Vinyl Collective

2 for Tuesday (Mike Hale “Broken With No Hope” white, “Lives Like Mine” grey/red LPs) 2 for 1

I just took Mike Hale to the airport (for his upcoming tour with Austin Lucas and Two Cow Garage) and I had a nice few days hanging out with him so I decided that today’s 2 for 1 should be a Mike Hale 2 for Tuesday. For the price of one LP (in this case $11.99, you will get 2 Mike Hale LPs, Broken With No Hope on white vinyl and Lives Like Mine on Grey/Red vinyl. We only have 30 sets for sale and this sale will be over once the copies are sold out or when next Tuesday comes along. So far, the only 2 for 1 to have sold out is the Ninja Gun/Fake Problems deal; maybe this will be the 2nd such 2 for Tuesday to sell out.

Mike was in town on tour with In the Red, but as Matt and Armand drove back home, Mike hung out for a few days. Yesterday, he went down to Black In Bluhm and recorded a new song, one he proudly proclaims to be the happiest song he has ever written. The song features Chris Fogal (of the Gamits) on bass and doing back up vocals and Dave Barker (of Rocky Votolato and formerly of Drag the River) on drums. The song is so fucking good. Mike has plans to come back to Denver to record 4 more songs in this vein and we are thinking how we might release those songs. He plans to send the song to Chris Wollard and see if Chris might want to do a split album. Wouldn’t that be rad? In other Mike Hale news, Friday, we will be getting in copies of the Mike Hale/Kevin Seconds split along with a ton of Side One vinyl. On Thursday, we will be posting a pre-order for Mike’s Under the Influence with Joey Cape. It was great seeing Mike and hearing that the past year has been good to him. Make sure you go and see him out on this tour; he is one amazing person.

And pick up these albums if you don’t already own them. “Broken With No Hope” was my first introduction to MIke’s solo writing and “Lives Like Mine” is our first album for Mike. They are both amazing.

We are excited to share with you the full album stream of Farewell Party’s next release, Achilles “Hospice”. Hospice was originally released on CD via HEX records in 2007; the CD can still be purchased through them at this link.

From the Hex site, “The ridiculously good second full length from Rochester’s own Achilles. Though way on the back burner due to members commitments with Polar Bear Club, Soul Control, and fatherhood, this record gained so much praise just by how freaking good the songwriting is they didn’t need to bother playing shows in support of it. While heavily rooted in a ‘mathcore’ vein, influences are not strictly limited to the Botch school of thought. Add bits of Majority Rule, City Of Caterpillars, Faraquet, and straight up melodic hardcore and you get this excellent document of a band with passion seeping out every pore. The album sounds delicious.” Farewell Party decided to license the album for release on vinyl in hopes of giving the album the attention it deserves.

Punknews said of the album in a review, “Hospice is assuredly a step up from the also excellent The Dark Horse, which combined some of the best aspects from heavy but ambitious acts like Botch and Breather Resist. Achilles seem to forge their own territory here, diversifying their sound and concentrating less on atmospherics and more on a heavy base, mixed up tempos and interchanging riffs. “We Are Fixtures” is one of the best examples of this, in addition to being possibly Hospice’s best track; Rory Vangrol (also of How We Are) kicks it up a notch repetitively screaming “wake up, wake up! We’re losing everything!,” and leads the charge perfectly — rarely has Achilles sounded this urgent, while the band floor the listener with a breathtaking sense of dynamics.?

The pre-order will be posted on Thursday, July 30th prior to the pre-order of the 3 Under the Influence 7″s.

Take a listen, this sounds like a record that a lot of you would enjoy.

Everyone, please take a second to read this press release and if you have any extra money, please consider supporting one of our friends through independent music. Chunksaah is auctioning off lots of great records too support their friend.

Rich Cunningham formed Happy Days Records in 1995, releasing debut records by Hot Water Music and Ink & Dagger, as well as titles by Endeavor, Times Up, and Human Remains. In 2000 he formed New Labor, an alternative model of worker organization that combines new and existing strategies to improve working conditions and provide a voice for low-wage, young, immigrant workers in central New Jersey. In 2005 Rich was diagnosed with cancer and recently his battle has taken a turn for the worse. Chunksaah Records and The Bouncing Souls will be auctioning off rare records, vinyl test pressing, limited poster prints, Bouncing Souls tickets, and anything else we think will help raise money for our friend.

Additionally, Chunksaah Records is an active sponsor of the Hub City Hardcore Fest (featuring Degenerics, Psyched To Die, The Measure, Static Radio NJ, Detournement, Torchbearer, and many many others) taking place in New Brunswick, NJ the weekend of August 14-16 with proceeds going to help Rich and the Cunningham family. Please visit www.chunksaah.com for a list of Bouncing Souls / Chunksaah charity auctions, weekend passes for the Hub City Hardcore Fest, as well as more information about Rich Cunningham.

AUCTION ITEMS (more being added later)
??Bouncing Souls “What Doesn’t Kill Us Makes Us Stronger” Demo Cassette
? Bouncing Souls “Ugly Bill” 7″ w/ insert and original “master copy” handwritten lyrics/credits for promo pack with original press photo (Complex Records – 1991 – out of print)
? Bouncing Souls 20th Anniversary 7″ Series Vol. 1, 2, 3 & 4 – TEST PRESSINGS (out of 5 each)
? Bouncing Souls 20th Anniversary 7″ Series Vol. 3 – REJECTED TEST PRESSING (missing “locked groove” on side b – out of 5)
? Strike Anywhere “To Live In Discontent” LP – TEST PRESSING (out of 5) & 12″ PICTURE DISC
? The Loved Ones 10″ Set – TEST PRESS (out of 5), WHITE VERSION (out of 20), GREEN VERSIONS (1st press), PINK VERSIONS (2nd press), and BLUE VERSIONS (3rd press)
? World/Inferno F.S. “Addicted to Bad Ideas” – TEST PRESSING (out of 10) and LP
? Detournement “Screaming Response” – TEST PRESSING (out of 5) and BLACK VERSION (out of 100)
? Bouncing Souls / Weston split 7″ (Glue Records – 1994 – out of print)
? The Ratchets – “Glory Bound” gatefold LP (out of 500) & Red Square 7″ (out of 100)

We are excited to announce that on Thursday, July 30th, we will be hosting a pre-order with the help of our friends, Farewell Party, for Achilles “Hospice”. Hospice was originally released on CD via HEX records in 2007; the CD can still be purchased through them at this link.

From the Hex site, “The ridiculously good second full length from Rochester’s own Achilles. Though way on the back burner due to members commitments with Polar Bear Club, Soul Control, and fatherhood, this record gained so much praise just by how freaking good the songwriting is they didn’t need to bother playing shows in support of it. While heavily rooted in a ‘mathcore’ vein, influences are not strictly limited to the Botch school of thought. Add bits of Majority Rule, City Of Caterpillars, Faraquet, and straight up melodic hardcore and you get this excellent document of a band with passion seeping out every pore. The album sounds delicious.” Farewell Party decided to license the album for release on vinyl in hopes of giving the album the attention it deserves.

Punknews said of the album in a review, “Hospice is assuredly a step up from the also excellent The Dark Horse, which combined some of the best aspects from heavy but ambitious acts like Botch and Breather Resist. Achilles seem to forge their own territory here, diversifying their sound and concentrating less on atmospherics and more on a heavy base, mixed up tempos and interchanging riffs. “We Are Fixtures” is one of the best examples of this, in addition to being possibly Hospice‘s best track; Rory Vangrol (also of How We Are) kicks it up a notch repetitively screaming “wake up, wake up! We’re losing everything!,” and leads the charge perfectly — rarely has Achilles sounded this urgent, while the band floor the listener with a breathtaking sense of dynamics.?

We will be posting a full album stream tomorrow, Tuesday, July 28th. The pre-order will be posted on Thursday, July 30th prior to the pre-order of the 3 Under the Influence 7″s.

The pressing for “Hospice” will be in the following editions:
Marble Tan – 114 VC exclusive (90 copies will be available through VC)
Black – 107
Grey – 143
Camo – 220
50 PROMO / ADVANCE copies (Black Vinyl, but promo copies, sent out to distros and reviewers prior to release (VC will have 15 copies)
We will also have a Test Press Contest (only 60 made, hand made covers by Joe OHIO PRIDE).

Vinyl is expected to be completed in 3 weeks.

SHADOWS FALL “Retribution” LP silver cover version

From the release’s one sheet, “Before the so-called “New Wave of American Heavy Metal” was even a ripple,Shadows Fall were there. With legions of fans, worldwide fame,two Grammy nominations,& a song on Guitar Hero, they are beyond simply best-in-class. With their unmistakable,seamless blend of metal & hard rock,Shadows Fall have grown to help define the very essence of modern aggressive music. With Retribution,the band’s fifth full length,it’s no surprise to find them taking bold steps in their quest for constant evolution.”

I don’t know Shadows Fall so well, but I do know that they have lots of fans. Saw them towards the end of the “Get Thrashed” documentary which I highly recommend if you haven’t seen it. And I recommend picking up a copy of 36 Crazy Fists “The Tide and It’s Takers” when you pick this up!

DIVISION DAY “Visitation” LP
CHET “Chelsea Silver, Please Come Home” LP
GRAND ARCHIVES “Keep In Mind Frankenstein” LP
DAPPLED CITIES “Zounds” LP
THE SCOTLAND YARD GOSPEL CHOIR “ÖAnd The Horse You Rode In On” LP
LITA FORD “Wicked Wonderland” LP gatefold
SIMON JOYNER “Out Into The Snow” LP
TROUBLE “The Skull” LP
TROUBLE “Psalm 9″ LP
NIGHT HORSESEA OF AIR “Come Down Halo Holy Roller” LP

I present to you a list of upcoming pre-orders from a number of bigger indies and a few major titles. I know very little of the bands listed above (except for Lita Ford who was a bad ass forever ago). All of these records are expected around the middle of September. Feel free to educate me on any of the acts above that I should know more about. Maybe add, “If you like…., you’ll like …..”. Thanks.

Just got in the silk-screened jackets for Ninja Gun’s “Restless Rubes”. 239 were printed by our good friend, Dustin Garrett. We still have few green copies left with the regular jacket, but after those are gone, only the silk-screened jackets will remain. Get a copy at this link. We also just got in the Flaming Tsunami’s vinyl which turned out really nice. I really like the different cover arts involved.

SHUDDER TO THINK “Live From Home” LP

Shudder To Think continues to be as important and other-worldly today as they were when they released their first independent single, ‘It Was Arson’ in 1988. In 1994 Shudder To Think signed to Epic Records and released their opus Pony Express Record, an album still considered one of the most groundbreaking and influential albums of our time. In the fall of 2008, ten years after the band’s break-up, Shudder To Think reunited in response to overwhelming requests. The band delivered some of the most compelling and potent shows of their career. The best of those live shows can be found here.

Shudder to Think are one of those bands that I have always meant to listen to now that I have a broader tastes. I remember listening to some songs when I was only a pop-punker and not being too keen on them. Is there an album I should start with when listening to Shudder to Think?

Records are expected around mid September.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Our friend Yu from Thailand, previous Vinyl Collective Vinyl Collector of the Month and current friend through music recently mailed us a postcard which we received today and I have to say, it could not have come at a better time. With the economy greatly affecting operations at Vinyl Collective and Suburban Home, it sometimes gets stressful and disheartening to accept the decline we have experienced over the past months. It is postcards like this that absolutely make my day and honestly, i cannot think of a better omen to start out the week. Thanks Yu for your continued support, I hope you don’t mind that I share this postcard with everyone.

Everyone, thanks for all your support of what we do through good times and bad. May we extend this wish of goodwill to you and your endeavors. May Lord Ganesha guide all of us into success in every step of life.

The funny thing is although we are having some difficult times right now, I am more excited than ever before about the future of Vinyl Collective and Suburban Home and a few ideas i am working on that I think could revolutionize distribution for self-released artists and smaller labels. Thanks so much Yu, You Rule (no pun intended).