new album from Sweden's Henrik "Nordvargr" Bjorkk released from the distant Russian label Eternal Pride Productions. On this one Nordvargr is in top form using his main identity to create hellish dark ambient noise and Swedish industrial horrorscapes. Assisted here by Wrest from Leviathan and long-time collaborator Drakhon this follows in the vein of the previous Nordvargr/Drakh collaborations in sonic style with elements of the original MZ.412 project. Deep drones and terrifying voices whispered in the night. Helvete's audial nightmare was scraped off the walls of the burial vault and committed to tape.
Also new in mailorder today:
Amebix - No Sanctuary: The Spider Leg Records CD & LP+7 inch
Dystopia - Dystopia CD & LP
Embers - Embers CD
Ludicra - Another Great Love Song CD & LP
Ludicra - Fex Urbis, Lex Orbis CD & LP
Wrath Of The Weak - Alogon CD
We are distributing exclusively in the US the new album from Nordvargr "Helvete". It is now available via 20buckspin.com Here's a description:
All new album from Sweden's Henrik "Nordvargr" Bjorkk released from the distant Russian label Eternal Pride Productions. On this one Nordvargr is in top form using his main identity to create hellish dark ambient noise and Swedish industrial horrorscapes. Assisted here by Wrest from Leviathan and long-time collaborator Drakhon this follows in the vein of the previous Nordvargr/Drakh collaborations in sonic style with elements of the original MZ.412 project. Deep drones and terrifying voices whispered in the night. Helvete's audial nightmare was scraped off the walls of the burial vault and committed to tape.
Also new in mailorder today:
Amebix - No Sanctuary: The Spider Leg Records CD & LP+7 inch
Dystopia - Dystopia CD & LP
Embers - Embers CD
Ludicra - Another Great Love Song CD & LP
Ludicra - Fex Urbis, Lex Orbis CD & LP
Wrath Of The Weak - Alogon CD
5.01.2008
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