Ernest Ernie & The Sincerities’ LP Sincerely Yours…Greatest Hits Vol. 1 is the real deal, a bona fide classic vintage of which we are unlikely to experience again in this lifetime. It captures everything the discerning listener loves about big bands, gospel, soul and rhythm & blues. It represents the new sound from the old school, and harkens to a time when musical expression truly mattered. Thanks to Ernest Ernie, it matters once again.
The Coal Creek Boys debut album, “Hard At It In Old Town,” makes its vinyl debut as a special edition geared to the band’s hardcore and dedicated fans! This limited edition pressing includes a hand silk screened numbered jacket, a download card of bonus content not found anywhere else, and a fold out poster.
The Coal Creek Boys are not Country Music by today’s standards in any way shape or form. The Boys can be placed into categories of Red Dirt, Rock, Outlaw – even Alternative Indie Folk – yet they are in no way limited to these genres. John Paul Smith writes music focusing on North America’s historical events and leads the band with as much authenticity as possible. The band is a direct reflection of their locale, Southern Alberta and Eastern British Columbia. Both Smith and Dino Scavo were raised in coal mining country and relate well with the Southern US, bearing the same hardworking mentality of these coal mining communities, as well as deep roots in family tradition.
Available now from Kirtland Records, Toadies: Heretics features new songs and classic Toadies tracks deconstructed, re-arranged and re-imagined with acoustic guitar, mandolin, electric piano, bass & drums.
We’ve all heard about the iconic vibe of Route 66, the neon lights on Broadway and the ocean air of the Pacific Coast Highway. But there are untold stories emanating from countless blue highways across the land – like Interstate 20, which cuts a 1500-mile swath from South Carolina to Texas, and cuts deep into the spirit of those who’ve spent their lives traversing it. Lucinda Williams is one of those people, and with the expansive, enveloping The Ghosts of Highway 20, she brings those stories to life – and gives listeners a remarkably vivid look at how the highway has been a literal and figurative backdrop throughout her entire life. The intensely involving 14-song collection may be the most deeply felt, deeply affecting work of Lucinda Williams’ illustrious 35-plus-year career, a career that has been established on a foundation of remarkably personal songs. Pre-order the vinyl now.
Hanami was formed originally in the spirit of raising funds to aid Japanese victims of a recent tsunami. This quartet of guitarist Andrew Trim, drummer Charles Rumback, multi-reedist Mai Sugimoto and bass clarinetist Jason Stein enjoyed their project enough to eventually put together a studio recording. The group’s sophomore effor – The Only Way To Float Free, features a unique melding of instruments in electric guitar, saxophone/clarinet, bass clarinet, and drums, Hanami paints dynamic sonic landscapes on a bass-less canvas. The chamber like qualities of the instrumentation combined exploratory improvisations, both oblique and consonant, give way to their new album of artfully composed original compositions born out of their atypical take on the tradition of the jazz quartet and a deep connection with the country of Japan.
Durham, NC based poet and songwriter Shirlette Ammons will be releasing her sophomore album, Language Barrier on Churchkey and SugarQube Records on February 5th, 2016.
The first single, “Earth Intro”, features a guest appearance by Grammy Award-winning duo The Indigo Girls. Other guests on the album include Meshell Ndegeocello, Amelia Meath (Sylvan Esso), Hiss Golden Messenger, German rapper sookee, Heather McEntire (Mount Moriah), Median (Foreign Exchange Music Group), Joceyln Ellis, and Phil Cook (Megafaun). All of the music was composed by Daniel Hart whose credits include St. Vincent and Broken Social Scene amongst others. shirlette worked with a broad and talented roster of award-winning guests to create a record that blends and bends genres.
Constantine’s debut LP Day Of Light will lead you on a lysergic odyssey filled with flute, sitar, Mellotron, electric harpsichord & more. The LP includes help from members of legendary ’71 folk psychedelic masterpiece O.W.L. (Of Wondrous Legends), including album art by Stephen Titra. A strong emphasis is placed on songwriting and arrangement, while the songs themselves have a Baroque, nuanced and hopeful atmosphere. Fans of the 1969/70 dense, delicate and psychedelic/folk psych sound need to get Day Of Light into your ears!
Liminal Space is Atlanta artist Peter Webb‘s debut album. Through it, Webb shares his own perspective in territories of songwriting cliché: honesty, emotion, uncertainty, fear. The songs are informed by time spent in the wilderness as much as time spent in the urban environment; reflections on the paradox of a life split between the two. Expression through the medium of lyrical verse is the focal point here, supported musically by Webb and his peers. Overwhelmingly, the sentiments are about process — the process of deconstructing the dominant, damaging narratives of our society; the process of getting close to other people; the process of overcoming darkness; the process of subduing one’s own impediments to presence of mind and powerful experience.
After an action-packed year of touring the world, Spray Paint return with their second LP of 2015, Dopers. It was recorded last August in the middle of 87 shows in 66 cities and in 12 different countries by Chris Woodhouse (The Oh Sees, Ty Segall, Mayyors). Easily the most hi fi they have ever been recorded, but without losing the scum. Moments of Jesus Lizard, Glenn Branca, Sister-era Sonic Youth come to mind at different points. Dopers is set for release October 23rd on Monofonus Press and you can cheek out the first smasher that debuted on Noisey.
Wow, what a year 2015 has been. Thank you to all customers, suppliers, and fans of vinyl for your support and patience throughout the year. It’s been quite an eventful year — new vinyl colors, additional pressing capacity added, monthly pressing quantity records broken (twice), Generation Wax, and new faces joining the Gotta Groovie team and extended family.
We look forward to working with customers new and old in 2016 as we continue to expand our operation. In the very near term, we will be doubling our record plating capabilities. We hope that this will help to output test pressings in a faster manner next year, and it will also increase our flexibility when things go wrong with stampers while pressing. We also anxiously await the launch of our very own new record pressing machine — the GrooveBuilt record press. Stay tuned for new updates!
Check out our 2015 Holiday Specials here. And, just for fun, check out our annual list of Employee Record Picks here.
Happy Holidays from all of the Gotta Groovies!
(Gotta Groove will be closed November 26 and November 27 for Thanksgiving)