Usually, we add less than one item a month to our store… but last week we went a little overboard, so we figured it deserved a post. You can click on the covers above or links below to learn more about these solid vinyl releases by Empty Cellar related artists.

Sonny Smith – 100 Records Volume Two: I Miss The Jams, 5 x 7″ Box (Turn Up! 005)
Tim Cohen – Laugh Tracks, LP (Captured Tracks 62)
The Sandwitches – Makes Me Sick, 7″ (Southpaw 12)
Fresh & Onlys – August In My Mind, 12″ e.p. (Captured Tracks 46)
Bonnie “Prince” Billy & The Cairo Gang – Wonder Show Of The World, LP (Drag City 2012)
Pillars & Tongues – Protection, CD (Contraphonic 074)

Secret Seven Records is proud to release the first ever reissue of the lost psych-folk LP ‘Goodby Sunball’ by cult favorite, Michael Yonkers. Privately released in 1974, ‘Goodby Sunball’ was recorded at Yonkers’ home studio a few years after ‘Microminiature Love’ and just before ‘Lovely Gold’. Remastered from the original LP by Ben Tuttle. Limited to 500 copies.

This record is amazing. Full of simple beauty and quiet heartbreak. So good in fact, that Grace Sings Sludge (Grace Cooper of The Sandwitches) felt compelled to record a cover of the album track “Oh Can You Tell Me” (listen to the Yonkers original HERE).

Oh can you tell me, as performed by Grace Sings Sludge

“The music for ‘Goodby Sunball’ was written during the recovery period following serious spine surgery. The surgery had not gone well, i was laid up for months, and had to learn to walk again. So, the music was written using an acoustic guitar, while laying in bed. When i was able to be up and around more, i started recording the songs…a little at a time.It took about 7 months. i recorded the tracks in the little studio i had in my place. It was all recorded on two-channel, tube type machines (back and forth between machines). The vocals were done in the bathroom, to give an expanded sound.”
– Michael Yonkers

Side One: Goodby Sunball / Tell Me Of Love / The Day Of Jubilee / Angel Of The Snow / The Swamp Of Love / Anne Is My Lassie / Another Day / Morning Of Love / Someone Like You

Side Two: Early Wakin’ Morning / Strange And Lonely Land / Oh Can You Tell Me / Time Honored Love / Goodby Sunball

It will be available in stores on July 7th, but you can pick it up early from Secret Seven or the Endless Nest Store. All orders will ship shortly before the release date.

Head over to Amnesia in San Francisco this Friday (10/30) before Halloween for a really great show. It is a joint record release event shared between Sonny & the Sunsets and The Sandwitches. They will be celebrating the coming release and recent release of Tomorrow is Alright (Secret Seven / Soft Abuse) and How To Make Ambient Sadcake (Turn Up!), respectively (pictured above).

 

I have recently come to realize that bloggers might be one of independent music’s greatest allies. Not that we didn’t kind of already know; but really, I am not sure that we could have gotten the word out about “The Two Sides of Tim Cohen” if it wasn’t for all the help we received from music writers online. As we were preparing to release of the Joseph Childress / White White Quilt – Split (Water Tower) 7″, we came across several great blogs that feature 45’s & 7″ records exclusively.

Here are just a few of the ones we found (there are many more out there):
7 Inches
I Think I Hate My 45s
Dereks Daily 45s
7 Inch of the Day
7 Inches from the Underground

We are fortunate enough to be currently featured on Jason Dean’s 7 Inches blog, for the Water Tower Split. You can read Jason’s review of that record here. He also invited us to do an interview for his podcast. You can access that podcast at this post. We are honored. Hopefully I did not make a fool of myself in the interview.

Speaking of Joseph Childress… He will be playing tomorrow (Sun 9/20) at Yoshi’s Songwriter’s Sunday with two others, Roberto Miguel & Mason Lindahl. Check it out if you can.

8:00pm-Midnight
1330 Fillmore at Eddy
San Francisco
$5

…and speaking of 7 Inches, the Sandwitches finished recording their acoustic 7″ e.p. for Empty Cellar Record at the Garden Chamber this week. It will be titled Duck, Duck, Goose. They will be mixing the record with engineer/producer Wymond Miles when he gets back from tour with the Fresh & Onlys. Can’t wait to hear it!

-Arvel