Tours, Showcases and Samplers!

Hi, It's Sam the Intern (for those who remember me...)
It's been months since I've last blogged, so I don't blame you if you have forgotten me!

Its been a fairly miserable summer (weather wise) I'm not gonna lie! And I think since the last time I've blogged, Spain won the world cup. I know its now old news, but still, good on 'em!

But in more important news, Moneytree are finally touring, again! Off of the back of their soon to be released third and final segment of the Great Outdoors trilogy, they will be pretty much covering the whole of the nation.
Being the hardworking, dedicated intern I am (?), I've been helping in covering press and such for the tour, which starts in Liverpool and ends in our beautiful capital at the Old Queens Head.

This leads beautifully into more current Sotones news! Also at the Old Queens Head will be the two showcase parties on the 7th and 14th for Sotones, as described in the blog below. It is at these showcases that the brand new sampler, celebrating 1,313 days of Sotones, will be released, so be sure to get one!

Also, recently with Sotones, Anja McCloskey's debut has recieved a crazy amount of approval and praise and other such, and is TOTALLY worth getting your hands on!


And finally, on a-not-so-Sotones-related note, I (Sam Ziggy) will be playing as part of a battle of the bands at the Soul Cellar this coming Wednesday the 1st helping to raise money for Oxfam, so please, anyone 18+ come on down and support a good cause! (me.) Its £4 plus free entry to the DJ Hammy show afterwards.

(sorry Sotones for abusing your blog for my own purposes, but its all for a good cause!)

Anyway, I will see you all on at either of the Showcases, the Moneytree tour, and the Soul Cellar on Wednesday
until next time, Sam the intern (STI)

'1,313' Showcase and Launch Parties!

Dear friends,

to celebrate 1,313 days of this record label business we're releasing a brand-new sampler featuring some incredible music and, naturally enough, throwing a huge party to boot. We'd like to invite you along to get your hands on special signed pre-release copies of the sampler, other signed merch, live painting, contemporary dance, a special competition, some excellent DJs and of course live sets from the bands themselves!

We're holding these epic parties at The Old Queen's Head in Islington, a brilliant venue with a growing live reputation helmed by some very good pals of ours.. Unfortunately there's too many to fit on one night, so we've split the bill over two consecutive Tuesdays:

Tuesday 7th Sept (Rock / Indie)
Acts: Special guest TBA / Moneytree / nato / Ed Hicks / Anja McCloskey / Ann The Arc
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=118942451489727

Tuesday 14th Sept (Indie / folk)
Acts: Moulettes / Haunted Stereo / Jackie Paper / Peter Lyons / Lonely Joe Parker
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=151761708173645

Tickets are £5 per night on the door (or £8 for both and even cheaper adv. from wegottickets.com). Concessions are available. Some limited early-bird cheap list tickets are available - stake your claim by writing on the Facebook event walls. There are also a number of industry list places - please email A Badge of Friendship who are handling our PR for this one - claire@abadgeoffriendship.com


And, we're running a set of special deals for all the peeps in Southampton, Winchester and Brighton: minibusses will be available to take you up to the gig and back down again - get on these, plus entry to the gigs, plus a FREE advance copy of the sampler all for £6 / night or £10 for both nights. Let us know on the Facebook pages if you want a space on the bus, and see you all there for a big messy party in the capital!

Sotones Sampler!

Hi All,

some very exciting times at Sotones Towers as we put the finishing touches to our first sampler for a couple of years. It's going to be called '1313' - because when it comes out we'll have been going for 1313 days - and features:

1. Moulettes / Horses For Hearses / Horses For Hearses EP
2. Fresh Legs / Julian / Julian EP – Deluxe
3. Moneytree / Medicineland / The Great Indoors Part III
4. Haunted Stereo / Lock The Doors / On A Pin/Lock The Doors
5. Anja McCloskey / Newton / Turn – Turn – Turn
6. Jackie Paper / All The Wine / What’s Wrong With Broken Glass
7. Peter Lyons / Old Friends / Old Friends
8. Jeffisalive / Sunlight's Yellow Dress / Sunlight's Yellow Dress
   
9. rude_NHS / Roy Orbital / Roy Orbital
   
10. JayEtAl / Feather / Where No City Lights
11. nato / Missing Song / Eating Clouds
12. Ann The Arc / Buttercup / Buttercup (Single)
    
13. The Beaux Hardts / Hey, Who Turned Up The Gravity? / Leisure (B-Sides & Rarities Special Edition).
14. Lonely Joe Parker / Brooklyn / What’s Wrong With Broken Glass
15. Bobby Y Paola / Tax For Sure / Double Barreled

Artwork is by the very brilliant Billy Mather (see also the artwork for 'What's Wrong With Broken Glass') - here's a cheeky draft:

Prett-y cool, huh? We can't wait....

Joe x x


'1313: A Sotones Sampler' lands 4th October 2010 on CD / digital / Spotify. For more updates join the Facebook page.

'1,313: A Sotones Sampler' - Showcase and Launch Party

Very exciting news here this month!

We've been hinting for some time now that a new sampler is in the works, and we can finally announce it properly!

'1,313: A Sotones Sampler' features tracks from: rude_NHS; Peter Lyons; nato; Moulettes; Moneytree; Lonely Joe Parker; Jeffisalive; JayEtAl; Jackie Paper; Haunted Stereo; Fresh Legs; Bobby y Paola; The Beaux Hardts; Ann The Arc and Anja McCloskey.

A boatload of talent! And we've bagged the brilliant Billy Mather to do the excellent artwork you see here.

'1,313: A Sotones Sampler' will be released on MP3 and CD through all good retailers on November 4th, 2010... exactly 1,313 days since we founded Sotones!


September will also see two very special launch party / showcase type shindigs at The Old Queen's Head in Islington - more to come on this!

Win Festival Tix!

The lovely Moulettes are playing Larmer Tree this weekend, and we've rustled up a giveaway ticket for this great festival, celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. To win said ticket, simply answer the following question:

'Moulette' translated from French, means (roughly):

• A 'small mussel'
• A 'small muscle'
• A 'smelly member'

Email sotones@sotones.co.uk!
More tickets and festival info from http://www.larmertreefestival.co.uk

The Beaux Hardts - "Leisure - B-Sides & Rarities Special Edition"

They were the first band on Sotones. And the loudest, and, often the latest as well as the weirdest. Welcome to the skewed avant-punk of brothers Dave and Bobby Wade-Brown..

This new 2010 Special Edition of their 'Leisure' EP contains over 90 minutes of unreleased and bonus material from their brilliant, brief and badass rock'n'roll career.

Physical (2xCD) edition is STRICTLY LIMITED, HAND ASSEMBLED and features a collage box-set as well as 19-page, full-colour 'Best of the Beaux Hardts' booklet. Order now!

Available on Spotify, iTunes and all good digital retailers.

iTunes | Amazon | Other stores | Spotify

Happy listening!

London Showcase dates announced!

We're proud to announce two linked London showcase dates in association with The Old Queen's Head and A Badge Of Friendship

The two linked bills will take place on Tuesday 7th September (indie / rock) and Tuesday 14th September (indie / folk). Acts from the whole Sotones roster will perform as well as some very special guests. Currently The Moulettes, Haunted Stereo, Moneytree, Jackie Paper, Lonely Joe Parker, nato & Ann The Arc are confirmed with others TBC.

Industry tickets will be available as well as package coach deals from Southampton/Winchester and Brighton to both events. Plus everyone will get brand-new, specially-signed copies of the next limited-edition Sotones Sampler!

For more details and updates join the Sotones Facebook page

Eastleigh Music Festival! Next Weekend! Haunted Stereo!

As the title may suggest, next weekend Haunted Stereo are going to be tearing up the Eastleigh Music Festival. What could be better than an evening of good weather (don't take my word on that) good company, good food, and very good music? Well...nothing...

Haunted Stereo will be sharing the stage with Badly Drawn Boy, and Peggy Sue (and the Pirates) and more, all for the price of £18! To be honest, thats a bargin...

Plus about, a billion local bands and street performers will be playing, so theres plenty for everyone! Bring the family, bring the friends, bring everyone you know, and I'll see you there!

www.eastleighmusicfestival.co.uk for tickets and times and all that stuff!

ALSO THIS MONTH (very excited about this)

Rude_NHS and JayETal to share the same stage for the first time in 5 years?! 

Rumor has it that a live improv jam is on the tables between the two Winchester favorites, and mystery guests a plenty! 

July 31st, 8 o clock, Railway Inn, Winchester! Be there! 

So as you can see, lots and lots going on this month!

I'll see you all next weekend!

Until the next blog

Sam the Intern

Free music industry workshop / networking event.

Hi all,

bit of a good opportunity, this. The Point arts centre in Eastleigh are a great local arts venue with a strong track record in supporting new music (they organise the yearly Eastleigh Festival, for instance, which features our own Haunted Stereo among others including Badly Drawn Boy). Basically all-round Good People with a little bit of money who care about music.

As such, they've laid on a free careers / networking / workshop event for anyone to attend. It features workshops, discussions and panel sessions with industry professionals from radio, print and online media as well as promoters and (repping what's laughingly known as the record 'industry') ourselves.

It all runs on the 24th June (Thursday). Due to popular demand there are two sessions: 1pm-4pm and 5pm-8pm. Although the workshop is free it might be a good idea to reserve a place. Full details at www.thepointeastleigh.co.uk

Timetable:

Afternoon Session

1.00 – 1.30pm Start arriving

1.30 – 2.30pm Workshops in Dance, Theatre or Music

2.30 – 3.00pm Break with an opportunity to speak to organisations and industry professionals

3.00 – 4.00pm Q & A Seminar with Panel

4.00 – 4.30pm Further opportunity to meet organisations

Twilight Session

4.30 – 5.00pm Start arriving

5.00 – 6.00pm Workshops in Dance, Theatre or Music

6.00 – 6.30pm Break with an opportunity to speak to organisations and industry professionals

6.30 – 7.30pm Q & A Seminar with Panel

7.30 – 8.00pm Further opportunity to meet organisations and industry professionals

Further details regarding the workshops and seminars will be available nearer the time.

If you have questions regarding the event, please contact:

Jodie Rodaway

Dance Administrator

The Point, Leigh Road, Eastleigh, Hampshire, SO50 9DE

jodie.rodaway@eastleigh.gov.uk

023 8062 7804

Do You DIY? festival - Part Deux

So.

Summer slithers on a few more weeks, Brighton and tours in Germany and stuff have all happened, various exciting recording projects are racing towards completion for the autumn (Ann The Arc, Anja McCloskey (Haunted Stereo), nato, rude_NHS, Moneytree as well as Jackie Paper & myself are all jostling for prime release spots in Sept / Oct as we speak) and overall the year is whooshing by! My ears are already fucked and festival season hasn't even wound up to full speed yet...

This is all pretty fitting as we're taking part in yet another excellent (and free!!) all-dayer at the marv Old Queen's Head in Islington on Bank Holiday Monday, 31st May. There's gonna be a total cornucopia of labels, clubnights, DJs and acts from the alternative (as in, actually do shit themselves, without major label money, rather than bang on about their 'aesthetic' ... looking at YOU Blood Red Shoes (V2/Universal)) side of things.

As well as Peter Lyons and all us lot, you should definitely catch Thomas Tantrum, and Real Fur ain't too shabby either.

The whole thing kicks off at lunchtime, is free, and goes on till closing time innit. For more details see the facebook page or OQH blog.


See you there!
Joe x x

Moneytree takeover the Hamptons!

Well, what can I say...

So far in my whirlwind Sotones adventure, not once have I seen one man trash the stage in such rock and roll fashion. By the second song the microphone was crashing to the floor, and by the third song, the drum kit was in pieces and the snare drum almost had a foot put through it. And this was (mostly) the work of one man. Having not seen Moneytree before, its fair to say that it was surreal to say the least. 

Though, lets start at the beginning. 

Ann the arc, Sotones newest grunge trio, started the night off in perfect order. If you like dissonance, distortion, and really loud things, these are the band for you. Not to say they are melody-less! Just imagine Lonely Joe parker and a loud grunge band, and that essentially is what you have! Loved them!

Then came Shapes. Ah Shapes, what to say about Shapes...

Mathmatical-technical-jazz-hardcore-o I believe is the technical term for their music...

But most importantly, they were instrumental. But in this case, you didn't need a voice. Their twenty minute odyssey of riffing and what I suspect was improvisation (though correct me if i'm wrong) mixed with their excessive use of loop pedals was never boring. In fact, it was pretty good!

Then it was Moneytrees turn. 

Eventful, surreal, and mildly rock and roll, are just a few words I'd use to describe their set. First song was straight in to the chaos, and by the third song the stage was in bits. To put it in further detail, basically, Campbell stood on the bass drum, fell off, almost put his foot through the snare and landed sat down on the chair. 

The whole set was a mess of similar chaos, and a sing song of It Ain't mine. Having not seen them before, I didn't know what to expect. I didn't expect that. But I fucking loved it. If you get the chance, go see Moneytree. Even if you don't like there music (which you do, I'm sure) you'll still have a killer time. 

Dear Brontide, if for some reason you're reading this, I apologize, i missed your set. Its nothing personal, I'm sure you were wonderful. 

Best 'Curates' night I've been to so far, without a doubt (sorry Haunted Stereo and Lonely Joe Parker). It was a stunt filled, Loud, and very rock and roll evening. Worth the five pounds (which I was later reimbursed with) without a doubt!

Until next week, or some when before then

Your friendly neighbourhood Intern.

P.S. Monday, Do you DIY festival Part 2, Old Queens Head, Islington. 12pm til 12am.

Tidy!

Tomorrow (Friday night!)

Tomorrow night at the Hamptons is the Moneytree curates evening! 

Many good band is playing including Moneytree, Ann the arc and others.

Get down there, its not very expensive at all! And to be honest your paying for quality!

I (sam) will be there, and I well and truly hope to see you there!

If you have a good (and I mean a GOOD) reason not to be there, I'll tell you all about it in another post saturday or something. 

I really should start keeping up to date with blogging! 

More from me Saturday!

Sam the Intern!

 

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=124089964272523&ref=mf

All the details are right on that link there!

Do You DIY? festival

We're REALLY excited to be taking part in a unique free festival / experiment / mashup taking place over the May Bank Holiday (Monday 3rd) at the Old Queen's Head in Islington.

Do You DIY? is a coming together of independent, DIY-minded labels, artists, producers, fanzines, media, promoters and club nights. Throughout the day (midday-midnight) there will be a plethora of records, listening booths, zines, discussions, DJ sets and yes, performances.

Already confirmed are indie favourites such as Fortuna Pop!, Fierce Panda, Memphis Industries etc and we're completely flabbergasted that in their wisdom the organisers have asked yours truly to put in an appearance as well! Accordingly we will have a stall and a big crew there including Lonely Joe Parker / Jackie Paper / Moneytree joint sets, as well as new grunge trio Ann The Arc.

The whole shebang runs from 12pm-midnight, and is FREE before 6pm.


We'll be running a minibus up from Southampton for peeps that want to come for the ride.

For full listings, deets etc:
http://www.theoldqueenshead.com/do-you-diy/
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=107485545960139

Ejector Seat Arts - FREE festival in Southampton

Hey peeps,

our mates (and super promoters) Ejector Seat are this year running a free arts festival in Palmerston Park on June 5th.

As well as music, performances and exhibitions, there's going to be loads of interactive arts events and workshops, including two by us: Jimmy will be running a 'How Not To Start An Indie Label' session, while Lonely Joe Parker and Andy Harris (Haunted Stereo) will be doing a songwriting workshop.

The whole thing goes on all day in the sunshine! Wahey!!

More info all the time, check it out here:
http://www.ejectorseat.co.uk/

May Day FREE Show + Get records delivered to your door!

Ello peeps,

Lonely Joe Parker here. We've had a hectic few months to kick off 2010, with releases by Haunted Stereo, Moneytree, JayEtAl, the Beaux Hardts, Moulettes, nato and myself to get off the ground, plus not one but two 'Curates...' nights at Hamptons (thanks to everyone who came and partied, got any pictures?)

But! We've still managed to put together an AMAZING free show for you all on May Day, and we're also very excited to tell you that this week we're launching a brand-new mail-order service.

Get Sotones records! Wherever, whenever!

We have always wanted to respond to your demands and make our artists' music as widely available as possible. Although virtually the whole back catalogue is available online through all good stores and Spotify, nice things like CDs, tapes and vinyl have, up till now, only been available at gigs and a few stores in the South (like Rough Trade and various Oxfam Music stores). We know this has been pissing you off, because you keep emailing us to say so!

Having discussed all the mail-order options available we decided to keep costs down. By working in-house we can manage this, and stay true to the DIY ethos of labels that inspired us, heroes like Dischord and Chemikal Underground. We're really excited that now our fans can get high-quality physical releases at the lowest possible price, wherever they are.

So, as of TODAY you can order acclaimed releases by Moulettes, Haunted Stereo, Moneytree, Jackie Paper and Lonely Joe Parker - the service will expand over the coming weeks to include the entire Sotones back-catalogue.

To get the ball rolling, with every order placed this week we'll stick in a free copy (while stocks last) of our very first ever sampler, the individually-numbered, hand-assembled, Kruger-Magazine-endorsed 'Vol.11', which includes early tracks by Blakfish as well as Band Of Skulls...

What are you waiting for? Go hit the store now: http://www.sotones.co.uk/shop.php


May Day FREE Extravaganza!

Every year we like to throw a big free party for everyone to welcome in the summer, and this year is no exception. It will be exceptional, though, in that we're also celebrating our third anniversary! So we've pulled in a brilliant bill of bands we all love, as well as some genuinely exciting emerging talent (and you know how picky we are)...

So on May Day (thats, like, the FIRST of May...) we're taking over the Hobbit in Southampton for an entire day of music and festivities. It's totally free whether you dip in to catch a few bands and enjoy a BBQ in the sunshine-y beer garden at the back, or hang tough for an unbelievable 8 HOURS OF MUSIC. We very much hope you manage to catch every single artist though as they are all very talented people that will aurally pleasure you in various diverse ways. There will also be cheapo drinks and BBQ in the garden. Plus Bank Holiday sun*.

Line-up confirmed so far includes: Anja McCloskey, Moneytree, Lonely Joe Parker, Pete Lyons, Sons and Lovers, El Raccoon, Baku Bankai, Viva Sleep & Nato

Join the Facebook event to get updates about the line-up, stage times and Campbell's top burger combo predictions.


So that's all for now, see you on May 1st for a big fat party!
Oh yeah: don't forget to vote!

Love, laters, ludo,
Sotones xx


*I'm actually going to go out on a limb here and guarantee good weather. Sue me.

Right, okay...

Right, despite what it looks like, I have done a blog in these past two months. So don't feel neglected! But for some reason, the other blogging sight (podbean) the bastards, seemed to have locked me out of our account for some reason. So Im redirecting my blogging efforts to this reliable site!

So, whats been happening the past month and a bit? I inevitably hear you ask...

To tell you the truth, not much. Although, what is happening soon (tomorrow) is the release of Lonely Joe's single shanty with the Moulettes. Which I love, by the way! Its so shanty and jaunty, it actually smells like rum... Go buy it! Go! Go! Go! 

Anyway, so my month has been pretty boring. And haven't been to the office as much as I would like, so Im gonna work on that, but the few times I did, I pretty much annihilated the PRS work. I think we're pretty much finished with it, which is a relief. For both me and you, as, unless Im wrong, Ive gone on about it in every post to date. 

But its on to bigger and better things now! Things Im not quite sure what they are, but they are bigger and better none the less! Not that spreadsheeting and such for hours isn't fun...I'm just saying...

And Im pretty sure soon it must be time for Moneytree's new album right? You bet I'm looking forward to it. I wonder if I have to buy this one? Or theyll just give it to me... Either way, Im getting my hands on that album. Make sure the second it comes out, you go find somewhere and get hold of it! Or spotify it...whatever....

'til next time, Sam the Intern (STI)

Sotones 90-minute special on Resonance FM

This saturday, acclaimed London arts & community station Resonance FM will be devoting a 90 minute show to a special look at what we do!

Moulettes, Campbell Austin (Moneytree) and Lonely Joe Parker will all be LIVE in session, and there is also a short documentary (which you can hear here)

Tune in to the Dexter Bentley Hello Goodbye Show from 11am on Saturday 13th February

Last Night...

Last night I went to the Haunted Stereo curates the Hamptons, my first proper Sotones event, and was pretty impressed! I wondered how a place that, lets be fair, is as small as the Hamptons could hold such events, but I was wrong to doubt it! It wasn’t cramped, but there were plenty of people there.

My favorite band of the evening (no offense to the others) had to be the Little Philistines. Having not had time to see Moneytree (which is actually such a shame) Little Philistines were a good substitute! Their whole set full of surprises, including one of the guitarists pulling out a trumpet mid song. And, I was lucky enough to get the last of their free CDs, which i will enjoy soon enough!

Saying that, the other bands were good! So Say So and Not Made In China certainly got the crowd tapping their feet! Good choices from Haunted Stereo, really. Of course headliners Moneytree, I’m sure were brilliant, but this isn’t first hand information, so don’t quote me on that. But how could they not have been??

Anyway, I really hope none of you are reading this the day that I have written it, because really, you should all be at the Hamptons for the second night of the Haunted Stereo Curates weekend. With headliner Peter Lyons and an array of other acts. And Its Free! So you actually have no excuse not to be there.

I on the other hand was a little too ill to get there tonight for the second night. But will most definately be at the Lonely Joe Parker Curates evening this friday! Can’t wait…I wonder if they let me into this one for free again…

Until next time, Sam the Intern!

Here we are again...

decided today would be a good time to come into the office. Its been so long I thought I would offer my services once again, which today included uploading 134 photos and name each one of the separately. It was quite mind numbing really…

Ive only been here like, two hours today, but already Joe has dismantled a computer, which was interesting to watch. Especially when he came back from a battery run for the keyboard to find he had the wrong size. But Im sure there’s a purpose to it all.

I’ve also only had one cup of coffee today, which is a depressing number, but it was good. Hampton’s sure do the finest instant coffee around. No lie.

This is only going to be a short one today, because Im running out of things to talk about. I swear this is like talking to a brick wall, god, you people!

Anyway, Im sure I will post another one sometime this week, but until then, how about reading this one again on www.sotones.podbean.com?

Anyway, til next time! Sam!

My Contribution for the week...

Hi! I haven’t been to the office for over a week now, so I thought I would input some kind of contribution so they don’t think I’ve forgotten them. This being it…

So christmas is over, which sucks. New year festivities is also over, which also sucks. What a depressing way to start a new decade. But ah well, I hope everyone had a very merry festive season.

2010 is looking to be a good year for not only myself, but for the whole of Sotones. They start with a whole load of pretty sick things happening. First off, they are brought into the new year with awesome reviews of Haunted Stereo’s new EP ‘Cross the Sea’, which, from personal experience, I can tell you is worth all the Hoo-har. I may need to beg/steal/borrow myself a new copy due to it being over played in my stereo. But enough about me…

Its also looking good for Moneytree who have the launch of their third EP ‘The Great Indoors part 3′, and from previews and even the strength of the single ‘Wake Up and Pay your Overheads’ alone, I can tell you it is well worth the wait, and I may even pay for this one…

But the first thing to scribble onto your newly obtained 2010 calendar should be the Haunted Stereo curating a whole weekend at the Hamptons with acts such as Peter Lyons and Moneytree etc. I’m gonna make sure I’m down there anyhow!

So overall, this year sets to look good for everyone. Even myself as I am forced to choose universities already. I swear I only left for big school two weeks ago! ah well, onwards and upwards. Now…do I take Art, Music or Physics..? But, I’m sure you all skipped this paragrah, so I’ll see you all on the 16th and 17th at the Hamptons!

Until then, your favorite intern, Sam!