We have settled on the release date for the new mini-album by The Cairo Gang. It will be released on July 23rd 2013 on Empty Cellar and The Disneyland Reform Party.

It is unlike anything the gang has done before… that is all we can say for now.

This is the first music video by Cool Ghouls, taken from their debut Self-Titled LP on Empty Cellar (available here).

Tomorrow, Tuesday 5/7, BURGER RECORDS will be releasing their self-titled debut on cassette!

ALSO tomorrow, they will be headlining this month’s Wood Shoppe at Brick and Mortar

“[Cool Ghouls] self-titled album is a concoction of an unlikely mix; drawing on psychedelic deliciousness, country style twang and even strands of feverish, pure pop to mash up a killer new sound.” - Filter Magazine

Empty Cellar Records is proud to bring you the debut self-titled album (recorded by Tim Cohen (Fresh and Onlys / Magic Trick)), by San Francisco’s latest and greatest, Cool Ghouls (In stores worldwide on 4/23). Pre-order below…

In the words of Tim Cohen (Fresh and Onlys / Magic Trick)…

“First things first: Cool Ghouls are not a retro act. If you seek musical salvation in the form of mop-topped mannequins with vintage riffs and hand-me-down rags, please stop reading. Yes, the Cool Ghouls borrowed their name from George Clinton’s Funkadelic-era pre-show banter. Yes, they dwell penniless in the storied hills of culturally resurgent San Francisco. But these boys have their feet firmly planted in the soil of the now. They look not backwards for approving nods of hipster forebears, but rather skyward, hoping that the “supernatural forces” they yodel for, guide them to all corners of a half-deserving world. Truth be told, this being their first official release, they may even be a bit naïve in their dogged pursuit of the true-blue, home-spun, rock and roll lifestyle.

If one were to ascribe to them a 60′s-reverent description, as one often does in the case of San Francisco bands, one would most likely find an artistic kinship with some the most inimitable, idiosyncratic, yet unmistakably influential bands of the retro-fitting oeuvre. The Troggs, The Monks, Sir Douglas Quintet come to mind immediately. (Save your Kinks and Rolling Stones references.) Like the aforementioned, the Ghouls are natural heirs to the folkloric lineage which precedes them, adding dashes of weirdness where needed. And despite their mid-fi leanings and natural fit within the current pantheon of San Francisco rock ‘n’ roll bands (Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall), theirs is a timeless record, which will hopefully transcend the descriptors (garage, psych, etc.) that will undoubtedly plague it in the blogosfear. The reason being – they write good SONGS.

These young men have honed their three-headed vocal attack in front of ambitious and unexpected chord progressions, an unrelenting rhythm section, and a keen ear for harmony. Theirs is a trifecta of songwriting styles, ranging from the raspy, rambling psychedelic soul of longhair Pat McDonald (“Grace”), to the high yonder twang of bassist Pat Thomas (“Natural Life”), to the boisterous, fever-pitched, perfect pop of lead guitarist Ryan Wong. Despite the seeming disparity between styles, the Ghouls make it work. Theirs is a truly democratic song-making process, wherein all members are eager to contribute their most zealous performances. Hence, the debut record, an adventurous, colorful romp seen through the eyes of old-souled youths, feels wholly coherent and intentional. The self-assuredness of their songwriting is evident. And no, the Ghouls are not afraid to wear their influences on their sleeves; this is partly what makes the record so digestible. It doesn’t claim to be anything other than what it is; a record for now, a record for then, and a record for forever.”

Pre-order the LP!
Endlessnest: http://www.endlessnest.com/store/index.php#coolghoulsst
Bandcamp: http://emptycellarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/cool-ghouls

Tonight! Cool Ghouls unveil their new album out April 23rd on Empty Cellar Records.

Mon, March 25, 2013
COOL GHOULS
Meat Market,
Buffalo Tooth,
Locomotives

Doors: 7:00 pm / Show: 8:00 pm
Brick & Mortar Music Hall

Tickets HERE
Pre-order HERE

“The band defies easy categorization, unless you’re looking in that bin marked “essential.” – Chicago Tribune

Pillars and Tongues are performing two highly recommended shows this weekend in Chicago.

9:30 PM on Saturday, January 12th @ The Empty Bottle 1035 W. North Ave.
The Soft Moon
Majical Cloudz
Pillars and Tongues (1st of 3)

Read a preview for the Pillars and Tongues’ highly recommend set at the Chicago Tribune.

6 PM on Sunday, January 13th @ Saki!, 3716 w. fullerton ave.
Pillars and Tongues
Zelienople!

Recommended by Windy Rock City.

Dylan Shearer is getting on a plane! And going to New York! And playing some shows! Our man, Dylan Shearer is gonna be in the Big Apple this weekend playing the We Listen For You CMJ showcase at the Rockwood Music Hall. The show’s this Saturday and starts at 12 – a seriously perfect chance to catch an afternoon drink. And it’s FREE. RSVP HERE.

The very next day, Shearer will make the trip out to Long Island City to play at the Resobox gallery. You can escape the CMJ madness and check out that event HERE.

Saturday, October 20: We Listen For You CMJ Showcase – Houndmouth, Port St. Willow, ARMS (acoustic set), Dylan Shearer, Conveyor (acoustic set) @ Rockwood Music Hall, Manhattan

Sunday, October 21: Dylan Shearer, Paradise Club, Wage Workers @ Resobox, Long Island City

Thus ends Dylan Shearer’s 2012 New York adventure, but his journey continues next Tuesday right here in sunny (for now) San Francisco. He will be playing the final night of Tim Cohen’s residency at Amnesia. Dylan ought to be pretty wiped by then, so come through, bring him some coffee, then stay for the DOPE show.

Tuesday, October 23: Tim Cohen, Dylan Shearer, Jessica Pratt @ Amnesia, SF

The Cairo Gang is playing some rad live shows this month in support of the The Corner Man (out 10/23). THEY WILL EXPLODE YOUR DOME!

Live Cairo Gang Dates:
9/26 – The Dirty Three + The Cairo Gang, Lincoln Hall, Chicago

9/27 – The Dirty Three + The Cairo Gang, Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis

10/9 – The Cairo Gang, FREE In-store at Reckless Records (Broadway), Chicago (EXCLUSIVE PRE-RELEASE!)

10/24 – Crime and the City Solution + The Cairo Gang, Slims, San Francisco

…also catch Pillars and Tongues tomorrow, Tuesday, night at Subterranean in Chicago!

9/25 – Here We Go Magic, Pillars and Tongues, Golden Birthday, Subterranean, Chicago

“He’s a man who loves music with every fiber of his being, and that comes through on tracks like this.“ – Mark Schoneveld, YVYNYL

Empty Cellar Records is proud to present our latest release The Corner Man, by Chicago’s notorious The Cairo Gang (In stores 10/23). PREORDER the album HERE

The Corner Man is the much-anticipated new LP by The Cairo Gang and the first full-length of new material since the impossible to find ’06 record Twyxt Wyrd. In the time between, Emmett Kelly and The Gang has worked on various projects including 2010′s Holy Clover, EP (Empty Cellar), and collaborations with Bonnie “Prince” Billy for the critically acclaimed LP and 10″, The Wondershow of the World and Island Brothers, both on Drag City. This is their first full length for Empty Cellar, and we couldn’t be more psyched to see how it’s come together. The Corner Man is a marked departure from Wondershow in presenting a diverse program of songs that explores Kelly’s own singular voice and production styles. It contains lush, full arrangements that span from tentative and intimate ballads, to searing guitar and deep pocket drumming – always with the lead voice way out front and a wild bed of gorgeous harmony just behind it.

On this effort Emmett is joined by Chicago musicians Leroy Bach (Wilco, The Boogie Band), Ben Babbitt (Pillars and Tongues, This Is Cinema), Sam Wagster (The Father Costume), avant-garde pianist Ben Boye. Mixed with worldly recording wizard David Vandervelde and mastered by Paul Oldham, The Corner Man is presented on glorious vinyl in an elegant old-style paste-on sleeve and letter-pressed obi.

Track Listing:
Side A: Everybody Knows / Now You are One of Us / Gland in Gland / Put on a Smile
Side B: Gone is the Light / Freak / Ill Force / There is Something Here

Pre-order: HERE
Learn more about The Cairo Gang: Emmett Kelly on Wikipedia

The Fuckaroos (Sonny Smith), Joseph Chilldress, Pillars and Tongues, and Grace Sings Sludge (of the Sandwitches) are playing this Thursday (6/21/2012) at the Hemlock Tavern for our first ever label showcase. Big thanks to (((folkYEAH!))) for co-presenting this very special event.

The sophomore album by Tim Cohen’s band Magic Trick came out yesterday and we have a few copies available at the Endless Nest Store

“Ruler of the Night is acclaimed songwriter Tim Cohen’s second LP under the Magic Trick portmanteau. Together with vocalists Noelle Cahill and Alicia Vanden Heuvel (Aislers Set), and James Kim (Kelly Stoltz’s band), Cohen has crafted a lush, absorbing, and alternately uplifting and devastating pop tapestry. All LPs include a download code.”

Get your copy here:

Directed by ada bligaard søby, cinematography adam nilsson and ada bligaard søby, edited by jacob schulsinger, music by The Sandwitches from the album Mrs. Jones Cookies

Empty Cellar Records is more than stoked to present the sophomore full-length LP by San Francisco’s elusive pop wizard, Dylan Shearer, at once a continuation of his distinctive and infectious melodic sensibilities and an evolution, fully exploring the romance and isolation only hinted at in previous releases. Perhaps familiar, Dylan is a stand-out artist on the popular San Francisco compilation, In a Cloud: New Sounds from San Francisco.

Raven Sings The Blues and Ad-hoc co-premiered the album, Porchpuddles, this morning. Check out the opening track below, or at either of the above links:

We have been listening to this record non-stop since we received the tracks from Dylan. It is unlike any contemporary release out there. But, don’t take our word for it… take Tim Cohen’s (Magic Trick, Fresh & Onlys):

“There is a new specter among us. Dylan Shearer’s throaty baritone seems to have been borne on the slow-moving winds off some far-away coast. Plaintive and honest, his voice recalls Syd Barrett, Bill Fay, Skip Spence, and others whose words and melodies never seemed in a rush to get anywhere, yet always arrived fully formed in the listener’s ear nonetheless. Porchpuddles, Shearer’s second full length and first for San Francisco’s hodge-podge Empty Cellar records, is rare in its perfect timelessness. Sounds are heard and understood perfectly, yet the combination of these sounds is beyond a simple pop understanding. Songs of longing and songs of seeming indifference are bedded together seamlessly. Perhaps, questions about the record’s origin and its mysterious creator will abound, for taken at face value, Porchpuddles has little to no recognizable counterpart in today’s one-hit warehouse. Indeed, there is a new specter among us; let us all welcome in the ghost of the present.”
- Tim Cohen

This first pressing (limited to 500 copies) comes in a classic uncoated tip-on sleeve. Keeping with the times, all LPs include a high quality download of the full album plus seven bonus tracks!

You can pre-order the LP HERE