Vinyl Collective

MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC CO. “Josephine” LP
ANTONY & THE JOHNSONS “Aeon” 7″
ONEIDA “Rated O” triple LP

JASON MOLINA’s concept album is an honest-to-God effort on the part of MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC CO. to pay tribute to the life and spirit of fallen bassist EVAN FARRELL (R.I.P. December 2007), as the ideas for “Josephine” were being pieced together. Molina said each tune is a good faith attempt to make real Evan’s hopes for the record. And in doing so, Evan’s spirit becomes part of the concept. The loss of “Josephine” becomes the loss of Evan. Molina’s familiar lyrical allegories are still in tact. But here, in what is no doubt the strongest set of songs Molina has written since the inception of Magnolia Electric Co., those classic themes take on new meanings. Molina has approached the universal loneliness before, but never in such a focused, directed manner as found on “Josephine”. I LOVE MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC CO AND HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO THIS RECORD QUITE A BIT.

ANTONY & THE JOHNSONS will release the “Aeon”/”Crazy in Love” double A-side single in the US on August 4th on CD and 7″ through SECRETLY CANADIAN. “Aeon” is one of the highlights of the critical and commercial smash album “The Crying Light” which debuted at #1 on the European chart. The band appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman for the song’s television debut. Antony and the Johnsons’ earnest and impassioned cover of Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love”, a long time live favorite, is being released officially for the first time.

ONEIDA has delivered a monster named “Rated O” which happens to be the crowning achievement of their storied creative lives. By producing this colossus they have also created the necessity of its destruction — which within the confines of this tremendous accomplishment — they do so handily and with utter fluency. Perhaps “Rated O” represents the encyclopedic representation of ONEIDA MUSIC, ONEIDA CREATIVITY and ONEIDA INSATIABILITY. As the leviathan rises from the murky depths to endow the idle watch with illusion, disillusionment and mortal terror — thus Oneida leaves a hieroglyphic spume upon the glassy surface of what is KNOWN and UNKNOWN. The music contained within the covers of “Rated O” must be seen as a gifted wilderness that when traversed will grant the traveler both a fractured mirror and a demolished and worried pathway deeper into the abyss. This album is an attempt to contain the entirety of Oneida and thus it points the way to infinite rebirth and boundless creativity. It is a finite map and the suggestion of unknown worlds. We finally have in our hands the album that Oneida has often gestured towards. Ladies and gentlemen, this is one of the greatest triple albums ever recorded.

MUDHONEY “Superfuzz Bigmuff” LP
MUDHONEY “S/T” LP
MUDHONEY “Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge” LP

Unlike a lot of labels, Subpop could survive off of re-issues of their insane back catalog. These Mudhoney re-issues are a perfect example of that. Mudhoney helped pioneer what would later be called Grunge. They were never quite as successful as Nirvana or Pearl Jam, but it can be argued that they were just as important. If you missed out on these records when they were originally available, get them now. If these are new titles to you, it might be time you visit the Mudhoney catalog. These are pre-orders, the records are not due til late September.

Friends, The Takers “Taker Easy” is now available at your favorite digital retailer, the CD version is available in a handful of mom and pops, and the Vinyl will be in our hands on Friday, July 31st. We urge you to pick up a copy of the best Outlaw Country album of 2009. We at least urge you to take a listen to the full album stream we have just posted.

If you can’t take our word for it, how about NineBullets.net? Visit their in depth review of “Taker Easy” here. I was pretty certain that Nine Bullets would love the Takers; check out an excerpt from the review:

Taker Easy is, at the risk of sounding trite, exactly what I think of when I think about “Florida Country”, which is to say they’re as much rock and roll as they are shit kickers and twang. Suburban is selling the album as their “outlaw country” band, a modern version of Waylon Jennings, if you will. I’d say they have a little more rock and roll in them than that description suggests, but otherwise I have no qualms with it. Personally I think, like me, that you’ll find Taker Easy to not only be Essential Listening, but also that it’ll probably end up being a Top 10 of the year. And as a Floridian, I am proud that these fellas are from my state.

We have been getting lots of great feedback every since releasing their debut single, “Curse of a Drunk”. If you are a fan of bands on Suburban Home like Drag the River, Tim Barry, or Two Cow Garage Or non-SH bands like Lucero, Hank III, or Drive By Truckers, I think that you need to spend a little time with Taker Easy. The album is so damn good.

The guys are working on a tour that would get their asses out of Florida and out to our 14th Anniversary show in Denver. If you don’t mind stopping by their Myspace page and checking out their dates; they still need some help getting a few of the dates confirmed.

Please help us out by taking a listen, and telling others to listen. You can share the stream on any site that takes html. Please retweet this post, forward it to others, and tell a friend or two about this record. It rules.

Friends, today we are proud to launch a message board for Suburban Home Records. Yes, we have a great message board through Vinyl Collective and we are happy that board exists, but this one will be focused around our label, our bands, our releases, and our tours. The forum is really simple, there is a forum relating to Suburban Home Records, one for non-Suburban Home artists, and one for Everything Else. Please visit, sign in, and hang out. I hope that it will become a great destination for those interested in what we do.

Suburban Home Message Board

We are excited to announce a pre-order for a new 1 sided 7″ from VC favorite, O Pioneers!!!. The 7″ will be released by Whoa Oh Records in a one time pressing of 300 copies on black vinyl (50 will have white covers (the VC exclusive) and the rest will have brown covers (we will have 50 for sale). When I asked Eric from OP!!! about the 7″, he said, “For right now we are calling the song “limp bizkit covering limp bizkit”. cause thats how much style i have. As a description, all covers will be hand screened and die cut. This a one sided, one song 7″. the rest of the info will be on the backside of the jacket!”

There you have it. We will post this pre-order tomorrow, Thursday, July 30th along with the pre-orders for Achilles and 3 Under the Influence 7″s (Joey Cape/Mike Hale, O Pioneers!!!/New Bruises, and Kevin Seconds/Kepi Ghoulie). Be stoked.

CLICK ANY OF THE ABOVE COVER ARTS TO FIND MORE INFO ON THE RELEASE AND TO STREAM/SHARE IT.

The Suburban Home Tour beings on Friday, July 31st. Please help us spread the word by posting this on your blog, on a message board, retweeting, or just telling a friend. We are providing you with an excellent way to receive a free pair of tickets by purchasing some of our artists’ music. Here is how this works:

1. Purchase at least 2 releases featuring any of the following acts: Austin Lucas, Jon Snodgrass, Two Cow Garage, and/or Mike Hale. (past purchases do not count, sorry)
2. Once you’ve made this purchase, forward your Checkout Complete email to Seabron along with the date you would like to attend and the full name that should appear on the guest list.
3. 1 person for each show will be awarded a pair of guest list spots. We will let you know right away if you are a winner.

It doesn’t get any easier or less expensive than that. DO UNDERSTAND THAT ONLY ONE PERSON PER DATE WILL WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS AND YOU HAVE TO EMAIL SEABRON FOR CONSIDERATION. There will be at least 39 winners. Good luck!

The first leg of the tour starts July 31st and ends August 25th. The second leg of the tour begins September 9th and ends on September 27th. Note that there are a few dates still awaiting confirmation.

7/31/2009-8/13/2009 dates w/ Austin Lucas, Two Cow Garage, and Mike Hale
7/31/2009 Indianapolis, IN @ The Vollrath
8/01/2009 Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe
8/02/2009 Nashville, TN @ The Basement
8/03/2009 Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone
8/04/2009 Jackson, MS @ Ole Tavern
8/05/2009 New Smyrna Beach, FL @ Beachside Tavern
8/06/2009 Orlando, FL @ The Social
8/07/2009 Gainseville, FL @ Common Grounds
8/08/2009 Atlanta, GA @ MJQ’s Drunken Unicorn
8/09/2009 Asheville, NC @ Bobo Gallery
8/10/2009 Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
8/12/2009 Washington, D.C. @ DC9
8/13/2009 Asbury Park, NJ @ Asbury Lanes
8/14/2009 Schwenksville, PA @ Philadelphia Folk Festival *Austin Lucas ONLY*
8/15/2009 Harrisburg, PA @ The Abbey Bar at Appalachian Brewing Company *Austin Lucas and Two Cow Garage ONLY*

8/16/2009 – 8/25/2009 Jon Snodgrass w/ Austin Lucas, and Two Cow Garage
8/16/2009 New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
8/17/2009 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East (Upstairs)
8/18/2009 Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe
8/19/2009 Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place
8/20/2009 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom (Small)
8/21/2009 Fort Wayne, IN @ The Brass Rail
8/22/2009 Lansing, MI @ Mac’s Bar (Bermuda Mohawk Festival)
8/23/2009 Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern
8/24/2009 Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
8/25/2009 Madison, WI @ High Noon

9/9/2009 – 9/25/2009 Austin Lucas w/ Two Cow Garage, and Mike Hale
9/9/2009 St Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
9/10/2009 Lawrence, KS @ the Bottleneck
9/11/2009 and 9/12/2009 Denver, CO @ 3 Kings Tavern at the Suburban Home 14th Anniversary Shows
9/13/2009 Salt Lake City, UT @ the Urban Lounge
9/14/2009 Missoula, MT @ the Badlander
9/15/2009 Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern
9/17/2009 Eugene, OR @ Sam Bond’s Garage
9/18/2009 Oregon City, OR @ Winestock
9/19/2009 Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
9/20/2009 San Francisco, CA @ Thee Parkside
9/21/2009 Los Angeles, CA @ Cranes Hollywood Tavern
9/23/2009 Tempe, AZ @ Yucca Tap Room w/ The Revenge, too
9/25/2009 El Paso, TX @ Take II
9/26/2009 Austin, TX @ Emo’s (Indoors)
9/27/2009 Dallas, TX @ Double Wide

Last year’s Revival Tour was one of the greatest shows I saw all year. I am so excited to see it again this year and depending on how things go, I may try and check out a few shows outside of Colorado. If you go to the Revival tour website, it shows the above image revealing who all is playing; it says dates and lineups will be announced soon. I do know that there is a compilation in the works featuring the bands on the tour and if all goes well, we will have some for sale through the site.

Stoked to see a number of our artists on this tour including Joey Cape, Tim Barry, Jon Snodgrass, Chad Price, Austin Lucas, as well as a number of buddies and respected artists.

Now here’s the question I pose to you, Who are you most excited to see on this tour?

NARROWS “New Distances” LP clear vinyl
REIGN SUPREME “Testing The Limits Of Infinite” LP light blue vinyl
JASON FALKNER “Can You Still Feel?” LP
GRIZZLY BEAR “Yellow House” LP
KINGS OF LEON “Aha Shake Heartbreak” dbl 10

Got in a few restocks and a few new to us (Narrows, Reign Supreme, and Jason Falkner). Get em while you can.

GREY MACHINE îVultures Descendî LP
PELICAN “City Of Echoes” LP baby pink w/ black splatter 180 gram vinyl
PELICAN “City Of Echoes” LP black 180 gram vinyl
PELICAN “City Of Echoes” LP clear light blue 180 gram vinyl
PELICAN “City Of Echoes” LP clear w/ black splatter 180 gram vinyl
PELICAN “City Of Echoes” LP silver 180 gram vinyl
PELICAN/ THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES îPink Mammoth/Gold Diggersî split 10î clear w/ bl
PELICAN/ THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES îPink Mammoth/Gold Diggersî split 10î clear w/ pi
THE MELVINS î(a) Senile Animalî 4xLP
TORCHE “Healer/Across The Shields” LP + DVD emerald vinyl
TORCHE “Healer/Across The Shields” LP + DVD plain ol’ white vinyl
V/A “Champions Of Sound 2008″ dbl 7″ clear vinyl
XASTHUR “All Reflections Drained” dbl LP picture disc+backpatch
XASTHUR “All Reflections Drained” dbl LP red vinyl

Having run a label for a long time, I have seen the ups and the downs with coop advertising. Lots of bigger chains will offer coops to labels for everything from spots in their circular (Target charges $45,000 for this) to Emerging Artists (Target charges $22,500 for this) to listening stations, print ads, and so on and so on. We have done some campaigns that have been very worthwhile, but we have done a bunch that were a big waste of money.

Not sure if that is the best way to introduce coop opportunities with Vinyl Collective, but let me assure you that I have thought long and hard about the options and think that I have put together a really great list of ways to promote your releases through the Vinyl Collective store, site, and message board. Here are some of the numbers over the course of one month on the VC Site, Store, and Board:

Vinyl Collective Site:
* 99,032 Visits
o 25,696 Absolute Unique Visitors
+ 164,283 Pageviews

Vinyl Collective Store:
* 34,394 Visits
o 17,981 Absolute Unique Visitors
+ 195,699 Pageviews

Vinyl Collective Message Board
I don’t have numbers right now as Ralph just attempted to put Google Analytics on our Message Board. I assure you there are more Visits and Pageviews on the Message Board than on our Store or Site.

a. Discretionary Listening Station (FREE!) – Just like most indie record stores do, we are offering discretionary listening stations. We have a really great streaming player that can be embedded onto any site that allows you to post html code. The player can be posted by the label, the band, and fans pretty much all over the web. There is a link in the player that allows interested music fans to click a link that takes the person to the product page. Just get in touch with us, let us know that you are interested in having us host a full album stream. We prefer higher bit rate mp3s for these streams.

b. Banner Ad campaign plus listening station $100 - For a month, we will rotate your banner ad on all of the Vinyl Collective Message Board forums, in the Vinyl Collective store, and on the Vinyl Collective blog. We will also set up a full album stream on our site and product page. The banner will link back to your product listing (if you want it to link to an outside link, the cost will be $200). We recommend for smaller artists including “If You Like…, You will Like….” in your banner so people will have an idea of what your artist sounds like. We can design your banner for $25.00. Between the message board, the store, and the site, there are a lot of potential views of your release. We will provide you with a full report of click throughs and sales during the course of that month.

c. Cut in full page ad in Razorcake, cut in 5,000 full color fliers, Banner Ad campaign plus listening station $150 - In addition to B., we will put your cover art plus short description (we call this a cut) in a full page ad in Razorcake and on 5,000 full color fliers. Both the Ad and Full Color Fliers will mention the listening station and direct people to purchase the album in the Vinyl Collective store. Preferably, we will be able to get 8 to 10 interested parties to make these ads and fliers happen. If we get 4 of 5 interested parties, we could do a half page ad and a smaller full color flier. The fliers will be sent out in Vinyl Collective mailorders.

d. Track on a free 7″ or LP, Cut in full page ad in Razorcake, cut in 5,000 full color fliers, Banner Ad Campaign, Listening Station $500 - Just like C., you get a month long banner ad and a listening station, the cut in an ad in razorcake and in a full color flier, but what separates this from pretty much everything else is that you can have a track from one of your artists put onto a free 7″ or free LP. The way this works is that we would need to coordinate 4 artists for a 7″ with tracks no longer than 3 minutes each or 10 artists for an LP with tracks no longer than 4 minutes each and we will coordinate and manufacture the production of 1,000 7″s or 1,000 LPs that will be given away for FREE with Vinyl Collective orders. Each artist will receive copies of the 7″ or LP (50 copies of the 7″, 25 copies of the LP) for FREE. Other than the copies given away to the bands, every record will be mailed out for free with Vinyl Collective orders. I know this is a higher price tag, but think of the possibilities.

You have a few options for payment. You can either pay us by check or credit card or if you have an account with us, we can take it out of our next payment to you. We think that any of the above coop opportunities will do a lot to help build your artist and help to sell a few more copies.

If you have any questions or are interested in taking part in any of these programs, email me.