Kicking Bird, live at Satellite Bar & Lounge; June 25, 2021

Tracy Shedd played a 'secret show' in Wilmington NC last night

If you knew, then you know... yesterday [Thursday, June 24th] local Wilmington NC record store -- The Fuzzy Needle -- hosted a super secret show for Fort Lowell Records' own Tracy Shedd.  She performed five songs on acoustic guitar: "Catching the Breeze", "Encourage Me", "Broken Arrows", "Tear it Up", and "Brighton".

Tracy Shedd, live at The Fuzzy Needle

6 super-fun things to do for Wilmington's first full weekend of summer

[Repost from StarNews Online; by John Staton, June 24, 2021]

Friday: Tracy Shedd and Kicking Bird

Presented by the vinyl and gift shop Modern Legend, it's a great double bill of music to get your weekend started.

The Wilmington-based singer, songwriter and Fort Lowell Records artist Tracy Shedd will be making her first local appearance since 2019 with this show. Shedd, whose career spans more than 20 years, is a master of deeply groovy indie pop that sounds supremely sweet yet often hints at darkness. Shedd's band will feature a special appearance by longtime Wilmington musician Brian Weeks (De La Noche, Summer Set) on keys.

Also on the bill is the Wilmington garage rock band Kicking Bird, which played an incendiary show outdoors at the Palate bar and restaurant back in April. Some songs have a grungy, girl-group vibe, while others are full-on rockers.

Both acts have songs on the Fort Lowell release "GROW: A Compilation in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter," which is a great collection of Wilmington acts past and present. Sales of the record benefit the North Carolina New Hanover County NAACP.

Details: 9 p.m. June 25 at Satellite Bar and Lounge, 120 Greenfield St., Wilmington.

Happy Birthday, Jessica Gelt of Wet & Reckless + Death Kit!

Neon Belly inaugural performance at The Opera Room in Wilmington NC; June 21, 2021

Neon Belly: [L/R] PMattitude, Derek Gude, Lacie Jay, and Kevin Earl

Tracy Shedd + Kicking Bird live in concert at Satellite!

One week from today (June 25th), Tracy Shedd + Kicking Bird will be playing live in concert at Satellite Bar & Lounge, and special guest -- Brian Weeks -- of De La Noche / Summer Set will be making an exclusive appearance on the Minimoog with Tracy Shedd. Show starts at 9:00pm. You won't want to miss it!

Photo by Jake Thomas

Soda Sun "Stay Here" [Digital Single], OUT NOW!

CLICK HERE to PRE-ORDER Soda Sun's debut album, Stay Here, and receive a copy of their forth single, "Stay Here".

Happy Birthday, Kelly Crisp of The Rosebuds!

Thank you, Kelly, for your contributions to and support of GROW: A Compilation in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter!

Happy Birthday, Kim Ware of the Good Graces!

[Attention all Sarah Records fans:] Fort Lowell Records is superduperexcited to share with you that on August 27th we will be releasing a brand new song titled "capital R" from North Carolina's own the Good Graces... moniker for our Birthday Girl, Kim Ware!  Let's wish Kim a Happy Birthday today, and stay tuned to hear her sweet new indie pop gem, fitting for a Summer release!

'GROW' Album Sales Provide Scholarships to New Hanover County Students

On October 30, 2020, Fort Lowell Records released the album GROW: A Compilation in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter as a fundraiser for the New Hanover County NAACP.  After only eight months of sales, a total of five students from the Cape Fear Region have been awarded scholarships, made possible from the sale of GROW.  Below is a picture of three of those students holding their checks issued to them on June 6, 2021.

On Saturday, June 19th, Fort Lowell Records will be hosting our Vinyl DJ Dance Night -- Let's Dance -- at Satellite Bar & Lounge in The South Front District of Wilmington NC, where will have GROW available for sale for $30.00.  To help raise more money for additional scholarships to be given to other students from within The Port City, both Satellite Bar & Lounge + The South Front District together will * MATCH * all $30.00 donations for GROW, ultimately providing the New Hanover County NAACP with $60.00 in total per record sold at Let's Dance that evening.

Join us at Let's Dance on Saturday, June 19th at Satellite Bar & Lounge!  Let's GROW!

Neon Belly (of GROW) live in concert at The Opera Room, June 21

Punk rockers -- Neon Belly -- who made their debut as part of the album GROW: A Compilation in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter are set to play their very first live concert at 6:00pm on Monday, June 21st at The Opera Room in Downtown Wilmington NC. In addition, Neon Belly drummer Derek Gude will be performing as Nice Derek (his solo project), plus Masked Manley + Cal Folger Day (both from Ireland) are also on the line-up!   You won't want to miss this show!

Music Video Premiere: Soda Sun “Blood”

[Repost from Music Defined; by Josh Terzino, June 2, 2021]

A happy belated birthday to Soda Sun’s John Goraj. The band have had a busy schedule ahead of the release of their debut album Stay Here (two singles are out in the world already, and today I’m sharing the third music video a couple days before it’s available to hear on their bandcamp page) so hopefully he got a couple days to relax and reflect on the passing of another year.

The video for “Blood” is a meditation on evolution and the effect humanity has had on the world. While we see animated clips of dinosaurs and computers, we also see the band evolve. First, they appear in a sun-drenched rehearsal room, with the walls so washed out by the light it looks like a shot from Jay Z’s “Big Pimpin'” video. By the end, Soda Sun is on a stage performing the song. The story reveals itself in such a short time that it’s worth watching the video a few times to catch all the little things that are happening.

Musically, Soda Sun has an interesting but not unfamiliar sound. Goraj has a history as a folksinger, and that comes out a lot in the first two singles. With “Blood” you can hear influences of surf rock, emo, and shoegaze. The song feels a bit like an experiment, with two very different halves put together. The first half is a little more laid back, while the second half amps it up with Goraj letting loose on the vocals and an explosion of guitar. The dynamic shows the bands ability to do different styles of music, and they execute both extremely well.

Stay Here is available to pre-order from Fort Lowell Records. The digital version will be released on July 2nd, with a vinyl release October 1st.

The Good Graces concert announcement

Atlanta, Georgia... The Good Graces will be performing in concert at The Earl on Saturday, August 28th with The Preakness + Ben Trickey [full band]!  Don't miss it!

Fort Lowell Records · the Good Graces "Standing in Line"

Soda Sun "Blood" [Digital Single], OUT NOW!

CLICK HERE to PRE-ORDER Soda Sun's debut album, Stay Here, and receive a copy of their third single, "Blood".

Happy Birthday, John Goraj of Soda Sun!

Happy Birthday, Sean Thomas Gerard!

Video Premiere: “Hildegard” by Soda Sun

[Repost from Independent Clauses; by Lisa Whealy, May 18, 2021]

Tucson, Arizona’s Soda Sun finds a way into our emotions with this visual gem for the single “Hildegaard” off of Stay Here. This latest, via Fort Lowell Records, marks a new start for Los Angeles transplant John Goraj.

Hopeful, searching, authentic, guitar-driven simplicity best describes this cut. This subtle bit of brilliance offers a taste of what’s to come, while longing for the past. Mixing by Larry Crane (Sleater-Kinney, She & Him, Elliott Smith) helps shape nuanced, sonically restrained excellence here. Soda Sun’s lilting acoustic rock melody is the perfect accompaniment for visuals from an early 1960’s Miss Polish America, sourced from the Prelinger Archives. Both the audio and visual art has the opportunity to shine. 

After this long, strange year, bands like Soda Sun remind us of all the talent that has been laying in wait. Check out more from Soda Sun on social media at Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, and Spotify. 

Let's Dance / James Tritten Birthday Celebration at The Opera Room, Sunday June 6th

Fort Lowell Records + The Fuzzy Needle presents: Let's Dance -- an Indie / Alterntive / Underground Vinyl DJ Night -- at The Opera Room in Wilmington, North Carolina -- Sunday, June 6th, 8:00-11:00pm.  Come celebrate the founder of Fort Lowell Records and resident Let's Dance DJ -- James Tritten's -- birthday with us!  In addition, The Fuzzy Needle will have their vinyl record store pop-up set-up, so come dance to and purchase some vinyl records!

Happy Birthday, John Vanderslice -- contributing artist to 'Luz de Vida' [October 18, 2011]

CLICK HERE to PURCHASE LUZ DE VIDA: A Compilation to Benefit the Victims of the Tucson Tragedy.  100% of all sales are donated to Homicide Survivors, Inc..

Soda Sun "Hildegard" [Digital Single], OUT NOW!

CLICK HERE to PRE-ORDER Soda Sun's debut album, Stay Here, and receive a copy of their second single, "Hildegard".