NEWS

Thursday, March 27, 2003

I'll be tour managing The Kills US Tour from April 1-May1. But if you need to reach me for any press reasons contact Tristin Laughter - press@dimmak.com or for mailorder email JJ@dimmak.com.

Dim Mak is doing Soledad Brothers next full length to be released just in the US sometime in fall. We are also releasing 6DF's 12" single in July... More info to come on this.

NEXT RELEASES:
April 8: Panthers "Let's Get Serious" 12"/CD
April 8: Die Monitr Batss "Spread Your Legs Release the Batss" 7" (split with H3)
April 8: Dim Mak Sampler "I'm Like a Stepping Razor Don't You Watch My Size I'm Dangerous" CD
April 8: Gravy Train "Menz" 12" (Cold Crush: www.coldcrushrecords.com)
April 22: Paradise Island "Getup" 7"/Cdsingle
April 22: Tokyo Sex Destruction "Le Red Soul Communitte" CD
May 6 : Pearlene "Murder Blues & Prayer" LP/CD
May 6 : Cobra High "Sunset in the Eye of the Hurricane" CD
May 20: Die Monitr Batss "Youth Controllerzz" CD
May 20: Miracle Chosuke "The 7/8 Wonders of the World" CD
June 3: Paradise Island "Lines Are Infinately Fine" LP/CD
June 3: From Monument To Masses "The Impossible Leap" LP/CD
June 17: The Von Bondies "Take a Heart" LP/CD
June 17:Mr. David Viner "Mr. David Viner" CD
Soledad Brothers hit the CMJ Charts at #187
Dance Disaster Movement hit the CMJ Charts at #145

Dim Mak Detroit Show!!!
April 29 2003 at the Magic Stick
The Von Bondies
The Kills
Panthers
(it will be sold out)

Pretty Girls Make Graves Top 3 Records Now:
Jay Clark: Cat Power new album, Black Heart Procession "Amore Del Tropico" CD, Scientist
Andrea Zollo: Black Heart Procession "Amore Del Tropico" CD, Cobra High- Sunset in the Eye of the Hurricane CD, Gossip- Arkansas Heat
Derek Fudesco: Wilco "Yankee Fox Trot Hotel", The first Tube Way Army record, The Blood Brothers new album...
Nathan Thelen: Cat Power "You are Free" CD, Manu Chao "Clandestino" CD, Blonde Redhead "Mia Vida Violenta"
Nick DeWitt: Cobra High, Tones on Tails, ELO

Panthers: I"ve been excited about this record for a fucking long time now and it's out now for preorder. In stores April 8th. The art fucking rules by the way too and Steve Revitte did a bang up job on this... Check the releases page for this if you need more info. As far as touring goes, The Europe dates are posted now and they have Ed Stringfellow of The Agency Group handling their dates. He also handles The Rapture, Liars, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Pretty Girls Make Graves and others.... As for the US they will be doing a few dates through the midwest and east coast in late April in support of the "Let's Get Serious" record that comes out April 8. And if you live near Detroit don't miss the Dim Mak Detroit show April 29th with The Kills and The Von Bondies. As for west coast dates they'll be heading out in August- the dates will be posted. As far as other records coming out Vice will be putting out a split 7" series which Panthers happens to be on the first on. Vice is also doing a comp in response to the early 80's compilation No New York called Yes New York; Panthers will have a song on that with Strokes, Interpol and some other New York bands. Both Vice releases are still TBA. The copies of the "Let's Get Serious" record have been sent out so you can all pre-order your copies now. 300 on White Vinyl. The rest on Black.

Paradise island: The 7"/Cdsingle is on the horizon soon. Think Fred Frith/Brian Eno collaborations more on the lines of Music for Airports ambience. When Jenny sings it's very reminiscent of early 1900's era old time blues harmonies and very very epic, or stoic. Either way its one of the most amazing compositions of vocals and ukelele I've heard since the Oh Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack. Paradise Island is still very modern though, and her full length on Dim Mak that is coming out June 3, is elemental of that sound. The full length is full of rebirthing ancient sounds and layering her multiplied vocals over new sounds that are very hard to categorize accurately. God, I'm so fucking in love with Paradise Island... Jenny Hoyston is a complete fucking genius.

Die Monitr Batss: Spread Your Legs Release The Bats 7" and Youth Controllerz CD are both coming out soon. The 7" is a split with Hand Held Heart. The 7" comes out April 22 and the CD comes out May 20th. The 7" has 4 songs that equate to the best fucking shit around the CD is a compilation of the 7" songs, some unreleased hits and their songs from the GSL split with Chromatics. Die Monitr Batss will fuck you up. They are incredible. Tentative touring in June and throughout summer. We will be posting the dates when they figure out when they can go out on the road.

Cold Crush News: go to www.coldcrushrecords.com

Gravy Train: So their new album in KRS just came out and this 12" is coming out in a few weeks. I already have them here so if you want to preorder them email JJ@dimmak.com or email Derek at birthday1975@hotmail.com. We'll both have them for mailorder. First 300 on Pink Vinyl available for mailorder. If you spin at punk dance clubs you need this 12".

Tokyo Sex Destruction: They are embarking on their German tour in the next few months. Check the tour dates for the most updated list. Mattbachelor@aol.com will be one you want to email for more info on this. The "Le Red Soul Communitte" CD will be out April 22 but we have them for preorder if you want one or two for your political arsenal. Fans of Nation of Ulysses, I.N.C., soul music get at this.

Fader is doing a feature on Dim Mak in the April issue... Keep an eye out for it. Mikey Ott is making a Dim Mak documentary that only my family and his classmates will ever see. Mike, you warm my little heart buddy.

Round up from SXSW: Cass McCombs with Oxes backing him was fucking incredible, The Rapture were awesome, The Stills blew, Har Mar Superstar was on his shit sucking on fingers and being the real deal, Sugar Hill Gang played the revised shortened version of Rapper's Delight that was obviously their hit. 9 to 5 was a fucking jam too. Dirtbombs were rocking their shit as well. The Dim Mak/Cold Crush/Insound showcase was right across from Spin's showcase with Hot Hot Heat, D4, Sahara Hotnights, and some other bands, and we still packed Club DeVille. Booyeah!

The new Pretty Girls Make Graves songs are so fucking amazing. Matador are the luckiest fuckers to be releasing their newest songs.

It's all about these people that made Austin fucking ruling!!! Yeah baby!--- Cali, Tristin Laughter and her boy Charles, Alan McGee, Simon Keeler, Sean Tillman & Gabe Gonzalez, Anne Huffman, Don Devore, Carrie Tucker, Laurel Stearns, Bucky Hands Up, Anna Simonse, Brian Roettinger, Marcy Von Bondie, Ben Blackwell & Pat from Dirtbombs, Corey Murchy, and of course everyone I've been touring with. I think I was wasted from three hours after we arrived to when we left. Our lineup was Entrance, Spectral Assembly & Muscle Beach, Cobra High, Dance Disaster Movement, Hint Hint, (in the parking lot - Friends Forever), & Pretty Girls Make Graves and that shit fucking ruled it. Fuck yeah. This year is going to kick ass.

So the tour with Pretty Girls Make Graves, Hint Hint and Cobra High, Cali DeWitt and JJ has been incredible once again. The new Pretty Girls Make Graves songs will rule your shit. The new Cobra High album coming soon on Cold Crush is like when I first heard New Order, the songs get stuck in your head, whirl around and then fuck you. Hint Hint's new songs will chart them next to Kylie Minogue. And I love Kylie Minogue, is this how you spell her last name? And Sex is Everything, right?

DDM Update: Cdsingle/12" in support of their song "Shots" off the We are from Nowhere" LP/CD will be coming soon with some new B-Sides...their new song they played live at Silverlake Lounge kicks ass btw. Check out press in Spin June issue with a photo and review Alternative Press - some kind of piece Fader - review and some shout out Giant Robot - top picks review

DDM will be on this compilation that Cornerstone Promotion/Fader put together. Here are some of the bands on the next Cornerstone Player/SXSW edition with these other bands: Vendetta Red, The Libertines, Spy Mob, Jetplane Landing, Beth Orton, Calla, Moving Units, Cat Power, The Veils, Supergrass, A.R.E. Weapons, Say Hi To Your Mom, Econoline, Simple Plan, The Gossip, The Stills, Revis, Kings Of Leon, The Kills, White Light Motorcade, The Primms, Broken Social Scene, Baxter Dury, Dance Disaster Movement, The People, Paper Lions, Cranebuilders, Pleasure Club, Electric Six, Lagwagon, Medium 21, Cursive, Glass Candy, The Witnesses, Calexico Dance Disaster Movement and Hint Hint (Cold Crush) will also be on a free Diesel/Insound sampler given out at all Diesel locations.

Photo Section was updated again two weeks ago with Von Bondies photos. More galleries to come in late March of The Kills, Pretty Girls Make Graves/Hint Hint/Cobra High tour, SXSW, and other shit.

Before all this SXSW debauchery, The Kills and I spent a week in Japan fucking around Tokyo and getting amazing treatment from their label over there Red Meat Heart Japan run by one of the most amazing women I've met lately Ellie Shibata. It was great to see Tetsu from Envy, seeing Kensuke from Nine Days Wonder & his eight month old baby Shompei and Hitomi, Katoman, Hiro Dude Tanaka, & Jun from There is a light that Never Goes out (Sad news: There is a light that Never goes Out broke up- but they started a new band with the same members playing a different style of music) & on the tip of Envy...to answer all the emails I have received since the Japan tour with This Machine Kills, Yaphet Kotto and Envy, Envy will not tour the Us for some time, and most likely not this year. During our last night, it was all about the izakaya which is all night drinking,,, no curfews in Japan, so we all got wasted, Hotel, VV, Tetsu, Kensuke, Jun, Hiro, Katoman and Taka... Tetsu explained that Envy as a band will wait until the war is over as a protest against the US' occupation in Iraq and conquest for war. So unfortunately, the only way you get to witness my favorite hardcore band is flying to Japan around their tour schedule, and their most current Japanese tour is with City of Caterpillar and Hot Cross.

Von Bondies Update: This summer will be a big one with two releases with the Von Bondies. They haven't released anything since their "Lack of Communication" album on Sympathy almost two years ago and these two highlights will be graced by the collaboration of Jason Stollsteimer's new label In the Act Records and Dim Mak. The first is a 15 song LP/CD of Peel Sessions and unreleased tracks. The recording is amazing and the songs are even better. In July a 7" of "as a ghost". The 7" will be limited to 1000. They are in the middle of writing songs for their new record and the songs kick ass. Their new record will throw a boot into the mass of shit that's been piling out lately. Von Bondies will be playing Coachella in April. Go see em, they'll have the CDs available there.

Mr. David Viner Update: This full length coming out the same time as the Von Bondies album, June 17th is also in cahoots with In The Act Records. Jason Stollsteimer (Von Bondies) and Jim Diamond (produced White Stripes, Von Bondies, Dirtbombs)

This Machine Kills, Yaphet Kotto, Envy Split Update: So there is a new label called Jacuzzi Pants, it's a collaboration between members in This Machine Kills and Yaphet Kotto. Jacuzzi Pants will have just one release under its belt, the triple split between Envy, TMK, & Yaphet Kotto. Three songs from TMK, and these are the last songs we ever did. Envy is recording new songs for the split and Yaphet Kotto finished their songs the end of last year. All three of our bands did a collaboration track when we were all in Japan last summer which sounds more like Mogwai than any of our bands.... I can't wait for this record to come out. There's talk that this may end up being a 2xLP on vinyl but we'll see. CD will be coming out in Japan on Sonzai and Jacuzzi Pants in the States. And yes, this is TMK's last recordings ever. We broke up in the summer and did post mortem recordings of the new songs we got to play in Japan. Release date is still yet to be announced but we are speculating more or less sometime in the summer.

Soledad Brothers update: Europe is loving Soledad Brothers these days. They were just out there selling out huge shows and now they are coming back for more and bringing David Viner with them again. When they come back from all that touring they'll be doing some dates in the US. We're trying to work out a west coast tour in the summer time and bring over Spain's very own Tokyo Sex Destruction. I'm hoping this will work out. As far as new songs, Reuben Glaser of Pearlene and them have been pounding out their songs in the Masonic Temple in Kentucky and they are doing more songs at Toe Rag, home of The Kills and The White Stripes. As far as press: here is some serious shit Spin best bands to check out this year Alternative Press best albums this year (Soledad Brothers "Live" LP/CD) Fader - in April issue

Documentary Update: Interviewed Yuri Kochiyama last week. Clarke my partner in crime on this documentary went to Afghanistan and was almost fucked with in pretty gnarly situations but got out of them somehow. He got some amazing footage out there. We got ourselves some nice cameras and some other funding from some wonderful grant that have came in. More to continue....

Yell! Update: YELL! issue one is out now. It took forever. You can order one off of Dim Mak. Just throw in a buck for the postage. It's an all Asian American interest magazine with From Monument To Masses, Jude Narita, Giant Robot, Diane Fujino on Yuri Kochiyama, Nick Pimentel from Planaria Records and Design among other shits. It's fucking dope and its all about us yellow folks. Issue 2 out in July with guest editor Don Blum of Von Bondies aboard, Anna Simonse from Insound, and the same crew from the past.. This time we got Von Bondies cover story, Hint Hint, The Apes, Yuri Kochiyama, and more... Get an issue from us!

Gossip Update: The Undead in NYC live record will be available on LP and CD both limited. The LP will be split released by Brace Paine's own Fast Weaponss. It will come with a huge poster and buttons with a limited pressing of colored vinyl and limited to 1000. The CD will be limited to 2500 and will be sick too. The release date is set for August so sorry people about the confusion on that. But it should come out in August. Its already mastered, art's done. Their new album on KRS is coming out in May and is kickass. Don't be a dumbass and miss the boat on that. As far as the 7" single that is still coming out but farther in the future.

Bluebird Update: They've toured the UK and Barry, the guitarist got stuck in Canada. FUCK! and he's still stuck, its been, I swear like over a month and a half. The dude still got his shit here, his job, I'm sure he has a lady, and his band... What the fuck? So Bluebird will be playing as a four piece until Bush stops playing fictitious dreams of power while bombing real children and people... Anyways, an EP will follow soon. 6 songs is what Sam is saying may be on this one. It is in support of their song "Falling back to Earth". They recorded and filmed a video and Sweet Nothing from UK and Dot Line Circle will be releasing it out in their respective countries.

From Monument To Masses Update: They are still in the middle of mixing their new album. It's 7 songs but times out over 50 minutes. Just listen to the song on the sampler, it's fucking incredible. That's all I've heard so far recorded but I've heard most of these songs live and although I think the first record was awesome, this one is just leaps and bounds ahead of that one, so hurray for Bay Area's most radical instrumentalists. Maybe they'll be nominated for a Grammy with Flaming Lips for best instrumentalist. Huh? So weird they got it. Ok so the record is coming out in June on LP and CD. Dim Mak Europe will be pressing them out there and Catune from Japan will be licensing it for release in Japan. These are tentative plans, solid.

Miracle Chosuke update: Yeah this record is finally seeing the day of light. Finally, damn it took forever to get this one out. It's everything they've recorded including a song nobody's heard. If you know them you love them. They are one of the catchiest Devo/Kraftwerk bands you'll ever hear. It's like playing Gary Newman and Television on 78 when it should be on 45. Total dance party record. Keep it up.

Tokyo Sex Destruction Update: Spain's kickass answer to the MC5. Fucking loud garage rock'n roll radical as fuck and backdrops even to Japan's Jacks at times. I love them. Soledad Brothers got me hooked on them as well. For fuck's sake Soledad is taking them on the west coast if not a whole US tour in the summer... This will fucking rule your world. You know it. So the album is licensed from B Core out of Spain and this record comes out April 22nd. Get it.

Dim Mak Sampler "I'm like a Stepping Razor Don't You Watch My Size I'm Dangerous" CD 2003 It's all new shit here. All new Dim Mak fucking hits.. And every song rules! It's only $5 from us. Gossip, The Kills, Panthers, Paradise Island, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Von Bondies, Dance Disaster Movement, From Monument To Masses, Miracle Chosuke, Die Monitr Batss, Pearlene, Mr. David Viner, Soledad Brothers, Bluebird, Tokyo Sex Destruction, Phantom Pregnancies, and after the first pressing of 2500, I am taking off the Phantom Pregnancies, and these CDs are almost out the fucking door as we speak. Get one and get a Stepping Razor poster that Nathan/GossipDMB did too.

Pearlene update: Murder Blues and Prayer- yeah 12 songs of a mix between Beefheart and early Gun Club, and even predates to McDowell and Johnson, slinting Johnson but definitely McDowell. This is their 2nd album, first on Sympathy for the Record industry and it's been in my disc changer for the past 4 months. Totally incredible these 5 are. Johnny Walker and Brian Olive from Soledad Brothers, Reuben Glaser who produced the last few Soledad Brothers recordings, Hazen Fricke, and Jesse Ebaugh, who some are saying is the best bassist in the US? Really? I believe it. This comes out May 6th. LP and CD... Oooh yeah.

Phantom Pregnancies: Lp is out! First 300 on pink vinyl and they're going fast. FYI, PP is Karen from Huggy Bear, Delia from Mambo Taxi, Sean from Rough Trade Shop, and Stuart Pigeon who plays bass faster than Iron Maiden. They kick ass all over the place and if you want to have your neighbor throw a fucking fit like mine did play it fucking loud and play it over and over again.. People can't stand to hear this muffled through the floor of their apartment. It's so good. 27 songs, that's right. This is the longest LP I've ever put out and well worth it.

Quote of the month: "If you want to talk to some of the angriest black people, talk to one from the suburbs," says Ikey Owens. "You live among your enemies. If you open your eyes, you can see how much people hate you. You can't win. If you have what they have, they're jealous. You can't figure out why they would dislike you because you're supposed to be the 'good example' of your race.

Dim Mak Street Team is starting up again with a new face. Kenny Preski will be taking charge of this. Email him at streetteam@dimmak.com if you want in. What you would be doing is spreading Dim Mak around either wheat pasting posters (legally), doing web shit, dealing with stores in your area... Kenny will prep you on what you would need to do to get free Dim Mak stuff.

If you want a FREE catalog from us, just email me your address and one will be sent out to you. The news section will be updated monthly at the very latest. Always check up around the first week of every month for more DM juice.

NEWS ARCHIVE
March 6, 2003 December 2, 2002

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