Never Enough Notes gives Tunabunny a UK exclusive.

Read the rest of the article HERE.

Under The Radar Shares Garret Pierce's Title Track "Everybody Breaks"

"This release leads up to the San Francisco alt-folk artist's third album, City of Sand. Both the EP and LP will be released via Narnack. (He recently signed with the Hollywood indie label.) Check out the Bay Area songwriter's Bill Callahan and Leonard Cohen-esque tune, above." Listen to "Everybody Breaks,"on Under The Radar, right this way.

New In The Ears podcast features Matt Talbott of Hum/Earth Analog Records!

Listen here!

Introducing: Zoe Boekbinder!

Listen to "Bakery" off of her upcoming album, Darling Specimens, HERE.

The Great Pumpkin loves Tunabunny!

Athenian’s torn between the alterna rock of REM, the blissful psychedelics of Elephant Six, and the Pacific Northwest in the mid-90s? riot grrrl, c-86, post punk enthusiasts? A band that is truly schooled in everything you love.

Tunabunny, a name you will remember forever, have cobbled together your deepest crushes from the 90s, turned the guitars up, and put the women in the front. Channeling the terrifying wisdom of their local Georgia Guide Stones giving rock music new principles to live by. It’s one of those times where the I truly believe the rock revolution will be led by Southerns.

Read the rest HERE.

When You Motor Away names Elba's S/T album one of their favorites of 2011.

Read the full article HERE.

Verbicide Reviews Robin Bacior's Intimate Performance at Le Voyeur, Olympia

"In true folksinger style, she chatted up the crowd in between songs, discussing tasty food, her adventures in Olympia that day, and her desire to discover the mysterious and magical Artesian Well of Olympia. She switched from acoustic guitar to the keys and back again during the course of her set, politely warning the audience to cover their ears as she transferred cables between instruments (it made a slightly unpleasant buzz). The performance was extremely intimate, as though we had a friend playing in our living room." Don't stop here, read the whole thing over on Verbicide, complete with photos from her set.

ROLLING STONE GIVES A SHOUT-OUT TO SHELBY EARL!

"After the Long Winters closed the front-to-back coverage of Nevermind with a haunting and harrowing rendition of "Something’s in the Way," a parade of seasoned locals offered up an encore set of non-Nevermind selections, including the ageless Young Fresh Fellows rollicking take on "About a Girl," and singer-songwriter Shelby Earl cutting out every anguished and beautiful facet of "All Apologies" with heart-wrenching grace." Read the full review of the event over on Rolling Stone.

High Scores For The Pack a.d.'s "Unpersons" On Blurt!

"Like the name of the album implies, Unpersons is the deconstruction of the artists the Pack A.D. have become and of the music they create to their barest, simplest beauty. While other girl groups may bury themselves in flashy glitter and Auto Tune perfection, singer/guitarist Becky Black and drummer Maya Miller are rustic, raw, honest, and really damn entertaining. They're leather-jackets-messy-hair-take-us-as-we-are rock prodigies who continue to silence the stale comparisons that have hunted them since their birth in the prime season of 2006's game-changers." Read all about it on Blurt Online.

Loch Lomond in the Monterey County Weekly

Read the full article HERE.

Sealive Music is excited about Elba's album release!

Read the full article HERE.

The following email concerning Mannequin Men was recently intercepted by the journalist Jesse Pearson of media watchdog group StickyFreaks.com

September 21st, 2011:

The following email was recently intercepted by the journalist Jesse Pearson of media watchdog-watchdog group StickyFreaks.com. We believe it speaks for itself, and we also believe that the basic structural relationships in highly developed Western countries are fiscal—they’re not political.

From: Julian Assange
Subject: Mannequin Men
Date: Septemebr 20, 2011 4:20:30 PM GMT
To: Dominique Strauss-Kahn

Dom,

I feel like I can only write you so many more emails that inevitably go unanswered. There is a finite amount of rejection—and your ignoring me is a form of rejection—that I can take. We will come, soon, to the end of our acquaintance.

But here I am trying yet again, and perhaps what I have to say will ignite the fire in you that seems necessary to bring me a reply… So, are you ready? Mannequin Men are back! Remember how much we loved their last album, Lose Your Illusion, Too? Remember the summer of 2009, when it came out? It seems so long ago—the schnapps bong sessions on your schooner, the scullery maids and the buggery, the rare cheeses and even rarer strains of hallucinogens—all to the tunes of those delightful Midwestern American rapscallions.

Now, as the seasons change again and summer becomes fall, they return with a new full-length LP. It is self-titled. Bold, oui? As for the sound, well, it’s more of the same. But Dom, you and I both know that if one is on a righteous path, one needn’t stray. I cherish the memory of that night we stayed up till dawn and played Mannequin Men over and over again on your iPod, and I said they sounded shambling and you said they sounded sturdy and then we agreed it was both. They are emotional, shambling messes with sturdy skeletons inside, these Mannequin Men. I feel that, in a way, you and I are Mannequin Men too. We agreed then that the music of Mannequin Men would allow us, for that night only, to use words that are too often in these days stripped of meaning. Words like “heartfelt,” “moving,” and “cool.” Do you remember, Dom? I said, “The Mannequin Men are the true heirs to the Replacements,” and you said, “No, Jules. They are the nephews of the Replacements. They are the sons of the Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments,” and I had to say, in reply, “Whoa. Good call.”

In retrospect, though, I realize that I was right and you were wrong. Mannequin Men write and play earnestly, whereas the aforementioned TJSA were, while great, often kidding. With the Mannequin Men there is occasionally a sneer, but it is not an ironic or a distancing sneer. It is the sneer of true feeling. It is the same sneer that drives you and I. It is a manly but sensitive sneer. But let me not go on too much. Let me not over-intellectualize what our beloved Gentlemen of the Mannequin do most effectively, which is rock. We must not academicize what is bred in the hips, the pelvis and the loins. And so Dom, I tell you, on their new self-titled album the Mannequin Men rock most effectively. You can hear that they sweat while they play, even as they lay lilting, bittersweet melodies atop muscular garage tuneage. And yes, Dom, I just wrote the word “tuneage.” I needed to, because Mannequin Men are sort of like the Wipers but not so sad, or Kim Deal but not so drunk. They sing about lost youth and girlfriends who are drags. Can both of us not relate to these topics? And can you and I not see each other again, break out the iPod and the Chablis, listen to some Mannequin Men, and just—well, just talk, Dom. I miss you, and with all the passion I can channel from the excess of passion that pours from this new Mannequin Men release, I beseech thee: Email me back.

I remain your faithful (and secret) servant,

Jules

PS: I just figured it out. The new Mannequin Men album is wistful, hopeful, strong, and fun. And so am I.

Willamette Week reviews Elba's show at Ella St.

"Romanticism implies nostalgia for damaged goods,” wrote jazz pianist Brad Melhdau. Two seconds into seeing Seattle's Elba fill the cozy confines of Ella St. Social Cub with their wall of atmospheric ringing guitar laced songs and pretty harmonies, I felt nostalgic about the band despite never having seen the group play live. Here's hoping they make several more memories for us in the future.

John Heart Jackie are being cute all over the place

How could you refuse these faces?

Or these shows?

09.25.11 - Portland OR @ Someday Lounge

10.03.11 - Portland, OR @ White Eagle
10.06.11 - San Francisco, CA @ Viracocha
10.09.11 - Venice, CA @ The Compound (House Show)
10.10.11 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hotel Cafe
10.11.11 - San Diego, CA @ Tin Can Ale House
10.12.11 - Tempe, AZ @ The Sail Inn
10.14.11 - Santa Fe, NM @ The Cowgirl
10.16.11 - Boulder, CO @ Laughing Goat
10.17.11 - Denver, CO @ The Walnut Room
10.18.11 - Fort Collins, CO @Everyday Joe's
10.19.11 - Provo, UT @ Velour
10.20.11 - Missoula, MT @ The Badlander
10.21.11 - Spokane, WA @ A Club
10.22.11 - Tacoma, WA @ The Warehouse
10.23.11 - Seattle, WA @ Columbia City Theater

Brass Bed Discusses Their Collaboration With Feufollet And More On Buzz Magazine

"And it seemed novel, like something that nobody had really done yet, which is this idea of being a pop rock band or psychedelic pop – whatever the fuck you wanna call it – and try to take Cajun music, and make it not Cajun music. And so the reverse of that was, what would happen if you took what we do and have a Cajun band do it? And that was the basic nexus of it. It was kind of people just sitting around and having pipe dreams about what they wanna do with the music that they’re making, and the other ways that you could possibly do it." Read the entire interview on Buzz Magazine right here.

Done Waiting Interviews The Go Round's Brandon Whightsel

"I am just relieved beards have become fashionable again. It was hard for us simian men back in the 00s with the whole metrosexual thing. My waxing budget was through the roof. And I can’t really claim to have invented acoustic guitar folk songs with heartfelt lyrics and a slightly country flavor. I think that honor goes to ZZ Top." Read all about zombie pirates and more over on Done Waiting.

Elba Record release party at High Dive in Seattle this Thursday!

Read all about it on SSG HERE.

Loch Lomond on KCSB!

Listen to the podcast HERE.

Download The Pack a.d.'s "Sirens" Now On Buzz Bands

"They’ve kept their fourth album, “Unpersons” (made with producer Jim Diamond, who worked with the White Stripes, Detroit Cobras and Dirtbombs) no less brash, and certainly every bit as dark, given the overriding theme that our digital identities are not really identities at all. Here, mostly, it’s delivered with acidic bombast. We can relate." Read the complete review and download "Sirens" on Buzz Bands.

The Go Round Gets Reviewed On We Heart Music!

"They may live in the hippest borough in New York, but the music is decidedly arcadian. In fact, the band has produced a kind of idiosyncratic mythology for urban misfits—those strange folk that move to the city from the mountains for no apparent reason besides an urge to wander. It’s a very specific niche that lesser artists have attempted to fill, but the Go Round has an edge on the competition. Let’s call it a “birth right” advantage." Check out the rest of their glowing review over on We Heart Music.

VIGILANTE, VIGILANTE OPENS IN PORTLAND'S CLINTON STREET THEATER OCT 14-20

We're honored to be working with "Vigilante, Vigilante: The Battle For Expression", an incredible new documentary from director Max Good--I'd love to send you a link for a screener, and would love it if you could help spread the word about the film.

A new breed of crime-fighter now stalks the urban landscape: the anti-graffiti vigilante. These dedicated blight-warriors stop at nothing to rid their neighborhoods and cities of street art, stickers, tags, and posters--yet several of these vigilantes have become the very menace they set out to eliminate. In their relentless attempt to stamp out graffiti, they have turned to illegally and destructively painting other people’s property. VIGILANTE VIGILANTE is the story of two filmmakers who set out to expose these mysterious characters and discover a battle of expression that stretches from the streets to academia.

PRESS KIT, PHOTOS, TRAILER ON VIMEO & iTUNES - RIGHT HERE

Elba's "From a Sinking Ship" is song of the week on Sound on the Sound!

Read the full post HERE.

RCRD LBL Premiere of Tunabunny's "Bury The Present"

Check it out HERE.

Santa Barbara Independent talks to Loch Lomond

Read the full interview HERE.

Blinded By Sound takes a look at Elba!

Check out the full article HERE.

And make sure to catch their remaining tour dates!

09.14.11 - Boise, ID @ Neurolux

09.15.11 - Portland, OR @ Ella St. Social Club
09.16.11 - Bellingham, WA @ Cabin Tavern
09.22.11 - Seattle, WA @ The High Dive (Record Release Show)

Pitchfork Announces Sufjan Stevens and Ray Raposa To Perform Live Score For "Beyond This Place"

"Last year, we reported that Sufjan Stevens collaborated with Castanets' Ray Raposa to score a documentary called Beyond This Place, which follows the fractured relationship between filmmaker Kaleo La Belle (a childhood friend of Stevens) and his freewheeling stoner father. The Brooklyn Academy of Music has announced that Stevens will join Raposa to perform the soundtrack live at a screening of Beyond This Place on Sunday, October 30 at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House." Click on over to Pitchfork for their full write up and a video clip of Beyond This Place.

John Heart Jackie = dreamy

John Heart Jackie "Nevada City" from Chadwick Gantes on Vimeo.

Watch this beautiful video for "Nevada City" while you figure out which John Heart Jackie show you'd like to go to.

09.25.11 - Portland OR @ Someday Lounge
10.06.11 - San Francisco, CA @ Viracocha
10.09.11 - Venice, CA @ The Compound (House Show)
10.10.11 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hotel Cafe
10.11.11 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
10.12.11 - Tempe, AZ @ The Sail Inn
10.14.11 - Santa Fe, NM @ The Cowgirl
10.16.11 - Boulder, CO @ Laughing Goat
10.17.11 - Denver, CO @ The Walnut Room
10.18.11 - Fort Collins, CO @Everyday Joe's
10.19.11 - Provo, UT @ Velour
10.20.11 - Missoula, MT @ The Badlander
10.21.11 - Spokane, WA @ A Club
10.22.11 - Tacoma, WA @ The Warehouse
10.23.11 - Seattle, WA @ Columbia City Theater

Introducing Cristina Bautista's "Gold Parts" Out 9/16 ON Local 638 Records

Together with Grammy-nominated producer and arranger Phillip Peterson (Nada Surf, Brandi Carlile) and a luminous cast of Seattle guest musicians, Cristina Bautista has made the Gold Parts EP. A six-song tribute to growing strong instead of disappointed, Gold Parts reconciles the innocence and urgency of youth with the patience and pain of growing up. The resulting indie rock swings deftly from celebration to regret to triumph. Proudly confessional, Cristina’s voice is sweet and openly hopeful before a backdrop of driving beats, gritty guitars and the occasional flood of ornate strings. At once familiar and refreshing, the songs are an invitation to find the glowing voltage beneath your own feet and grow old enough to be young.

STREAM Songs Here.
Download "LONG DIVISIONS" MP3 (FOR SHARING) Here.
Download "HEARTLESS" MP3 (FOR SHARING) Here.

SHOWS:
SEATTLE, WA: Friday, 9/16 @ the Sunset (EP Release show with Megasapien and Boom City)
SEATTLE, WA: Saturday, 10/1 @ Piecora's Back Room.

The Pack a.d. Unveil Their Latest Video "Take"

Jonny Campos Of Brass Bed Talks To The Vinyl District About His First Record

"I never had any records I could call my own when I was growing up, except maybe the soundtrack to Pinocchio or maybe an extra copy of American Pie that was missing a sleeve. To this day I still get “Vincent” stuck in my head at random times. If the mood struck me, I was more than welcome to listen to any record from my parents’ collection. From time to time, I’d put on the Beatles or Simon and Garfunkel and just stare at the sleeves wondering who these people were and how they made these sounds coming out of the speakers." Visit The Vinyl District to read Campos' complete account on growing up listening to records.

POINT JUNCTURE, WA ANNOUNCES TOUR!!

We're so thrilled to announce this handful of Point Juncture, WA dates---these guys are MONSTERS live. Not literal monsters--metaphorical monsters. As in, crazy to watch. How vocalist/drummer Amanda Spring does what she does simultaneously blows my mind. And not just because I'm the band's publicist or because I've only had about a dozen drum lessons in my life.

Point Juncture, WA's amazing "Chronological Orders" is out now on Seattle, WA-based Mt. Fuji records. If you never got your copy or would like to have it resent, let me know and it'll be en route.

THE DATES:
Thu, Sept 15 @ Alex's in Ashland, OR
Sat, Sept 17 @ The Great Pacific in Pendleton, OR
Wed, Sept 21 @ Whitworth College in Spokane, WA
Thu, Sept 22 @ Jones Radiator in Spokane, WA
Fri, Sept 23 @ The Sunset Tavern in Seatlle, WA

BIO, PHOTOS, MP3s for sharing and downloading.

Be Portland reviews Loch Lomond at MFNW

"Big name: Loch Lomond. This band is a staple of the Portland music scene – and for good reason. In a magical style vaguely reminiscent of Sufjan Stevens tracks, Loch Lomond reminds you that there are nymphs and spirits wandering the foggy woods surrounding our small city. Frontman Ritchie Young was in classic form, hitting his signature high notes with all the intensity and grace that marks the group as a whole. The vocal harmonies were ethereal and honest as always, often reminding me that I am going to die. Morbid? Maybe. But more importantly, Lomond’s set invokeda series of beautiful images within me that began with my birth and ended with something equally all encompassing."

BY RENATO J. PARADA

Stereogum Recaps Hum's Weekend Performances At The A.V. Fest & More

"Hum has a very loyal nearly cult like status amongst those fans who remember the timelessness sound of their albums You’d Prefer An Astronaut (1995) and Downward is Heavenward (1998). Prior to their headlining spot at the A.V. Club Festival, Hum did a warm up gig in Champaign, Illinois at the High Dive where they played old favorites and unreleased tune “Inklings” along with a new song “Cloud City” that droned and roared in its drop C. Hum have hinted they would possibly release the above two songs as an EP on lead singer Matt Talbott’s label/recording studio Earth Analog." Read on for photos and the full set lists from both Hum sets.

STAR ANNA ANNOUNCES MORE TOUR DATES!

Check out Star Anna's added tour dates below and visit her artist page for more information.

9/12/11 Eugene, OR - Cosmic Pizza
9/13/11 Ashland, OR - Alex's Restaurant
9/14/11 San Francisco, CA - The Hotel Utah Saloon
9/15/11 Los Angeles, CA - The Viper Room 10:00 PM
9/16/11 Long Beach, CA - Alex's Bar
9/17/11 Los Angeles, CA - Molly Malones 8:00 PM
9/18/11 San Diego, CA - The Casbah
9/19/11 Tucson, AZ - ZIA Records (3370 E. Speedway) In-Store - 5:30PM
9/19/11 Tucson, AZ - Plush
9/20/11 Las Vegas, NV - Zia Records (4225 Eastern Ave) In-Store - 5:30PM
9/21/11 Salt Lake City, UT - The Stateroom
9/22/11 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
9/23/11 Omaha, NE - Homer's Records - In Store - 6:30PM
9/23/11 Omaha, NE - O'Leavers
9/24/11 Chicago, IL - Space
9/25/11 Milwaukee, WI - The Exclusive Co. - In-Store 2:00 PM
9/25/11 Milwaukee, WI - Club Garibaldi's
9/26/11 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock Social Club
9/27/11 Missoula, MT - Badlander

Hum's Matt Talbott, Head of Earth Analog Records, Headlines AV Fest

"I don’t think a lot about the past and the past releases, I’m just happy to be playing the songs and happy to be hanging out with my—we’re all good friends, the guys in the band. More than anything, I like just hanging out with them. They’re guys I don’t see or get to hang out with every day. Bryan, he doesn’t live [close], he has to drive a little far away. To me, it’s kind of all about that, and I don’t get too caught up in really what was." Read the full interview with Matt Talbott on A.V. Club.

The Pack a.d.'s "Unpersons" Reviewed On Stereo Subversion

"The Pack aren’t trying to change the world through song, they’re trying to make you rock out. I appreciate that. Just pure straight forward rock and roll designed to get you out on the floor with a drink in your hand. That said, the Pack A.D. seem like the kind of band best experienced live — the best quality of Unpersons is how raw and live it feels, a quality I’m sure is only magnified on stage." Click on over for the full review of The Pack a.d.'s Unpersons over on Stereo Subversion.

Elba's brand new video for "From a Sinking Ship"

Elba is:
Nick Cappelletti - Vocals, Keyboard
Brian Graham - Bass
Matt Hartgraves - Guitar
Kellen Costello - Guitar, Background Vocals
Chris Reisinger - Drums

Staring
Elba
Kelly Hickman
Kierra Lee Davis
Sarah Beauchemin
Stephanie Downey
Stephanie Williams

Directed, shot, lit and edited - Brian Barnett

"A lot of the music I listen to can be described as mopey. I like the Smiths, and I love me some old-school Radiohead. What’s really cool, though, is when a band can sing about mopey things and not sound like a bunch of sissies. This brings us to Elba."

Read the rest of To Eleven's review of Elba's upcoming S/T album HERE.

SF Weekly loves Tunabunny!

Read the full article HERE.

Watch Appetite's "Warn Me, Right" Video Premiered Today On Baeble Music

"Both song and video alike have a skittish, yet playful character, reminiscing of Menomena as it plods along. Sounds like the stuff of months of creative work to us... though I suppose if these fun loving concoctions just kind of come to Briggs, then he should count his lucky stars, and keep at it until the songs stop writing themselves."Check out Appetite's new video directed by Adam Davies over on Baeble Music.

Listen To The Premiere of Robin Bacior's "Ohio" On Under The Radar

"The promising 24-year-old artist recalls Joni Mitchell or Laura Marling at times, but carved out her own niche on 2010's Aimed For Night EP. That first step will be complimented on November 1 with her debut LP, Rest Our Wings. Download our premiere of Bacior's "Ohio" single, above. The rambling and angelic folk tune just floats by on melodic charm." Download "Ohio" at Under The Radar now.

New Ruins Announce Their Their Next Album "This Life is Not Ours"

"On, September 20th, New Ruins will release their third album entitled This Life is Not Ours to Keep on Earth Analog Records. Produced by Brian Deck (Califone, Iron and Wine, Modest Mouse) and recorded with Matt Talbott at Great Western, the album features eleven tracks, which we've got below." Read more on New Ruin's next release on Smile Politely.

Stream The Pack a.d.’s "Unpersons" In Full On CMJ

"Rock duos are pumping out bluesy hits left and right, but the two ladies of the Pack A.D. are hoping to leave comparisons to the Kills and the White Stripes in their rear-view mirror with the release of their fourth studio album Unpersons—if only they had a rear-view mirror. After a grueling tour schedule (157 shows in 2009 alone), drummer Maya Miller and vocalist/guitarist Becky Black returned from France to find that their tour bus Falcon was no longer. However, even without a van, the Pack A.D. is going somewhere." Listen to "Unpersons" now over on CMJ.

Follow That Bird Chat It Up With The Waster

"Lauren Green (lead vocals, guitar) and Tiffanie Lanmon (drums) have been going at it since the early 2000’s, starting as a two-piece and morphing into a trio featuring several bassists along the way. With Paul Brinkley (bass) as the latest addition, the garage rock trio is finally beginning to fine-tune a sound that is unique but not unfamiliar. Think Dinosaur Jr. but with a rougher edge, or The Jefferson Airplane on speed, not acid." Don't stop there, read on for the interview over on The Waster.

Power of Pop investigates Elba

The Owl Mag Reviews The Pack a.d.'s Latest “Unpersons”

"The Pack A.D.'s fourth album is the equivalent of a satisfactory slap to an ex's face. The album confronts the illusion of safety and stability in a relationship, dissecting a life gone wrong. Becky Black's vocals are seething and poisonous one minute and fraught with despair the next." Read The Owl Mag's full review of The Pack a.d.'s Unpersons right here.

Elba GRAND PRIZE giveaway on Buddyhead

Click HERE to go to Buddyhead and read the full details so you can win!