Ice, Sea, Dead People Exclusive MP3 In BSM '10 Collection

Remember we told you about Big Scary Monsters' genius mp3 subscription scheme The BSM '10 Collection a couple of weeks ago?

Well if last week's Walter (Rival Schools, Quicksand) Schreifels mp3 from his upcoming new solo album wasn't enough to entice you to sign-up then how about this? An exclusive preview track Brrrrr from Teeth Union - this summer's debut album by our own Ice, Sea, Dead People. Use this exclusive link to join the subscription for ONLY £13 instead of the usual £15. Be quick, this offer expires 24th January. A great way to use up your Paypal credit from selling those unwanted Christmas gifts on eBay!

As well as receiving a MP3 from a different band every week, every subscriber also gets an exclusive BSM t-shirt, a 10% discount on all purchases from bsmrocks.com/shop for the whole year and free entry into monthly prize draws!

Thanks to Kev BSM for including ISDP in the scheme.

BSM '10 Collection Launches

Big Scary Monsters have launched an amazing mp3 subscription service - details below. Needless to say some STA bands will be muscling in on the action, the first of which will be announced in a few days.

Happy new year! Hangovers aside, we've made it through the noughties and into the bright new hope of the... tweens? Twentytens? Whatever. We're still alive and kicking, and to celebrate the occasion, have launched a new subscription service; the '10 Collection.

Over the next year we'll be releasing 52 MP3 singles - one per week - comprised of the best unsigned bands, along with brand new tracks from our roster (before they can be heard anywhere else in the world), some future stars from our favourite other labels and the occasional hidden gem from our own back catalogue. Each track will be unavailable separately and emailed out to all subscribers the week of release. And not just that, members will also receive an exclusive BSM t-shirt and a 10% discount on all purchases from our webstore, throughout the course of the year.

Subscribing costs just £15 through January, with the price rising to £17 from February. Latecomers will receive all previous tracks when they sign up, with each subsequent one following as and when available.

The 52 bands will only be announced on their week of their release, all kicking off on January 4th with Tangled Hair, the very exciting new solo project from Alan Welsh, singer and guitarist in the much-missed Colour. The rest of the month promises a new track from one of BSM's brand new signings, yet to be announced, something new from one of our favourite other UK labels, and one of Oxford's most promising up and coming bands. After that... Well you'll just have to sign up and see!

Calories EP Review

Check out this review of the recent Calories EP from Clicky Clicky plus news of future Calories releases.

ASIWYFA: Lowdown On New Records

THE LETTERS EP

Here it is then folks, some brand new ASIWYFA tunage. They had 4 days to do this in the studio between tours and here it is, "The Letters EP". Four tracks in under 20mins, that's a record for them they think?

We hope you enjoy it as much as we did making it for you. I hear the rumble of an album on the horizon...

Tracklist:
1. S Is For Salamander
2. D Is For Django The Bastard
3. B Is For B-Side
4. K Is For Killing Spree (Ode To)
Release Date:
22/02/10 however it'll be available from the merch desk at the band's HUGE Xmas show at the Ulster Hall in Belfast.



SPLIT SINGLE w/ TALONS

To those who are yet to discover the 6 piece, Hereford based band, Talons have already started making some pretty big waves in the UK instrumental rock scene. Featuring two violins and crushing guitar riffs, their unashamed exploration of uplifting, joyous highs followed closely by dramatic, Apocalyptic lows shows a brave sense of willingness, not usually found in a band so shy of years. 'Bethlehem', a live favourite on their recent, debut UK tour, captures their energy and enthusiasm perfectly, leaving the listener excited and hungry for more.

The split single will be released on limited edition (of 100) 3" CDs via Big Scary Monsters Records on November 23rd.

ASIWYFA

STA BSM Joint Releases Pre-Order-A-Rama

The previously announced new co-releases with Big Scary Monsters - the brand new 4 track CDEP from Calories in limited edition denim sleeve with badge and the ASIWYFA ultra-limited split 3" CD with Talons are now both available for pre-order from the easy-on-the-eye BSM store. Calories is £5 while ASI vs Talons is £3 so with P&P you get change from a tenner for two of November's coolest releases. We're sold!

New Calories EP - 12th November & Free Download

Calories return on November 12th with a new EP - 4 brand new tracks that will NOT be appearing on next year's 2nd album Habitations. This is a super-limited co-release in special denim packaging (huh?) between ourselves and Big Scary Monsters in conjunction with a week of dates for bands from both rosters - joining Calories are BSM's Youves, Holy State and Shapes. You've already seen the tour poster so here's a Monday morning exclusive for you of the EP artwork - which we recommend, for best results, is washed at 30 degrees.


The tracklisting is:
1.Let's Pretend That We're Older (download now as a free MP3)
2.Arm A Leg
3.Expect The Language
4.Hands Off....

The artwork is by a girl called Yvette Young who Calories know from Myspace - befriend them today and who knows where it could take you!

Ordering details will be online in the coming days however the only way to guarantee yourself a copy of the EP is to get it from a show...

The dates are:
04 Nov - York City Screen
05 Nov - Nottingham The Bodega
06 Nov - Brighton The Freebutt buy tickets
07 Nov - Southampton Lennons
08 Nov - Reading Oakford Social Club
09 Nov - Birmingham The Flapper
10 Nov - London Barfly buy tickets

More Shakin' Stevens-friendly propaganda to follow.

BSM Lovefest Part 2: New Calories Single

BSM Announce ASIWYFA/Talons Split Single

Here's the scoop on the next ASI record!


Following on from their very well received debut single this summer, Talons launch a series of three mini split releases, teaming up with a trio of their favourite new bands, kicking off with Belfast's And So I Watch You From Afar.

To those who are yet to discover the 6 piece, Hereford based band, Talons have already started making some pretty big waves in the UK instrumental rock scene. Featuring two violins and crushing guitar riffs, their unashamed exploration of uplifting, joyous highs followed closely by dramatic, Apocalyptic lows shows a brave sense of willingness, not usually found in a band so shy of years. 'Bethlehem', a live favourite on their recent, debut UK tour, captures their energy and enthusiasm perfectly, leaving the listener excited and hungry for more.

And So I Watch You From Afar are coming towards the end of their busiest year yet. Having played over 170 shows across the UK and Europe, including support slots with the likes of This Will Destroy You and Oceansize, as well as releasing their debut, self-titled album (via Smalltown America Records), they take a moments breather just in time for Christmas before hitting the studio to begin work on their second album. Where Talons tick the dramatic box in the instrumental survey, ASIWYFA opt for the dancing. With schizophrenic guitar lines, erratic beats and a live show which will have your hips shaking and ears bleeding in next to no time, it's easy to see why this band have won so many plaudits in 2009. 'D Is For Django The Bastard' is a previously unreleased and future fan favourite track.

The split single will be released on limited edition (of 100) 3" CDs via Big Scary Monsters Records on November 23rd. Look out for announcements regarding the next two singles in the series over the coming weeks. Talons and And So I Watch You From Afar will tour the UK together in Spring 2010.

Check back next week for artwork!

Public Service Blogcast Episode 24

Michael Roe of Irish organisation The Richter Collective was very kind to mike-up for a fantastic blogcast takeover showcasing some of the fine artists on their roster.

The Richter Collective has its roots steeped in Irish DIY music and they don’t intend to change. It was set up by friends, Michael Roe and Barry Lennon. Barry has been releasing music and running gigs in Ireland for over seven years, starting with the release of a 7” for Irish punk band, Stress, funded by a part time job in a shop, and was a member of the Porco Dio Collective from April 2006 until October 2007 who hosted a range of touring and Irish bands including An Albatross, The Can Kickers, Pine Hill Haints and more. During this period Barry met Michael (who was playing with Terrordactyl at the time). Barry is currently is working with Dublin Community Television and is the booking agent for The Lower Deck in Portobello.

Michael has been playing in various Irish bands for over nine years and set up Popular Records, a non profit label which released bands from Ireland, the UK and Mainland Europe, spreading its profile on a word-of-mouth basis and organizing tours for bands on a non profit basis (including Marvins Revolt, Papier Tigre and Blakfish who can all be heard on this episode).

Public Service Blogcast Episode 24
42 minutes 13 seconds
Recorded 15/02/09
Tracklisting
02.07 Marvins Revolt - Deliberate Deeds (from Killec album - The Richter Collective)
05.50 Worrier - You've Let Down Your Hair
11.30 Blakfish - Jeremy Kyle Is A Marked Man (from See You In Another City mini-album - The Richter Collective)
15.43 Ebu Gogo - Neo Uranium Mattress (from Worlds album - Intergers Only)
19.22 Gavin Castleton - Coffeelocks (from Home album - Five One Inc. Records)
24.51 Enemies - Nag Champa (from Alpha Waves EP - The Richter Collective)
32.16 Papier Tigre - Restless Empire (from The Beginning And End Of Now album - Collectif Effervescence)
38.57 Channels - The Licensee (from Waiting For The Next End Of The World album - Dischord)

If you have any suggesstions for future blogcast takeovers or want to get a track played on a regular show, get in touch - email blogcast@smalltownamerica.co.uk

Brought to you by the word 'Collectivism' and the number '150'

So I've finally recovered from the two days that made up Unconvention Belfast. It was a very productive and enjoyable couple of days, and something that I would recommend you attending if you ever get the chance, or indeed setting up for yourself in your own town/city/region to promote collectivism and to showcase your scene. I know that the lovely people behind the Belfast UnCon would be happy to help you get started. 

On the Friday, I was part of a panel discussion along with Kev Douche from Big Scary Monsters, Mick Roe from The Richter Collective, Matt Minford from We Collect Records and Michael Fuller from AIM. The topic up for discussion was 'Record Label: Revival or Relic?' The ideas and banter were flowing and everyone had interesting, valid and constructive points to make. It would be terribly naive to suggest life is peachy and that we can all rest on our laurels, which made the panel a good place to share our collective vision of how we see ourselves operating and adapting in the future.

It was a positive and exciting discussion. 360 models were discussed. Greater levels of cooperation and proactivity from artists was presented as an essential component for the modern independent record label succeeding. New and innovative schemes such as co-operative online stores, in-house press, marketing and artist development were suggested and discussed with enthusiasm.  

Some pundits interpreted the whole thing as a band of desperadoes trying to convince not only themselves but the audience that they were still relevant, which I thought to be an unfair opinion when you consider the fact that everyone was realistic about physical sales v illegal downloads, while offering up new and innovative ways of helping your artists develop while continuing the growth of your own brand. 

Friday's participation was rounded off by a speed networking session between various companies and individuals that work on the infrastructural side of the scene. It was great to make the contacts, however five minutes for both parties to put their ideas across just isn't long enough - further contact to be via email this week.

Friday evening was a bit crazy. It all started off relatively civilised with tapas and relaxed networking, but began to spiral out of control quite quickly after the food was consumed. Kev is a maverick who loves whiskey, although I'm a maverick who loves beer and neither of us took much encouragement to buy the other their weapon of choice - we're quite the combination. The Black Box, Duke of York and finally the Premier Inn hotel bar all got hit pretty hard on Friday night/Saturday morning. 

The speed networking session on Saturday morning was interesting to say the least. Not only due to the epic hangover from which I was suffering, but also due to the sheer amount of talent that Northern Ireland is currently producing. I look forward to going through the demos this week. If I spoke with you, I hope what I had to say was of some use to you.

I was also involved in the last panel of the day on Saturday, discussing the subject of 'What's working?' within the scene. I was pretty blunt in my assessment of the task facing artists if they want to be as successful as they possibly can within our little indie world. At least 150 shows over the span of a year to push your record is essential. Pro-activity and clear lines of communication are a must. I raised the point that we signed  And So I Watch You From Afar not only on the strength of their material, but because of their unwavering work ethic and their proactive approach to how they are perceived and marketed. This caused a bit of a debate, but in my experience I'm yet to see anything contrary to this method working. I now fully expect to be proven wrong before the end of the year and for the number 150 to follow me around like my own personal rain cloud.

Next up is Unconvention Manchester - if it's anything like the Belfast leg, it will be essential attendance for any artist or music industry professional.