Touchable Sound: A Collection of 7-Inch Records from the USA

I think I’ve obsessed about records since I bought my first one in the 70’s. And fortunately, I’ve been able to witness the growth of the 7" record subculture from the 80’s to now. And well, the new book "Touchable Sound" is exclusively dedicated to the special obsessives that make buying a 7" such a pleasurable experience. In other words, people that put out a piece of art and not just a sleeve and a record. Over a year ago, I was asked to write the foreword and introductory paragraphs for the book that is now out. Read about it here.

And so I was talking to the publishers about doing a release party in Georgia and an upcoming show with Man…or Astro-Man? seemed like an obvious event. And well, as a long time friend of theirs, I asked if they’d be interested in releasing a specially packaged record for sale with the book at the show. And wouldn’t you know, they said yes.

The record features the songs "Earth Station Radio" and "Updated Theme To Supercar". The packaging is pretty maddening. Encased in a static shield bag, the record is paired up with an honest to god circuit board and the bag is sealed with a sticker. Edition of 300.

Now, for those that don’t live in Georgia, there’s hope. You can purchase a bundle featuring the book (a $45 value) and the 7" for $39ppd in the US. I’m sure it’ll cost extra for Europe, but just contact the publisher and I’m sure they’ll sort you out. But hey, the book is a sight to behold and the record is……well, a sight to behold too!

Paypal $39 directly to mike at soundscreendesign dot com (obviously take out the ‘at’ and ‘dot’ and replace with ‘@’ and ‘.’, skeezix) and, hey, don’t say that Chunklet never did anything for you.

by Jay Ryan

After years of toiling away in obscurity, followed by years of escalating interest during their hiatus, the legendary Florida band Floor reunited for a handful of shows in April 2010. Three different drummers. Three different sets. "Sight & Seen" is over two hours of material spanning their early dirgey/noise singles to their landmark psych/drone/pop self-titled masterpiece. Filmed over two nights at the EARL in Atlanta, Georgia, "Sight & Seen" is truly something that needs to be seen to be believed.

A multi-camera performance coupled with professionally recorded and mixed audio, "Sight & Seen" is an enveloping, droning wall of guitars. Floor’s two guitarists, Anthony Vialon and Steve Brooks (of TORCHE fame), spend over two hours on stage with their various drummers. Their three drummers, Betty, Jeff and Henry, rotate through the band’s lineup: crashing through their early singles, smoking the viewer with their mid-period haze and ending with the cathartic and anthemic final album.

Disc #1 of "Sight & Seen" also includes a 20 minute featurette that documents the band’s history with never-before-seen live footage, photography and interviews.

Disc #2 is intended lure in both massive fans and completists alike. A data disc (which means you pop it in your computer), it includes:

–high quality audio files of both Atlanta shows (not just the one shown on disc #1) –the complete and edited film of Floor that ended up on the cutting room floor (which clocks in at over 2 hours of video)

And in addition to this, the band has opened up their video vaults to include:

–over an hour of archival footage spanning Floor’s career from 1993 at Churchill’s in Miami to their final shows in 2001.

"Sight & Seen" is also housed in an elaborate package which was initially used on Chunklet’s landmark "Anthem" 2xDVD release by Harvey Milk in 2006. All designed by Chunklet’s in-house designer, Henry H. Owings.

Mail order copies will be available on a few different ‘colors’ (in editions of 50…at no additional cost) and "Sight & Seen" is a one-time release of 700 never to be reissued.

All orders will ship the first week of December 2010.

I just saw that a live Down album was released. I always really liked their first record, so I decided to look into this.  I listened to Stone the Crow.  The album cuts are much better.  So I abandoned any further research.

However, after reading Amazon reviews, I realized that, across the board, everyone pretty much said the same thing.  They were upset with the vocals, but especially on Jail.  At this point, how could I not listen to this track?  It turned out to be way  worse than I could have imagined.  Beyond awful.  A total train wreck.  And I can’t stop listening.

Why would anyone release this?  Were they trying to get out of a contract?  Anyway, enjoy:

Well, we’ve got a few more hours left on our Kickstarter campaign, but it’s looking like we did it with some room to spare. Man, over $19K in six weeks? Golly, you like us. You really do!

Since the Indie Cred Test is written, proofed and edited, now all we’ve gotta do is lay it out, send it off to get manufactured, get records pressed along with shrits and sweatshirts printed. Yeah, nothing big. But seriously….

A sincere thank you (yet again) to all of you that believed in this project and donated, tweeted, facebooked and anything else you could do to help. An additional special thanks to Newmerica who have cranked out the vids you’ve seen in an attempt to help generate interest in our special project. So to them, a robust thanks.

As a reward to all of you that have liked (or maybe even loved) our writing in the past, we’re offering up the first Chunklet publication, "The Overrated Book" for $9.99. Get in on it…

Wow. Thanks, Mark!

To all that have contributed to the Kickstarter campaign, expect updates over the coming weeks and months. And on a personal note, my wife and I will be expecting our first child in April so trust me, I’ll be wanting to get this behemoth out of my in-box and into your mailbox sooner rather than later.

And now that I’m done with this campaign, this blog can go back to being obsessive and nerdy. But apart from the Indie Cred Test, expect a 2xDVD by Floor by the end of year! Yeah, Floor! Get pumped!

We’re getting closer and closer to our budget goal at Kickstarter. Why haven’t you doe-nated yet?! Get on it, hoss!

Look, I’m a modest, quiet guy. I live with a lovely wife and two equally lovely dogs on a quiet street in Atlanta. I love to cook gumbo, shoot fireworks and play whirlyball.

But let’s face it……

I dressed up as a goddamned Boy Scout to raise funds for the Indie Cred Test.

The least you can do is cough up $15 for a book! You like Chunklet? You like comedy? You like me humiliating myself in a Boy Scout uniform?! Then please tell your friends via Facebook and Twitter so I can go back to being a mild-mannered music nerd from the South.

Hey everybody! We’re almost at the half way point of the Kickstarter fund-raising campaign and have officially reached five digits. So to those who have contributed, a hearty thank you.

If I could personally make a request of those that have helped or have shown interest in The Indie Cred Test, please help spread the word. Although it doesn’t seem like much, a Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr posting means a lot more than you think. So cut and paste and realize you’re helping finance one of the top twenty projects on Kickstarter that has the words "Indie" and "Test" in its title.

More videos and insanity to be coming down the pike as crunch time approaches.

To those who have yet to contribute, what are you waiting for?! I mean, really. You can get a book! And in this economy, who doesn’t like to read?!

FORBES MAGAZINE BIGGEST MONEY MAKING STAND-UP ACTS OF 2010 (thus no TV Hosts or sitcom stars, just the mic & stage. )

10) Bill Engvall, $10.5 million (previous: unranked). More bumpkin-yucks, (can I trademark that phrase?) It’s only a matter of time before one of these Joads does a “show” while actually driving in a NASCAR race. (love, Billy.)

(Jeff Dunham) I’m dyin’ over here

A group of folks are supporting the book’s funding solely so they can burn copies. How’s that for a battle plan?

Donate now at Kickstarter!