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

We are proud to announce the debut LP by Charles Sharp 6 (C#6), Exits. This is NEW Jazz from California, the second in Empty Cellar’s Jazz series after Sword + Sandals’ (John Dwyer, Randy Lee Sutherland, Shaun O’Dell) debut LP. In a similar vein as Henry Threadgill, Dave Douglas, Ornette Coleman’s large ensembles, and Sun Ra, the Charles Sharp 6 braid together jazz tradition with experimentalist and popular music threads. Exits captures a spectrum of sounds held together by Sharp’s direction, as the ensemble of six musicians blaze through compositional structures and freely improvised responses.

The collection of musicians Sharp gathered for an evening have collaborated with artists as diverse as Mike Watt, Anthony Braxton, Kenny Burrell, Nels Cline, Tito Puente, Fat and Fucked Up and Vinny Golia, and includes two percussionists; two upright bassists, at odds–panned left and right; and a chamber-punk veteran on cello. Confident direction among the players creates an inspiring momentum as Sharp (saxophones) directs through sketches, gestures, and example, all of which fuels their conversation. This music is in dialogue with its times (as good free jazz is). It is music to stroll through crowded spaces, and to develop something outside the oppressive banality of the mainstream broadcast. In stores May 8th and available now for presale at the Endless Nest Store. Limited to a single pressing of 250 copies.

Hardly Art made the exciting announcement this week that Magic Trick (Tim Cohen and the gang) will be releasing their follow-up to last year’s epic The Glad Birth of Love (Empty Cellar). The new album is titled Ruler of the Night and is due on June 12th. Be one of the first to pre-order the new LP from Hardly Art, and receive a limited edition “ruler” of the night! Listen to the solemn new track “Torture” below:

Torture

Magic Trick’s next show is presented by (((folkYEAH!))) on April 25 at Great American Music Hall with Jonathan Wilson and Tortured Genies (feat. Members of The Dry Spells!).

The Sandwitches – The Pearl, 7″ (Hardly Art)
The Sandwitches – The Pearl
Pillars and Tongues – Sacred Architecture, CD (The Lotus Sound)
Pillars and Tongues – House of Ascen
Various Artists – San Francisco, LP (City Limits)
Joseph Childress – Last Days
Various Artists – Chicago, Cassette (Two Syllable)
Campfires – Amelia

Tim Cohen will be touring the western states solo this week and next in support of the most recent Magic Trick album The Glad Birth of Love. All dates are with Papercuts!

12/2 – The Satellite, Los Angeles, CA
12/3 – The Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco, CA
12/8 – The Sunset Tavern, Seattle, WA
12/9 – Cabaret at The Waldorf Hotel, Vancouver, BC
12/10 – Bunk Bar, Portland, OR