GTG Records Newsletter # 49: I’m Not Too Proud of that Time In My Imaginary Life
This is an e-mail, from Tommy Plural, to you! It’s about what’s going on with GTG Records bands in January 2015. 2015?!?!?..
.
I don’t mean to alarm anyone, but in less than 48 hours it’s not going to be 2014 anymore. I’m serious, it’s been nearly 364 daylight-to-nighttime cycles since we all agreed to follow this arbitrary construct that is “time.” And what a time it was!
GTG Records put out releases by Hunky Newcomers, The Plurals, Black Sparrow Press, Cave Needles, Frank and Earnest, the Fiction Junkies, the Break-Ups and a couple compilations in 2014! There’s a
youtube playlist thing here that gives you a little bit of a taste of what we did. Good times…
And we’re starting 2015 with a
new album called 33 on 45 by Honah Lee!! Yes, that’s right, Honah Lee, the Trenton, NJ rock and roll machine (that gave you
12 music videos, one a month, in 2014!!) has at least, I mean, at last finished their newest full-length release and
it will be available on iTunes on January 1st, with the LP release slated for late February!
This is a great record, I’ve been living with it for a few months myself and I can’t wait for the rest of the world to hear it. So grab a download if you’re like me and can’t wait, and then get ready to have this thing on your turntable in a few weeks. As one of the people who helped enable these boys to have their first vinyl release, it gives me much joy to remember them screaming at each other like little girls (no offense to little girls) while we tried to listen to the test pressing on some terrible turntable while everyone was hammered, on tour in Kentucky last month. What a time…
This month will also mark the debut of a
new web series called GTG Sessions. This is a new project being produced by original GTG dude Timmy Rodriguez that’s going to feature a new video every month of a band performing a mini-live set in the GTG House show/ rehearsal space.
The Fiction Junkies performed the debut set for this series which is scheduled to be posted on the
15th of January. Stay tuned to
gtgrecords.net for that sucker, and if you’re on facebook and stuff Josh David will be bothering you about it so there’s no way you won’t know it’s up. In du(d)e time…
Honestly, it appears we all are pretty wiped out from the year because there’s not a lot of action on the live show front this month.
The Plurals are playing at The Avenue Cafe for New Year’s Eve tomorrow night but aside from that we’re working on putting the final touches on a
southeast tour in February and aren’t playing otherwise between now and then. We’ve had a busy year though (with an even busier one coming up) –
we put out the Chazzwazzers EP earlier in December, remember!! – and we had the pleasure of 3 different compilations we contributed to all coming out within 24 hours earlier in December.
Solidarity Mixtape features The Plurals song “Poseurs” (from the upcoming new album) as well as
Honah Lee’s “Hey Angel” (you better believe from their upcoming new album), and was
put together by our friends Trophy Lungs to benefit Black Lives Matter. The comp also features music from 42 other great bands including Drones, Two Houses, Wringer, Fake Boys, Worship This, Banquets and so many more. Another comp that came out is
Todd Is My Co-Pilot, a Dirt Cult Records tribute to Toys That Kill/ Recess Records etc mastermind Todd Congelliere and it features The Plurals covering a song by Stoned At Heart. This comp will have a vinyl release eventually, and it definitely should because the killer lineup also includes Mike Watt and the Secondmen, Iron Chic, Low Culture, Sundowners and 7 more killer (I need new adjectives, get at me!) bands. So plenty of stuff to listen to in the lull between live shows. But if live shows are your bag (and they certainly are mine,
yeeaah baby yeah), these couple of things are happening… all at the Avenue Cafe in Lansing, MI for some reason… if you’ve got the time….
12/31/2014 – The Plurals @ The Avenue Cafe w/ People’s Temple, Devil’s Cut
1/23/2015 – The Break-Ups @ The Avenue Cafe w/ Molly Rhythm
1/31/2015 – Frank and Earnest @ The Avenue Cafe w/ Lovey Dovey, Jackpine Snag (Greater Lansing Food Bank Benefit)
Hunky Newcomers will be touring in March, so don’t think you’ve seen the last of them. The Hat Madder have an archival live EP coming out fairly soon as well, which features the 2008 version of the band performing a live set in Paris at a Harley Davidson festival of some kind, interestingly enough. I’ve heard the rough mixes and it’s definitely something cool to check out while the guys are working on their next studio recordings. I also ran into Stargrazer the other day and he said he’s still working on stuff too, so that’s cool. These things take time…
And hey, remember how I said The Plurals had 3 comps come out but I only mentioned two? Well, that was very astute of you, and I will now explain:
Snohawk 2014 came out last week!! The annual soundtrack (the 9th annual!!) to the holidays from your friends at GTG and Bermuda Mohawk! Features exclusive new jams from
Honah Lee, The Plurals, Cavalcade, Lovey Dovey, Geistlos, Barren Marys, Hunky Newcomers, Sleeping Timmy, and
Bluffing the Ghosts, as well as one-off future holiday standards from studio projects Neon Tuesday, Blackhole Fun, Dem Owl House Boys, Iron Christmas and more! Holiday parties ain’t over yet! If it’s not the most wonderful time of the year it sure is a time…
Time, time, time,
Tommy Plural
GTG Records Newsletter # 50: Keep ’em Comin’, Gleep Glop!
Hey! This is Tommy Plural, semi-snowed in in Lansing, MI with a monthly news update about
GTG Records. This is the 50th newsletter! Wow, I wish there was some way of saying how long I’ve been doing this but until technology catches up we’ll just have to guess. Ten years? Who knows! I was initially planning on this being a “filler” 50th episode where I pretend something new and relevant is happening but instead it’s just a bunch of “clever” throwbacks to previous newsletters (i.e. “so I went out to get the mail and was thinking about something happening and WOAH a flyer for the Hat Madder at basement 414 came flying at me on the wind; I wonder what life was like back in 2011…2011… 2011….”) but it turns out there’s a bunch of stuff going on and I’ve gotta strike while the iron’s hot, as I’m sure my alotted 60 seconds of your attention span is nearly gone…. in 60 seconds…. eh.
The release party for Honah Lee’s new LP 33 On 45 is February 28th at Asbury Lanes! Yes indeed, the LP that nearly killed Honah Lee (well, it did kill some of them, hence them being down to a four piece these days) is going to see the harsh daylight of reality with a blowout show at the end of the month at one of my personal favorite venues in the US of A, Asbury Park, NJ’s illustrious Asbury Lanes. The album
is available on itunes and Amazon (all the info you need is
here!) but a record ain’t real til its really real! Thanks to the digital release and some promo junk we have gotten some positive words on the record though:
“You can hear a strong affinity for caterwauling Nineties acts from the Lemonheads to Superchunk, guitar solos that fly in the face of millennial conformity, and a rhythm section that sounds like it’s a six-pack away from a head-on collision with an 18 wheeler.” –
Jim Testa, Jersey Beat
“Honah Lee certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but rolls on confidently as if they had. Wielding just the right mix of catchy hooks and hard hitting guitar, these snarky Trenton boys prove that they are the real deal.” – Cole Faulkner, ThePunkSite.com
“With the energy of a young punk rock band and the melodic sensibilities of Weezer, these guys make sure 33 On 45 is a fun album that clocks in at just under half an hour and one that doesn’t wear out its welcome.” – Thomas, PunkRockTheory.com
Wow, sounds like this might be the best record since
Tattoo You! The release party will indeed be a party, as Honah Lee will be joined by
Mikey Erg, Mad Anthony, Hot Blood, Molly Rhythm, Doug from the Vansaders, and Tommy Plural – that’s me! They’re billing me as the “masters of ceremonies” and I’m sure I’ll say some shit but really I’m going to play music. I think that was their way of sneaking me onto the bill, or maybe they don’t want me to play, but if I’m driving to New Jersey with a van full of records I’m going to play some songs. I wonder if they’ll read this? Hey guys! Looking forward to that show!
Here’s the facebook event for the show.
But before all of this, I will be touring with my personality-defining-whole-that-is-greater-than-its-sum band The Plurals! We’re doing a run down to Florida and back, hitting up the friends we made last time and making new ones we really desperately hope to hell. We released a new EP in December, a 7-inch a year ago, and we have an album scheduled for spring release, so we got plenty of tunes to rage on the stage.
The Plurals tour dates:
2/6 – Ft. Wayne, IN @ Skeletunes lounge
2/7 – Murfreesboro, TN @ House Show
2/8 – Savannah, GA @ The Foundery w/ Jeff Two-Names and the Born Agains
2/9 – Jacksonville, FL @ Shantytown Pub w/ Electric Water, Smile 4
2/10 – Orlando, FL @ Uncle Lou’s Entertainment Hall
2/11 – Atlanta, GA @ 529 w/ Landmines, Blue Tower
2/12 – Chattanooga, TN @ sluggo’s north vegetarian cafe
2/13 – Lexington, KY @ Green Lantern
2/14 – Dayton, OH @ South Park Tavern
2/6 – Narc Out the Reds @ Mac’s Bar (Lansing, MI) w/ Mad Moon
2/7 – The Fiction Junkies @ The Avenue Cafe (Lansing) w/ Squirrel Shaped Fish
2/13 – The Hat Madder @ The Avenue Cafe w/ Choke Chains, Smashing Blumkins
2/28 – GTG House Show w/ The Fiction Junkies, Cat Midway, Lovey Dovey, and The Free Life
2/28 – HONAH LEE RECORD RELEASE @ ASBURY LANES (Asbury Park, NJ)
w/ Mikey Erg, Mad Anthony, Molly Rhythm, Hot Blood, Doug Zambon and
Tommy PluralTHIS SHOW IS SO IMPORTANT I’M BRINGING IT UP TWICE
As always, stay tuned to individual band pages and the GTG site and such… things always pop up in the middle of the month (for example, The Hunky Newcomers tour that starts on the 26th of February, I think) and we can’t have y’all missing out! Now I’m gonna get ready for that torturous trek to the southeast, as soon as the rescue teams discover that there is a shack in this remote location that is covered with 20 feet of snow. They know I’m here right?
TOMMYPLURAL
GTG Records Newsletter # 51: Megaphone Crooners
Happy… (frantically looks to see what day it is)… 3rd of March! Tommy Plural from GTG Records and The Plurals here with some worldwide breaking news!
Honah Lee’s new record is out!! We had a big release party in Asbury Park over the weekend; I was there, you might have been there, you should have been there, a lot of people were there.
This guy chose to go to the show instead of Bush. Wow! Anyway, the record is great, the show was a smashing success and this all means that the record is finally available.
Order one here! Honah Lee will be doing some east coast touring in the spring with more extensive dates to follow later in the year!
On the topic of ordering things and not being on tour right now, the Plurals are offering a deal on a merch bundle while supplies last. We’re trying to get rid of most of our merch to help pay for our next record and also to be able to order all brand new merch before we start touring more in the summer. $20 for a shirt, CD, sticker, and button, including shipping.Check it out here to order one!
On the topic of actually being on tour… well, that’s not really what the topic has been, I guess I’m grabbing a random thread of conversation and spinnin’ a yarn out of it. Watch out!The Hunky Newcomers ARE on tour right now:
3/3 – Cincinnati OH @ Rake’s End
3/4 – Columbus OH @ Ace of Cups
3/6 – Louisville, KY @ Mag House
3/7 – Memphis, TN @ Dog Haus
3/8 – Murfreesboro TN @ Monster Ranch
3/11 – Gainesville FL @ The Motor Room
3/12 – Orlando FL @ Uncle Lou’s
3/13 – Jacksonville FL @ Shantytown Pub
3/14 – Savannah GA @ Graveface Records
3/15 – Atlanta GA @ House show
3/16 – Charleston SC @ The Tin Roof
3/18 – Athens GA @ Caledonia Lounge
3/20 – Trenton NJ @ Mill Hill Basement
3/21 – Morgantown WV @ 123 Pleasant Street
3/22 – Cleveland OH @ Now That’s Class
3/24 – Lansing MI @ Mac’s Bar
Having basically done this exact same tour with The Plurals recently, I can, for once, with confidence, vouch that these are cool places and that any and all folks in the areas should stop on out. Or road trip! DO IT!! There’s some holes in the listed dates above so check out things
here for updates.
On the topic of things to keep an eye on,
GTG Sessions is a thing! The still-new ongoing web series featuring 15 minute sets of artists playing a special live in-studio session at GTG House has now featured two episodes, with the most recent being
Frank and Earnest. Check it out here! We’ll be back with a new episode on the 15th of this month featuring Isaac Richmond Vander Schuur from the Hat Madder.
What else is going on… this stuff!
3/3 – Honah Lee @ Milk Boy (Philadelphia, PA) w/ Two Cow Garage
3/11 – Hat Madder, Tommy Plural @ Mystery Garage (Lansing) w/ When Particles Collide
3/13 – City Mouse @ GTG House (Lansing) w/ Two Houses, Smashing Blumkins
3/28 – GTG House Show w/ Fisherking, Bike Tuff
3/29 – Trenton Punk Rock Flea Market (Trenton, NJ) – get that Honah Lee merch!
and, since I don’t get these out on the first always (look at the date today! ha!)…
4/3 – The Plurals, Narc Out the Reds @ Mac’s Bar w/ Split Single
In other news, rapidly changing weather patterns have causes unforeseen seismic shifts and mountain ranges are beginning to invert at a rapid pace with Denver most likely being inside a cave by sundown. But most importantly, I told you what GTG was up to this month.
See ya!
tommyplural
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