125 Records

Sometimes, all I can do is smash a plastic guitar

125records — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:47:00 +0000

I love, love, love Anton Barbeau's new track, "Plastic Guitar," which is currently in rotation on his MySpace page. It looks like it's going to be the title track on a new disc. I know even a lot of Anton's fans find him a tad too prolific, but the man sure knows how to write a damn good pop song.

In 125 news, the Jill Tracy CDs have been delivered... the official release date is May 20, but some copies may make their way out into the world before then. Stay tuned!!!

Statuesque artwork

125records — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:00:00 +0000

If you've downloaded the Statuesque discs, you can now download & print the cover art!

125 Recommends: Once in a while, we get an email from someone whose music we like a lot and we wish we had the commercial clout to make them a star. Sadly, we are not exactly overflowing with commercial clout. But I suggest you check out Glasgow's Mr. D, whose album is available at CDBaby and eMusic, especially if you're into Teenage Fanclub.

Loud Family/Game Theory MP3 blowout

125records — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:57:00 +0000

Way back when, the Loud Family web site used to feature an "MP3 of the Month." The MP3s included live tracks, rarities, cover versions, etc. A couple days ago, I receive an email from someone who had lost them in a hard-drive crash (back it up, people!), so I compressed all of the MP3s into 2 .zip files and uploaded them to rapidshare.com. (These are the same files that had previously been uploaded to yousendit -- these links are supposed to stay good for a while longer). I figured I'd post 'em here in case anyone else wants to grab 'em:

http://rapidshare.com/files/98781427/LF-GT-Archive1.zip.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/98785653/LF-GT-Archive2.zip.html

125 Records News - January 2008

125records — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 07:04:00 +0000

As sent out to the subscribers to our e-mail list.

It's been four months since we last sent out an email -- at least you can't accuse us of cluttering up your inboxes! As usual, we've waited until we have a few accumulated pieces of news...

1. 125 Records is excited to present our first digital-only releases -- TWO new albums by the UK's ever-delightful Statuesque! Stephen Manning's latest creations, THE GRAPE & THE GRAIN and CALLING NATURE'S BLUFF, are already available on eMusic; you can find them here. They should be for sale on iTunes and many other digital services soon; find a list here: http://iodalliance.com/partners.php

Why the digital-only release? Well, Statuesque's last album, CHOIR ABOVE FIRE BELOW, was one of those CDs that some people really, really loved -- Pop Culture Press raved, "Lovers of Britpop, from the Kinks to Charlatans to Television Personalities to eccentrics like Roy Harper and Robyn Hitchcock, will love this stuff." But not enough people bought it to make it profitable. With two brand-new collections of songs, I thought we'd try this experiment, and since Stephen financed the recording by himself and there were no costs to the label for manufacturing or art, nearly all the money you spend on this download (and yes, we do get a nice chunk of change from eMusic even though it's a subscription service) will go directly to the artist himself.

2. We have Shalini T-shirts featuring the logo from her latest album, THE SURFACE AND THE SHINE! These dark blue, cotton T's are uniquely packaged using compression so that they are in the shape of a star! Read all about it here: http://www.compresst.com/ We also have copies of the CD, which The Big Takeover called "enticing, tuneful power-pop with abundant melodies and hooks galore." And we have ONE copy left of Shalini's Econoghost disc.

3. After being sold out for quite a while as Anton Barbeau journeyed through the U.K., we have a fresh supply of Antdiscs that we haven't had for some time, including 17TH CENTURY FUZZBOX BLUES, DRUG FREE and (my personal fave) A SPLENDID TRAY.

4. This spring, Jill Tracy's new album THE BITTERSWEET CONSTRAIN will finally be released. Jill is something of a perfectionist and the CD was quite literally years in the making, but it's all done at last! Jill is our best-selling artist and the disc will be released in the popular CD format as well as on digital download for the iPod generation. Stay tuned for a presale announcement. Her music is also turning up in more & more places, including an upcoming Lifetime TV movie!

That's it for now! Come visit us at http://www.125records.com !

Gil Ray on "Lolita Nation"

125records — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 00:09:00 +0000

Game Theory's own Gil Ray has written a wonderful, impassioned blog entry about Lolita Nation. As one of the label folks who has tried to make a rerelease happen, I share his frustration. I imagine one of the reasons it's decreased in value lately is because anyone who really wants it can simply grab it from a file sharing site, but that's no substitute for a lovingly done remaster.

125 news coming soon, I promise (no Game Theory reissues, though, more's the pity...).

Shalini CD in stock!

125records — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 18:58:00 +0000

Just got our shipment of Shalini CDs yesterday. The disc will be in stores and for sale elsewhere on the web on Oct. 9, but you can buy your copy now in the 125 Shop! Produced by Mitch Easter, The Surface and the Shine offers 11 more of Shalini's finely crafted pop/rock gems. It's the second release on Mitch & Shalini's own Electric Devil label, which is distributed by 125. You can stream the album at http://www.1uppr.com/streams/shalini.html

Shalini completists should note that we have exactly 9 copies left of her Econoghost album -- pick it up before it becomes a collector's item!

Except for the one DVD we put out, 125 hasn't exactly been very prolific when it comes to releasing videos. Happily, thanks to Robert Toren, Gil Ray now has a super-cool video for his song "Queen of Blood"! Watch it on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKJpjd3Gq5I

And now for some more important news. 125's entire inventory is currently housed in a self-storage unit in scenic Richmond, CA. Well, we're going to be moving it -- all of it -- to a new location next month. And there's a lot to move. We'd like there to be a bit less. Therefore, we're offering a huge sale on several of our titles. Basically, if we have a bunch of 'em i stock, we've priced 'em to move; anything that's not sale priced is either something we're distributing but didn't release ourselves (i.e. the Mitch Easter and Shalini CDs) or an album that's only available in very limited quantities. (We only have about 50 Don Dixon CDs left, for example.) The sale is on 'til Oct. 1, so please visit http://www.125records.com/shop.html and pick up a bargain today!

Finally, if you're in the Berkeley area, don't miss an ultra-rare appearance by Statuesque and lots of special guests at the Starry Plough this Saturday night. Not only can you see Stephen Manning, who is coming all the way from London, England, but it's absolutely free, in celebration of Bradley "Belle Da Gama/Bye Bye Blackbirds" Skaught's wedding. It should be a great event!

More XL T-shirts in stock

125records — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 18:48:00 +0000

I was able to get another box of XL Dynamico T-shirts, so if you need a larger size, go ahead and place your order!

New stuff!

125records — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 20:38:00 +0000

The mailman has just brought a couple big boxes o'nifty items that we are now able to offer to YOU in the 125 Shop:

1. Anton Barbeau's new CD, The Automatic Door, a U.K. import from Shifty Disco. This is really a marvelous album -- Su Jordan's lovely vocals enhance each track, Soft Boy Kimberley Rew plays guitar on several tracks, and Cake's Gabe Nelson is on the bass. "You Can Move a Mountain" (hear it on Anton's MySpace page) is already one of my all-time fave Anton songs. There's also a different take on "I've Been Craving Lately" (first heard on the Loud Family/Anton disc What If It Works?).

2. Mitch Easter Dynamico tour T-shirts! Nice soft T's in red and black; Mitch ordered these to sell on his spring tour, and I got some of the leftovers. These are going to go quickly and quantities are limited, so if you have your heart set on a certain color/size, don't wait to place your order!

125 is pleased to announce that we will be distributing the second Electric Devil release (Dynamico was the first), Shalini's The Surface and the Shine, later this fall.

Download us!

125records — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 19:08:00 +0000

A few of 125 Records' releases, including Mitch Easter's Dynamico, Gil Ray's I Am Atomic Man! and the Loud Family's What If It Works, are now available on eMusic and iTunes. We're hoping to release all of our new CDs simultaneously on digital and hard copy from now on, and perhaps even do some digital-only releases. Stay tuned!

Enter the Nest of Vipers

125records — Thu, 17 May 2007 00:06:00 +0000

125 Records loves Danny Plotnick's twice-monthly podcast, Nest of Vipers. Danny is well known to Loud Family fans as the guy who directed the "Live 2000" DVD, and as the husband of LF keyboard player Alison Faith Levy. Nest of Vipers is basically just an hour of Danny and some of his hilarious, talented friends sitting around and telling stories -- it's like hanging out with a bunch of super-cool and funny people. Alison appears in the podcast entitled "Artists' Formative Moments," and 125 artiste Gil Ray is one of the guests in the current 'cast, "Tour Stories." Hear astonishing true tales of Gil's disco debauchery! Listen to wild accusations of Liquid Paper® huffing! NoV can also be downloaded from iTunes; you can listen to it on your iPod or just play it on your computer.

Most people have heard that postage rates went up on Monday, but if you only use the mails to send the occasional letter and pay bills, you may be amazed to learn how much they went up. The rate for a one-ounce letter only went from 39 to 41 cents, but a CD in a Digipak that cost 87 cents to mail last week now costs $1.47!!! That's quite a leap. It looks like 125 will have to raise our postage rates -- pretty much all the other mail order retailers whose web sites I checked have already done so. CDBaby, whose prices and policies I've always considered extremely fair, now charges $2.25 to ship a single CD, $4 for 2 CDs, $5 for 3, and so on. Amazon.com charges a $1.99 flat rate for each order plus $1 for each CD in the shipment. I haven't even looked into international rates, but I expect they've jumped as well. No more bargains from the USPS!

Everybody loves Mitch!

125records — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 00:02:00 +0000

Mitch Easter's publicist sent over a bunch of reviews, and I've excerpted some of them here. A sampling:

"Dynamico is solid proof that Easter is still relevant and needed in today’s indie-rock scene."
-Amplifier

"Complex and many-layered, it's never less than enthralling and pretty close to unique."
-USA Today "Listen Up"

"Easter has a command of the diverse languages of pop music that few can claim."
-Los Angeles Times

"The Phil Spector of Southern pop."
-Hartford Advocate
(Uh... sure, the man's a genius, but considering Spector's current troubles, I'm not sure I'd like to be compared to him!)

"Dynamico is...FANTASTIC. This CD is Mitch Easter's most consistent and thoroughly engaging album EVER."
-LMNOP / Baby Sue Music

"Dynamico is Easter's guitar-hero album -- playing dead-on guitar that's just right for every song."
-Raleigh News and Observer

Coming soon: Mitch Easter t-shirts!

Le rock francais

125records — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 02:45:00 +0000

Scott Miller sent me a demo of a band he produced called Swan Plastic Swan. I think they are quite promising, and you can definitely hear a bit of that Game Theory vibe in a couple of their tunes, but to me, their biggest hurdle is the fact that they're from the land of brie and berets. Nothing against the French -- I'd love to visit the country someday -- but when you say the words "French rock band" to the average music fan, what comes to mind? Most people probably assume it's merde even if they've never heard any French rock. That would make breaking a French group in this country extremely difficult. If you have a foreign country that's exported a few successful bands -- look at my own homeland of Sweden, with the Hives, the Sound, Soundtrack Of Our Lives, Komeda, Jose Gonzalez, etc. -- people are more willing to give other musicians from that country a shot. There's a bit of a bandwagon effect. But as far as I know, not a single French rock group has broken through here, even on an underground level.

Here's the Wikipedia entry for "French rock." I've only heard of a handful of the bands listed. I really liked Rita Mitsouko back in the 80s, and there were a couple big Etron Fou Leloublan fans at my old college radio station. Anyway, do check out Swan Plastic Swan on MySpace and let me know if you think a French rock revolution is in the offing.

In case we need a new logo...

125records — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 19:55:00 +0000

Joe found this painted on a curb at 11th & Broadway in Oakland:

Thanks to everyone who has ordered Mitch Easter's Dynamico. It's been huge -- I've been toting big bags full of packages to the post office almost every day since it went on sale! People are loving it so far. The publicity machine is grinding into gear, so I'm hoping there will be lots of reviews & interviews soon.

Mitch Easter CD now on sale! / Chris Brown

125records — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 01:04:00 +0000

As I've mentioned, I couldn't be happier to be distributing Mitch Easter's first album in 18 years. I ran out and bought the Afoot EP after seeing Let's Active's "Every Word Means No" video on MTV back in the day, and eagerly purchased each new LA release. Who could have foreseen that Every Dog Has His Day would usher in such a long period of silence from Mitch? Of course, he's been very busy producing other people's records, and has had a few stray tracks on tribute albums, but anyone who listens to his new CD Dynamico will realize that this man needs to be writing and performing his own tunes!

After a buncha delays (after six years of running this business, believe me, I'm used to delays), Dynamico has finally left the factory and copies will be in stock here at 125 HQ any day now. Order yours today and you should have your disc by the end of next week! You've waited 18 years... what's another few days?

125 is also really excited to bring you a new CD by an exceptionally talented young artist named Chris Brown. Unfortunately, he shares that name with a big R&B star, leading to some confusion with search engines and stuff. This Chris Brown has produced a dazzling and gorgeous CD called Now That You're Fed that has won raves from folks like International Pop Overthrow's David Bash ("A brilliant disc from start to finish, combining the delicate, poignant sensibilities of Elliott Smith with the lyrical cadence of Brendan Benson. Excellent stuff!") and San Francisco's own KFOG ("...the dude can write one heck of a Pop song... The vocals, which are layered and rich, remind me of the Beach Boys with a dash of XTC -- seriously solid singing"). This is the kind of CD you just want to play for people and go, "Listen to this -- you'll love it!" There's a track up on the Sounds page so you can experience a little of Chris's magic.

Gil Ray CD nominated for award

125records — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 04:16:00 +0000

Gil Ray's I Am Atomic Man! has been nominated for a Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best CD (category #16)! If you're a horror/science fiction/comic book fan, be sure to vote.

Edited because I misspelled Rondo Hatton (thanks to Andrew Hamlin for catching it)

Loud Family reviewed in London

125records — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 18:21:00 +0000

The London Sunday Times reviewed What If It Works? yesterday:

California's jet-propelled power-pop genius Scott Miller gave stardom a decent shot, fronting Game Theory and the Loud Family for two decades. He has been silent since the turn of the century, despite high-profile patronage from critically acclaimed talents such as Aimee Mann and the Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt, the latter clearly in his debt. But here's a new Loud Family line-up, to tease us with buried bubble-gum hooks that straddle the banal/brilliant barrier, and chirpy-chipmunk choirboy vocals that conceal spiky lyrical barbs. So distinct is Miller's aesthetic that even a cover of the Stones' hoary "Rocks Off" buzzes like a Loud Family original.

The "chirpy-chipmunk" comment is a little dodgy, as the Brits say, but overall, we're always happy to be recognized across the pond.

WIIW? on year-end critics' poll list

125records — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 22:14:00 +0000

The Loud Family & Anton Barbeau's What If It Works? came in at #196 on the Jackin' Pop Critics' Poll, which is trying to present an alternative to the venerable Village Voice Pazz & Jop Poll. Lest you think #196 sounds on the low side, be aware that there are a total of 1,300 albums on the list... and that the LF came in higher than Tom Petty, The Mars Volta, Robert Pollard and other pretty famous folks.

The band may find its profile even higher in a week or so, since WIIW? is scheduled to be reviewed by an extremely prestigious publication. Keep your fingers crossed that it actually runs, and that it's positive...!

Mitch Easter update

125records — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

It has been a few weeks, but rest assured that your 125 Records team is still working behind the scenes. We've gotten a great response to Gil Ray's I Am Atomic Man! And there is finally some solid info about the Mitch Easter CD, Dynamico. Its street date has been pushed back to mid-March, but you will be able to get your pre-order in right here around Jan. 25 -- and we anticipate mailing out the CDs in early February. We'll also be making available an absolutely amazing power pop album at that time, one we didn't release but love so much that we wanted to share it. Stay tuned...

Dynamico!

125records — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 22:40:00 +0000

Thanks to everyone who pre-ordered Gil Ray's CD. We have 'em in-house now and ready to ship immediately!

I've been getting lots of e-mail from people who have heard through the grapevine that 125 will be distributing Mitch Easter's new solo CD, Dynamico. Yes, it's true! It's his first album in 18 years so of course, everybody wants to know, when? I think we'll have it for sale by the end of December. It should be going to the manufacturer in the next week or two. I'll start taking pre-orders when we have a firm ship date. The CD will be available nationally in mid-February, at your favorite online and brick 'n mortar record stores. It will be released on Mitch's own Electric Devil label, so it's not an official 125 disc, but we couldn't be prouder to be working with Mitch and helping to get this long-awaited CD into people's hands!

Gil Ray CD available for pre-order

125records — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 23:40:00 +0000

Gil Ray's I Am Atomic Man is all finished and the manufacturer has notified me that the CDs are shipping out today, so I'm going to go ahead and make it available for pre-orders. This is a limited edition of 500, and each CD will be lovingly signed & numbered. The CDs will be mailed out according to when the orders come in, which means that (a) you should act now to get one with a low number, and (b) you'll know exactly how many CDs we sold before you bought your copy. By the way, these are real CDs, not CD-R's. Ship date is around Nov. 20. Makes a great Christmas gift for all your space-age pals!

The Loud Family and Anton Barbeau will be doing a pre-New Year's show at the Starry Plough in Berkeley on Dec. 30. Beat the crowds and those high New Year's Eve prices by celebrating a day early!

Gil Ray CD

125records — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 02:47:00 +0000

I sent the master of Gil Ray's I Am Atomic Man! to the manufacturer today, and am anticipating a mid-November release. As previously mentioned, this is going to be a signed, limited edition, and as such will be available exclusively from 125Records.com. If you know & love Gil from the work he's done with the Loud Family and Game Theory, you'll definitely want this disc!

We are back...

125records — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 22:06:00 +0000

The 125 store is open for business again. At this point we only have ONE copy of Paula Carino's Aquacade left!

Exciting news about Gil Ray's I Am Atomic Man. The CD has been mastered and the (very cool) artwork is completed, so we should have 'em for sale in just a few weeks. This is going to be a signed, numbered limited edition of 500 copies! Don't miss out!

New Anton Barbeau CDs available, and other news

125records — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 18:51:00 +0000

In case you're not on our mailing list, here's the latest scoop:

We finally have copies of both new Anton Barbeau CDs, In the Village of the Apple Sun and Drug Free. Apple Sun is Anton's long-awaited "psychedelic odyssey," and will be released on Tuesday the 19th on San Francisco's Four-Way Records. Because we're respecting our fellow small indie label's release date, we can't ship the CDs out right away, but if you order now, your package will be lovingly prepared and ready to be dropped into the mailbox a week from today (Monday the 18th), allowing you to be one of the first to enjoy the disc. Drug Free comes to you straight from the U.K.'s Pink Hedgehog label, and includes the anthemic title track that's become a favorite at Anton's live shows, as well as lots of other melodic delights. Order 'em both and save! Just go to the shop page and scroll down to the Anton Barbeau section about 2/3 of the way down the page.

Everyone who loves Loud Family drummer Gil Ray (and who doesn't?) is going to thrill to his new solo album, I Am Atomic Man. It will be released sometime in late November or early December, just in time for holiday giving, in a signed & numbered limited edition.

We're down to six copies of Paula Carino's Aquacade. It won't be re-pressed, and this time, we mean it, so if you've been intending to pick it up, or want a spare, now is the time! We're also running low on Econoghost's Anneu'ed!

We would never have guessed that a song from one of our releases would make it onto an instructional bellydance video, but Jill Tracy's "Evil Night Together" appears on the newly released DVD "Bellydance for the Beautiful Freaks." If you've always wanted to try bellydancing but thought the music just wasn't spooky enough, take a look at http://tinyurl.com/gtc77

The 125 Shop will be hanging up a virtual "gone fishin'" sign from Sept. 22-Oct. 25, so please place your orders soon!

Scram freebie

125records — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 01:11:00 +0000

Kim Cooper, author of the 33 1/3 book on Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, has been a big fan and supporter of the Loud Family for many years. If you buy a retroactive subscription to her cool 'zine Scram (that means you get the last four issues), you will receive a free copy of the Loud Family's What If It Works? autographed by both Scott and Anton! Since these two guys are rarely in the same place at the same time (Anton is currently in England), the discs are special indeed.

In other news, you can listen to the LF's "Songs About 'Rocks Off" at the ASAP blog.

125 and JonBenet

125records — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 19:28:00 +0000

Because I'm a lifelong mystery fan, I'll admit to being a sucker for unsolved crimes and cold cases. So this morning, I couldn't help but notice the big headline in the Contra Costa Times about a former Bay Area schoolteacher's arrest in the killing of JonBenet Ramsey. But then I noticed something even more interesting. In box at the top of the front page promoting the paper's Weekend section was this: "Albany's 125 Records label marks a milestone." OK, wow, it's not often that you happen to be reading the newspaper and find that you're in it. Unless you're Paris Hilton, I guess.

Anyway, here's a link to the article, by Times pop music critic Tony Hicks, a guy who is also a frequent contributor to the paper's very funny and snarky "People" column. Thanks for the ink, Tony!

Don't forget, the Loud Family's Scott Miller will be performing at International Pop Overthrow at Thee Parkside on Saturday night!