It’s been ages since the last news update. I guess the website just kinda slipped my mind once the label blog started last year. This update will be the last one before the website gets a full redo. This design has been great, but it’s time for a bit of new. It will be updated a few times a week once the new site is up, as I’ll actually be doing the updates instead of bugging our good friend and web master Chris about it. Chris has been super rad doing the site over the last few years, and he’s still in control of all tech stuff, but not having to bug him with this stuff will be nice. So with that let’s jump right in.
We have added some new bands to the roster over the last year including Hotpants Romance & the Lovely Eggs from the UK, Tunabunny from Athens, GA, Forever from Portland, OR via San Francisco, CA, and the Afternoon Naps from good ole’ Cleveland, OH. We’ve lost a few bands along the way as well, Patience Please called it a day just as they were getting going, but 3 of the 4 members found themselves in a new band Iji. Baby Calendar called it quits right before Athens Popfest 2007. The Love Letter Band aka Bad Weather California will be releasing their new album on States Rights Records shortly. (we hope to have a few copies at the HHBTM distro really soon) Ideal Free Distribution had some line up changes and released an amazing follow up record the middle of last year on their own Color Wheel Records.
Since the last update we had our biggest Athens PopFest to date last August and decided to take a year off doing one in 2009. We released new records by the Smittens “the Coolest Thing About Love”, Cars Can Be Blue “Doubly Unbeatable”, Hotpants Romance “It’s a Heatwave”, the Lolligags ‘Out of Peversity Join Hands”, and Forever “Forever”. We also jumped back into the vinyl LP world with vinyl pressings of Cars Can Be Blue “All the Stuff We Do” and Boyracer “Happenstance”.
Which now brings us up to the now and close future. The last five singles of the HHBTM singles club are set to ship starting sometime in May and will take a few weeks to get all the subscriptions out to everyone. Two of the singles are completely done, and another two are at the plant with the fifth and final single set to go into the plant in two weeks. I’m also finishing up the bonus 150 stuff for the early subscribers. The club will be mailed out in order of the first 150 subscribers, the non-150 american subscribers, the non-150 overseas subscribers, and then the last mail out will be the recent subscribers over the last year. It will take about two to three weeks to get all the clubs shipped out.
We have new releases coming this May by Casper & the Cookies “Modern Silence” CD (pre-order coming soon) & Marshmallow Coast “Phreak Phantasy” on CD & LP with a cool preorder for the first 50 folks where Andy will be doing a small painting for them. We also have some cool stuff coming up this summer as well…new CD/LP by Bunnygrunt & the Afternoon Naps, LP by Fishboy, CD by the Lovely Eggs, Girl Band CD compilation and zine, Tunabunny / Hulaboy split 12”, HHBTM100 box set, loads of HHBTM items, zines, and cassettes in the works as well.
We also have a showcase at this years’ Athfest on June 26th at Cine w/ Casper & the Cookies, Marshmallow Coast, cars Can Be Blue, Tunabunny, & Forever. We will also be throwing a three day 10 year birthday party event August 27th – 29th at the Caledonia Lounge in Athens w/ 15 bands from the present and past HHBTM roster. HHBTM is also well represented at other great indie-pop events this summer as well with Casper & the Cookies, Afternoon Naps, Eux Autres, and the Smittens playing NYC PopFest. Bunnygrunt, Eux Autres, and the Smittens are playing the San Francisco PopFest. The Smittens, Eux Autres, and the Lovely Eggs will be playing at IndieTracks in the UK this summer as well. Also be on the watch for a great showcase for this year at CMJ too.
Oh yeah, when the new website launches hopefully sometime in April there will be 4 big giveaways the first month the new site goes live. The only way to be able to be considered for the giveaways is that you must sign up to be a member of the HHBTM newsgroup. I only post once or twice a month, so you won’t get bombed with emails. To sign up click here. until next time…
