I KNOW A DRUMMER

For anyone in Tucson AZ that wants to start a band or become a DJ, we've got some news for you. Over at St. Vincent's thrift store on Stone, they have this great old Numark DJ mixer with wood panels on the sides for $55. You should pick it up so you can mix between Fort Lowell Records 7inchers while you are spinning for your friends. Or, if you've always wanted to start a band so you could become the next Fort Lowell Records artist, the Goodwill on 4th Avenue has this great Casiotone CT-6000 for $30. It has a rad drum machine built in and a sweet pitch wheel. You could totally be a one-man-band with that keyboard.

The Goodwill also had a great Imperial suitcase record player, but there was no needle. If it had one, that would have been ours.

Anyhoo, enjoy.
FLR

YESTERDAY WAS AN EPIC DAY! (AND DAMN-IT, WE'VE GOT THE PHOTOS TO PROVE IT)

Thank you to everyone who made Friday, April 22nd, the most special day in our one year existence!  It truly was an epic day, beginning with a quick visit with Jason Repko at the KXCI 91.3 studio.  Dan Sheffer from local television station Tucson-12 stop by as well to see what was going on.  Tucson-12 will be putting together a feature on Fort Lowell Records to air at a later date.

As the afternoon rolled into the evening, Allie Baron (AKA: The Vinyl Baron) kicked off the party at Hotel Congress on the patio, while inside Dead Western Plains was getting set up to blow our minds (once again).

Zach Toporek was first on stage outside on the patio, starting the night with a solo set, and then joined by his band Young Mothers.

Our host, Zachary Elias Clark from KAMP Student Radio, welcomed the ladies from Los Angeles CA, Wet & Reckless, to the stage following Young Mothers.   Again, Dan Sheffer from Tucson-12 was on hand to capture the greatness happening at Hotel Congress. 

Inside Club Congress, our favorite DJ from KXCI 91.3, Jaime J, was getting the crowd warmed up with his sweet jams, followed by a mind-blowing performance by Dead Western Plains (AKA: The Men in White).  Notice: even Dead Western Plains' drums were dressed in white!

Tracy Shedd kept the music flowin' outside on the patio immediately following Dead Western Plains; playing a few guitar gems, followed by her lovely work on piano.  Did anyone else catch her cover on The Magnetic Fields' "Candy," or her rockin' poppin' cover of our own Death Kit's "I Can Make You Love Me?"  No?  Your loss man, they were both rad! 

Speaking of Death Kit... holy jeeze!  They killed it inside Club Congress!  Believe it or not, we had never actually seen Death Kit live before, so we were just as curious as anyone else.  But seriously, Death Kit was amazing!  We are so happy both Death Kit and Wet & Reckless were able to drive out from Los Angeles CA to join us for this special event. 

If you did catch Death Kit's performance inside Club Congress, you just might have missed a very special guest that just happened to stop by Hotel Congress for the celebrations... Howe Gelb!  Due to Howe's busy touring schedule, we were not 100% sure he would be able to make it out, but very happy to have received a text from him at about 10:30pm saying "Just pulled up."  For those of you that did catch Howe Gelb's performance, I am sure you will agree that it was quite a treat! 

Jaime J delivered a very special performance as well inside Club Congress just before ...music video? wrapped the night up (as well as before Death Kit earlier in the night).  He is not only an amazing DJ with an excellent taste in music, but he's a great performer who knows how to get the party started!  ...music video? followed with another amazing set showing us that electronic music does have a heart and soul, and can be a lot of fun to watch being performed live.  Our favorite is when they perform "I'm Afraid of Everything," their song from their Fort Lowell Records 7inch.  (Sorry, we totally forgot to take a photo of ...music video? from the show last night, so Paul sent us this one from their CD Release Party at Plush from a few weeks ago.)

Lastly, we've have to take a moment to say "Thank You" to all of the great folks at Hotel Congress and Club Congress: David Slutes, Dan Hernandez, Dana Fehr, Zack (sound engineer for the patio), Elizabeth (the manager who took care of us all night), and Larry and the roller derby lady (the bartenders that kept the drink flowin' all night)!  You all rock, and we love you all!

Thank you Tucson!
Thank you everyone!
~ Fort Lowell Records

TONIGHT IS GOING TO BE... (HOW DO THE KIDS SAY IT THESE DAYS?) "EPIC!"

We hope you are all able to make it out to Hotel Congress in Tucson AZ for our Fort Lowell Records Showcase tonight!  It is going to be an awesome party!  All of the bands from our first year of records are coming together to say 'Thanks' to all of you for the support you have shown this past year!  Tonight's show is a FREE event for you, so come on out and have some fun!  You did not hear this here, but there may even be a surprise guest!

OUTSIDE STAGE (Patio):
6:00p - DJ Set w/ The Vinyl Baron + Dan Shapiro
8:00p - YOUNG MOTHERS
8:45p - DJ Set w/ The Vinyl Baron + Dan Shapiro
9:15p - WET & RECKLESS
10:00p - DJ Set w/ The Vinyl Baron + Dan Shapiro
10:45p - TRACY SHEDD
11:15p - DJ Set w/ The Vinyl Baron + Dan Shapiro

INDOOR STAGE:
9:00p - DJ Set w/ Jaime J
10:00p - DEAD WESTERN PLAINS
10:45p - DJ Set w/ Jaime J + Live Performance
11:15p - DEATH KIT
12:00a - DJ Set w/ Jaime J + Live Performance
12:30a - ...MUSIC VIDEO?

[Click here for the Facebook Event Page] 

In addition to all of the great music and celebration, we are extremely excited to debut the very first Fort Lowell Records TShirt!  We will have them on sale for $20.00 each in boys and girls sizes, printed on Alternative Apparel shirts!



Thank you again for all the support during our first year! Tonight is going to be a lot of fun, and we are looking forward to celebrating with you! Stop by Hotel Congress any time during the night to see your favorite band, or just come hang out and listen to the amazing DJs! Don't forget to order one of our favorite drinks from the bar... either the "Dead Western Plain" or a "Seven & Seven!"

See you tonight!
~ Fort Lowell Records

HAPPY RECORD STORE DAY!

We've been waiting for this day for the past year.  It was exactly this day last year, Record Store Day 2010, that we celebrated our official first release for Young Mothers with a showcase at Zia Records Speedway in Tucson AZ; including Young Mothers, ...music video?, and Tracy Shedd.  Today is Record Store Day 2011, and we will be back at Zia Records celebrating our sixth release, this time for Howe Gelb.  Tracy Shedd will be joining Howe Gelb at Zia Records Speedway to ring in Record Store Day 2011.  Howe Gelb's 7inch is an official sponsored release with Record Store Day, which means it is also available across the world for everyone to enjoy.

If your local record store did not receive Howe Gelb's 7inch for Record Store Day, don't fret... have them contact the Record Store Day distributors, Alliance and Super-D, and they should be able to get a copy for you even after Record Store Day.  And within the coming weeks, we will also put up a link to purchase Howe Gelb's 7inch direct from us.

If you at Coachella this weekend and unable to make it to a record store to celebrate Record Store Day, we've got you covered there as well... Zia Records is hosting a pop-up record store tent in the desert at the festival and they have all Fort Lowell Records 7inches, including Howe Gelb's Record Store Day release.  In addition to that, all Zia Records have signed copies of Howe Gelb's 7inch record... only Zia Records.

We look forward to seeing you today at Zia Records Speedway!
Thank you for all of the support!


~ Fort Lowell Records

ALL OF A SUDDEN, KICKFLIP IS NOW SCARED OF THE SOCKS!

If you have not noticed, we are über-duber excited about our sixth release, which is to be release very soon... Howe Gelb - 'Sno Angel + Melted Wires 7inch, an official Record Store Day release for 2011! To help celebrate this release, The Vinyl District and Zia Records are both hosting two separate contests online for you to enter to win a signed copy of Howe Gelb's 7inch! Here is the skinny for both contests...

THE VINYL DISTRICT
The contest that The Vinyl District is about to end, so sorry for the late post of this, but it is definitely well worth the effort to jump on this one as soon as possible. The Vinyl District is offering a signed copy of a test press record; signed by Howe Gelb and John Convertino.  They have actually signed the label on the vinyl itself, and Howe has drawn a wonderful lil' picture for you on the other side.

The first thing to understand is the significance of the test press record. When we are in the process of making a record, the manufacturer sends us four copies of the record called "test pressings." These test pressings are used by our Executive Team to make sure that the record is good to go for mass production. In this case, Howe Gelb's test pressings were perfect, so we approved the test pressings and continued forward with manufacturing the final product for all of you. One special thing about the test pressings is that they are always on black vinyl. Being that all of our releases come on colored vinyl, our test pressings are the only copies available on black vinyl, making them über-rare.  One copy is kept in the Fort Lowell Records Vault, manned by a personal security guard twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.  Two copies of the test pressing are given to the artist.  Finally, the forth copy is typically given away for promotion purposes, such as this contest.

The Vinyl District has made it very easy for you to enter their contest... you simply need to post a comment on their page about the contest HERE.  Just tell them why you feel you deserve to own the signed test pressing from Howe Gelb.  They are going to post the winner very soon, so act now.  Again, we apologize for the late notice on this one.  Good luck!

ZIA RECORDS
To start, we just have to say "Thank You" to Zia Records.  They have been very supportive of our label for the first year of our existence, and we really appreciate everything they do.  So, speaking of what they do... Zia Records has a contest going to win a signed copy of Howe Gelb's record as well.  Their signed copy is not for the test pressing, but for the actual release on blue vinyl.  For Zia, the record has been signed on the cover by Howe Gelb.  The advantage, we've actually got a few copies of these available for Zia Records.  I believe they are going to be giving them out by the regions in which they cover: Tucson, Phoenix, and Las Vegas.

To enter Zia Records' contest, you simply need to send them an EMAIL with all of your contact information: Name, Address, and Phone Number... and be sure to put "GELB ZIA" in the title of your email.  Their contest ends April 11th, so don't wait too too long to send your EMAIL in to Zia Records.

Now, the cool thing about Zia Records is that not only are they offering you an opportunity to win a signed copy of Howe Gelb's 7inch for free... but for those of you that don't "win" a "free" copy, Zia Records will also have signed copies of Howe Gelb's 7inch available for sale on Record Store Day, April 16th, at all locations!  Yup!  So... send an EMAIL to Zia Records first to try and get a copy for free.  Then, if unfortunately if you don't win, just stop by your local Zia Records on April 16th, Record Store Day, to pick up a copy of Howe Gelb's 7inch!

As far as Kickflip is concerned... she used to be a freak with socks!  She loved playing with them; jumping into mounds of them and tearing them apart.  But for some reason, now she is freaked out by them.  We had a pile of them lingering around our corporate offices (don't ask), so we dump them on top of her and she jumped nearly three feet in the air backwards and now won't go near them.  What gives?

Good luck with the contests!
- Fort Lowell Records

CONCERT POSTERS FOR UPCOMING SHOWS!

WIN A SIGNED HOWE GELB 7INCH!

TRACY SHEDD LIVE PHOTOGRAPHS

Thanks to our dear friend Lisa MacInnes Healey from GroovyStylie! for these wonderful photographs of Tracy Shedd & Co. performing live at Club Congress in Tucson AZ!

PHOENIX, WE'RE COMIN' YOUR WAY!

This Sunday, Feb 20th, Fort Lowell Records will be exhibiting at the Nile Record Fair in Mesa, AZ, from 12p-6p!  We will have all five of our beautiful 7inch records available for you to purchase, including the new Death Kit 7inch that comes out next week!  Stop by to support your local Arizona music scene and get some new sweet tunes for the family!

'DEM WET & RECKLESS GIRLZ GOT BALLZ!

Our fab four female friends from Los Angeles CA, Wet & Reckless, stopped by the DTLA Live studios to bring you their latest single "Latered." Check it out here... the song freakin' RAWKZ! Go ladies! Go ladies! Don't forget to order their 7inch record direct from our site... "to the right, to the right!"

DEATH KIT DONE ACOUSTIC!

Back in August 2010, Death Kit hooked up with Gorillacoustic for an acoustic performance of "Devadasi," the song they just released with our lil' ol' label on creamy 7inch vinyl! Check it out, and read their interview below! Then pre-order their 7inch directly with us--->>>


DEATH KIT "DEVADASI" from Gorillacoustic.com on Vimeo.

INTERVIEW FROM GORILLACOUSTIC w/ DEATH KIT:

Most people assume that since I run a site that focuses on acoustic performances, that I must be a fan of acoustic music. And I am… to a certain extent. But it’s not what why I started this site. See, my theory has always been that a good musician is a good musician no matter what the musical delivery method. This focus on acoustic performances is just a fun way to test that theory... A test to see if when you strip all the technology away, the emperor still has his clothes, so to speak. This week’s featured artist, Death Kit, passed the test with flying colors.

To be honest, when I initially approached Death Kit, it was with a wee bit apprehension. While I quite enjoyed their music, it was seeped in electronica which could be rather difficult to translate if they happened to rely too heavily on it create their sound. So I was more than pleasantly surprised when we hit the location and they effortlessly turned out this wholly acoustic number… and so was everyone else heading home that particular evening.

Watching the video, you can definitely tell there was a bit of skepticism and nervous laughter when we first boarded. Just watch the woman in the corner between singer August Brown and bassist Cove Gelt… You can see her actually cover her face, bracing for the worst. But as soon as August opens his mouth, everyone’s focus immediately shifts to the band. And, by the 1:25 mark, that woman in the corner is completely into it too, bobbing her head along to the music.

GORILLACOUSTIC: What does the world need to know about Death Kit?

AUGUST BROWN: That we love you terribly and promise to call more.

GA: Your output is fairly electronic in nature, yet you easily broke out this acoustic number for the shoot. Does your writing process generally start more acoustically or does it just depend on what you have at hand when inspiration strikes?

AB: Death Kit started as a wholly laptop-based project that I wasn’t even producing for – a friend helmed most of the programming on an early e.p. that we did in our bedrooms with barely any organic instrumentation. But I’ve always been hugely bored with most live electronica, and really wanted a band to build out performances and give people something to watch. I like the idea of not really revealing what sound is coming from where onstage while still being really physical and tactile as a live act. So once I took over production duties, I made a point of writing loops and melodies and structures and kind of stopping halfway through the arrangement process, to let Terry and Cove and Chad finish the songs off. They’re all such impossibly creative and fantastic players, and now that the lineup is settled it’s getting way more egalitarian in writing arrangements and we’re switching instruments more often, so we’re feeling more familiar with the “songs” instead of just “parts” and can translate that to different settings as needed.

GA: Why did you choose to perform on a train?

AB: Chad thought of it, but it was apropos. I’m kind of riveted by public transit; that grand Metro route schematic for LA county that you see at bus stops can hypnotize me for hours. This is such a stoner musing, but absorbing the sheer scope of all the different places you can go from any given point on that grid just kind of amazes me. And most of the techno I’m listening to now, like Basic Channel and Gas, is kind of made for night bus rides coming down from a long night out. There’s something so sweet and kind of celestial about being surrounded by mute strangers in terrible fluorescent light. I ride the Gold Line recreationally, it still has a bit of the ghost of the Red Cars about it, and I can’t help but pine for what Los Angeles could have been if those weren’t torn out.

In a different life where I could perform simple math or draw a straight line to save my life, I’d love to be a city planner. I kind of look at writing music as solving a similar structural problem -- there’s an end goal of creating a particular emotional world, and you try to make as many right decisions as you can to get close to that ideal.

GA: What’s in your death kit?

AB: Scotch.

GA: What other local artists (besides yourselves of course) should people be checking out?

AB: Well, Wet & Reckless and Emperor X are just movements unto themselves, and it would behoove all of you to go shovel money at them and cook elaborate vegan meals in alms to their artistic benevolence.

Gorillacousticers probably don’t need me to tell them this, but Health is the best band in L.A., it’s not even a contest anymore. But beyond that, Infinite Body is composing some crushing, heartbreaking ambient pieces, and the Franks are just pure pop whiplash. Our friend Ferraby Lionheart has a really winsome new record too.

GA: If you could do another gorillacoustic performance anywhere else in the world, where would you do it?

AB: Probably inside the wooden stilt house on an island off the west coast of Thailand where I had the loveliest week of my life. In all likelihood it washed away in the tsunami, but I have to believe it’s still there.

GA: Better straight to SyFy "on a Train" movie: "Snakes on a Train", "Zombies on a Train" or "Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus on a Train"?

AB: I don’t know, you can’t really top “Under Seige 2:Dark Territory” for riveting train-centric cinema.

www.deathkitmusic.com
www.myspace.com/deathkit
www.facebook.com/deathkit

HOWE GELB 7INCH RELEASE FOR RECORD STORE DAY!

We are extremely excited to annouce that our next 7inch record to be released will be with Howe Gelb [FLR006]! We are going to feature two of his projects: 'Sno Angel on Side-A and Melted Wires on Side-B! "Spiral" will be the 'Sno Angel song, which is a live version with the Voices Of Praise Gospel Choir. "Cordoba in Slow Motion" will be the Melted Wires song, which is a collaboration between Giant Sand and Calexico, and has not been release yet.  Frankly, we feel "Cordoba in Slow Motion" is the best track from the Melted Wires session, and can't wait for you all to hear it!

Howe Gelb's 7inch record is also going to be an official release with Record Store Day, Saturday, April 16th!  Stay tuned for more information! This is an very special record and is sure to sell out fast!

FREE DEATH KIT POSTER!

The first 20 pre-orders for Death Kit's new 7inch record receive this limited edition poster for free! Pre-order today directly from us by clicking "Add to Cart" on the right column--->

INDIE-POP QUEEN TRACY SHEDD ROCKS THE CAKE WORLD

Dry River Company features these beautiful tasty delights made by our very own Tracy Shedd! Not only is she rockin' the indie-pop world with her latest single "Tear It Up" released on her split 7inch single with Wet & Reckless, but now she's rockin' the cake world here in Tucson AZ! The coffee / pizza house, Dry River Company, on the east side of town that has been generating quite the buzz is now featuring Tracy Shedd's decadent cakes! Stop by to taste for yourself... 800 North Kolb Road.

ONE OF THE BEST SONGS EVER WRITTEN: LOW "SHAME"

HOWE GELB - "SPIRAL"

This one is for you, Tucson.

ANDREW COLLBERG SAVED MY LIFE

Monday, January 10, 2011 will always be remembered as 'The Day My Dual Died.'   My pops, Jim Tritten (yep, I'm a Junior, people!) had given me his Dual turntable from the 1970's (model 1257 for all of you techies out there) a few years back (possibly the greatest gift of a lifetime). Unfortunately, this past Monday, that Dual 1257 stopped working.  She provided an amazing listening experience, one that was well suited for approving all test pressings for Fort Lowell Records. We appreciate all the Dual did for us during our inaugural year, and will miss her dearly as Fort Lowell Records grows forward.  Rest in peace, Dual 1257.

The passing on of our Dual 1257 this week was especially hard for us because we are expecting to receive Death Kit's 7inch records in the mail, and in the coming weeks we should be working toward our test pressing for FLR006... both very important events for our lil' ol' label, that would require support of a turntable (and a good one at that) to enjoy. Fortunately for us, Tucson's own Andrew Collberg (an great musician / songwriter that you should become familiar with) came to the rescue!  He just so happened to have a Dual turntable, that his own father had passed on to him, available for us to borrow until we are able to replace our turntable.  The timing could not be more perfect!  Below is a photograph of Andrew's Dual, spinning his own 12inch On The Wreath [Le Pop Music].

While we save our pennies to purchase a Pro-Ject turntable, what will become the official listening station for all future Fort Lowell Records test pressings (and what has been a dream turntable for us for a number of years; since like 1992), we will proudly (and thankfully) enjoying testing our vinyl with Mr. Collberg's Dual turntable, and enjoying his record On The Wreath as well!

Thank you Andrew!
- James Tritten, Fort Lowell Records

RESPECT FOR A MOMENT OF SILENCE

I would like to personally thank Jimmy Cracovaner of Fire City Music for sharing a moment of silence with me this morning at 9:00am, to pay respect to the victims from the tragic events of this past weekend. We were in the middle of a business meeting discussing the amazing community of Tucson, AZ and all of it's wonderful musicians, and how our companies could partner together to foster more growth and opportunities for Tucson musicians. This is an awesome city full of beautiful people! We love you Tucson!

- James Tritten, Fort Lowell Records

OUR HEARTS GO OUT TO THE VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES FROM TODAY'S TRAGIC EVENTS

Young Mothers with Congresswoman Giffords, Saturday, April 17, 2010, Earth Day

THANKS ZOCALO MAGAZINE FOR THE GREAT ARTICLE!

We love the analog (print) version of this article!