<<

< more timely news

|

less timely news>

>>

08.07.08	Thanks to Portland Maine for coming out last saturday to the Baltic Sea release show! It was my first time at SPACE Gallery and i loved it. A great show all in all, with extra thanks due to The Cambiata and The Informati. If you haven't checked out The Informati yet, it's a really cool album! I've got a bunch of copies available in the distro section of the webstore. Check out ongoing reviews for Baltic Sea stuff over in the baltic sea bio page.
	Today also marks the first step towards our next release: pre-order for ER006: Arms and Sleepers / Black Paris 86 2xLP! This release marks ericrock's first vinyl release and also Arms and Sleepers' first official release with us. This release will be really special in a bunch of ways! Here's the scoop: - It's a 2xLP limited to 500 units (100 blue, 400 black) - All of the audio has been remastered specifically for vinyl - Sides A,B,C are the three movements from BP86. Side D features all new material not found on the CD! - packaged in a beautiful gatefold jacket, featuring expanded artwork - The colored units are numbered and contain a bonus insert The official release date is on October 28, but all pre-orders will ship in late september. All pre-orders are also entered into a drawing to win 1 of 5 test presses. Pre-ordering is also your best chance of staking a claim on one of the extra limited blue vinyl! If you pre-order and want black vinyl instead, just send me a message at the paypal checkout! CHECK IT OUT!
07.29.08	The Baltic Sea's new album Through Scenic Heights and Days Regrets is officially IN STORES as of today! It's been a while since i've updated this news section, but we've had a pre-order up for most of the summer, and we've been shipping direct sales, but today is the real-deal-permanento retail date. New-Englanders should be able to find their copies in any Bullmoose or Newbury Comics location for around $10 -- which is actually cheaper than i sell them for in my web-store, on account of packing & shipping! Any other retail store can order a copy through SuperD distribution. My japanese distributor's got a box of these as well, so anybody in Japan or Southeast Asia might have better luck having their stores order through Inpartmaint/P*Dis. Of course, we still welcome international customers in the ERICROCK Webstore, as they really do make up the bulk of my customers!
	Isn't it convenient that the retail date also coincides with the CD RELEASE SHOW? Yep, no diggity - THIS SATURDAY, August 2 2008 @ Space Gallery in Portland ME. Baltic will be playing with local hotshots THE CAMBIATA and boston's THE INFORMATI. Tickets are $7, and advance sales are available through Brown Paper Tickets. The show is 18+ and starts at 9pm. If you're in the general southern maine area and use an FM radio receiver, you can also catch the band on WCYY's SPINOUT on Thursday July 31 at 7pm. I'm expecting that they'll probably talk about the album and play some tracks. I know i would!
	Last but not least, a special thanks goes out to everybody who came out to see Gregor Samsa, Ólafur Arnalds, and Arms and Sleepers at Berklee College on July 8th! The show was great fun and a great success. Thanks also to all involved!
04.13.08	It's been a few months without any updates, but that's only because we've been hard at work! Much to hard to update the news section, clearly. For starters, we had a few great shows in March with Iceland's Ólafur Arnalds! We did a night with him at Great Scott in Allston MA on March 11th, then an intimate house show on the 15th at the homestead (aka Twin Peaks JP). We also had a fun trip down to NYC driving those dudes and gals around. Good times, and they'll likely be back this summer! So get ready!
	We're starting off the 2008 release schedule EARLY, meaning we might actually get 2 releases out this year. Pretty exciting, huh? Anyway, our next release is from Portland Maine's The Baltic Sea! It's a full length album entitled Through Scenic Heights and Days Regrets, and it will take you on a ride, boy. Be prepared for 45 minutes of sweeping appreggios and double bass MADNESS! Except not really! A better description would be progressive atmospheric rock that fuses classic prog, 90's alternative, and modern post rock all into one juicy package. You'll want this to whet your whistle if you're into bands like HUM, Mogwai, Cave In and the post-reunion Sunny Day Real Estate. The official release date is Tuesday May 13, 2008, so we're starting pre-orders TODAY! All pre-orders come with a free 11x17" poster + 1" pin and will ship on or before May 13. The whole shebang will cost you $11 including postage ($15 outside of the US). Head on over to the webstore to pre-order your copy today! or tomorrow! As a gift to you, we're previewing (prehearing? preplaying?) the album for free, in full, over at last.fm or on this site and in the radio stream. Details on a CD release show are forthcoming, but jump on the action EARLY if you are in the Boston area next Sunday, April 20th! Baltic will be playing with a great band called The Informati over at TT the Bears. Check out the TT the Bears website for more info.
	While you're over in the web-store, be sure to check out new distro items, including discographies by The Appleseed Cast, and Helios. The new stuff from This Will Destroy You finally came in, and we have a few copies of the new MONO DVD that we're selling off. I'm adding new things all of the time, so check back occasionally. If there's something you'd like to see us stock, we'll see what we can do about getting a few copies.
01.12.08	It's a new year, and as always, that means a new edition of ericrock's annual THE STATE OF THINGS. 2007 was a fairly big year for us, and we're hoping to keep things going, and even ramp it up a bit, in 2008.
	SHOWS - We're kicking off this year's show promotions action with last year's label action. You don't follow? Well, you might recall that we never actually had a formal CD release show for ER004/Motionless EP when it crept out last November, so we're making up for it in February with a CD release show at the Milky Way Lounge & Lanes in JP! Joining them for the night will be space buds The Baltic Sea from Portland Maine, and ambient bliss-wrangler Helios. The bad news is that the event is 21+, but the good news is that you can bowl between the sets, and admission is in the form of donations! That's right, no mandatory admission to get in, just a suggested donation of $5, if you can swing it.
	LABEL - This year should be the biggest year in ericrock history, as we're starting early and planning big. Remember those aforementioned space-buds in The Baltic Sea? Well they've been sitting on this amazing record for upwards of a year, and while i've been enjoying it immensely, it dawned on us that like a billion other people probably wanna hear this thing! So we're doing something about it, by way of CD. Check back for more info as it develops, and expect it to drop in early spring! 2008 might also mark the first year we double up on releases, as we've still got this itch to release the Motionless EP on vinyl. I'll make an e-promise to you; if the band does a tour this summer, they'll have some (vinyl) records with them!
	DISTRO - Our collection of music-i-like-so-i-buy-wholesale-and-resell-to-you is growing by the week. Recent additions include Zookeeper's discography, multiple releases from both The Mercury Program and Maserati, the latest Lymbyc Systym (on CD and LP), Tristeza... really, loads of great stuff. Check them out and grab some albums that you probably already love. Also, we're happy to be the US distributor of the new Arms and Sleepers album "Black Paris 86", released by Expect Candy Records in Germany. I've imported a boxload of these puppies to share with our friends here in the states, and to save you on ridiculous international shipping. I've got copies in hand as of mid-January, and the CD should find its way into Bull Moose, Newbury Comics, and various other retail stores in the northeast, as well as Amazon.com, CDbaby, and several other online retailers. The album is already available from various digital vendors. Also, the artwork on this record is pretty and the guy who did it is really brave and handsome.
12.12.07	Yo, thanks to all who came out and partied with us and Zookeeper on the first of the month. That show was a lot of fun, and probably my most memorable of the last few years. And just so you know, if anybody ever asks you who the nicest group of guys is, the right answer is ZOOKEEPER! What a bunch of the nicest guys! Seriously, i would move to TX just to hang with them all day if i could. I snagged a handful of both Zookeeper releases, including the new full length "Becoming All Things", to sell in the distro, so feel free to pick one of those babies up if you didn't at the show. Speaking of the distro, there are a few new additions, and more on the way, including the new Arms and Sleepers full-length "Black Paris 86" and a bunch of Maserati stuff. Be sure to check out the major holiday specials, which will be available until the end of the year.
11.25.07	Ok, so maybe i'm an old codger, and maybe i just loved winamp 2.81 for a really long time, but i've finally done it. I've installed my audioscrobbler stuff and starting using my last.fm account. Add me as your friend! Also check out the label page for ericrock, and also individual pages for all of the artists. I've added all of the ERICROCK releases as full streams, so you can play our entire discography right on last.fm. I'll finally admit it. It's a pretty cool site :/ Check out the webstore for some cool holiday specials! These will last a month, and will end Christmas day (for those non-math-nerds out there). I've also added a bunch of new distro stuff from Magic Bullet Records, including releases from Sparrows Swarm and Sing and This Will Destroy You!
11.08.07	I fixed a few things today, including the broken link to the mailing list! I thought i broke it, but it was really just my webserver who broke it because they are jerks. It's all good now. Also, i launched a new design for the webstore today, including some new distro items from Elika, Thisquietarmy, Destroy All Dreamers, and motherfarkin' PENFOLD!!! Also, i found ONE more copy of the original pressing of Sparrows Swarm and Sing "Untitled I" on black vinyl, which is long long gone from everywhere that i know of. SNAG IT!
11.07.07	The new Motionless EP is now "officially" released. You should be able to find it in New England at Newbury Comics and Bull Moose Music, with a few more hopefully on the way. Online peeps can either order it directly from us over in the webstore or over at CDbaby.com or amazon.com. It's also available digitally from a bunch of places, including Itunes, CDbaby, Amazon, Digstation, and probably a million others. OR, in the fine ericrock tradition, we've got a freely downloadable .zip archive of the release over in the media section. The archive contains high quality MP3 rips of the album (created with EAC/LAME), plus screen resolution images of the album artwork. This is released under a creative commons by-nc-sa license, just like ER004 / The Windmill, and we encourage you to share it with your friends. If you like it, and if they like it, please consider buying a physical copy of the CD, or making a donation to ericrock's media server.
	Speaking of the webstore, we've added a few new items, including some distro items and new motionless stickers! We're also hard at work on a revised store & pricing structure that will balance out shipping on larger orders, most notably to international customers
	Next up is an EXCITING new show, for which you should mark your calendars. I haven't been this pumped for a show since i booked ex-Penfold (in The Moirai) a few years back. The reason for my giddiness? Why it's none other than ZOOKEEPER, the new band from Chris Simpson (frontman of Mineral, The Gloria Record)!!! Life goal #2 = accomplished. The party/show will happen at Twin Peaks JP (aka my house) on the evening of December 1, and will feature my friend Lindsey Starr's band RETROSLEEPER as well as a few more TBA. Full details are still forthcoming, but they will be posted over in the promotions section as they come in. GET PUMPED!
10.15.07	Just a handful of all-around updates. The official release date for the new Motionless EP is Tuesday November 6, 2007. Starting on this date, we'll have the freely downloadable zip archive linked here on the site, and the album should go live on amazon.com and a few other retail places that are actually waiting until the official release date. If you don't want to wait, you can still pre-order from the online store until the release; you'll get a free poster and pin and your order ships immediately. Or, if you're in New England and can get to a Bull Moose or Newbury Comics, you should find the album in stock there as well... if not, let me know! We're also up on a few online stores and digital distro places. More info on an official release show is forthcoming, so keep your pants on. Oops! almost forgot: FIRST REVIEW!
	I'm in the process of cleaning up some older and inaccurate parts of the site, so you'll start to see some small changes if you're anything like Mirza Ramic of Arms and Sleepers and happen to check this site obsessively. Speaking of Arms and Sleepers, they've got a bitchin' new album dropping in late November on German label Expect Candy Records, featuring some beautiful artwork by a brave and handsome local dude. Check out some samples over in the "graphic design" stub of the services section.
	Speaking of the services section, i've finally got my page on CUSTOM 1" BUTTONS straightened around, with simple instructions and paypal checkout. To anybody who needs buttons fast and cheap: we're up and running. I dare you to check out the prices right now; i simply ask that you stay calm and line up single file. But for serious, if you need some pins we'll hook you up!
	Lastly but not leastly, we've got 2 shows on the horizon; one for November and the Motionless CD release in December. Head on over to the promotions section to study up on all of the cool bands.
09.18.07	Just a quick update: the motionless CD has arrived. You probably saw it on your way into the site. Pretty, ain't it? Pre-order combo package is extended until 10/01 just to make it a round and palindromic date. Official release details forthcoming, but i'm expecting a first-week November release. All pre-orders will be shipping immediately.
09.12.07	Due to a production delay at the plant, the new Motionless EP has been delayed a few weeks longer than originally planned. This is good news for anybody who thinks they missed the pre-order sale, because i'm keeping the sale open for an extra whole MONTH! You got it dude, the pre-sale combo of CD PIN+POSTER all for $6 PPD is extended until 9/28! That's about 2 more weeks for the mathematically lazy amongst you. Here's some insider info for you too: as soon as the CD arrives, we'll be modestly hard at work at bringing you a vinyl edition! We've got a few shows in the works for the fall, so check back at the promotions section, or join the mailing list if you want periodic updates. Or, if you're a teenage girl or something, you can add us on myspace, and watch for ericrock news bulletins.
07.31.07	Here's some big news: the new Motionless record comes out on August 28. You can pre-order it now over in the webstore for $6 ppd in the US, plus the pre-order package comes with a free poster and 1" pin. This combo deal only lasts up until the release date, so watch your calendar if you're gonna order! You can preview the song "Winter Heat" over on the ERICROCK myspace to see if you likey. What's the new record like? Well, it's a bit more raw, organic, and diverse than The Windmill; just as sweet in many ways and sweeter in others!
	Secondly, i'm working on fleshing out softerrock.com with a bunch of archival media i've been sitting on forever. Right now i'm starting with the stuff that requires less work of me, so you'll see a bunch of new photo sets from various incarnations of the band, as well as an expanded "music" section that has some detailed info on all of the recording sessions. Additionally, you can now watch the 1913 music video when you are on the go, over at youtube. Yes, this means that eventually i will actually put up some mp3s of all of the unreleased stuff!
	Lastly, i've added a few new releases to the distro section of the webstore as well. Check out the limited edition Milkweed EP from Arms & Sleepers and Caspian's "The Four Trees". I'm working on changing the setup of the store to better serve international shoppers; shipping is a little weird (low for one item, high for multiple items). Sometimes it's easier to shop at one of our distributors like CDbaby if you're an international shopper, but hopefully i'll fix that.
05.27.07	Final details for the June 02 show are now posted over in the promotions section. Basically, everything's remained rad except we swapped Soundpool for The Antiques! That's also rad!
05.07.07	New show added for the summer. Stop by my house on Saturday June 2 for Motionless, Arms & Sleepers, The Baltic Sea, Cursillistas, and Soundpool! Head to the promotions section for more info.
01.08.07	Happy new year! Iffen you're asking yourself what's so happy about it, try this one on for size: Motionless is recording some new stuff as we speak! Hopefully the boys will be home on a break this semester to play some local shows. If not, we've always got summer, AM I RIGHT?! If you haven't picked up your copy of The Windmill, you gotta get on that! Download it for free from the media section, and if you think it's the cat's pajamas, swing on over to the store and pick up a copy for cheapz0rz.
	Next, i'm aware of some crazy email problems i've been having for the last few months. I've recently switched to a new email service in hopes to rectify the situation, but as a result all of my whitelist addresses are gone, and there's a chance your emails are being snagged by my spam filters or something. Rest assured, if you send me an email and i don't respond in a day or two, i probably didn't get it! I'm not a JERK, so please resend! I want to hear from you! As a last resort, you can always send me a myspace message, because myspace NEVER has technical problems!
	I've added a FAQ! It's about time, am i right? For anybody who's been confused the last 5 years, this clarifies some of the major questions i get from time to time, as well as provides a real cursory look at the philosophy behind what it is that we do.
	Everybody should go and buy a copy of brand spankin' new OS!R release, This Is The Moment. It is a sweet 2xDVD documentary hand crafted with the finest parts money can buy. And that's not even the best part. The best part is... wait for it... it stars ME, Caleb, from ERICROCK! That is right babes, i am ALL over this shindig with my clever answers, entertaining anecdotes and jokes about bears. This is a gem and will be worth a mint as soon as me and Howie sell the script to COP MOUNTAIN! Head on over to the oh snap! records website to arrange for a copy to be shipping DIRECTLY TO YOUR DOOR for like $12. These things are as good as cash.
	Last up, it's a new year and that means a new band for the roster. I try to freshen things up a bit every year by increasing the family by one... unfortunately it seems to shrink by one every year as well! Will 2007 break the cycle? Only time will tell! Link me to some interesting musix! Oh! While we're on the subject of interesting musix, everybody should pick up the new album "Bliss Was It In That Dawn To Be Alive" by my pals Arms and Sleepers. It is cool and they are also cool!

older>