NOV 20....... The Blood Moons twelve song debut is now out! Hailing from New Bedford, MA, the Blood Moons combine garage rock, country, power pop and more for your listening pleasure. This is limited to 225 silkscreened copies with orange print on black jackets and the label is limited to 25 copies. You can download the track Dead and Gone and purchase a copy over at the label website.
NOV 16..... Baylies Band "Fort Thunder Flashback" has been released. Fort Thunder Flashback gets away from the band's math and krautrock influences and back to it's noise and experimental roots, a mix of instrumental improv with sound collages and noise. Previous releases have been described as "screeching down the track like a broken locomotive with their ugly riffs and diseased vocals, kind of like if Lemmy and Leslie West had gotten together and taken some really bad shit. Genius sound deconstruction, a reckless train of musical styles with flayed and reverb guitar noise, plunging off a cliff into a pit of explosives." Featuring members of Temple Of Bon Matin and humans who have played with Arthur Doyle, members of the Stooges, Acid Mothers Temple, and Sun Ra. Limited to 225 silkscreened copies on brown jackets. Pick up a copy over at the label webpage.
NOV 9.... Mike Mountain's self titled EP has officially been released. New Bedford-based Mike Mountain is a five piece post-everything rock n' roll band with a blend of different rock styles and very abstract lyricism. Included in the six recorded tracks are unique and time sensitive descriptions of current events and moods that are captured with sounds and words. To get the most out of your Mike Mountain experience, pay very close attention and listen repeatedly until you can no longer tolerate the songs (if you ever could). Thank you for being a dedicated explorer of the musical pulse of the underworld. Influences include Mars, DNA, Landed, Faust, The Fall, Pil, Captain Beefheart, and the Jesus Lizard. Limited to 150 silkscreened copies, you can download the track Social Climber and purchase a copy at the label webstore.
NOV 4..... Six Star General - Do You Want Them to Dance, Then They Will Remember You...Live is now out. Their first live album has twenty six tracks recorded over the course of five shows throughout late 2008 and the spring of 2009. After multiple mixing delays and a successful four month battle for control of the original masters, Scott Rancourt from Summing Point studios stepped in to sort out the recordings and complete the project. Limited to 150 silkscreened copies and only $7.00 postpaid.
You can download the tracks Sampson's Cousin and Dicky Dow. You can purchase a copy over at the label webpage.
OCTOBER 2009 ...... The diePods self titled cd is now available. Five bastard children of sasquatch and the chupicabra, spawned while hurdling through space in the crater of an asteroid filled with ultrasonic punk sludge, formed a band and settled in Newport... 'cuz the clams are good there. Twelve tracks in all, you can download the track The Suit and purchase a copy of the cd from the label webpage...... Sharks Come Cruisin’ - The Bonnie Ship The Diamond / John Kanaka digital download and limited edition cassette single is now available. Two songs from their Providence Piers Sessions, recently recorded by Daryl Rabidoux at Strangeways Studios in the band’s hometown of Providence, RI. These are available for digital download, as well as a limited edition cassette single, complete with handsome packaging designed and assembled by the band. Go to the Sharks Come Cruisin’ webpage to download or purchase.
...... The October 26th issue of the Providence Phoenix has a feature on The diePods. Their self titled cd release show is this Friday at the 75orLess Live Showcase at the Blackstone with the return of von Doom, The Propellers and Six Star General. Cheap beers, fun night, bring a date....... Hula Hoop - Ghost Of Last Summer 12" Vinyl LP has been released. Hula Hoop where spawned from the same Ohio River water as Rodan, Palace Bros, Evergreen, King Kong and other Louisville contemporaries, but with a decidedly less obvious rock-ist stance due to their combined influences. This album contains twelve songs written & recorded with the powerhouse trio of Eric Stoess (Hula Boy), Chuck Geisler and Stephen "Monkey Boy" Jones. A stellar collection of tasty Americana pop morsels mined from the musical coal of Echo & the Bunnymen, New Zealand pop/rock, Television, & The Fall. Beautiful letter-pressed cover by Hound Dog Press. Edition of 150 copies split between 75orLess and 555 Records. All Vinyl LP's also contains free download code. Only $12.00 plus shipping. Purchase over at the label website...... Motif Magazine September 2009 Issue - 75orLess Records is headlined by flagship band Six Star General, who pump up the volume in an 80's indie guitar swing manner that recalls bands like The Minutemen, early Dinosaur Jr., and Black Flag. Six Star General hit heavy, kicking up a tsunami of guitar over Watt-like rolling bass lines that tend to blow the air out of the room. I don't know which label mates will be coming along for the ride for this show but with 75orLess's ever expanding roster of talent, it's a safe bet that it will be worth getting there early. Prolific at discovering and putting out records by local bands, the label's deep Rhode Island roster is starting to resemble a version of Greg Ginn's legendary SST Records in the late 80's.
August 2009....... Congrats to The Jesse Minute for having the most votes of any band and winning the award for best garage punk band in the Providence Phoenix 2009 Music Poll.
75orLess Live Showcase Sat Sept 26 The Box in Providence - Suicide Bill, Six Star General, The former Killing Pablo, Dennis Most and the Instigators
July 2009....... 15er's "Backseat Lifer" has been released. The first solo release from Kyle Jackson, the guitarist for Six Star General. Influences include Ween, Trans Am, Daft Punk, Pavement, The Beach Boys, and Sebadoh. You can download the track Microphones are Almost as Cool as Bubbles. This release is limited to 75 silkscreened copies, while the label is limited to 25 copies. $6.00 postpaid.
Sanity Assassins' "Best of 1989-93" is also now out. Connecticut's most released band, with LP's on Full Circle Records and Retch Records U.K., plus 7 inch singles released on Dionysus Records. This release features the band's first 3 piece line up. This sub pop-punk-psychedelic inspired collection has tracks from the band's Dionysus and Retch Records releases, their Tombstone Records single, plus compilation and unreleased tracks. 17 tracks total, you can download the track Already Know. This release is limited to 50 silkscreened copies and the label is limited to 25 copies. $6.00
Both releases are available for purchase over at the label webstore.
JUNE ....... The Providence Phoenix has a feature on The Inclined...... von Doom's The Descender has been released. Equal parts barroom rock and indie-soaked pop, influences include The Replacements, Dinosaur Jr, and Pavement. Always teetering between just too hip and just plain odd, von Doom is the retro-hyper-active quartet. You can download the title track The Descender........The Jesse Minute's "Do or Die" is out. A split release with Red Tide Records, the 12 songs on "DO or DIE" were culled from a recent 25 song, 3 day DIY recording session. You can download the title track "Do or Die"........ Cliffs & Bangers' "Short Tracks No Brakes" is also now out. Based out of Newport, RI, C&B play powerful surf rock and are RI's answer to Dick Dale, The Ventures, and Man or Astro-man. Download the track Squid Hunter. While von Doom comes in a eco-pack, the other releases were screen printed in batches of 250 copies but the label webstore is limited to only 25 copies of each..........Eric Fontana and the Ultra Fine Reducers "Studies in R + B" has been released. A longtime fixture on the Providence music scene, Eric was a member of Mother Jefferson in the late nineties and is a current member of Hope Anchor. His solo work is a musical road trip of various eras and geographical locations as seen through the eyes of a modern indie pop-rock mutt. Influences include Paul Westerberg, Jack White, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Otis Redding, Etta James, Buddy Guy, and Big Mama Thorton. You can download the track Happy Star......... Suicide Bill and the Liquors' The Devil Said "Hi" To Bill has also been released. You can download the
title track and pick up copies of both cds over at the label website....... Six Star General's "Spaceship to Planet Cookie" t-shirts are now available. There were only 25 shirts made and they are going fast. Spaceship to Planet Cookie was released in December and has earned two nominations for Album of the Year, from both Motif Magazine and the Providence Phoenix. You can order a shirt from the label website and don't forget to include size and color info......... Found Dead in Trunk's "Kerosene Cocktail" has been released. Killed by Death inspired Connecticut lo-fi punk band featuring former members of Stark Raving, The White Pigs and Sanity Assassins. You can download the track Prescription for Suicide......... Boston's The Noise has a review of the No Qualms compilation...... The pride and joy of Pawtucket, Fashion Failures have announced they have broken up..........Newport's Mercury Magazine features surf-rock masters Cliffs & Bangers on their May 6th cover...... Captains Dead covers some of the blog slash music labels out there, including 75orLess........ Information on the June 12 cd release show for Eric Fontana and the Ultra-Fine Reducers.
The Providence Phoenix has announced this year's nominations for the "Best of" music categories. 75orLess acts getting nominations are:
Best Act - Six Star General
Best Singer Songwriter - Ben Pilgrim
Best Punk/Garage - Fashion Failures, The Jesse Minute
Best Album - Six Star General "Spaceship to Planet Cookie"
MAY 2009....... The Providence Phoenix has a feature on The Propellers..........Boston's The Noise reviews the new Minky Starshine.
APRIL 2009....... The Providence Phoenix has a feature on Coma Coma........ Ear Damage reviews MW Ensemble.......... Motif Magazine has announced their 2009 music nominations. The 75orLess roster has three nominees. The Propellers "2" and Six Star General's "Spaceship to Planet Cookie" are up for Best Album of the year and Ben Pilgrim is nominated for Best New Act. You can vote for all categories here. SATURDAY APRIL 18 IS RECORD STORE DAY. NEWBURY COMICS ON ROUTE 2 WARWICK will have live music in-store starting at noon and running until 8:00PM. The bands performing are: Six Star General, The Propellers, The Blood Moons, Deer Tick, and Eric Fontana.
MARCH 2009.........3Hive sort of reviews the new Coltrane Motion........ Baby Sue reviews MW Esemble while Slowoustic reviews Nathan Xander's Swiftly, Surely...... Coma Coma "Live at Jakes" is now released. A quick follow up to their debut EP, the improvised guitar solos meld seamlessly with a pulsating rhythm section that explores their sonic landscape, while the organic vocals give the songs direction. Seven tracks, including a cover of Ween's "Baby Bitch", recorded live at the late, lamented Providence venue in December 2008 by Jeff Bright from Sambello Studios. Only $6.00 postpaid, this release is limited to 75 numbered, silkscreened copies. You can download the track 4th of July and purchase a copy over at the label website........ Lithium Radio and Ear It Now give some coverage to the new Coltrane Motion........ Both Captains Dead and Absolute Power Pop have reviews of the new Minky Starshine release...... The Rock and Roll Report has a recent interview with the 75orLess label....... The next 75orLess Live Showcase is taking place SATURDAY MARCH 21 at Houlihan's Tavern in East Providence with The Propellers, Mustache Ride, Suicide Bill and Six Star General. 9PM. NO COVER. 21+......... Coltrane Motion's "The Year Without a Summer/Maya Blue" EP has been released. Michael Bond and Matt Dennewitz fulfill their usual duties in this electronic duo, with GD Mills from Fuck Knights filling in on drums. Self-recorded in a bedroom and practice space in Ukrainian Village, Chicago. The seven inch single will be available in late March from the Data Was Lost label. This CD version contains two bonus remixes of tracks from "Songs About Music" by You, You're Awesome and Superaction80. It's limited to 75 total copies while the label is limited to only 25 copies. You can purchase a copy over at the label webpage........ Boston's The Noise has reviews of the latest releases from von Doom, Coma Coma, Six Star General and Nature/Nurture....... Brooklyn Paper features Cholo in their latest episode of Smash or Trash....... The Providence Phoenix has a feature on Nature/Nurture and their release "EP001"........ Also in the Phoenix, the 75orLess Music reviews websitehas been nominated for the second year in a row as Best Local Blog - despite not being a blog. Thank you regardless.
FEBRUARY 2009......... Motif Magazine reviews both Minky Starshine and the new Propellers releases......... The Inclined "The First Day of Many" is now available for download on emusic. Also, You can see an interview and also a performance of the track "Pleased" fromCholo on Brooklyn College tv.........The Propellers "2" has been released. The Propellers took to recording in the humid New England summer of 2008, sculpting their sophomore art rock record. The album covers a variety of themes: a lullaby for a petulant child, revenge murder on a underground train, friendship, love, loss, and a celebration of life's foibles. Recorded in a Rhode Island basement by the bassist, and mixed by the drummer, "2" is truly a DIY effort. This release is limited to 150 silkscreened copies, while the label is limited to only 25 copies. You can download the track Lifted. The cd release party is on Thursday February 12 at KC's Tap in Pawtucket. Also on the bill are The Wippets, and Jeff Bright's latest project The Melodelodies, Loblolly Boy and Bearkat, both from Maine....... on Friday February 6 at Jimmy's Saloon in Newport, The "Jonny Jones Jam", a musical fundraiser for Jonny Jones will be held. You probably know Jonny from his many musical projects here in the Ocean State over the years - Mother Jefferson, Backwash, 2 Guys and Another Guy and others. His friends have gotten together to raise money to help pay for some recent medical bills. Raffles, food and a lot of bands. The suggested donation is anywhere from $10-20 bucks and the music starts at 7pm.
JANUARY 2009....... Two new releases from the 75orless label this week. Minky Starshine's Unidentified Hit Record is like listening to a box of old 8-tracks in your Uncle Don's basement. Recorded primarily by x-Hot Rod Circuit Michael Poorman at Strangeways Recording in Providence, R.I., Minky also teamed up with pal Ken Stringfellow (Posies, Big Star) in Paris, France at Le Domicile Studio, and with Chris Manning (Jellyfish, Guster) out at Salamander Sound in sunny California. This refined line-up features Mike Musburger (Posies, Fastbacks) on drums. You can download the tracks Good to Me or Millennium Wheel. Changing musical gears completely, Nature/Nurture has released EP001. An instrumental trio born in Fall River, Massachusettes and raised in the Wamsutta Mills of New Bedford. Sounds like Shellac, Minus the Bear, Isis and At the Drive In having a bar fight, minus all the yelling. Download the track 002. Both releases are only $6.00 each including shipping
Nate Laban made the trip down from New Hampshire in early January and played a few songs for us live in-studio. You can download the following tracks:
Welcoming electronic, hip-hop, indie, pagan, folk, electro, merseybeat, punk, disco, lo-fi, pop, western, nerdcore, gothic, samba, travesty, reggae, cockrock, jazz, brit pop, nu gaze, blues, acid, Avant-garde, easy listening, sludge, viking, polka, garage, tango, nintendocore, country, no wave, wizard, rap, new new wave, jug, twee, swing, comedy, math rock, nordic, soul, rockabilly, shockabilly, psychobilly, space age, medieval, sadcore, flip hop, thrash, muzak, beatbox, nu metal, newgrass, old metal, world, narcocorrido, turbo, black metal, tap, Neo-Psychedelia, prog, kabuki, surf, noise, new romantic, showtunes, prison metal, synth, ragtime, tuvan throat-singing, death, improv, idm, swamp, new age, tin pan alley, crust, zolo, techno, grindcore, yer major label industry crap and all other music submissions.
Why 75orLess? It's a reasonable question. The idea was born during our daily music chats, while discussing reviews we'd read. There was only one thing we consistently agreed on: they were too long. It seemed the point of how the music sounded and whether or not it was good was lost in an overlong mess of lyric quotes, personal accounts and a seemingly desperate attempt to fulfill a word count. Eventually someone said, "It's gotten to the point where if you can't say it in 75 words or less, you should shut the fuck up". Within a week, 75orless.com was born. The best part about our limit is its reversal of typical music reviews. We limit the amount of words we use, and are not required to reach a number.
To be considered for a review, send musical submissions to:
75orLess
ATTN: Reviews
23 Laurel Lane
Warren, RI 02885
Another option available for submissions is to make your release available for easy download. Please make sure that your music is available for download as 160kb mp3 (or better). Zip files welcome. No streaming, wav, flac, real player, windows media or quicktime files will be considered.
A few things to keep in mind...
Please include some info with your submission, it doesn't have to be fancy. We just need some sort of starting point like, "This album sounds like heavy metal mixed with Brazilian pop music." Giving us a description of your music greatly increases your chances of getting reviewed. We receive over 100 submissions per month. We only review 25 per month. We are sorry to report we cannot review all submissions. We are a very small operation and our staff is completely volunteer. If your music is great, we will let our readers know. It doesn't matter to us if you are on a major label or you recorded it in your basement. On the flip side of that, if you are too sensitive too handle an unfavorable review, please refrain from submitting. We try to give positive reviews but sometimes can't help ourselves. You do not have to email us to ask us if it's ok to submit music. Please follow up your submissions by emailing us at info(at)75orless(dot)com. Do NOT use myspace for submission follow-ups. The review website and this myspace page are maintained by different people.
If you have the desire to write about music, let us know. we are always looking for contributors. you can email us at info@75orless.com for submission guidelines, which do not formally exist but we'll make them up. here are the basics-
1. our writers do not get paid.
2. if you work for a label, promotional company, band or have other connections, be prepared to not write about them.
Some of the compliments we have received
Dolphin Music 2008 Top 100 Music Related Blogs (number 82 with a bullet)
2004 Best Music Weblog "Bloggie" nominee
Providence Phoenix Nominee Best Blog 2008
Providence Phoenix Nominee Best Blog 2009
Time Magazine's Fifteen great sites for musicians and fans
Yahoo! Pick of The Day
Yahoo! Best of 2002
USA Today's Hot Sites
and thank you, Shift Magazine. It's a real shame you went bankrupt.
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