Thursday, August 20, 2015

LABEL AND WEBSTORE UPDATE: New Releases from FRAU, L.O.T.I.O.N., IVY, FATIGUE, and More!

Another month, another update! As usual, mid-summer has been pretty slow on the new release end of the webstore, but things seem to be picking up nicely as we approach fall.  Still, quite a few gems have collected in the store over the past month so check out the list below.

Before I get to the webstore update, some quick Grave Mistake label news for you . . . the Iron Boots Complete Discography LP is finished; Triple B Records and I will hopefully have order info up by the end of the month. Thanks to all of you who have been eagerly waiting for this release - we are VERY excited with how it came out in both look and sound.

As far as other reissues I've been promising for years (literally) on Grave Mistake - I know you probably have lost all faith in me but I assure you the 86 Mentality, Striking Distance, and The Suspects reissues are ALL still happening. I've made promises for a while now, so I apologize to all of you who hate me over these delays. The release day will come for all of these titles and it will be glorious indeed!

On the new release tip, it's looking like 2016 is going to be the year for new GM releases.  The Earth Girls LP is currently at the plant, but sadly caught in the bottleneck of vinyl backlog so we are waiting patiently for updates. Barge just finished tracking their new LP - luckily the dudes released a little sampler tape to tide us over until that release, and we have a few copies in the webstore (it's also up on Bandcamp for free).  Finally, we just received the masters for the Tenement Bruised Music Volume Two collection and they sound SICK!  This collection will feature tracks from the Taking Everything 7", split w/ Culo, split w/ Cheeky, split w/ Screaming Females, Sick Club 7", Puke and Destroy Vol. 2 Comp, and a couple other odds and ends. Release dates for these three releases are all TBA, but if all goes as planned (and it NEVER does) … expect em all out by Spring 2016.

In some quick GM related news, Night Birds, Red Dons, and Coke Bust have some rad releases in the works on other great labels. Night Birds will be dropping their brand new full length, Mutiny at Muscle Beach, this October on Fat Wreck Chords; Red Dons will also be releasing a new full length, The Dead Hand of Tradition, this fall on Taken By Surprise / Deranged; and Coke Bust will be releasing their Early Years compilation LP this fall on Carry the Weight Records in the UK.  The 12" will include tracks from their debut Lines in the Sand LP, Fuck Bar Culture EP, and an assortment of demo and compilation tracks. Coke Bust will also be touring Japan in September, so check here for more info on that.
 
Finally, time to start making travel plans for a trip up to Toronto for Not Dead Yet 2015 this fall! A solid lineup as always, plus Night Birds, Red Death, Cretins, and SICKOIDS(!!!) are on the bill so I'll definitely be up there without question.
 
That's all for now with Grave Mistake news, hopefully you are still reading so here's what's new in the webstore ...

New Distro Titles from FRAU, DISCHARGE, FATIGUE, L.O.T.I.O.N., CROWN COURT, IVY, and MORE
Plus New RED DEATH Shirts and BARGE Tour Tape

 
 
This amount of distro additions this month isn't too overwhelming, so I'll refrain from a recap on this update.  The full list of new titles is below, not to mention some cool restocks as well.

In addition to the new distro titles, I've added some left over tour copies of the latest Barge tape. The tape features two new songs that will be on their upcoming 12", as well as a Madball cover.

Also stocked up on a new Red Death T-shirt design - it features the artwork from their Permanent Exile LP on a double sided shirt! Grab one!

Thanks for reading!
 
Alex / Grave Mistake Records
 
New Webstore Titles for 8.21.15:

FRAU "Mira" 7"
(Self Released)
London punk band Frau return with their second, self-released 7" EP. Four tracks of their now trademark combination of quirky, tense and fucking angry (but not tough) punk. While comparisons have been thrown around in the past to everyone from Kleenex to Wire to Good Throb to Crass, this record proves that Frau have truly become their own band and that's not changing anytime soon. Featuring members of Good Throb, Woolf and Cianuro.

BARGE "Promo Tape 2015" Tape
(Grave Mistake Records)
While remaining silent on the release front for almost two years, we are finally getting a taste of some long overdue new material from Richmond's BARGE.  Early 2016 will finally see the follow up to BARGE's highly acclaimed 2013 debut EP, and this promo tape features two new blistering tracks which will later appear on their upcoming LP on Grave Mistake. Oh, and there's a MADBALL cover on here too.

FATIGUE "S/T" 7" (Warthog Speak Records)
Following one of the best demos in some time, the debut 7" EP from California's FATIGUE is a rough-around-the-edges, slow motion, boot to the sternum via four bruised-and-scarred hymns of life and struggle in the big city, that owes as as much to northern US hardcore of the nineteen-eighties, UK oi! at it's grimiest, and regular old punk rock at it's least tender. A sound that makes perfect sense when considering that FATIGUE is made up of current and former members of SYDNEY DUCKS, SCALPED, BRICK ASSASSIN, and YOUNG OFFENDERS.

BUSTED OUTLOOK "Splitting Wind" 7"
(Warthog Speak Records)
Current darlings of the Bay Area Hardcore scene, and sporting chaps that already show up on the Warthog Speak roster in such class acts as PERMANENT RUIN, STRESSORS, and SCALPED, BUSTED OUTLOOK is made up of dudes that have more than likely booked a show for your band if you've played in the the Bay at any point over the last five years. Locked in the grooves of this record is some of the tightest, spirit-lifting, metallic hardcore this side of of '88. Riffs galore. Divebombs, breakdowns, dope solos, and good vibes to help you ride through summer 2015. Did I mention...RIFFS.

SOCIETY ABUSE "S/T" 7" (Mind Rot Records)
Debut 7" from Florida's own Society Abuse. Putting out a well-received demo in early 2014 these guys have quickly rose to be one of the leading bands out of the recent hot bed that is Florida Hardcore. Drawing influences from old and new bands such as Negative FX and Knife Fight, Society Abuse has several tours coming up throughout the year and is definitely a band you should be keeping an eye on.

L.O.T.I.O.N. "Digital Control And Man's Obsolescence" LP (Toxic State Records)
'Digital Control and Man's Obsolescence' is the debut album from New York's L.O.T.I.O.N. Following two demo cassettes that in no way represented the intensity of their live show, L.O.T.I.O.N have finally recorded as a full band. If you've never seen the band, they described themselves as NITZER EBB meets G.I.S.M.  but on this LP the sound influences go beyond adding METAL URBAIN, early SPK and THE PRODIGY as influences. Lotion's aesthetic and lyrics are beyond mundane bringing to the forefront the insane world we live in and dealing militantly with the absolute paranoia control of our pre programmed existence.

DAWN OF HUMANS "Slurping at the Cosmos Spine" LP (Toxic State Records)
Dawn of Humans have always been a real trip, but their excellent 7"s pale in comparison to this record, which sees the band transform into the Magma of hardcore punk. Essential.

IVY "A Cat's Cause, No Dog's Problem" 7" (Katorga Works Records)
NYC's Ivy returns with their new 7", A Cat's Cause, No Dogs Problem. This new EP takes everything that was great about their debut 12" and condenses it into a four-track platter consisting of their strongest material to-date. Claustrophobic and judgmental hardcore punk that resembles little else these days. "I'll say it one time loud, forever Ivy proud."

CROWN COURT "Ruck and Roll" 7" (Longshot Music)
After hearing the “Trouble From London” cassette we simply knew we had to release something by one of UK’s latest Oi! sensations, CROWN COURT! Easy said, easy done and the band’s first ‘real’ 7” “RUCK AND ROLL” was released earlier this year in a limited quantatity of 300, hand-numbered, copies.  Of course all copies flew of the shelves in no-time so CROWN COURT’s debut EP was bound to get a repress and here it is! 500 copies on various limited colors of vinyl and right before the band’s brand new hit-single “The English Disease” will spread across the world! If you missed out the first time, this is definitely the final change you will get. Are you ready to “RUCK AND ROLL”?!

LAST CRUSADE "S/T (Demo)" 7" (Longshot Music)
Last Crusade is Rebellion Records' next British Oi! sensation that we recently signed! In 2014 the band released the four songs below as a digital demo, but in all honesty, these songs are FAR too good to 'just' be distributed digitally, so early 2015 they get the vinyl release they deserve!  Because Last Crusade's 2014 demo is probably one of the best Oi! demo's that got released last year. A clean, rockin' Oi! sound influenced by the likes of The Templars, Camera Silens, Snix and Warrior Kids that is bound to hit it big in 2015! An absolute killer release that features three own tracks and the cover "Personne" originally done by the Warrior Kids! Impressive as hell and hopefully many more 'crusades' will follow by this new UK Oi! band!

DISCHARGE "Toronto '83: In the Cold Night" LP (Ugly Pop Records)
Discharge are one of the greatest punk bands of all time, and this 1983 set captures them in ferocious form. Rescued from an old tape, the sound is violent, dirty and powerful, a raw document of a raw band blazing through 14 tracks of relentlessly furious hardcore. First 150 copies on opaque red vinyl for mail order only. Fully legit and authorised, not a bootleg.

WILD SIDE "S/T" 7" (Toxic Mosh Records)
Wild Side has been one of the most energetic live bands kicking around the Toronto Hardcore scene since they dropped their demo last year. TOXIC MOSH RECORDS have been waiting patiently to hear some new material from these guys but could not wait anymore so went ahead and remastered the demo tape, got SPOILER to whip up a new cover and pressed it up on vinyl.  Five tracks of some Warzone influenced hcpunk.

TRUE VISION Demo Tape (Mind Rot Records)
New band out of Leeds, England drawing a heavy influence from Side By Side, Warzone and other early Rev bands. Featuring members of Violent Reaction, The Flex, Shrapnel and Obstruct this band proves that the Brit boys won't be slowing down anytime soon. Quality Control are handling the UK versions of this release so if it's cheaper for you order from them!

NOTS "We Are Nots" LP (Goner Records)
A longtime collaboration between Natalie Hoffmann (guitar) and Charlotte Watson (drums), Nots has evolved into its wildest incarnation yet. Now featuring Madison Farmer on bass and Alexandra Eastburn on synthesizer, the Memphis band follows up their first two singles on Goner Records with their guitar-driven, synth-laden debut LP.

LA LUZ "Weirdo Shrine" LP (Hardly Art Records)
In early 2015, La Luz adjourned to a surf shop in San Dimas, California where, with the help of producer-engineer Ty Segall, they realized the vision of capturing the band’s restless  live energy and commiting it to tape. Weirdo Shrine finds them at their most saturated and cinematic -- the sound of La Luz is (appropriately) vibrant, and alive with a kaleidoscopic passion.

DYING SHAMES, THE "S/T" LP (Dead Beat Records)
Wow total time warp here. London's THE DYING SHAMES drift beautifully back to the swingin Sixties and belt out a full on wild'n'fun garage-jangle burner beaming with energy and undeniably catchy hooks.  The Flamin' Groovies, Small Faces and Missing Links elements of their debut single are still percolating here.  But they go a little farther than that throwing in a healthy dose of the more upbeat twangy elements of mid 60's Stones creating timelessly majestic and broodingly infectious Rock N Roll nuggets that recall the genres golden era.  The album is packed with ten plucky, mid-tempo bruisers screaming with filthy, fuzzy guitar work and brimming with ramshackle Rock N Roll vigor.  Phenomenal production tops it all off giving the album a nice warm and cozy atmosphere injecting a vintage shimmering haze into these amped up, red hot swingers.  A+ effort all around from ex-members of The Ricky C Quartet and Gaggers!

HAVENOTS, THE "Rock'n'Roll Weekend" LP (Dead Beat Records)
Japan was a fertile Rock N Roll breeding ground during the mid 90's Garage Rock boom that spawned some of the best Punk Rock bands on the planet. Bands like Teengenerate, Registrators, Guitar Wolf and Yokohma's own THE HAVENOTS, not only stood out as Japan's imperial leaders in grimy, fuzz-fucked Rock N Roll; but were also seen as bands that just seemed to get it right. THE HAVENOT S/T LP released on Mike Lucas' Repent Records still stands as one of Garage Punk's crown jewels from that time period and and their newest offering 'Rock N Roll Weekend' shows they just get better with age. With jangly riffs, swirling guitars, and a firey arsenal of pop injected Punk Rock hits, THE HAVENOTS cram so much raw,unbridled energy into these 12 fantastic cuts. 'Rock N Roll Weekend' is a bouncy, upbeat guitar-heavy album that echoes surges of The The Boys, Hollywood Brats, Buzzcocks and The Nerves with punchy Power Pop hooks and bawdy Rock N Roll charm. The production on this LP is monstrous and light years ahead of any of their previous recordings which really helps bring these timeless songs to life. Top notch song writing at work here from ex members of The Raydios and Coastersride.

EXECUTORS "All Against All" LP (Dead Beat Records)
Bubbling up from the toxic smokestacks of New Jersey comes the east coasts newest shit-makers EXECÜTORS.  EXECÜTORS sound like a scummy hammer and sickle thug-punk band coming straight outta the UK in the early 80's. Think punchy hard-edged, pub rock Punk in the vein of Cock Sparrer, Blitz, Anti Nowhere League and GBH, but they go a little further than that.  For one they speed things up a little more than their predecessors making the songs come off a little more brut and in your face.  They also throw in some burly, riffy as fuck guitar solos that really bring these rough n tough, boot-stompin anthems to life.  At times you can hear echoes of The mighty Templars amped up and boozed out with signature solos blazing.  And everything is held together by a snide, snotty as fuck screamer with tempers flaring and a spite-filled axe to grind.  Fourteen rough neck, brick wall smashers in all and nary a dud in the bunch. Impressive debut.

TEENGENERATE "Smash Hits" LP (Estrus Records)
BACK IN PRINT!!! Fifteen doses of revved-up and raw punk fury culled from FINK and company’s unrelenting kamikaze barrage of 7-inch buzz bombs…only the best of the best from Japan’s undisputed garage/punk overlords, TEENGENERATE! This LP is a fast and furious firebomb of feedback & thunder, tailor made for your next dragstrip showdown or house wrecking party. So, give those worn out singles a rest...back over yer radio, redline your tach.

DOA "Positively DOA (33rd Anniv)" 7"
(Sudden Death Records)
Originally released on Alternative Tentacles in 1981 in time for DOA’s first road trip to the United Kingdom, the five-track Positively DOA was named “Single of the Week” in the British press in October of that year. With five classic anthems packed into its grooves, the EP helped pave the way for Canada’s legendary punks to shake up the world musically and culturally.  This is the first time this early DOA gem has been reissued since 1984

JAWBREAKER "Bivouac" LP (Blackball Records)
Blackball Records presents the 20th anniversary edition of Jawbreaker’s Bivouac. Originally released in 1992, this groundbreaking album has been remastered by John Golden from the original tapes, and the increased sampling rate boosts some of the bottom end and mid-range. The vinyl version is available for the first time in years; the CD and download versions include the songs from the Chesterfield King 12-inch as well as two bonus tracks from the original studio session. The reissue also features restored original artwork, and all formats include additional band photos from the time of recording. “Shield Your Eyes”, “Parabola”, “Chesterfield King” and “Bivouac” remained set list staples throughout Jawbreaker’s run. The album wound up on a lot of fanzine top ten lists and Rolling Stone listed it as one of the “Ten Most Influential Emo Albums of All Time.”

CRATE DIGGER Book by Bob Suren (Microcosm Publishing)
In this engaging memoir, a small town Florida teenager discovers punk rock through a loaned mix tape and before long, punk music and culture slowly takes over all aspects of his life. His new passion causes him to form a band, track down out-of-print records that he loves and begin to reissue them, open a record store, begin a record distribution operation as a public service, mentor a host of young musicians, and befriend all manner of punk luminaries along the way. Slowly, his life’s pursuit pushes him to the point of personal ruination and ultimately redemption.

MAXIMUMROCKNROLL #388 - Sept. 2015
(MRR)
MRR #388, the September Issue, features interviews with New Orleans mold breaking freak-punks MYSTIC INANE, vitriolic Texas snot-punk cult VIDEO, and Memphis’s Goner “groove masters” EX-CULT. We’ve also got conversations with PURE DISGUST (at the forefront of the NWODCHC), Terry Hammer (Toxic Reasons’ manager and a first wave San Francisco punker), Canada’s HIRED GOONS (oi! oi!) and Greece’s GUTTER. Plus, an in-depth tour diary from PERMANENT RUIN‘s recent European run and a back-n-forth with 1859 Records. Plus all the reviews and columns that you love!

RESTOCKS FOR 8.21.15:

AUSMUTEANTS "S/T" LP
BUREAUCRATS, THE "Feel the Pain" 7"
CARBONAS "S/T" LP
DEATH "For the Whole World to See" LP
FANG "Landshark" LP
HOT NASTIES "Invasion of the Tribbles" 7"
IN-SECT, THE "I CAN SEE MY LOVE" 7"
JAWBREAKER "24 Hour Revenge Therapy" LP
P.I.G.Z. "Bloody Belgium" EP
PF COMMANDO "Rough Sound" 7"
POINTED STICKS "What Do You Want Me To Do?" 7"
REAL KIDS "Shake … Outta Control" LP
ROCK'N'ROLL BITCHES "Wild West" 7"
SICK THOUGHTS "My Mess My Life" LP
SICK THOUGHTS "Terminal Teen Age" LP
TEENGENERATE "Get Action" LP
TEENGENERATE "Get More Action: The LOST Egg Studio Sessions" LP
VACANT STATE "Chains E.P." 7"