Dear loyal supporters,
As you may have noticed, for the last year, our trusty website has collected some dust. Today, we're coming by to clear some of the cobwebs and provide you with a little update as to our whereabouts. Recommended If You Like Records turned five years old this past May and, until this year, we've been able to put out a new record or two (or three?) each year we've been in operation.
Unfortunately, like many small businesses around the country, the recession has stunted our growth. Sales are not currently where they need to be in order to fund new releases, and so we've had to lean on our back catalog more than we'd like to. We've got one or two more releases in the pipeline that'll hopefully see the light of day, but until things turn around financially, our hands are tied.
Still, all news is not grim:
Our entire catalog is now carried by the great online record store, Hands and Arms, based in France. If you're overseas, this is a great way to get our records without paying for shipping from the USA! Visit this link to see all that they have to offer: handsandarms.com. Additionally, all of our records are also now back in stock at Insound and you can find 'em here or by searching for whatever record it is you want.
What has been up with the RiYL gang? The WoWz have started plotting the follow up to their wonderful, self-released-and-self-titled third record. They're also planning some dates in Europe in early 2010. Check 'em out here: http://www.myspace.com/thewowz. Word has it that Chris Maher has finally finished his debut record. Details are sketchy but we're hearing he plans a late-Winter/early-Spring release. (You'll know as soon as we do.) Casey Holford's been working on a record with his new band, Outlines. With Dream Bitches on hiatus, Yoko Kikuchi has escaped to San Francisco, where she's played some solo shows and updated her website. Finally, there was some indication of a Fugue-resurrection, with posts hinting at such on their MySpace page and on their blog but we know no more than this.
Some friends have have put out new records this year that we think you should check out:
Sonya Cotton recently released her third record, Red River, and it is a triumph, easily her best work yet. This review, by our pal Chris Kiehne, expresses sentiments similar to our own. Here's her video for the song "Hunters":
Hunters from Sonya Cotton on Vimeo.
This summer, Throw Me the Statue put out their sophomore LP, Creaturesque, on Secretly Canadian. They've been touring like animals and if you have the chance to see 'em, we recommend you go. We love the video they made for the Creaturesque song, "Hi-Fi Goons":
Throw Me the Statue "Hi-Fi Goons" (Music Video) from Tree on Vimeo.
Austin, TX's wonderful Shotgun Party put out their spectacular second record, Mean Old Way, a few months ago. Here's a live clip of them playing "Moonlight" at the Sugar Maple Festival in Madison, Wisconsin:
Finally, the WoWz's Simon Beins has released a great record with his other band, The Fishermen Three, on Hype City Records. Here's a live clip from earlier this year of the band playing "Obsession (It Ain't Love)" in Norway:
Other records we've loved this year by those directly or indirectly related to the RiYL family are the new records by Jeff Lewis ('Em Are I), the Final Spins (This Is Then, That Was Now), John Houx (John Houx's Green Period), Soft Black (The Earth Is Black), the Dirty Projectors (Bitte Orca) and Hockey (Mind Chaos) and singles by Penguin Prison ("Animal Animal" / "A Funny Thing") and Holy Ghost! ("I Will Come Back"). Hope we're not forgetting any.
These treats should keep you satisfied 'til we've got more good stuff for you. Until then, be well. And, though it should go without saying, if you want to help ensure that we'll be able to put out more music in the future, we encourage you to pick up a record or two from our online store.
Yours truly,
Recommended If You Like Records
Hey friends,
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We've received this note from the Pathways:
Chris Maher is back in New York City and will be playing Deli Magazine's "Unofficial" CMJ Party at Fontana's on October 20th. Its an early show (starts at 12 noon sharp!) and Chris will play first. Bring yr coffee! If you happen to miss that, Chris will also be competing in the 4th Annual Williamsburg Live Songwriters Contest (playing his song "Heather") at Laila Lounge on November 3rd. He's got other shows scheduled at the Brooklyn Tea Party in mid-November and a Jezebel Music Songwriter Showcase show at Laila Lounge in mid-December. More shows in the works...