Upcoming August Releases for Fort Lowell Records

We have three new Digital Singles being released next month that we are very proud of and excited to share with you.  Here is an overview to learn more about each upcoming release: 

La Cerca "Gimme Some Myrrh"

• For fans of Built To Spill, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Dead Meadow, Dinosaur Jr., Guided By Voices, Love as Laughter, Pink Floyd, R.E.M., Real Estate, Red House Painters, Saint Maybe, Silver Jews, Smashing Pumpkins, Spiritualized, Teenage Fanclub, Kurt Vile, The Warlocks, Wilco, Yo La Tengo
  
  
• PRE-SAVE NOW
  
  
• Release Date: August 11th
  
  
• La Cerca’s new single “Gimme Some Myrrh” is a bittersweet dreamy rocker, as well as an ode to frontman Andrew Gardner’s dear friend, the late Sam Jayne (Love as Laughter).
  
  “Sam would come to Tucson, Arizona on tour.  We would go to dance parties, skateboard all night, as well as stay up until dawn talking about music and the most unusual things,” reminisces Gardner, who played “Gimme Some Myrrh” in its infancy to Jayne many years before.  “At the time, the song was about people going for the life of living art, much like Sam, who would put every last penny into having a run of shows with his band,” Gardner shares. Ultimately, Jayne was the inspiration; he loved the song and told Gardner that it needed to be released.
  
  It wasn’t until after Sam Jayne’s passing in 2020 that La Cerca would follow his advice and recorded “Gimme Some Myrrh”.  Gardner adds, “I remember Sam playing an acoustic set and putting his audience in a frenzy, and the crowd would be screaming for more.  I realize now that I actually wrote this song about Sam, and how he was such an inspiration to me; like a superhero.”

Tracy Shedd "Let It Ride"

• For fans of Alvvays, Belle & Sebastian, Broken Social Scene, Fujiya & Miyagi, Future Islands, Geowulf, Japanese Breakfast, Jay Som, La Cerca, Liz Phair, Madonna, New Order, Of Montreal, The Pretenders, Sasami, Snail Mail, Sonic Youth, Spoon, Starflyer 59, Stereolab, Twin Shadow, Yo La Tengo
  
  
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• Release Date: August 18th
  
  
• Tracy Shedd's new song "Let It Ride" is an infectious summertime indie pop anthem about being patient and trusting your gut, and it is Shedd's eighth single since the release of her sixth studio album The Carolinas.  Since 1999, Shedd has crafted melodic, heartfelt compositions that encourage people to make the most out of every moment, and "Let It Ride" is exactly that.
  
  Tracy Shedd is an indie rock musician who has released six studio albums with Teen-Beat, New Granada Records, Devil In The Woods, Science Project Records, and 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.
  
  For those who concur with Tracy Shedd, "Let It Ride" is the soundtrack to the Summer of 2023.

Soda Sun "The Ghost Plant at Blood Run"

• For fans of Beirut, Big Thief, Bon Iver, Bonnie Prince Billy, Calexico, Andrew Collberg, Cotton Jones, Fleet Foxes, Sean Thomas Gerard, Great Lake Swimmers, Iron and Wine, Jim James, JPW, Damien Jurado, Lambchop, Midlake, Phosphorescent, Pinback, Songs: Ohio, Sufjan Stevens, Jeff Tweedy, The War On Drugs, Denison Witmer
  
  
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• Release Date: August 25th
  
  
• Soda Sun's new single "The Ghost Plant at Blood Run" is a spectral ballad, deftly painting the Southwestern landscape in a palette of sonic hues. The song’s namesake is a stunning, all white plant that derives its energy solely from fungi in the soil, not from the sun. Lead singer and songwriter, John Goraj saw the plant with his son in a boggy forest along the Sioux River in South Dakota where he grew up. Goraj couldn’t help writing about the strange fungi-dependent  plant and the stark contrast to the desert where he lives now. The song then becomes a reflection of both places: a dark boggy forest and a sun-soaked desert,
  
  Blending introspective lyricism with a resonant sense of homecoming, the song reaches into the desert's heart, unearthing gold from its dust. The journey from sunrise screams to twilight whispers is a testament to Soda Sun's evocative storytelling and the intimate sense of family throughout their work. “The Ghost Plant at Blood Run" is a poetic dance with nature and the kaleidoscopic colors of the desert.
  
  Hailing from Tucson, Arizona, Soda Sun quickly made their mark in the 2020s with a unique blend of introspective lyrics and atmospheric melodies. Their debut album Stay Here (2021, Fort Lowell Records) earned critical acclaim. Their organic instrumentation and authentic storytelling have cultivated a dedicated fanbase, both locally and internationally.

OUT NOW: Brian Lopez 'Tidal' [12inch LP]

Indie rocker Brian Lopez, known for his cinematic melodies and soaring vocals, has been called "the missing link between Devandra Banhart and Roy Orbison." Born and based in Tucson, Lopez is a classically-trained guitarist and songwriter who merges his desert roots with soul, pop and rock'n'roll to transport his listeners on an ethereal journey.

Lopez released his first solo album, Ultra, in 2012 to international acclaim. Rolling Stone Germany described the record as "Psychedelic chamber-pop with the surrealist touch of Dalí." After touring across Europe and the US as the opening act for Calexico, KT Tunstall, Giant Sand and Heartless Bastards, he released Static Noise in 2014. Tastemaker Musikexpress declared Lopez "without a doubt, one of the best songwriters of his generation." In 2018, he independently released. Prelude, a lo-fi 10-song album written and recorded in his makeshift home studio during a two-week period. Lopez's forthcoming release Tidal, due out in 2023, builds upon his songwriting prowess while returning to his origins in indie rock.

Aside from his solo project, Lopez is also frontman of the psych/cumbia band XIXA and has worked with an expansive range of artists, including Calexico, Amos Lee, Nouvelle Vague, KT Tunstall, Giant Sand, and Mexican Institute of Sound.

LISTEN TO FULL ALBUM / VINYL SOLD OUT

OUT NOW: Doggy Daycare "(forgetting) sarah marshall" [Digital Single]

What started as a stripped-down, breezy solo song on Doggy Daycare’s debut album I Love My Friends has turned into something bigger. A hint of what’s to come by the Wilmington, North Carolina group, "(forgetting) sarah marshall" is post-breakup navelgazing in content and fuzzed-out shoegazing in form. It swirls in the realms of My Bloody Valentine and Smashing Pumpkins but glows with its own forlorn Southern bent.

Doggy Daycare started as a bedroom coping mechanism by Adam Bastug. In the process of creating the first batch of songs, lead guitarist Joshua Sullivan, drummer Connor Simpson, and bassist Ethan Jenkins came along to contribute different parts. That solitary project then bloomed into something new. Their signature blend of southern shoegaze, 90s angular indie rock, and unexpected humor quickly established the band as torchbearers of melodic, guitar-driven indie rock.

LISTEN TO DIGITAL SINGLE

James Sardone: Colors

[Repost from Here Comes the Flood; by Hans Werksman, July 17, 2023]

James Sardone has been singing and playing guitar in a lot of indie bands - Brickbat, Burnley Brothers, The Jimmy Nations Combo, Loose Jets - but now he is coming into his own as a solo artist. His new EP Colors finds him exploring different moods. The Wilmington, North Carolina based musician has a soft spot for English bands like Echo and the Bunnymen and their sound is all over the melancholic Colors Of Your Brain and his cover of Blondie's Dreaming - he slowed it down quite a bit, thus making it a sad song as opposed to the disco approach of the original. His urge to rock out gets an opportunity to shine in Life of Love, with a walking bass line as an added bonus.

On the flip-side of the vinyl, there is room for two danceable remixes, courtesy of indie R'n'B duo De La Noche. Robert Rogan and Brian Weeks came up with a radio edit that is aimed at adventurous DJ's with a short attention span. The full version is a classic old school 12" remix that keeps going for 11 minutes without running out of steam.

Read more » James Sardone: Colors

Tracy Shedd

[Repost from Port City Daily; by Shea Carver, July 13, 2023]

[Tracy] Shedd has a new single, “Let It Ride,” dropping Aug. 18, a late ‘80s-early ‘90s heavy indie-pop vibe, a bassline at its forefront and some synthetic sounds slightly backing the echoing harmonies of Shedd.

PRE-SAVE DIGITAL SINGLE

Song Premiere + Artist Interview: Doggy Daycare – “(forgetting) sarah marshall)”

[Repost from The Alternative; by Zac Djamoos, July 18, 2023]

Wilmington, NC, shoegazers Doggy Daycare began as an outlet for Adam Bastug, and earlier this year he dropped a solo record called I Love My Friends under that name. By now, though, the project is something different. The lofi slacker rock vibes Bastug cultivated on I Love My Friends are gone, and guitarist Joshua Sullivan, bassist Ethan Jenkins, and drummer Connor Simpson have helped him flesh out the project into a gazy alt rock outfit. To demonstrate how much they’ve grown, they’re releasing a rewritten and rerecorded version of that record’s highlight “sarah marshall.” It’s called “(forgetting) sarah marshall,” and it dresses up the original in pristine reverb and washed-out vocals. The band shouts out projects like My Bloody Valentine and Starflyer 59, and they’re apt comparisons. It’s a really pretty song, and it’s an auspicious step for them. We spoke with Bastug about the band’s new direction–and we’re stoked to premiere “(forgetting) sarah marshall” before it officially drops July 28th through Fort Lowell Records.

This version of “(forgetting) sarah marshall” is very different from the one on your debut LP from earlier this year. How did the rewriting process work?

That song was written before other cooks were in the kitchen, so when we were working up full-band versions of those songs for live shows, Josh sat down with the original recording and wrote the new guitar parts and came to practice with the vision for a bigger shoegaze version. The boys each added their own pieces from there, and over the next couple months we played it slower and slower each time until we got this new version.

Should we expect more rerecording of previous Doggy Daycare material?

There are a couple we love playing live — “this is about summer” has a dancey, heavier vibe to it. But for the most part we are trafficking in all new material that fits the sound of “(forgetting) sarah marshall.” We’ll re-record the whole album if given a lot of money though. I just want to make sure it’s said that we will absolutely 100% do that for a lot of money.

What can fans expect from Doggy Daycare for the rest of the year?

A couple more singles from our upcoming album. We’ve been woodshedding for a minute, writing and recording, and have amassed a pretty hefty new album that we’re close to putting the finishing touches on. Fans can also expect probably like a music video or two, southeastern US shows, and really stupid Instagram posts.

Do you have any dogs, and if so, what are their names?

Josh’s dog Darla is our mascot — that’s her rocking the sunglasses in our logo.

Are there any Wilmington bands you’d like to shout out?

There are so many stupid good bands here, it’s like Athens in the ’80s/’90s, just more slept on. First off we’re shouting out Jacob Adams from Blue Karma who produced the song and our upcoming record. Ridgewood is about to take over the world, same with Louis. and RizzyBeats. Pleasure Island is new beach royalty. Lawn Enforcement makes ’90s-inflected bangers. Tracy Shedd has made her way to Wilmington and is making the town all the better. Owen Casey is making modern dirtbag country-ish music that is too smart for its own good. And even though he moved to New York, we’re still claiming Color Temperature. We’ve got a Spotify playlist of hits, too.`

CBS Bay Area on La Cerca

[Repost from CBS Bay Area; by Dave Pehling, July 18, 2023]

Tucson, Arizona songwriter Andrew Gardner has been leading his group La Cerca for over two decades, exploring a mix of melodic indie-pop, windswept tumbleweed twang and psychedelia. Gardner and company released their fifth album, A Nice Sweet Getaway, on Fort Lowell Records in 2020.

OUT NOW: James Sardone ' Colors' EP

James Sardone's EP Colors presents us with an opportunity to witness the Wilmington, North Carolina guitar virtuoso's mastery as a pop songwriter. The titled track "Colors Of Your Brain" is a captivating guitar-driven dance hit layered with an abundant amount of compelling influence that spans four decades of Alternative music. Indie R'n'B duo De La Noche (Robert Rogan, Brian Weeks) contribute two versions of their solid four-on-the-floor remix for "Colors Of Your Brain"; one short edit geared toward radio disc jockeys, and another that clocks in over eleven minutes primed to keep you on the dance floor. To round out the EP, Sardone delivers a captivating rendition of Blondie's "Dreaming" featuring Tracy Shedd on piano, along with "Life of Love" — an upbeat original song chock-full of sophisticated, optimistic hooks.

For more than a generation, Sardone has put his own unique spin on indie rock. Hailing from the Appalachians, the musical magpie has dabbled in an expanding number of genres on a journey that stretched up the eastern seaboard. What started in the late 80s as the irreverent noise of seminal post-punk trio Brickbat -- who toured with Jawbox, The Jesus Lizard, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion -- has given way now to electronica-infused, 80s pop-inflected solo work. In between, Sardone honed his craft, evolving in an array of projects from the country-tinged hard rock Burnley Brothers to the rockabilly sensibilities of The Jimmy Nations Combo to Loose Jets’ glammier hard rock. Like music itself, Sardone never rests, never stays in one musical space too long before branching out to his next cacoethes.

LISTEN TO FULL ALBUM // ORDER VINYL RECORD

From concerts to an 'Outlander' cruise, 17 things to do in Wilmington this weekend

[Repost from StarNews; by John Staton, July 12, 2023]

At The Place: Wilmington indie-rock singer and songwriter has assembled a supergroup of sorts for her only scheduled show of this year, a multi-act affair at this scene-incubating Cargo District venue. Shedd, whose darkly groovy new single "Let It Ride" drops next month on Wilmington-based Fort Lowell Records, is a veteran touring and recording artist whose vocals hit the sweet spot between spooky and ethereal, with lyrics that navigate the nuances of life and love. (Her most recent effort, 2019's "The Carolinas," is a gem thanks to such wry rockers as "Tinder Heart.") Shedd's husband and Fort Lowell partner James Tritten will be on drums in her band, along with longtime Wilmington musicians Brian Weeks (Summer Set, De La Noche) on guitar and Sean Thomas Gerard (Onward, Soldiers) on keys. With a stellar array of supporting acts: rapper and lyricist MoeSOS DC, indie rockers Blab School and visual artist Tristan Turner providing projections. 7 p.m. July 15, tickets are $10 at the door.

Wilmington music scene: The good stuffHow the couple behind a growing record label is putting Wilmington music on the map

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La Cerca | West Coast Tour

• Sat 7/8: Oceanside, Pour House
• Sun 7/9: Los Angeles, The Monty
• Wed 7/12: Eugene, John Henry’s
• Thu 7/13: Portland, The Midnight
• Fri 7/14: Seattle, Conor Bryne
• Tue 7/18: Olympia, The Crypt
• Wed 7/19: Arcata, Blondies
• Thu 7/20: Albany, The Ivy Room
• Sat 7/22: Tempe, Yucca Tap Room
• Sun 7/23: Tucson, Owls Club

Highly Recommended w/ Kicking Bird

[Repost from Hi54; by Jeremy Sroka, June 27, 2023]

* Providing the A's to the 5 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Q's today is Kicking Bird — a group of music-makers out of North Carolina who recently dropped their great debut album ‘Original Motion Picture Soundtrack’ on the always dependable Fort Lowell Records (and you can catch the track ‘Talking to Girls (On the Internet)’ on the HI54 Mix CD ‘INDIE AMERICA, USA’)

#1 - WHAT IS THE ONE ALBUM (OR EP OR SONG) THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE THE VERY NEXT MUSICAL THING THAT EVERYONE PRESSES PLAY ON THE NEXT TIME THEY FIND THEMSELVES THINKING “WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN TO NOW”?

SHAYLAH: Listen to Beethoven's Piano Sonatas while driving through the country in winter.

SHAUN: Hamilton Leithauser's I Had A Dream That You Were Mine is one of my favorite albums of all time. It's poignant and romantic.

Hamilton's voice is one of those that sounds best when it's being pushed to the breaking point. This is his first solo album and he and Rostam from Vampire Weekend play almost every instrument on the record.

#2 - WHAT IS THE ONE MOVIE OR TV SHOW THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE NEXT IN EVERYBODY’S NETFLIX QUEUE (OK, DOESN’T HAVE TO BE NETFLIX, WE’RE ALL INTERNET ADULTS HERE AND KNOW HOW TO FIND ANYTHING ONLINE, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER)?

SHAYLAH: Fortitude. It's like Twin Peaks with polar bears.

SHAUN: The greatest show of all time is Doctor Who. I know I'm a total nerd but I stand behind that statement. It walks the line perfectly between total cheesy camp and heartfelt expressions of love and friendship. It's been on since the 60s so there's no shortage of material.

My favorite Doctor is Peter Davison, but there are now 15 (yes I know, 14 with one face reused) Doctors so everyone can pick a favorite.

#3. I (AND BY “I” I MEAN “THE PERSON THAT IS READING THIS”) AM GOING TO THE LOCAL BOOK STORE (OK, MAYBE THE LOCAL LIBRARY FIRST) TO FIND THE VERY NEXT BOOK THAT I WILL BE PUTTING SOME EXTREMELY VALUABLE ‘ME-TIME' ASIDE FOR. WHICH BOOK WOULD YOU GET, IF YOU WERE ME (AND, I SUPPOSE, YOU HADN’T ALREADY READ WHAT YOU’RE ABOUT TO SUGGEST)?

SHAYLAH: Pond by Claire-Louise Bennet. I think about this book at least once a day.

SHAUN: I'd read anything by Ray Bradbury. I absolutely love the way he can use three pages to describe the outside of a house but never lose you and never make you feel like he's overdoing it. His sci-fi is obviously groundbreaking and so influential, but what I really love is the sappy stuff. Dandelion Wine reads like a poem. Both that and Something Wicked capture the innocence and magic of being a kid without shying away from the darkness that inevitably comes with growing up. That darkness is its own kind of magic and Bradbury knows it.

#4 - WHAT IS THE ONE WEBSITE (OR JUST ANY OLD INTERNET THING: APP, GIF, SERVICE, WHATEVER) THAT YOU WOULD GET REALLY DOWN IN THE DUMPS ABOUT IF IT WERE TO SUDDENLY GO AWAY?

SHAYLAH: I'd be fine without all of them.

SHAUN: Streaming music. The deathblow and lifeblood of a musician.

#5 - AND FINALLY… PLEASE GIVE ONE COMPLETELY UNAIDED RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU THINK EVERYONE SHOULD START DOING / USING / WATCHING / EATING / THINKING / QUITTING / ETC-ING TO MAKE THEIR LIVES A LITTLE BIT MORE BETTER AND/OR BEARABLE.

SHAYLAH: Ban assault weapons.

SHAUN: Hug your friends hello and goodbye. Life is super fragile and honestly pretty wasted in general. We should be spending a lot more time telling each other "I love You". Everyday there are people that change my life for the better and I want them to know that. It doesn't matter where you are, or what's going on, if you can find people to be around that inspire you then you're beyond lucky. I love my homies.

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OK folks, there you have it. Things that Kicking Bird think you should consider incorporating into your day/life. Before you log off and go hug a homie, make sure to follow Kicking Bird on the Facebook / Instagram and then also give ‘Talking to Girls (On the Internet)’ a listen below…

…and if you like what you’re hearing, go do some further kicking-bird-flavoured audio exploring over on the Bandcamp / Spotify.

Tracy Shedd / MoeSOS DC / Blab School live in concert at The Place

Wilmington, North Carolina / Saturday, July 15th / 7:00pm / $10.00

CLICK HERE FOR FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE

LET'S TUESDAY at Satellite Bar & Lounge

Join us at Satellite Bar & Lounge in Wilmington, North Carolina every Tuesday after work from 6:00-8:30pm as Fort Lowell Records hosts an evening filled with an eclectic mix of music deejayed by Tracy + James Tritten from their own person vinyl record collection, while patrons enjoy time with friends, a classic movie in the back courtyard, and dinner from Block Taco!

CLICK HERE FOR FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE

Kicking Bird - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

[Repost from I Don't Hear a Single; by Don Valentine, June 16, 2023]

There is a big apology to the excellent Fort Lowell Records label as I've had this for a while and been waiting for its release. But that coincided with a manic period here, but I note that some of our peers have thankfully covered it. 

Kicking Bird are a five piece from Wilmington North Carolina have fashioned up one a hell of a debut album. I suppose you would call this Indie Rock as a starting point, but the Pop content is high and the album is wonderfully Guitar driven.

With three vocalists, the scope to take the music into multi directions and the band do just that. Talking To Girls (On The Internet) is fabulous Garage Fuzz, all attitude, but Just To Be Here With You is splendid first half of the 60s Girl Pop enhanced by being rocked up part way through.

Yet, Names Are Changing is like a new generations' Cheap Trick and Stuck is great urgent Power Pop and 238 is CBGBs Guitar Pop at its very best. Impermanent Assistant is 80s New Wave Indie Guitar joy with a killer riff.

The riffs across the album are very Power Pop, even if the songs necessarily aren't. Talking To Ghosts edges towards Stadium Rock, big sounding and built around a weeping Guitar riff. Hickory River could be a torch song, if the awesome Guitar and keyboards would allow it. 

Rip Off is an epic closer, beautifully sung and phrased. Very 60s and another gobsmacking solo, this time all twang with a surprise addition at the end. The talent on show here is amazing. I remember a big argument with a label head a few years ago who said the Guitar was dead. Well chummy, it isn't and Kicking Bird are here to demonstrate why. What a magnificent album!

You can listen to and buy the album here.

LET'S DANCE at Palate Bottle Shop

Join us at Palate Bottle Shop in Wilmington, North Carolina on Saturday, June 24th from 7:00-10:00pm as Fort Lowell Records hosts a Vinyl DJ Night of dance-centric Alternative / Indie / Underground music deejayed by James Tritten!

CLICK HERE FOR FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE

Monsoon Twilight Amid a Wave of Destruction: Forest Fallows’s “Lightly Down”

[Repost from Bandcamp; by Nick Prevenas, Illustrations by Joey Yu, June 13, 2023]

Each year, just after the scalding convection oven summers of Tucson break, but before we drift into autumn—which is just “Summer Part 2” and, like most sequels, less intense—Tucson, AZ experiences an alternately gorgeous and terrifying series of rainstorms that soak the sandpapery Sonoran landscape. Monsoon season is responsible for the vast majority of Tucson’s annual precipitation, and the locals greet it with open arms, knowing that we will surely perish without it. We are running out of water. Monsoon season is essential to our survival.

Yet monsoon season is also an unpredictable destructive force that brings flash flooding, downed power lines, and inevitably dozens of stranded vehicles caught tempting fate near Tucson’s underpasses.

Monsoon season is simultaneously beautiful and humbling. It’s our annual reminder that we are all at the mercy of Mother Nature. She will save your life and tear it apart on a whim.

It took a band called Forest Fallows to accurately capture the essence of monsoon season.

Mike Barnett and Alex Morton formed Forest Fallows as a side band for songs that didn’t fit into their main projects. As of this writing, Barnett serves as the frontman for Mute Swan, one of Tucson’s most popular psychedelic-influenced bands that has more than a few songs that compare favorably to Tame Impala or King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Their Locals Only set was among the highlights of the Matt Milner-hosted era on KXCI, Tucson’s listener-supported radio station.

Mute Swan shares a certain haziness with Forest Fallows, but Barnett’s songcraft truly shines alongside Morton’s folkier/poppier sensibilities. It’s as if the wooziness of a Kurt Vile record was superimposed on top of Real Estate’s jangly hooks.

It’s the kind of record that could have sold a few thousand copies in an era when people still regularly purchased physical media. With the right record label and promotional push, Forest Fallows could have earned a respectable font size on several summer festival lineups. As it stands, it’s a low key gem that will surprise crate-digging freaks who find themselves in Tucson-area record shops such as Wooden Tooth or Old Paint with cash to burn and curiosity to quench.

It’s also a record that almost never saw the light of day.

After finishing the bulk of the recording, Barnett and Morton hooked up with Mike Dixon of People In A Position to Know (PIAPTK) and Joyful Noise Recordings. In addition to his endlessly inventive forays into lathe cutting that test the boundaries of what a record can actually look/sound like (he has released recorded music on slabs of chocolate and tortillas), Dixon always keeps his ear to the ground for interesting songs to share with his friends. His mixtapes and PIAPTK samples are required listening, and his partnerships with countless local artists have generated compelling music packaged in the strangest ways. A scene the size of Tucson’s needs a few enterprising, hard-working people to keep the lifeblood pumping. We’re lucky to have Mike.

As fate would have it, Dixon lived next door to Barnett and Morton when they were laying down the demos for what would become their debut record At Home. Dixon offered to hook them up with distribution through Joyful Noise and help press 350 hand-stamped records on “Comfort Lime”-colored vinyl.

I was lucky enough to hear the record before it went through test pressing hell. Initial pressings were rejected no less than four times before the recording was finally reproduced at the proper speed. The initial run of colored vinyl wasn’t right, either. Dixon went back and forth with a Dallas pressing plant that shall remain nameless, as it had neither the time nor the inclination to give this album the respect it deserved.

While At Home was floating in purgatory, my digital copy kept me company throughout the first half of 2015. Sam Fader, drummer for the late, lamented Wight Lhite, is Forest Fallows’s number one super fan; he told me that he was proud to live in a town and play in a scene that could produce a record like At Home. It’s a master class in how sequencing can enhance mood, as the fully-fleshed pop songs drift seamlessly into wordless instrumentals and back again into harmonies that could make one’s eyes well up involuntarily.

In June 2016, it appeared as if this record would finally exist in its physical form. No more test pressings. No more nightmarish phone calls with the pressing plant. No more problems. All that was left was some great music and green vinyl.

Monsoon season didn’t have any idea what Forest Fallows and Mike Dixon had gone through to make this record a reality. Monsoon season didn’t care about the year and a half of hassle and headache. Monsoon season just exists.

A summer storm hit PIAPTK’s headquarters—the “lathe cave”—with full force. A chunk of its roof became saturated and collapsed. Green vinyl, much like standard black vinyl, is vulnerable to overhead attacks from torrential rain and water-logged chunks of roofing. Only a handful of copies of the “Comfort Lime” survived. Tucson’s musical history is better for it.

Monsoons typically hit just before sundown during rush-hour traffic in order to wreak as much havoc as possible. It’s a calamitous cacophony of wind and water, swirling and slamming into sunbaked pavement. And just as quickly as it arrives, it fades into a gentle drizzle, almost as if it’s apologizing for breaking anything. When that drizzle coincides with a Sonoran sunset, I call it “monsoon twilight.” It’s the most beautiful thing in the world.

The next-to-last song on the vinyl edition of At Home is called “Lightly Down.” It’s the only song that sounds like monsoon twilight. These storms don’t end abruptly. They tail off. They let out a sigh of relief, almost to signify a sense of physical exhaustion after inflicting so much destruction—exactly like the opening vocal harmony on “Lightly Down.” After a few leftover sprinkles drop to the ground, the creosote bushes unleash their distinct after-rain smell, the clouds dissipate, and the remaining hour of sunlight slowly evaporates into a pink-and-purple sunset that hangs in the air like a painting. We all stop and stare, slack-jawed and awestruck. And then it’s gone. “Lightly Down,” with its gently ascending choruses and sparse arrangements, captures that beautiful stillness that exists between the storm and the darkness.

Everyone’s life has a small, scattered handful of perfect moments, when everything lines up as if it was part of a dream. Most of our lives are spent dodging the monsoon. It lets up often enough to deliver scattered moments of unshakable beauty. You just have to know when to look and when to listen.

[END FORM]

ADDITIONAL NOTE: Fort Lowell Records is excited to share with you that we will be releasing Forest Fallows' stunning sophomore album At Best.  Stay tuned here for more information to come!  For now, enjoy At Home: