Video Premiere: "Comfortable Town" by Summer Set

[Repost from The Big Takeover; by Jen Dan / The Big Takeover Exclusives, October 22, 2020]

Moved by the horrific Memorial Day murder of George Perry Floyd Jr. at the hands of four Minneapolis Police officers, Fort Lowell Records presents GROW: A Compilation in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter, arriving on October 30th.

The project, focused on Wilmington, North Carolina, is a response to the racial injustice continuously displayed by law enforcement across the United States of America.

Friends of the formerly Tucson, Arizona-based label involved with GROW have donated their own talents to allow 100% of the sales from the record to endow the New Hanover County NAACP with working capital to help Fort Lowell’s newly adopted local community.

GROW must be brought to the attention of our country because of Wilmington, North Carolina’s history: being the location of The 1898 Massacre and only successful American Coup D’État. People deserve to know about our suppressed past, and learn what this one specific community is doing today to make it better for the future

GROW is an effort to help address the dire effects of racism in America.

A personally curated collection of regional artists, GROW arranges a sampling of the vast indie rock talent exhibited within The Port City. Both new and old, all embrace the alternative rock ‘n’ roll sound that Fort Lowell Records promotes.

Big Takeover is deeply pleased to host the video for one of the three never-before-heard compositions from previous recording sessions found on this album. The track “Comfortable Town” is from Summer Set, an indie pop outfit who have been active beyond the Carolinas since 2001 and contains members of the band De La Noche.

The hazy dreaminess of the synth-pop single is mirrored in the video clip which shows a ballerina-type dancer slowly going through her dance moves at the start. The footage then transitions to an art studio where the physical form is drawn, sculpted, and celebrated in all its complex beauty.

The litany of images of the video clip are a meditation upon the passage of time and the ephemeral nature of life that can be captured in an artistic way…

All video footage by Cotton

Pre-Orders Available through Gravity Records and Modern Legend
Fort Lowell Records Website
Summer Set Bandcamp

Fort Lowell Records · Summer Set "Comfortable Town"

7-days until 'GROW: A Compilation in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter' is released!

Order your vinyl record now from Gravity Records, Modern Legend, and Yellow Dog Discs!

Fort Lowell Records · GROW: The Singles

4th single from 'GROW: A Compilation in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter' is out now

Summer Set is Brian Weeks and Robert Rogan from De La Noche, which is their "frivolous soufflé of soft-rock baby-makers and disco deliria" (Pitchfork; August 24, 2019) project with Ivan Howard of The Rosebuds (Merge Records).  Summer Set was much more active in the live music scene back between 2000-2005, and have a few great indie recordings to show for it on their Bandcamp page, which also features a fantastic EP from 2012.  Summer Set has since remained a studio project for the most part for the dynamic duo from Wilmington, North Carolina.  Weeks and Rogan wrote their contribution to GROW: A Compilation in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter -- "Comfortable Town" -- a few years ago, but finalized the track for the album just this summer as the project came together.  

We are very excited to share with you that Summer Set "Comfortable Town" is now available as of today on all digital music download and streaming platforms.

The album GROW will be released in its entirety on Friday, October 30, 2020, and the vinyl record is available for pre-order now from Gravity Records, Modern Legend, and Yellow Dog Discs.  100% of the sales from GROW will be donated to the North Carolina New Hanover County NAACP to help ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination.  GROW is an effort to help address the dire effects of racism in America; thank you in advance for your support. - Fort Lowell Records

Happy, happy Howe; now go vote

It's Howe Gelb's birthday today.  Happy Birthday, Howe.

Fort Lowell Records · Howe Gelb - 'Sno Angel "Spiral"

 

Happy Birthday, Nathan McGlothlin of honeybrandy

Premiere: Tracy Shedd’s “Holding Space”

[Repost from Independent Clauses; by Stephen Carradini, October 15, 2020]

I’m a big fan of Tracy Shedd, The Band and the Beat, and Fort Lowell Records– all efforts of some combination of Shedd and James Tritten. They (in Fort Lowell form) have a new compilation coming out called GROW: A Compilation in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter. The label explains that “The project, focused on Wilmington, North Carolina, is a response to the racial injustice continuously displayed by law enforcement across the United States of America.  Friends of the formerly Tucson, Arizona-based label involved with GROW have donated their own talents to allow 100% of the sales from the record to endow the New Hanover County NAACP with working capital to help Fort Lowell’s newly adopted local community. GROW is an effort to help address the dire effects of racism in America.”

In advance of the record, they’re releasing four singles, and we have the honor of premiering Tracy Shedd’s single/video for “Holding Space.” The video is here:

The song is an icy, stark, downtempo electro framework with Shedd’s inviting vocals lifting the proceedings. “Are you listening?” she asks over a rubbery bass guitar, Casio-esque tinny synths, and distant tambourine clink. “Holding space / make it a better world” she croons over the chorus, as the instrumentation cheers slightly to meet the hopeful lyrics. The song isn’t long (2:59), keeping things tight and urgent. This is especially reflected in the coda of the song, which shudders to a sudden halt, leaving the listener with a sense of incompleteness that fits the lyrics. The accompanying video focuses on moving shots of horses and plants (particularly flowering ones, plus the spiky/beautiful aloe plant), but with a cold, desaturated color palette reflecting the dim light of the song’s sonic world. It’s a unique, interesting song with a tightly connected video.

You can also listen to “Holding Space” via SoundCloud:

Fort Lowell Records · Tracy Shedd "Holding Space"

“Holding Space” officially releases Friday, October 16th. The full album of GROW will be released on Friday, October 30th.

Pre-Order links for GROW are here: Gravity Records, Modern Legend, Yellow Dog Discs.

Video Premiere: Life of Saturdays

[Repost from Fuzzy Logic; by Megan Petty, October 9, 2020]

Back in 2015, John Staton of the Wilmington Star News described Life of Saturdays as "the best Wilmington band no one's ever heard of." Five years down the road, and that's not so much the case anymore - even non-Wilmingtonians might already know/love Life of Saturdays; if not by name, perhaps by note, thanks to the band's song "If U R Alive" being featured in an episode of Vice Principals (please allow me to save you some searching - season 2, episode 7). 

For the uninitiated, I'm thrilled to be able to introduce you to Life of Saturdays through this here video premiere. The video you're watching, for the unreleased "That Kind of Love," is special - not only because it's a gem in its own right, but because it's part of the Fort Lowell Records GROW compilation (full name of the record being GROW: A Compilation in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter). The record is officially released on October 30, and features songs from Wilmington/Wilmington-adjacent artists. 100% of sales from the album will be donated to the New Hanover County NAACP, so your purchase will go to an extremely worthwhile cause. 

You'll be hearing more from me about GROW in the very near future, but let's get back to Life of Saturdays. 

"That Kind of Love" is all sorts of intriguing. The beguiling beat hints at the early 2000s slink of Ladytron, the sort of sound that makes for a glorious good time, underpinned by an acute sense of unflinching resignation. The vocal interplay between John Jeremiah Sullivan and Jessie Williams is both warmly complementary and far out free-wheeling. Sullivan, the band's ringleader, and Williams both have the kind of rambling, offbeat vocal styles made for storytelling, and both imbue Sullivan's lyrics with a poignancy that hits hard. 

The more I listen to "That Kind of Love," the more I keep thinking to myself, "Magnetic Fields." Sullivan seems to have a knack for spinning yarns, but there's something sardonic about the lyrical realism mixed in with his vibrant, poetic tendencies. At times diverging from one another, Sullivan and Williams consistently find their own ways to yank the heartstrings, while also doing plenty of damage together. The song's video certainly hits the spot, a collection of grainy moments pulled from vintage movies, with plenty of Hollywood kisses adding dramatic effect to the cinematic feel of the song.    

Fort Lowell Records · Life of Saturdays "That Kind of Love"

3rd single from 'GROW: A Compilation in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter' is out now

Tracy Shedd believes creativity is a necessity of life, and our surroundings should inspire us. Since 1999, she has crafted melodic, heartfelt compositions that encourage people to make the most out of every moment.  Shedd is an indie rock musician who has released six studio albums with Teen-Beat, New Granada Records, Devil In The Woods, and Science Project Records / Fort Lowell Records, licensed music to Dawson’s Creek, One Tree Hill, The Fosters, and “The Rebound” (ft. Catherine Zeta-Jones), performed at CBGB, The Florida Theatre, plus festivals such as CMJ and SXSW, and has shared the stage with Cyndi Lauper, Cat Power, Iron & Wine, The Magnetic Fields, and David J (Bauhaus, Love & Rockets); not to mention Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth sat in on drums for her during a US tour.  

We are happy to announce to you today that the "Queen of Slowcore" Tracy Shedd's single -- "Holding Space" -- from the album GROW: A Compilation in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter is out now -- Friday, October 16, 2020 -- on all digital music download and streaming platforms.  

As a member of her newly adopted community -- Wilmington, North Carolina -- and a contributing artist to GROW, Tracy Shedd is using music to speak out about the racial injustice continuously displayed by law enforcement across the United States of America with her song "Holding Space".  GROW will be released in its entirety on Friday, October 30, 2020, and the vinyl record is available for pre-order now from Gravity Records, Modern Legend, and Yellow Dog Discs.  100% of the sales from GROW will be donated to the North Carolina New Hanover County NAACP to help ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination.  GROW is an effort to help address the dire effects of racism in America; thank you in advance for your support. - Fort Lowell Records

Life of Saturdays - That Kind of Love (Official Music Video)

Watch the brand new music video from Life of Saturdays for their song "That Kind of Love" from the album GROW: A Compilation in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter, to be released via Fort Lowell Records on Friday, October 30th.  You can pre-order your copy of GROW now from Gravity Records, Modern Legend, or Yellow Dog Discs.  Remember, 100% of the sales from GROW: A Compilation in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter be donated to the North Carolina New Hanover County NAACP, so order two, or three, or even ten copies of the record and give them away as gifts for the holidays. Thank you in advance for your support.

2nd single from 'GROW: A Compilation in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter' is out now

Life of Saturdays is a band from Wilmington, North Carolina -- made up of John Jeremiah Sullivan [New York Times Magazine Author], Jessie Adair Williams [Owner of Edge of Urge], and Nicholas Christian Laudadio [Associate Professor of English at UNCW] -- who released an amazing album titled So How We Seem back in 2015 ((we strongly recommend you check it out)). During those recording sessions many years ago, Life of Saturdays fortunately recorded and handful of additional tracks that were not included on their album. One of those songs is "That Kind of Love," and thanks to Life of Saturdays' own interest to help address the dire effects of racism in America, we are all able to enjoy their song "That Kind of Love" as a part of GROW: A Compilation in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter. Officially today -- Friday, October 9th -- their song from GROW is now available as a 'Digital Single' ahead of the albums release on Friday, October 30th. Remember, every time a song from GROW is downloaded or streamed from a digital music platform, the North Carolina New Hanover County NAACP receives all of the revenue as working capital to help ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination. So as Shannon said, "LET THE MUSIC PLAY" ((such a great song))! Know we love you. Be well, be kind, and enjoy. - Fort Lowell Records

honeybrandy - Not in Our City (Tracy Shedd Remix) - Official Music Video

Check out the new music video for Tracy Shedd's remix of honeybrandy's song "Not in Our City", featuring Dr. Keith R. Anderson's speech which was presented to the Lynchburg, Virginia City Council on June 23, 2020. Then, head over to Harding Street Assembly Lab to listen to honeybrandy's original version, as well as a ton of other great releases from their record label.

Remember, 100% of the sales from this song and all remixes that appear on the honeybrandy 'Not in Our City (Remixed)' Digital EP will be donated to the North Carolina New Hanover County NAACP, so be sure to let the music play all day and all night to help raise as much money as possible for our community!

What is 'GROW'?

• is a curated collection of regional artists -- Musical Artist: Sean Thomas Gerard, Kicking Bird, Lauds, Life of Saturdays, The Love Language, The Majestic Twelve, Neon Belly, Pinky Verde, The Rosebuds, Tracy Shedd, Summer Set, and Team Player; Literary / Visual Artists: Chet Childress, DREAMS of Wilmington, HeyTVM, Third Person Project, and James L Williams -- who have donated their own talents to endow the North Carolina New Hanover County NAACP.

• is our response to the racial injustice continuously displayed by law enforcement across the United States of America.

• is an effort to help address the dire effects of racism in America and promote the elimination of race-based discrimination.
  

• will provide working capital to help ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons.
  

• is your opportunity to make a difference, to get involved, to provide a positive impact towards something that you care about: people.
  

• is simply a commodity we all continue to acquire (art), that when procured provides financial resources for society's betterment.
  

• needs your support promoting to the public to be as effective and beneficial as possible in its own contributions; please post and share.
  

• has the potential to generate at least $30,000 if all 1,000 vinyl records are sold at the minimum suggested donation of $30.00.
  

• only requires a handful of people to reach its minimum potential of $30,000; patrons are welcomed to make additional donations.
  

• is now available from Gravity Records, Modern Legend, and Yellow Dog Discs.

First single from 'GROW: A Compilation in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter' is out today

Do you remember the Wilmington band Pandora's Lunchbox, who had a record out on the Shimmy Disc label, founded by Kramer [Butthole Surfers, Ween]? • Do you miss the annual 'WE Festival' [Wilmington Exchange Festival; 1996-2009 (2010)] -- a music conference once held in our Port City, which hosted bands like Mooney Suzuki, The Dismemberment Plan, Mae, Val Emmich, Mountain Brothers, Lamb Of God, and Tracy Shedd -- and which was also featured on MTV News? • Are you a frequent patron of Whatever Wilmington, once located on Castle Street now on Grace Street in downtown? • Do you frequent Anne McCrary (Sullivan) Park over on Randall Parkway enough that you've researched her life and family history?

If so, then you are likely aware of our dear friend Mr. Kenyata Sullivan; a person who we personally are very thankful to have in our lives; for Wilmington NC would simply not be our home if it weren't for Kenyata. We first met Kenyata at The Exchange -- an old vintage clothing store once located at the corner of Grace & 2nd that used to host concerts in their back room -- while our previous band Audio Explorations was on tour in 1996. We've been close friend ever since, and couldn't be more excited to share this...

Fort Lowell Records is very proud to announce the first single from GROW: A Compilation in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter is for Kenyata Sullivan's second musical project -- The Majestic Twelve -- and their song "Amphibious Vehicular Love". The track, written ((coincidentally)) twelve years ago, is available now on all digital music download and streaming platforms. In addition, our friends at Here Comes the Flood are premiering the music video for "Amphibious Vehicular Love" today.

So pull up your favorite digital platform and search for "Amphibious Vehicular Love" to play the song now. Then head over to Here Comes the Flood to watch the music video. Remember, every time you play "Amphibious Vehicular Love" you are actually helping ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination... so keep the music playing all day long!

Fort Lowell Records · The Majestic Twelve "Amphibious Vehicular Love"

October Release Schedule for GROW: A Compilation in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter

Starting this week, each Friday of October we will feature the release of one song 📻 + music video 📺 from GROW: A Compilation in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter, beginning with The Majestic Twelve "Amphibious Vehicular Love" on Oct. 2nd [premiered by Here Comes the Flood], then Life of Saturdays "That Kind of Love" on Oct. 9th [premiered by Fuzzy Logic], followed by Tracy Shedd "Holding Space" on Oct. 16th [premiered by Independent Clauses], and Summer Set "Comfortable Town" on Oct. 23rd [premiered by Big Takeover Magazine], then finally the big finally of the month being the official release of the full compilation album on Oct. 30th! We couldn't be more excited for October to be here so we can begin sharing the amazing music of GROW with you. Stay tuned to our Instagram + Twitter each week for further updates, and remember to place your pre-order today with Gravity Records, Modern Legend, or Yellow Dog Discs -- and be sure to pick up a few extra copies to give out to the kids on Halloween as a 'treat' 🎃; they'll love it! Remember, ALL / 100% / EVERY PENNY 💰 of the sales of GROW will be donated to the North Carolina New Hanover County NAACP, so there is EVERY reason you could buy two, three, or ten copies of GROW and gift them to family and friends -- your money is going to help ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination. So do it, today -- order GROW -- now! Thank you in advance for your support! ♥️

Happy Birthday, Brennan Hamill of Moyamoya!

New Music Video: La Cerca "Cicada Radio"

To commemorate La Cerca's brand new album A Nice Sweet Getaway, their very first ambient record, the indie rockers from Tucson, Arizona have a brand new music video for their song "Cicada Radio."  Check it out here, and purchase your copy of A Nice Sweet Getaway on Bandcamp today! 

Happy Release Day to La Cerca!

A Nice Sweet Getaway, the very first ambient album by Tucson, Arizona's indie rockers -- La Cerca -- is officially available as of today on all digital music download and streaming platforms such as Amazon Music, Apple Music, Bandcamp, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Tidal Music, and YouTube Music.  Enjoy!

Dutch friends 'Here Comes the Flood' talk about La Cerca's new ambient album

[REPOST from Here Comes the Flood; by Hans Werksman, September 17, 2020]

VIEW PREMIERE: La Cerca - "Gloomy Vista Way"

Tuscon based alternative rockers La Cerca have reinvented themselves with an ambient album, A Nice Sweet Getaway, with touches of post-rock and heavy use of delay. The "Gloomy Vista Way" single, with its drawn out guitar chords, is part Ry Cooder and part Brian Eno. A sense of foreboding that something bad is about to happen is almost tangible, but as long as it sounds this good, that's not a problem. The video was directed by Jason Marrano.

The A Nice Sweet Getaway album will be released on September 25 via Fort Lowell Records. It's available for pre-order here.

---

[REPOST from Here Comes the Flood; by Hans Werksman, September 23, 2020]

ALBUM REVIEW: La Cerca - A Nice Sweet Getaway

Tuscon based alternative rockers La Cerca have changed course (and line-ups) quite a few times. Still, even for longtime followers of the band it comes as a surprise to see them releasing A Nice Sweet Getaway, a full-on, dark ambient album. They even used a basic two-track recording device, and had to cope with the limitations that came along with it.

Echo, delay and reverb were put to good use to create an atmosphere that is not particularly safe or soothing. They point to the dangers that are hiding in the great wide open, with pulsating rhythms and swaths of guitar that are both welcoming and issuing a warning. A Nice Sweet Getaway flows as a continious piece of music and should be enjoyed as such. This kind of music does not allow outside interference, so better disconnect the phone and other things that can break the spell.

A Nice Sweet Getaway will be released via Fort Lowell Records. Release date: September 25.

Tracks:

• Walking the Underbelly
• Suitcase Full of Emotions
• Ice Cubes
• Hazy Beach
• Gloomy Vista Way
• Shimmering Peacock
• Free of Expectation
• Cicada Radio
• Opportunity Presents: The Bicycle Thief
• Too Cold to Ride
• Spiritual Lift

Thank you, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

#RIPRBG

Happy Release Day to honeybrandy!

Ladies & Gentlemen, honeybrandy Not in Our City (Remixed) is officially available now on all digital music download and streaming platforms, such as Amazon Music, Apple Music, Bandcamp, Deezer, Spotify, Tidal Music, and YouTube Music.  Enjoy!

All remixes of "Not in Our City" feature the following speech that Dr. Keith R. Anderson -- Chaplin of the Lynchburg Police Department, founder of the Highly Favored Ministries Association of Churches, and member of the newly formed Alliance for Policing Reform in Lynchburg, Virginia -- delivered to the Lynchburg City Council on June 23, 2020:

The citizens of Lynchburg have awakened however…

And we have awakened with some words on our lips:

"Racial bias has no place in this city!"

And we leave you with four words:

"NOT IN MY CITY"

Not in my city will we allow racism to exist.

Not in my city will we allow the pestilence

of hatred to run rampant in our streets

So, what have we done?

We decided that we - the citizens - will select who represents us,

our wishes in legislation and in policy.

We will choose the appropriate culture that underpins

the law enforcement professional that patrol our streets.

Police officers are grand individuals.

My brother is one.

I serve this community as a chaplain.

But I also know that this man who killed Mr. Floyd

is a benefactor of a culture that targets members of a black & brown community

and hunts them on a routine basis.

My children have cried out to me,

"Speak for me so I can breathe!"

I stand here to speak for them.

It is therefore concluded that

the following conditions must be met

to satisfy the demands of this task force

to ensure that antiracism -

IT'S NOT ENOUGH NOT TO BE RACIST

We need to be actively antiracist -

in our measures

both in theory and in practice

(it's not enough simply to say it with empty words):

#1 - chokeholds and neck restraints policy

must be adopted by the Police

to outlaw its use

and provide sanctions and disciplinary actions

to include imprisonment for its violators.

There must be transparency in the disciplinary records

of these police officers that aid us in our city.

We give them the right to protect us!

Adopt a training model that produces guardians not warriors.

YOU'RE NOT AT WAR WITH ITS CITIZENS!

• Training in de-escalation techniques .

• Specialized training monitoring officers with complaint records.

• Mandated use of body cams.

• Thoughts & published strategies for community policing.

• Mental fitness of officers.

• Military-style equipment is no longer needed.

• Implement a policy that prohibits the use of the "no-knock" warrant.

And, in conclusion, let me remind you...

NOT IN OUR CITY!

NOT IN OUR CITY!

NOT IN OUR CITY!

NOT IN OUR CITY!

Happy Birthday, Andrew Collberg

Fort Lowell Records · Andrew Collberg "Dirty Wind"

Check out Wilmington, North Carolina's Neon Belly's new logo

Fort Lowell Records' upcoming GROW: A Compilation in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter features the debut of The Port City punk rockers: Neon Belly.  Check out their newly designed logo, created by local Cape Fear artist Night Owls Only:

Happy Birthday, Winston Watson of Saint Maybe

Fort Lowell Records · Saint Maybe "Everything At Once (And More)"

Music Video: La Cerca "Climate Control"

We always ❤'ed this music video La Cerca did for their song "Climate Control" from their 2014 album Sunrise for Everyone (Fort Lowell Records FLR011):