The Homosexuals' Love Guns 10" (copies #300 through #600) now available. 2nd EP en route.
Back in October we pressed 300 copies of Love Guns? which almost immediately sold out. This pressing presented maximum collectibility. Not only was each cover hand silk-screened, but head Homosexual Bruno Wizard wrote a freely improvised story across the back covers of each hand-numbered copy. So anyway, these records sold out right away we deemed it necessary to press a second 300.
So we've pressed a second 300. And Bruno continued his story, and took his time, lavishing some copies with drawings and loving touches.
Hopefully hardcore collectors won't be too deflated. There are only 600 of these things in the world.
You can get your copy right here (along with a matching Tshirt) or you can march down to you favorite local mom-n-pop record shop and demand they stock some.
You can read the story so far at www.thehomosexualsloveguns.com a website we set up where fans can share their own unique sections of the story. If you're an owner of a record and haven't shared your part of the story yet, go do it now.
---More Homosexuals US dates coming soon, including SXSW where they'll be playing the panache showcase on thursday 3/19 in austin.
---New Homosexuals EP coming soon.
---Carlos Charlie Perez directed a video for 3AM (Pink Pony) and that will be done soon.
New album from THE TWO MAN GENTLEMEN BAND, their 4th, is entitled Drip Dryin' with the Two Man Gentlemen Band and is available NOW from this website. Plus, the Gents ON TOUR!
Drip Dryin' is available only from seriousbusinessrecords.com and at 2MGB shows. Digital and more widespread physical releases will follow in March.
Here, have a free download of the title track. It is the dance sensation that is sweeping the nation. A gentlemen always offers a taste on the house, does he not? DOWNLOAD: "Drip Dryin' MP3
Seasoned by many hundreds of concert engagements, the Gents expertly maintain that elegant balance between the sophisticated and the salacious, doing so with formidable instrumental skill and unmatched good cheer. This time out Andy Bean's Tin Pan Alley songwriting chops incorporate theater and 50s rock, while his banjo playing displays a jazz-man's mastery. And to no surprise, the Councilman remains a killer on the bass fiddle, driving each tune, even the lighter ones, with full force.
Their musical palate continues to expand, with mariachi trumpet, virtuoso fiddle and a full drum-kit played with sticks, thanks in part to the talents of fiddler Aaron Lewis (Special Ed and the Short Bus) and drummers Brian Kantor (Higgins, Rocketship Park) and Travis Harrison (Unsacred Hearts).
SBR35
THE TWO MAN GENTLEMEN BAND Drip Dryin' with the Two Man Gentlemen Band Buy it here.
PLUS, the Gentlemen embark on full length tour this month to support the new release. Full itinerary is here!
01/10/09 in New York, NY Opening for The Lisps’ Musical at The Zipper Factory
01/14/09 in Bristol, TN O’Mainnin’s Pub
01/15/09 in Knoxville, TN Preservation Pub
01/15/09 in Knoxville, TN WDVX Blue Plate Special
01/16/09 in Flat Rock, NC Flat Rock Wine Shopp
01/17/09 in Charlotte, NC The Evening Muse
01/18/09 in Jacksonville, FL Jackrabbits
01/20/09 in Pensacola, FL Hop Jacks
01/21/09 in Tampa, FL New World Brewery
01/22/09 in Deland, FL Caffe Da Vinci
01/23/09 in Tallahasse, FL The Engine Room
01/24/09 in Pensacola, FL Pineapple Willy’s
01/27/09 in Charleston, SC The Tin Roof
01/28/09 in Asheville, NC UNC-Asheville
01/29/09 in Johnson City, TN The Down Home
02/04/09 in Doyestown, PA Delaware Valley College
02/13/09 in Brooklyn, NY Jalopy Theater - NYC Drip Dryin’ CD Release Show!
and more and more
News Shorties: new records n' shows from 2MGB, Higgins, Homos, Benji.
Here is a new regular SBR news "column" for '09. Quick quips about future goings-on.
-THE TWO MAN GENTLEMEN BAND will be releasing their fourth album entitled Drip Dryin' with the Two Man Gentlemen Band on January 13. The CD will be available only from this website from the Gentlemen at shows. Drip Dryin' is available for sale right now at our store.
-Winter 2009 “Drip Dry Your Troubles Away” Tour kicks off January 13th. Tour dates here
-A split 7" from HIGGINS and ANDY FROM DENVER is set to arrive at your doorstep on Feb 3. For those of you who don't know Andy, he's the mastermind behind Elephant 6 graduates Marshmallow Coast.
-THE HOMOSEXUALS are currently crafting a 2nd EP of all new shit for Serious Business. The 1st one Love Guns?, a 10" record with hand-inscribed covers by head Homosexual Bruno Wizard, is available here. The band will be at SXSW, with some touring in March and April. Dates to come. Also, I almost forgot ... the big big news is that Carlos Charlie Perez (who has made brilliant videos for Fiasco and That Ghost) has directed a music video from "3AM (Pink Pony)" from Love Guns? That'll be showing up in the first month of the new year.
The Year in Business 2008 has 15 tracks. You'll find the biggest hits of the year here---hits from the likes of The Homosexuals! Rocketship Park! Looker! Benji Cossa! Higgins! Secret Dakota Ring! Plus, you'll find exclusive unreleased sneak preview business from the likes of The Two Man Gentlemen Band, Jack and the Pulpits, The Unsacred Hearts and a special treat from Boshra al Saadi of Looker. ALL FREE. All delicious. We can send you a CD version as well for a small donation.
In 2008 we issued 14 records. Some of them came out on vinyl, some on CD, some are digital only.
1. Rocketship Park - Because Two Candles from Off and Away (SBR16)
2. The Two Man Gentlemen Band - Dippin' Sauce from Heavy Petting
3. Benji Cossa - Volcano - Benji Cossa and the Tightens LP (SBR28)
4. Looker - Gates of the Old City - from Born in the Desert (SBR30)
5. Higgins - Charly - from Zs (SBR28)
6. Secret Dakota Ring - The Fade to Black from Cantarell (SBR27)
7. Jack and the Pulpits - Dance Area from Jack and the Pulpits EP (SBR24)
8. The Homosexuals - Slow Guns from Love Guns? 10" EP (SBR33)
9. The Unsacred Hearts - Where Are You from still forthcoming second Hearts album called The Honor Bar
10. The Two Man Gentlemen Band - The Rabbit Foot Stomp
from forthcoming fourth full length offering entitled Drip Dryin' with the Two Man Gentlemen Band (SBR35)
11. Benji Cossa - April from Benji Cossa's Vault Vol. 2: Jewels and Gems (SBR24)
12. Higgins - Make a Mistake - from Trust in Higgins Vol. 1 (SBR32)
13. Jack and the Pulpits - Show Off from forthcoming 2nd JatP EP, a prequel to their first
14. Boshra al Saadi - Daddy You Been On My Mind unreleased Bob Dylan cover recorded in the men's room at SB -> (Dec 01. 2008)
15. Rocketship Park - Seasons from Off and Away (SBR16)
We're not hosting this treat on our site yet as a free MP3, but if you're good you just might find it beneath the tree.
Above you'll find the little doodle that serves as this X-Mas treat's record cover.
Above you'll find the handwritten lyric sheet Benji scribbled on the session.
Here are the credits for that session:
BENJI COSSA
Christmas (Its the End of the Year)
Musicians:
Benji Cossa: singing, guitar, piano
Travis Harrison: drums, bass, sleigh bells
Ben Heller: trumpet
Other stuff:
Produced by Travis Harrison. Recorded and mixed December 4, 2008 by Travis at Serious Business Music.
The Homosexuals: are on Viva Radio this Monday, earn lotsa press, are making video, are recording etc etc
Tune in to internet radio station Viva Radio this Monday Dec 15 at noon to hear the Homosexuals live at the tiny Viva studio in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Bruno delivered an EPIC interview (as usual) and Mike and Travis joined him for a few songs including renditions of "3AM (Pink Pony)" and "In Search of the Perfect Baby." The show, hosted by Ted Shumaker, is called Me & You and recent episodes have featured Jay Reatard and Fiasco.
Hear the bumpers for the show here and here.
Here's Viva-Radio's promotional copy for the program: Me Plus You Pt. 34 is a flamer. Gay Beach Ted meets Bruno Wizard and his
outfit The Homosexuals for an inspired and idiosyncratic chat and choogle.
This installment in the series treats us to intricate dialogue juxtaposed
with some concise yet exploratory artpop gems, culled from a collection of
songs that dates back to around 30 years ago. Don't be fooled though,
Wizard's spirit is just as young as ever and this stripped down affair
exposes it in all of its truthful glory.
And speaking of "3AM (Pink Pony)," Carlos Charlie Perez is directing a video for that one. The shoot is tomorrow. We'll keep you updated. "3AM" comes from the Love Guns? 10" which you should order now or face never owning it because these things are going like hotcakes.
Also if you haven't been checking the Homosexuals SBR artist page religiously (who isn't?) then you may have missed a recent avalanche of press from Bruno Wizard and his band of musical instigators. Click here, scroll down and read recent accolades from the likes of The New York Times, the Washington Post and the Onion! Plus there's a remarkable full interview which was published on the Agit-Reader which isn't to be missed (click here for that one).
Plans are definitely hatched for more touring and recording from the Homosexuals in 2009. Bruno's not going away.
Catch the Homosexuals for the last time until spring '09 when they deliver a short set as part of this year's Serious Business Holiday Party and Revue at The Studio @ Webster Hall in NYC on Sat DEC 20.
7PM-10:30PM don’t be late!!! * REVUE BEGINS AT 7:30 SHARP!
@ THE STUDIO @ WEBSTER HALL
125 E. 11th Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues
NEW YORK, NY
A three hour tour of non-stop music from your favorite Serious Business super-friends.
There is no better time than the Holidays to celebrate togetherness! Community! Feeling good! Serious Business dares to get happy on Saturday, December 20 with its now-annual Holiday Party and Revue. We’re cramming everyone we know into the new Studio at Webster Hall, we’re cramming nine acts into three hours, we’re cramming multitudinous musical gifts into your tender ear-holes, we’re cramming love in your hearts!
Its an old school 60s styled REVUE with the Serious Business super-family sharing the following: equipment, points of view, an evening of revelry and celebration! Your best Christmas party! No egg nog! Your first New Year’s Party! Yes!! SERIOUS BUSINESS!!! Bring it on!
some fun facts—
–Gift giving!! We’ll be giving away lovingly crafted CD copies of The Year In Business: 2008, the second annual installment of our all-free year-end hits compilation series.
-The show starts EARLY! 7PM SHARP! COME EARLY!! Make a night of it! Dress nicely! Don’t roll in late like a jerk! You’ll miss everything! People will leer at you! Its Christmas! Be nice! Make it nice around the TREE!
-Benji Cossa will be performing all Christmas numbers!
-Jack and the Pulpits make their first ever official public appearance! Hopefully they’ll play “Dance Area”
-Sadly The Two Man Gentlemen Band will be absent. In their place they send new recorded music, their 4th album Drip Drying with the Two Man Gentlemen Band, which we’ll listen to some of!
-In the absence of Andy Bean (see previous fun fact), the Unsacred Hearts will reunite with original bass-man Andy Ross who will also be fronting his band Secret Dakota Ring (which features members of the Unsacred Hearts, Rocketship Park and Higgins…and the Homosexuals…and Jack and the Pulpits…and more.)
-The Homosexuals play their last show until spring 2009!
BENJI COSSA The Rollercossa is a 7-inch record with three songs on it, all of them crammed onto one side of vinyl. Originally released in 1999 on Krebstar, and crafted on a 4-track cassette machine, this EP proves Benji Cossa is the KING of SONG. He recently stumbled upon a forgotten, unopened box of these glorious records and now we give them to you.
benji is playing on dec 20 at the Serious Business holiday party and then he is also doing a residency at upstairs in the lounge @ pianos---every thursday in january.
Secret Dakota Ring --- new YouTube clips of live acoustic performance (with strings), + upcoming show!
The world of Secret Dakota Ring is abuzz. Stuff is happening. First and foremost...another NYC show. Here are the details
SAT DEC 20
The SERIOUS BUSINESS Records Holiday Party. The Studio @ Webster Hall
125 E. 11th St btwn 3rd and 4th, NYC
8PM-11PM
w/ The Unsacred Hearts, Benji Cossa, The Homosexuals (and more!)
And then...
Back in September, Secret Dakota Ring did an interview and performance at Google’s New York City office as part of their Musicians@Google series. Google has recently posted the video of the event. Visit SDR's official site here to get ALL the juicy details from Andy himself. Or, check out "I Don't Wanna Know About My City" below, which features a Josh Kaufman string arrangement composed specifically for this event, performed by the Google 4 Srting Quartet.
"I Don't Wanna Know About My City"
Lyrics for this jam came from Joe Willie's pen. The same is true for "The Fade to Black."
The Homosexuals' Love Guns? first pressing is nearly sold out. Get yours now or face never getting one of these initial hand silk-screened, hand numbered, hand inscribed, 100% unique 10" records.
Hey, we only pressed 300 of these handmade gems and boy did they go fast. We've only got a short stack left which are pretty much all alloted to a distributor. So, if you want the Love Guns? 10" you've got a few choices:
a) order one now and we mean right now from our online store.
b) support your local shop. you'll find copies of love guns? floating around at discerning vinyl shops all over the USA.
c) a re-pressing is imminent. chances are we'll have the second batch of records in about 6 weeks or so. if you happen to order after we've officially sold out of the first pressing, you'll still get a record at your door-step as soon as the second pressing is done. chances are we're only gonna press another few hundred, just like the first, so these will still be very rare!
d) you say, "i don't own a turntable but i do love my iPod so i'll just get it digitally." The EP will be up on iTunes in the coming week but in the mean time get the music here: emusic, Amazon, Rhapsody or where ever else you can find it.
Why is the first pressing of Love Guns? so special? Well, beyond the fact that this is the first new piece of vinyl to emerge from Bruno Wizard's late 70s D.I.Y. art-punk instigator/homosexualistas since 1984, the first pressing features hand silk-screened, hand numbered covers. Each copy of Love Guns? has a unique hand-written inscription from Bruno Wizard himself who has put pen to paper and written a beautiful short story/epic poem/wizard rant across the back covers of each of these puppies. Each copy is 100% unique. Owners of the record have been visiting www.thehomosexualsloveguns.com to enter their copies' unique inscriptions and participate in piecing the whole story together. Read the story so far
here. ORDER LOVE GUNS? NOW.
Also, make some time to take-in the latest installment of Bruno Wizard's blog chronicling the Homosexuals adventures on the road. You'll find it here at Stories in High Fidelity. Eventually, he'll get through a detailed account of all the stops on the Homos' recently completed US tour, the first tour ever! More to come!
Higgins gets glowing review from NJ's preeminent genius rock-scribe Tris McCall
Rock critics are so often full of shit that when one manages to conjur poetry and beauty from his own reactions to the music he's reviewing, it can be hard to believe. No one writes about music better than New Jersey's Tris McCall. Last week he delivered an OPUS of a record review of Higgins' OPUS of a classy rock record Zs. He calls Kevin a genius. I agree with him. Click here to see the original post. I'm just gonna copy and past that beautiful word stuff below though.
Trouble is, even though all genres aspire to classic status, making "classic rock" isn't really a viable commercial enterprise. Band-pigeonholers, marketers, and riyl-ers don't know how to work with it, and rock critics will resent you for making their jobs harder and duller. The head honcho at Serious Business Records tried to sidestep the issue by describing Higgins as the "classy" rock, which is literally true: Zs plays like it was recorded by unabashed musical aristocrats. No concessions whatever have been made to the marketplace - instead, they're out there chasing rock excellence in its Platonic form.
Now, nobody loves the local emo-pop kids more than I do; they're venerated around here, and for good reason. They're brave enough to give voice to generally-held, valid human sentiments that the cool people want to smirk out of existence, and for that, they've got both my thanks and my ears. But I am also a lover of music in its pure form (and yes, I do believe that exists), and I cannot deny that Kevin Fish crams more musical ideas into a single verse of a Higgins song than the members of Houston Calls and Hidden In Plain View and Jet Lag Gemini and Saves The Day have had in their entire lives. In fact, let me go out on a limb and say that if North Jersey has produced a truly musical genius in the past decade, Fish is that guy. Ironically, it is because pop is such a glorious and wonderful thing that musical genius is so rarely appreciated: when a red guitar, three chords, and the truth is all that is required to scale the heights of greatness, Beatlesque innovation is hardly needed. It is nice that Higgins have lately found some modest recognition for their sustained excellence, but that's almost beside the point: if pop music was truly the meritocracy that the most fatalistic contingent of the record-making public thinks it is, Kevin Fish would be king of the hill.
Luckily for the rest of us, pop music isn't a meritocracy, nor is it a game to see who can come the smartest. But just for the sake of argument I'm assuming that you're the type of listener who is wild about record albums, who really digs into them and gets dirty with them; and if that's you, I can't recommend Zs to you enthusiastically enough. There's enough going on here to merit scores of repeat listens, and you don't have to invest in a thousand-dollar pair of headphones to get hypnotized. The album's excellence might not be instantly apparent, though: Fish is an understated guy and a reserved lead vocalist, and while he's as deft at writing melodies as anybody you'll ever come across, he's far too classy (there's that aristocratic comportment again) to hit you over the head with one.
The first thing you'll probably notice about Zs is that just before the set ends, the musicians stop the proceedings cold for a three-minute drum solo. Let me be more descriptive: they stop the proceedings for four consecutive solos, each one performed by a different member of the outfit. On paper, this sounds self-indulgent, but in practice it's hellaciously entertaining, and not merely because nothing else on the set has prepared you for such a blatant show-off move. It turns out that the members of Higgins are, on top of everything else, truly engaging drum soloists - including Fish himself, who makes the most of his turn on the skins. "Charly", the track that follows the artillery barrage, is the set's most arresting: Brian Kantor's drums segue straight from the solo without flagging for a second, and Kevin Fish and Brian Kauffman overdrive their cabinets to keep pace. The next thing you know, the guitarists are soloing in unison, one in each stereo channel, and stopping short to let the vocal harmonies spill into the gaps like warm caramel. It sounds like Ray Davies fronting Mott The Hoople (no kidding), and it's merely the most obvious sign that, yes, we've really got something cooking here. On the next track, they split the band one more time, letting Kantor drum in the right speaker as producer Travis Harrison pounds away in the left; the whole cast is ushered back onstage, and everybody oohs and aahs over violins, horns, woodwinds, harpsichord, and anything else they've got crammed into their practice space. Thus, in a shower of twinkling sonic confetti, the disc ends.
And so you play it again, and as you do, you realize what you missed the first time around. There's "Yes I Know", a remarkable Revolver-era George Harrison fake. There's the hushed "Write It Down", a track decorated with a string arrangement worthy of the Left Banke. There's the gorgeous "Wall Of Dumb", Fish's only slightly recalcitrant tale of humility learned and lost. Best of all is "Ok", a song that begins at the doorstep of Grateful Dead's Mars Hotel, and wanders over the fluorescent hills into spectral fairyland. Some will point out that "Jamy" and "There He Is" prove that Kevin Fish is more a latter-day High Llamas junkie than a Beach Boys true believer. But that ignores the very real contributions that Sean O'Hagan has made to our understanding of Brian Wilson's work; and in any case, Fish does O'Hagan at least as well as O'Hagan does Smile. Jersey rock aficionados (and drum nuts) will recognize Brian Kantor's name from the credits of many well-loved indie records; his parts are always imaginative and rock-solid, and Zs is his crowning achievement. It's a testament to the band's McCartney-esque perfectionism and commitment to quality control that even the walk-on players shine: Annie Nero's slipper-soft cello chug on "Always Something", Harrison's frenetic tambourine on "Yes I Know", Scott Gropper's towering Hammond on "Charly". Together they've made one of the best records of 2008, and better yet, they know it. Ratify that or not, it won't shake their faith; that's the aristocratic privilege.
Bruno Wizard blogs from the road while on his first ever tour with The Homosexuals.
Head over to Stories In High Fidelity to read Bruno Wizard's tour diary. He'll be uploading posts every few days. Here's an excerpt from the first installment: "The Oxfam Cafe is literally a room on campus run by the wonderful Kelly and her talking wig.WE played.. on the floor,very punky 1977 style in your face with no separation from the audience. Kelly provided various tins of household gloss paint and glitter and I invited members of the audience to paint me and liberate me from my Guantanamo Bay coveralls through loving applications of life giving art.. connecting with source." ... Be sure to check out the whole blog at Stories In High Fidelity and check back often because there'll be more more more.
The show so far have been going splendidly. The first two shows of the tour saw Boshra and AJ of Looker filling in for the inimitable regular Homo bassist Mike Dossantos who had to catch up with the group at the third date in Providence.
Brooklyn Vegan posts coverage from The Homosexuals' recent WYNU in-the-studio performance. (Bruno Wizard solo!)
Last week the Homosexuals tore up CMJ. Brooklyn Vegan posted a little piece about Bruno's recent visit to WNYU's studio. Click here to see the post. Bruno played some solo renditions of songs from the brand new Love Guns? 10". He also rocked a solo rendition of "In Search of a Perfect Baby" from the ultra rare Sir Alick & the Phraser 7" which was a treat.
Last week Bruno also paid a visit to Viva-Radio's studios in Park Slope (this time with Mike D on the bass and Travis on tambo). That session was prerecorded so you'll be able to hear it when Viva posts it which we'll let you know about.
The Homosexuals: New 10" + P4K MP3 debut + US tour + CMJ invasion.
Serious Business Records proudly presents Love Guns?, the first piece of new vinyl issued by UK D.I.Y art-punk act the Homosexuals since the early eighties. The band’s first ever US tour gets underway on Halloween 2008, with mesmerizing original writer / vocalist / auteur Bruno Wizard fronting a young band of tough-as-nails New Yorkers. This new outfit delivered a set at SXSW in March that made one Washington Post reporter exclaim “I just had the closest thing to a religious experience since my bar mitzvah. The Homosexuals played the most dynamic, explosive set I've seen in a couple years.”
A free MP3 of "Slow Guns" was debuted on the Pitchfork Forkcast this morning. Writer Marc Hogan says "Slow Guns" "is a scruffy, energetic punk-pop tune that could come between revivalists like the Exploding Hearts and Jay Reatard on a mix. There's a political charge, too, as Wizard shouts about the CIA or summons up an anthemic cry, "So much for the democratic tradition." The audacity of the Homosexuals." DOWNLOAD: "Slow Guns" [MP3].
Credited as godfathers of the D.I.Y. movement, Bruno Wizard with guitarist Anton Heyman, bassist Jim Welton and a cast of revolving collaborators accumulated a treasure trove of other-worldly art-punk in the late 70s and early 80s, shunning the sniffs of big-label bloodhounds, only sporadically performing, and self-pressing tiny quantities of their own records only to disband completely by ”83. Two recent archival releases---The Homosexuals CD (ReR), and the triple CD Astral Glamour (Hyped 2 Death), both lauded by Pitchfork and coveted by rock lovers in-the-know---have brought the Homosexuals legacy back into focus.
Love Guns? was produced by Bruno Wizard with drummer Travis Harrison at Serious Business Music in NYC and features Dave Siegel on guitar (Unsacred Hearts) and Mike Dossantos on bass (the Realistics, Apache Beat). Book-ended by two experimental noise nuggets, the EP shows Bruno remaining true to the shifting internal dynamics, lyrical sophistication, and spirit of musical self-sabotage that characterizes the group’s classic work. The three songs that comprise the heart of the EP are “Slow Guns,” a full-scale 70-s styled, hook-laden, anti-establishment punk anthem, “3AM (Pink Pony),” a sweet, slow building slice of bedroom pop, and “Don’t Touch My Hair,” a future-world mutant-disco dance-floor banger from outer space. PRE-ORDER is available NOW!
The Love Guns? EP will initially be released as a hand numbered 300-piece 10” vinyl pressing. Bruno Wizard has hand written a story across the entirety of the 300 pieces, with a sentence, a fragment or a few words appearing on each copy. Fans can compare their unique inscriptions, upload photos, and slowly piece together the entire story at www.thehomosexualsloveguns.com.
Produced by Bruno Wizard and Travis Harrison
Engineered, mixed by Travis Harrison. Original tracking for "Don't Touch My Hair" by Halsey Quemere. All at Serious Business Music Recording Studio, NYC.
Mastered by Richard Morris at Masterdisk, NYC
Additional production on 3AM (Pink Pony) by Mike DosSantos
Additional vocals on "Don't Touch My Hair" by Neon and Verushka Music.
Cover art by Jared Friedman at Econo Graphics
PLUS!
THE HOMOSEXUALS on tour!
2008 US TOUR Oct 21 2008
New York City, New York
Pianos - Serious Business Records CMJ Label Showcase Oct 23 2008
Brooklyn, New York
Union Pool - Musebox CMJ After Party (late show)
Oct 24 2008
New York City, New York
Knitting Factory - Panache CMJ Showcase
Oct 25 2008
Brooklyn, New York
The Yard --- After the Jump CMJ Day Party
Oct 31 2008
Brooklyn, New York
DanBro Brewery Warehouse - Todd P / Panache Halloween Party
Nov 1 2008
Medford, Massachusetts
Oxfam Cafe
Nov 2 2008
Danbury, Connecticut
Heirloom Arts Theatre
Nov 3 2008
Providence, Rhode Island
AS220
Nov 4 2008
Rochester, New York
The Bug Jar
Nov 5 2008
Cleveland, Ohio
Beachland Ballroom
Nov 6 2008
Chicago, Illinois
The Hideout
Nov 7 2008
Pontiac, Michigan
The Pike Room
Nov 8 2008
Columbus, Ohio
Cafe Bourbon Street
Nov 12 2008
Baltimore, Maryland
Talking Head
Nov 13 2008
Washington, DC, Washington DC
Velvet Lounge
Nov 14 2008
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Danger Danger Gallery
Nov 15 2008
New York City, New York
Cake Shop
Please come to our 3rd annual CMJ label showcase. Tue 10/21/08 @ Pianos.
For the third year running Serious Business Records will be hosting a CMJ
label showcase. Andy Ross and I started Serious Business in 2004 and since
then we've put out over thirty records from our best and most talented
friends. Last year our showcase elicited this commentary from All Music
Guide: "You have to love a record label that isn't driven by profits,
hipness, or some misguided attempt to capture and define a style." I like
that quote. What we're doing is all about love. This year we're lobbing an
impressive collection of sweet new releases in your lap, including a limited
edition 10" from the Homosexuals, new albums from Looker, Benji Cossa,
Higgins, Rocketship Park, the Two Man Gentlemen Band and Secret Dakota Ring
plus a bevy of singles, EPs, odds and sods, big hits. Our website offers a smorgasbord
of free MP3s and it is fun to navigate so go there and take your shoes off.
Join us on Tuesday October 21st as we celebrate an excellent year in Business. Come early and stay
all night. The show will run on time. Love, Travis.
TUE OCT 21 PIANOS
158 Ludlow, NYC
7:30 - Benji Cossa
8:15 - Rocketship Park
9 - The Two Man Gentlemen Band
9:45 - Higgins
10:30 - The Unsacred Hearts
11:15 - Looker
12 - The Octagon
12:45 - The Homosexuals
AFTER PARTY @ Arrow Bar (85 Avenue A) with DJs
Serious Business isn't only a label. It is also an in-demand NYC recording
studio called Serious Business Music.
I wrote this little blurb for Stories in High Fidelity ... come to the launch party starring Jaymay and our own Rocketship Park along with Klosterman, Sheffield, Christgau on Mon 10/20. Buy tix here.
With their second album Born In the Desert, Looker unveils the irresistible fruits of a year's hard labor. They released 3 infectious two-song singles throughout the past twelve months and they collect them all here, along with five more tunes, all produced by Erik Paparazzi. This is Looker's follow-up to the self-released 2007 debut album Born Too Late. Release date: October 28th. Pre-orders will ship to arrive on or before this date. PRE-ORDER HERE
This record really is home to some of the best songs ever. See below.
New Secret Dakota Ring video. "THE FADE TO BLACK" - on YouTube now. YouTube selects video for New Music Tuesday spotlight.
Here it is. "The Fade To Black"
This video was directed by our good friend Eric Lane, and features the five awesomest kids in Los Angeles. Huge thanks to the Paul Green School of Rock, Hollywood.
YouTube is featuring this video as a New Music Tuesday spotlight on October 14.
PreOrder the new Secret Dakota Ring album Cantarellright here.
Download the MP3 of "The Fade to Black" right here.
Rocketship Park playing Highline Ballroom OCT 20. Its a launch party for Stories in High Fidelity - the future HuffingtonPost of music; Jaymay is on the bill, as well as a gaggle of A-list rock critics.
STORIES IN HIGH FIDELITY PRESENTS
An evening of stories & music
with songs from...
Jaymay (Autumn Fallin') Rocketship Park (Off and Away) stories from... Chuck Klosterman (Downtown Owl, Fargo Rock City) Dan Kennedy (Rock On: An Office Power Ballad) Rob Sheffield (Love Is A Mix Tape) Marc Spitz (A forthcoming biography of David Bowie, We Got the Neutron Bomb)
and amazing special guests to be announced
-------------------------------------------
OCTOBER 20, 2008
HIGHLINE BALLROOM
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Stories In High Fidelity is a new website from the founders of Product Shop NYC (Village Voice Best of NYC, PC Magazine's 100 Favorite Blogs, PLUG Music Award Best Specialty Radio Show). Stories will feature first-person essays, tour diaries and reviews from some of the biggest names in music and a ton of buzz acts. Think of it as the Huffington Post for the music industry. Stories in High Fidelity has a weekly national radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio's Left of Center. The show is called Blog Radio with Stories In High Fidelity. Visit www.storiesinhighfidelity.com launching this October.
Rocketship Park hits the stage early ... 7PM set time ... so rush over right after work.
If you haven't yet heard Rocketship Park's brilliant debut album Off and Away then get with the program. Listen to these songs here. You can download them for free too. Go for it!
2008 CMJ Label Showcase for Serious Business Oct 21, 2008. Pianos. NYC - huge deal. Come party. Late night after-party at Arrow Bar.
Serious Business will be celebrating its own awesomeness at the CMJ Music Marathon in NYC again this year. The event will be held at Pianos (168 Ludlow). Catch all your Serious Business favorites in one EPIC night.
The Two Man Gentlemen Band
The Unsacred Hearts
Looker
Benji Cossa
Higgins
Rocketship Park
The Octagon
and
The Homosexuals
Tue 10/21/08
Show starts at 7pm
Pianos, 168 Ludlow, L.E.S., NYC
Plus... Don't miss the after party at ARROW BAR with Serious Business DJs, special guest business, excellence, alcohol and fun till 4AM.
flyer by Jared Friedman at econo-graphics
Secret Dakota Ring -- see big show next Wednesday, hear new hit song "The Fade to Black" now, anticipate impending awesomeness
Next Wednesday Septemeber 24 Secret Dakota Ring will be playing their first ever show. Stranded In Stereo Club Night
Wednesday September 24th– 9PM - $3
at Rehab (formerly Club Midway)
25 Avenue B - NYC
F or V to 2nd; F, J, M, or Z to Delancey/Essex
SDR @ 11 with Falcon (10), Rails to Russia (9), Mames Babganush (8).
Who's in Secret Dakota Ring you ask? ARoss sings and guitars, Travis drums, Kevin Fish (Higgins) basses, Josh Kaufman (Rocketship Park) guitars and keyses and Eytan Oren (Rails to Russia) keyses too.
OK ... now for music. Cantarell comes out on November 11. . We give you here "The Fade to Black" which might be Andy's catchiest offering ever. Take advantage of the Imeem player embedded below. (If you visit Serious Business' Imeem page you can grab the code and embed this player everywhere you go on the interweb). So this isn't a dowloadable freebie yet (it will soon be) but you'll enjoy it in your browser nonetheless. You've got yourself some production from Rocketship Park's genius-man Josh Kaufman including a classic string arrangment performed by Karen Waltuch. You got yourself Travis Harrison giving it 100% on the drums and knobs. You got yourself Joe Willie from the Unsacred Hearts with the pen behind the lyrics. And you've got Andy making magic happen every damn day.
You're pumped up now, right? This is only just the beginning. You-Tube-a-licious treats will flood your mind shortly.
And do yourself a favor. Go be Secret Dakota Ring's friend on the MySpace.
For those of you who don't know, SDR is the super-pop solo vehicle of SBR co-founder, ex. Unsacred Hearts/DZUSA member, current OK Go guitarist and Travis' personal guru Mr. Andy Ross.
Higgins release shows for Zs. Plus, read this gushing blog review of Zs which showers it with much deserved praise.
TONIGHT. THU SEP 11.
HIGGINS Zs CD release party Unsacred Hearts and A Black China
A Black China (8:30), Higgins (9:30), Unsacred Hearts (10:30)
TOMORROW NIGHT, FRI SEP 12
HIGGINS Zs CD release party some more Sound Fix
110 Bedford Ave, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
with Benji Cossa playing a solo show.
Plus, you should read this totally glowing track by track review of Zs that just appeared on the internet. Thanks to Primitive Sound System
"Higgins write songs. Higgins compose music. Higgins are performers. Higgins is a band.
My, how Higgins have grown. No really. What used to be two has now grown to six. You would think there should be the obvious signs of growing pains or the usual good and bad traits exhibited by most large families. Higgins have somehow escaped the expected and as always never do the obvious. In this day and age of studio trickery the possibilities are endless when it comes to recording sounds to tape. In most cases the magic of the ones and zeros in the digital realm expands those options to the ends of the Universe. Not so for Higgins. The band is home in the studio and the musicians interact as friends and family would. There is a mutual respect and admiration amongst the musicians and this is no better represented then by simply listening to Zs. A typical Higgins composition is complex and deep with similarities to such greats as David Axelrod, Brian Wilson, Richard Evans, and the like. Higgins get the most out of each musician because they would not have it any other way. Live they are raw and real. Raw like an exposed nerve and not like a drunken Punk band. On stage the band performs as a well oiled machine. Their performances have enough loose moments to separate studio from club. The connection the musicians have to the music and to one another is awe inspiring and is sure to send a chill down your spine. These are performances that as a musician you can only hope to one day be a part of and as a fan you know years later you will proudly detail how, you were there.
Making comparisons of one sound to another or one band to another is only useful if the listener, reader or audience know the points of reference. To make obvious comparisons to Higgins seems unfair. There is something in their sound that harks to a more professional time in the world of music. A time when all musicians were musicians and schooled or rehearsed as such. This and this alone does not make a great band. Look to the rawest and best of Punk and Garage bands and you will know that professionalism is not even last on their list of priorities but not on the list at all. No, I am talking about music performed by true artists and craftsmen who are just as concerned with the notes as they are with the arrangements. To say their music is wise beyond their years is only appropriate because we don't expect this level of quality from the pedestrian performances and complacency with levels of mediocrity that are praised now-a-days by fans and sadly critics alike. Higgins stand above all in the studio and the music halls both of which seem to long for great sounds. This is not to say that Higgins don't know what it means to be primitive. They know that raw is no more powerful than polish and can embrace the two qualities with equal understanding and finesse. A typical Higgins song is layered with sounds, instruments and vocals all of which blend together like a chef preparing a signature dish. If Higgins were painters they would be Impressionists. If they were a movie they would be Film Noir.
Zs is a journey. Zs is an expression. Zs is music and it deserves to be heard.
Zs:
"There He Is"
There is always something sweetly familiar about a Higgins song. Maybe it is the perfectly placed aggression reminiscent of bands like The Faces against the warmly laid down harmonies of so many late 60's and early 70's masters from the Raspberries to Badfinger. Maybe it is just their ability to interpret these sounds and make them their own. Many bands claim this, but fall deeply into the pit of good intentions and poor imitations. "There He Is" never loses itself in clichés and Pop trappings. Perfectly short the way a great Pop song should be and lastingly memorable.
"Always Something"
Kevin Fish can do more with his voice than most bands can with an orchestral backing. Sublime and wise beyond his years like Peter Sellers in "Being There." His words and delivery float through the compositions as a true storyteller and not just a singer songwriter (a title which is tragically thrown around and handed out far too easily). You can feel his presence around you as he walks through his life, and yours, as both observer and participant. The chorus, "There is always something to keep someone from loving me" is turned a few times to even include, "...to keep someone from mugging me." Our hero comes to his realization not sadly, but with full understanding that he has only himself to blame.
"Wall Of Dumb"
The piano intro to "Wall Of Dumb" sounds so similar to something you know that as it pulls off into unfamiliar territory your stomach drops like a ride up and down rolling hills. The rolling hills continue and so does the breeze as Mr. Fish's voice stretches to reach the top of each peak and then happily glides to the bottom as his sorts the meaning of life. Maybe not the big meaning, meant to answer all of our insecurities, but just enough to get him through another day. The band rattles along like an old car, cranked up just enough to carry him from one revelation to the next but not simply as a vehicle but also fellow passengers on this journey. To great effect the Guitars, banjos and keyboards pluck and bounce along with the broken beat of the drums and tastefully placed percussion never allowing things to become settled.
"Jamy"
Each subsequent track on Zs becomes more layered with sounds. The level of composition goes up and so do the chances the band takes. "Jamy" has one of the coolest intros I have ever heard. There is even a synthesized breeze to make the point more definitively and by all rights should be corny yet feels perfectly genuine. Right before the first chorus passage there is a Guitar, Electric Piano and Drum part that passes in a fraction of a second but one I can get hung up on for a lifetime. It comes again and never loses its affect. Simple, pure and soulful. It is a moment that cannot be spoken, a moment when words are not enough or maybe too much to do it justice. Somehow Banjo manages to come off just as soulful as the more obvious choices of instrumentation but then with the swirling Wurlitzer and spectacular Guitar solo it would be hard to break the mood.
"Roy G. Business"
Somber and zombie like "Roy G. Business" lumbers in with the band. There are moments when you can feel them lose their balance as if the band is playing on the deck of a storm tossed boat. Cymbals crash and tom toms roll like the waves crashing to the deck or at times trying to roll the boat and end the misery. The Suffolk County Man Pipes drunkenly try to save their souls with a sea worthy chant. Hopelessly trying to raise the dead or alert rescuers through the darkness but sadly all is in vein. No one hears, no one is coming; all is lost and the world has gone calm.
"Yes I Know"
Benji Cossa 1999 7" reissue! The Rollercossa. Three songs! Four-track! One Side!
Those who've followed Benji Cossa's musical evolution from the start know him as a undiscovered giant in world of lo-fi pop. His focused, eloquent 4-track recordings span 1995 to well into the 2000s and have so far been anthologized on two archival releases, the Vault series, Volumes 1 and 2. 2007's lovingly home-recorded Between the Blue and the Green saw Benji releasing his first proper album-length collection of new songs in his nearly 15 years of writing and recording. This fall Serious Business will release the follow-up Benji Cossa and the Tightens which is really Benji's first proper studio record. As Benji evolves, those early 4 track recordings will eternally remain at the heart of the matter for Benji's fans. And fans, you are in luck! Because Serious Business offers you The Rollercossa a long-lost three-song 7" originally issued by now-defunct Krebstar Records in 1999. Krebstar founder and Black Dice main-man Eric Copeland basically found a full box of these records in his house and asked Benji if he wanted them. Benji said "yes" and brought them here to the Serious Business offices. With Eric's permission, we at Serious Business offer them to you. the Rollercossa is a timeless document of a master of song finding his way with a little help from his friends. The three tunes on this record represent some of Benji's most affecting work.
Buy the 7" now!. All 7" purchases come with a FREE digital download. For those of you who just wanna buy it on iTunes of whatever then you'll have to wait until early November, 11/11/08 to be exact. We've only just sent it in.
This week, Higgins drops Zs, plays 2 excellent release shows, one in NJ, one in Brooklyn.
Today September 9th Zs is out. Buy the CD from our store or get it on iTunes or on eMusic. Celebrate the release of this epic 70s-styled pop tour-de-force at one or both of these two gotta see 'em events this week. Deets here.
And also hold on to your pants. After you get Zs you won't have to wait long before the men of Higgins serve up a steaming platter of sweet delicious recorded nourishment. November 11 sees the simultaneous release of the split 7" from Higgins and Andy From Denver (AKA Andy Gonsalez from Marshmallow Coast, M. Coast, member of the Muisc Tape and ex member of Of Montreal) and a 32 minute digital mini album called Trust in Higgins Vol 1 culling together 8 lost hits, home recordings, odds, sods and man-sounds. More details to come soon. Be patient. In the meantime, Please buy Zs DOWNLOAD: "Everybody (Thunder Mountain)" [MP3]
Looker hits west coast. New album release date, title, tracklist, cover.
After hitting Portland's MusicFestNW over the weekend, our favorite guitar pop lady team Looker keeps the West Coast rock train rolling this Thursday with a show at LA's famed Viper Room.
And Looker fans you're in luck because the wait is almost over for their new album, which they've titled Born in the Desert and is the follow-up to 2007's self released Born Too Late. The new record unveils the irresistible fruits of a year's hard labor. Looker released 3 infectious two-song singles throughout the past twelve months and collect them all here, along with five more tunes, all produced by Erik Paparazzi and all guaranteed to give you what you need.
SBR30 Looker Born in the Desert
Release date: October 28, 2008
Tracklist:
1. Gates of the Old City
2. Alone in a Room With You
3. Animal Dreams
4. Born in the Desert
5. Eternally
6. Help Me Roada
7. After My Divorce
8. Spit for Your Shine
9. Stand Back
10. Master's Gone Away
11. Green Mountain
And so I shall leave you with another humble photo essay from the road:
The Gentlemen are competitive fellows. Fans of their music know of their collective enthusiasm for summer lawn games such as badminton and croquet. They also display a healthy passion for the popular bean-bag-tossing game of cornhole, commonly practiced in the American South. You'll of course notice that the Councilman's form is impeccable.
OK enough of that silliness. I'll leave you with this. Plans have been hatched and dates have been set for the Two Man Gentlemen Band's 4th album. Go see one of their upcoming concerts to hear new compositions such as "Croquet Girl," "Fancy Beer," and "Drip Dry" (a dance sensation sweeping the nation).
Serious Business and End-Up Records co-curate excellent bill this Wednesday 8/27/08 @ the Mercury Lounge: Caithlin deMarrais, Balthrop Alabama, Rocketship Park and Benji Cossa
End Up Records is teaming up with us to bring you a knockout bill at the Mercury Lounge this Wednesday August 28.
The Unsacred Hearts, Looker and the Homosexuals Friday Night at Union Hall in Park Slope Brooklyn
Here's what Time Out NY has to say about it:
The Homosexuals might be an unknown name to many (as band names go, we mean), but between ’78 and ’82, they were among the finest of London mostly unheard art punks. Looker’s pop-punk is lived-in and time-proven, descended equally from the top-down ’70s and the melodic punk that revolted against it. The quartet’s staying busy in 2008, planning a new single every few months. The Unsacred Hearts’ concise, soulful rock is pretty much trendproof.
The Homosexuals + Looker + The Unsacred Hearts
702 Union St (between Fifth and Sixth Aves, Park Slope, Brooklyn )
Park Slope, Brooklyn
Subway: M, R to Union St
http://www.unionhallny.com
Tickets: $10 Tickets available here
Higgins' Zs available for pre-order. Free MP3. Mini tour. Release shows. PLUS forthcoming 7-inch/digi EP release
You can trust in Higgins.
Higgins' third album Zs is now available for pre-order. CDs will ship to arrive on the 9/9 release date. Click here to visit our store. The CD comes in a handsome digipak and contains forty-one minutes of classy, classy rock music. Don't believe the hype? Grab this free MP3 download of "Everbody (Thunder Mountain)" the album's epic closer and a musical journey you're unlikely to resist. DOWNLOAD: Everybody (Thunder Mountain) [MP3]
SBR27
Now for tour stuff. Check these dates and visit our events page for more details
Aug 21 - New Paltz, NY @ Snug Harbor
Aug 22 - Stony Brook, NY @ Velvet Lounge (Higgins playing the entirety of Dear Higgins and Zs)
Aug 23 - Boston, MA @ P.A.'s Lounge
Sep 11 - Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell's (Z's NJ release party with Andy From Denver)
Sep 12 - Brooklyn, NY @ Sound Fix Records (Z's NY release party with Andy From Denver)
OK so we now look into the future...
Once you get Zs and devour it, then what? Will Higgins leave you waiting for another two years before they give you more? Fuck that. Try two months. On November 11 Serious Business will issue two simultaneous Higgins releases. Check this out. Official details will follow in the next couple of weeks but we're going to be offering you a split 7" from Higgins and Andy From Denver. Andy was the driving force behind Marshmallow Coast (or M. Coast) an Elephant 6 stalwart from Athens. And that's not all. We're taking the Higgins track from the 7", which is called "What Don't You Want?" and then we're slapping it on to a digital EP to be released on the same day that will also features Higgins' cover version of a classic Marshmallow Coast jam called "Bermuda Rectangle" as well as some other tasty nuggets for you.
Homosexuals show Tues 8/5 in Brooklyn with FIASCO. The Councilman fills in on bass.
Bruno Wizard and the Homosexuals are playing again tomorrow night at Market Hotel in Brooklyn .... details on the above flyer. Come join the Wizard for this essential human experience! The Homos are on at 9:45 right before Fiasco. Also, filling in for the irreplaceable musical beast-man Mike DosSantos on the bass will be the inimitable Councilman Fuller Condon from The Two Man Gentlemen Band and Higgins.
More Homos to come this summer ... stay tuned.
DOWNLOAD: "Spit for Your Shine" [MP3]
The new Looker album is now pretty much 99% done. We're in the final stages of post production. Stay tuned for tracklist, release date, and all that stuff.
The Homosexuals play TONIGHT with James Chance @ the Secret Santo Party. 100 Lafayette NYC.
10PM-4AM. RSVP to mailinglist@newyorknighttrain.com anytime before 6PM today for half price admission. $10/$5 with RSVP. Monday, July 21: Secret Santos' Party w/James Chance, The Homosexuals, DJ Mr. Jonathan Toubin, dancer Anna Copacabana, and projectionist Spencer Bewley, Santos' Party House (100 Lafayette).
New Jack and the Pulpits video on the YouTube. Kaufman and Nero singing "Dance Area"
Take a moment to soak in the sweet sweet sights and sounds below. It is a little video of Josh Kaufman and Annie Nero, sometimes known as Jack and the Pulpits doing a stripped down live version of "Dance Area," one of the year's most beloved big hits here at Serious Business. This was shot in Memphis while Josh and Annie were on tour doing double-duty, playing with the mighty Balthrop, Alabama and the lovely Dawn Landes.
"Dance Area" comes from this excellent 3 song self-titled digital-only EP:
Buy the JACK AND THE PULPITS EP digitally on iTunes and eMusic and Amazon.
ORDER LOVE GUNS? NOW.
The crowd at Pianos for the Unsacred Hearts
Bruno Wizard and the Homosexuals are playing again tomorrow night at Market Hotel in Brooklyn .... details on the above flyer. Come join the Wizard for this essential human experience! The Homos are on at 9:45 right before 
