New Releases 8/21/12

Something old, something new, something something... All right, that fell apart quick. But hey! There really is an interesting mix of new stuff below, from a legendary guitarist to a recent Pitchfork best new music to all sorts of various stuff in between. Let us know what you're looking for, be it a fresh release or not.

Ry Cooder
Yeasayer
Ariel Pink
Los Lobos (reissues)
Bloc Party
Taj Mahal (live/rarities comp)
Matthew E. White
The Kinks (BBC box set)
The Darkness
Owl City
Dispatch

Atlanta Mini-Mess-Around 2012

 

[Above: The Reigning Sound's Greg Cartwright at The EARL, photo by Tim Song]

We're pretty huge fans of the Atlanta Mess-Around, the always thrilling festival that descends on East Atlanta once a year, bringing with it an embarrassment of punk and garage rock bands, both old and new. The 2012 edition wrapped up in late April, as usual, but luckily we've got a Mini-Mess-Around of sorts hitting up The EARL and 529 in the coming weeks. Check out this spread:

August 26th @ The EARL: The Reigning Sound, Tiger! Tiger!, COPS
September 6th @ The EARL: The Spits, Turbo Fruits, Dino's Boys
September 7th @ 529: NOBUNNY, The Coathangers, Bad Sports, Apache Dropout
September 8th @ The EARL: Gentleman Jesse, Cheater Slicks, Knaves Grave

Not bad, right? If you're a fan of scrappy, hook-laden rock 'n' roll, we suggest you get thee in hear and pick up some tickets (or do it via the convenience of wherever you're reading this through Ticket Alternative). At the very least, those four shows will exhaust us enough to temporarily forget that the next Mess-Around is still eight months away.

Loretta Lynn Ticket Giveaway

We've got a few last-minute tickets to give away for tomorrow night's Loretta Lynn/Sonia Leigh show at Chastain. Loretta needs no introduction, really, so it goes without saying that seeing the 80-year-old music legend is a special thing indeed. (So special, in fact, that we just went ahead and said it.) To nab a pair for yourself, stop by the store as soon as possible (These will be gone quick!) and profess your love for Loretta. If we think you're convincing, we'll hand over a couple tickets and you'll enjoy an excellent Friday night in the presence of greatness. Make with the quickness!

Caroline Herring Photos

We had a great crowd on Saturday for Caroline Herring's in-store performance, and even managed to sell quite a few of her new album! Always nice when that happens. It was such a nice performance, in fact, that Warren had a few words to say about it:

--

Being in the buggy-whip business in 2012 can be quite daunting. While we are definitely in a technological shift concerning the delivery of music, and as that transition causes worrisome thoughts regarding the future of retailing music, one event transcends all of this drama, and that's live music.

Caroline Herring was quite the trooper on Saturday, as she was definitely under the weather, but managed to deliver the goods to a full house of music lovers. It was her telling the stories behind the songs on her new record that truly captivated everyone. Thanks to her and Caroline & the Ramblers last week for bestowing on us a pair of stellar performances.

--

Caroline will perform up the street on Sept. 7 and 8.

Awesome Batch of Used Vinyl

We recently acquired a simply phenomenal batch of used vinyl that's worth perusing. In fact, we've been meaning to blog about it for a while, and it wasn't until a good customer recently hollered at us for not alerting him to it that we realized that this post was necessary (not to mention tardy). Anyway, enough throat clearing, right? There's all kinds of great, rare stuff in this batch, a lot of it of the old timey/folk variety, mostly Smithsonian and Vanguard selections. Stuff like John Hartford's Aereo Plain, Hedy West's Volume Two, and a stunning, sealed copy of Ethnic Folkways' Music of the American Indians of the Southwest. There are maybe 40 records total, ranging in price from $5-$70, depending on all the things that pricing depends on. Needless to say, if you're a fan of that kind of stuff, you should pay us a visit soon before they're gobbled up.

Caroline & the Ramblers Photos

Here are a few long-overdue photos from the Caroline & the Ramblers in-store. We had a great crowd, and, as you'll see below, some dancing children! Can't beat that.
  

Caroline Herring In-Store on Saturday

We're trading one Caroline for another this week. Following our successful Caroline & the Ramblers in-store last week (photos coming to the blog soon!), we've got Caroline Herring playing the store this Saturday, August 18th at 6pm. We've been big fans of Caroline's for a while now, having her in to play the store numerous times. We simply can't emphasize enough what a fantastic songwriter she is, as well as the myriad folks she's played with over the years, including the Eudora Welty events she's been a part of. If Caroline hadn't chosen to pursue music, she'd no doubt be a well-respected author of letters and books.

Adding to the excitement is that this is a CD release show. We've got her new one, Camila, in stock now and on a listening station, so stop by and check it out. If you can't make it to the store before Saturday, Caroline's streaming three songs from the record on her website. Regardless, you should come see her play some of the new material and pick up a CD on Saturday. Early reviews are gushing:

"In songs that deal with injustice, kindness, struggle, and compassion, we are swept along on a turbulent yet beautiful journey... Herring has given us a deeply moving album."

"With work of this caliber, Herring is going to be a name to be reckoned with for a long time to come."

Again, that's this Saturday, August 18th at 6pm. We can't wait! Caroline will be playing up the street at the Attic on Sept. 7th and 8th as well.

August/September Pre-Orders

We love selling you music, that much is probably obvious. But, did you know? If you give us a heads up that you'd like to buy some music that isn't out yet, and if you also give us your first name and a way to contact you (phone number, email address, Twitter handle, carrier pigeon, etc.), not only will we knock TWO AMERICAN DOLLARS off your price, we'll holler at you (sweetly, and not too loudly) when we have that new music here in the store. You win, we win, everybody wins. Except for the Astros, who rarely win.

Good times, right? Below, then, is a list of notable releases for the next couple months. August is a little sparse, but there are some goodies sprinkled in there, for sure. September, on the other hand, is chock full of wonderful stuff. It's like it's an awesome volcano that sprays great new music instead of lava. Have a look, and let us know what you need. We'd be happy to hold you a cheaper-than-usual copy of anything below. When you think about it, it's kinda like finding money on the ground. And finding money on the ground is awesome. Check out all the ground money, everybody!

August 7th: Antony & the Johnsons, Archers of Loaf (All the Nations Airports reissue), Red Kross, Antibalas, Johnny Cash (tribute DVD), Apache Dropout MuteMath (live), The Zombies (live), Turbonegro, Fergus & Geronimo, Rob Zombie, David Archuleta

August 14th: Dead Can Dance, Jerry Jeff Walker (live DVD), Shoes, 2 Chainz, Yellowcard

August 21st: Ry Cooder, Yeasayer, Ariel Pink, Bloc Party, Taj Mahal (live/rarities comp), The Kinks (BBC box set), Los Lobos (reissues), The Darkness, Owl City, Dispatch

August 28th: Swans (live), Frank Zappa (reissues), Caroline Herring, Divine Fits (Spoon/Handsome Furs/New Bomb Turks supergroup), Minus the Bear, Maximo Park, Harry Shearer, Beanie Sigel, Alanis Morissette, Robert Cray, The Who (DVD), Meek Mill

September 4th: Cat Power, Animal Collective, Melissa Etheridge, Deerhoof, Mark Knopfler, Bob Mould, Sondre Lerche, Azure Ray, Chick Corea, T.I., Suzanne Vega, The Fresh & Onlys, Mono, Stars, Matchbox Twenty, Smash Mouth

September 11th: Bob Dylan, The Avett Brothers, David Byrne & St. Vincent, Calexico, Patterson Hood, The xx, A$AP Rocky, Neil Halstead (of Slowdive), Steve Forbert, The Raveonettes, Amanda Palmer, ZZ Top, Nelly Furtado, Dave Matthews Band, The Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Sea Wolf, The English Beat (live)

September 18th: Band of Horses, Grizzly Bear, Dinosaur Jr., Aimee Mann, Ben Folds Five, Corin Tucker Band, Ricky Lee Jones (covers), Thee Oh Sees, Nick Lowe Nashville Flood Benefit/Tribute (Hayes Carll, Ron Sexsmith, Chatham County Line, JEFF, etc.), Menomena, Dwight Yoakam, Maceo Parker (live), Carly Rae Jepsen, Muse, James Iha, Michael Jackson (Bad 25th reissue), The Lighthouse and the Whaler, Little Big Town, Kreayshawn, The Whigs, Robert Pollard

September 25th: Mumford & Sons, The Killers, Yoko Ono/Kim Gordon/Thurston Moore, Dum Dum Girls, Pete Seeger, Bettye LaVette, Green Day, Diana Krall, Ricky Skaggs, Talib Kweli, Lavendar Diamond, No Doubt