i wish i was a magic marker

Step inside my coffin

2010-04-16T09:31:00.000-07:00

For Ex-Lovers Only "Coffin" from Magic Marker on Vimeo.

Hot New Wax from Magic Marker!

BOAT release new album on tangerine colored vinyl!

2009-10-27T23:12:00.000-07:00

Setting the Paces is available to everyone in all three formats(CD,LP,MP3). I have to say I am partial to the tangerine colored vinyl but I hear those I-pods are sweeping the nation. It is in stores, emusic, and on our web page. Here is Magic Centepede from the recent release show. Allmusic says "Short, snappy tunes with rambunctious vocals and humorous lyrical content, with debts owed to Pavement, Television Personalities, and the Banana Splits, and with a bouncy energy that makes the album very easy to like" and we have to agree their best album to date. Come on in.

Setting the Pace

2009-10-21T13:55:00.000-07:00

Since their debut album "Songs You Might Not Like" released in 2006 it looked like they may release an album every year. It just seemed like they had the stamina and the will and the songs. Well last year they decided to hold back and release the EP Topps only to bolster what would become "Setting the Paces". The sloppy pop boys spent some time in the studio and let the songs simmer. Most of these songs have been regulars at their live shows for the past year. You already know the words to the songs. Thursday bear witness to the BOAT stage show to top all the others. Dive into your office shredder for pockets of confetti, duct tape your uncooked rice in paper cups, practice your chest pound, and whatever you do sing along with BOAT as they present their new album on beautiful tangerine vinyl and compact disc.

Smitten gets married!

2009-09-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

The New England band the Smittens have been around awhile and put out some fun records. Here is a video of Dana Smitten tying the knot with fellow Smittens in tow. This video is just irresistible.

New Pastels and Tenniscoats song and video

2009-08-17T15:14:00.000-07:00

One of my all time favorites. The Pastels released this new song and video. They collaborated with the Japanese act Tenniscoats. This song is pretty fantastic. I am very excited for the new album is due in September on Domino Records.

And the winner is.... RICKY!

2009-08-12T14:09:00.000-07:00

Well that's not exactly true. Ricky was Carrie's favorite theme song and her second favorite was Dave's song but since it was who ever got more of their friends to vote it was awarded to Darling New Neighbors who submitted a fanciful accordion theme.

Ricky has supplied us with a download of his theme song.

Enjoy!

Ricky versus Dave in a theme song battle

2009-08-05T09:49:00.001-07:00

Carrie Brownstein from the band Sleater-Kinney has her own music blog on NPR titled Monitor Mix. She is having a contest for the video blog theme song. Dave Crane from BOAT and Ricky Cancro from Galactic Heroes are both finalists. Please head over to place your vote for your favorite themes!

I can't decide Ricky rhymes Styx with mix which I like but Dave talks over his theme in a sassy voice saying "What's on your mind, girl?". Results to follow currently both are at a 11%.

Monitor Mix

The Manhattan Love Suicides call it quits

2009-07-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

THE MANHATTAN LOVE SUICIDES SPLIT.

After 3 years, 1 album, 6 singles, a 27 track compilation CD and a DVD, plus more hit and run, feedback and noise drenched 20 minute gigs than we can remember... The Manhattan Love Suicides have decided to split.

The reason? Quite simple really: We'd made our point.

Some bands form, and they keep going for many years. The Manhattan Love Suicides were never about that. We were never career driven; we just wanted to make an impact, like 4 sticks of dynamite thrown into a stale music scene. And in our own way, we did what we set out to do.

The music remains, and that is the most important thing. We're all very proud of how much we did in the short time we existed. The last thing we ever wanted was to become stale. End it while it's still fresh, while it's still vital. While it still counts.

So, thanks to everyone who came to see us , to everyone who appreciated the music and to everyone who supported us. This is not the end: it's just a new beginning. Adam and Rachel have formed The Medusa Snare and the debut album will be released by Squirrel Records soon, Caroline and Darren are contributing vocals and guitar respectively to Ailsa Craig, as well as working on new material together which will be released later in the year.

Indie Pop Show in Portland

2009-07-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

Hey not often do forces combine to have three pop bands play in Portland. I am looking forward to this one.

Summer Cats have a new video

The Tartans have a myspace page
Soft Paws are local and have a new record and a myspace page

come on down only $6.

Love is a Wave

2009-06-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

The Crystal Stilts are currently in first place for my song of the year. It isn't brand new so you may have seen this somewhere else but they put out this song on a single on Slumberland Records. Enjoy!

Hello Seahorse! "Bestia"

2009-06-26T11:15:00.000-07:00

Hello Seahorse! have been working on their new album Bestia for awhile. I am not sure who is releasing or distributing here in the US but here is their video for it. They are a 3 piece now and have changed direction from the EP we released. I have to say they seem have enormous talent and I love the new dark/electronic direction.

Souther Salazar makes cool stuff

2009-06-18T12:12:00.000-07:00

Souther Salazar is someone I have gotten to know through emails and texts. He is a visual artist who I am a big fan of. I saw his cover of Giant Robot and knew I had to meet or know more about him. We met two years ago or so on a road trip to Portland where he was friendly and jovial. I have been following his work for some time now and hope maybe to turn you onto his art. He currently has a new show up in New York at the Jonathan Levin Gallery. The Friends We Love site put up a little interview with him about his new show.

"Off The Wall" ft. Souther Salazar from friendswelove.com on Vimeo.

Spent reunite for 20 years of Mergefest

2009-06-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

Spent were/are from Jersey City, New Jersey. In 1995 their debut album came to our radio station in Bloomington,IN. It came in a Merge promotional mailing with a Cakekitchen CD and a Portastatic EP. I am not sure quite how it happened but Mark and I as well as quite a few people quickly fell hard for this band. I credit this band for one of the reasons why Magic Marker exists. Mark along with our friend Paul and Chris from the radio station "booked" their first show with Spent headlining. They were on tour supporting Seam (or was it Licorice?) but instead of playing their scheduled show I think in Cleveland. The guys had convinced their booker to play the all ages club Rhino's in Bloomington for $400. This was a lot of money for 3 full time college kids but the fact that they could just call a booker and get your new favorite band to play a show you are setting up they just had to do it. The album had come out in the spring and I had graduated that summer and moved home to live with my parents and work 12 hour shifts in the rubber factory to save money. So when the show was booked there was no way I was going to miss it. I drove the 3 hours from Ft. Wayne to Bloomington for the show. The rider had promised them a meal so Mark borrowed my car to take the band to get some food. I was too nervous to talk to them at first but we hung out before the show and I told them that after the show I was driving back and that I had to work the next morning. I requested "Ready, OK" off the album "Songs of Drinking and Rebellion". John, Annie, and Ed all wrote songs for Spent and they all sang their respective songs. I am always amazed how distinct their vocals and songwriting were but they sounded so great together. The show was fantastic probably one of my favorite shows I had ever seen at the time. I drove back home through the night and showed up at work so beat but still they played "Ready, OK" and dedicated it to me.

Spent put out another great album "Seat Beneath the Chairs" the following year.Mark had kept in contact with them and they were suppose to give a song for our first release. They broke up and had run out of recorded material so it never happened. I attended their surprise last show at CMJ. Ed and John continued playing together and Annie put out two solo records over the years.

Spent are reuniting for the Merge XX fest in North Carolina on July 22-26. I am envious of the people attending. I am glad I have a reason to pull out those records again.

Spent have a myspace page.

The Online Romance

2009-05-19T11:46:00.000-07:00

The Online Romance are based in Portland, OR and my friend Jack Saturn is their leader, organizer, and singer- songwriter. I have known Jack for a long time. He used to live in San Francisco and worked for a Dot-Com of some sort. He told a story of being out of work and living in his old employer's offices and listening to Dear Nora tracks over and over. He eventually moved to Portland and has become a main stay. His good friend Sharin moved into the Magic Marker house near the tail end of its existence before we all moved out. He is at every show I go to and is always up to something. As I understand it Jack didn't know he could sing until he started doing karaoke which wasn't that long ago. I am not exactly sure what has made the process take so long but they have had a myspace since 2004 and yet they have only released a single. Well Jack emailed me a few months ago about posting a song and I am happy to do that. What ever the wait was it from the sound of the new songs it seems like he has gotten them exactly the way he wants them. I know he is a fan of all things 60's british/pastoral and I am excited to hear the finished product.

The Online Romance - "Ladybug Don't Smile"

Also check out their myspace for more.

It's Coming

2009-05-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

welcome Wake The President to Magic Marker

2009-04-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

We want to introduce you to one of our new favorite bands. Wake The President hail from Scotland and we have licensed their debut album"You Can't Change that Boy" for a US release. The boys are firmly a product of their enviroment as they encorporate the sounds and spirit of the great Scottish pop bands. I would say that the jangle of Orange Juice would be the easiest to identify but their album was only the second to be released by Electric Honey of Stow College the other being "Tigermilk". Here is a video from the debut single off the album. The album officially comes out May 19th but you can find it already on sale on the site. We are hoping for a brief tour from them soon.

Penelope hearts Magic Marker

2009-04-07T15:30:00.000-07:00

So this is what has been keeping me extra busy. My daughter was born about a month ago. My wife Molly and I are completely head over heels in love with her. Mark and Erin gave her Magic Marker onesies for up until one year. Here she is sporting her newborn model . So if I am late sending out your orders or if your product arrives with a white crusty substance on it, you know why.

Two Shows

2009-03-30T07:27:00.000-07:00

Tullycraft play "Twee" at NYC Popfest from Magic Marker on Vimeo.

It was posted on a few blogs a few weeks ago but Tullycraft posted on their myspace this note:
"Each of us has had a wonderful time, but over the years it’s become increasingly difficult to balance our personal lives (i.e. Chris’ goat farm, Cori’s adult bookstore, etc..) with our time in the band. While we’re excited to continue to write and record music together, we’ve decided to take a step back from playing live shows.

If you would like to catch Tullycraft live before our self-imposed hiatus, we have two shows scheduled: April 4th at the Crocodile (in Seattle), and May 23rd at the Rickshaw Stop (in San Francisco). Thanks."

Only two more times to witness what I witness in the above video. It sounds like they aren't closing the door completely on live shows but you might not want to take that chance.

Go see them April 4th in Seattle at the opening of the Crocodile w/BOAT, "Awesome", Iji

or be sure to be at the Popfest May 23rd in San Francisco w/Northern Portrait
My Teenage Stride,Magic Bullets,The Smittens

BOAT covering Dear Nora

2009-03-24T09:31:00.001-07:00

BOAT covering Dear Nora
Originally uploaded by pencrush

This is a little clip from the Magic Marker Anniversary show.

I know there is more footage out there I just need to track it down and edit some for your perusal.

Magic Marker in Austin

2009-03-18T09:29:00.000-07:00

There have been a lot of things transpiring around here since my last post. I will update you on of all of those things as the weeks unfold. Currently we have two bands playing the spectacle known as SXSW. Please turn out to give them support. I hear Kanye is playing somewhere too.

Hello Seahorse!

Mar 19 2009

10:00P

SXSW Official Showcase

Austin, Texas

Mar 20 2009

6:00A

Karibu Day Party@ Karibu Ethiopian Restaurant & Bar

Austin, Texas

Mar 21 2009

5:00P

SXSW @ Waterloo Cycles Day Party

Austin, Texas

Manhattan Love Suicides

Mar 17 2009

8:00P

Elysium w/ Ringo Deathstarr and others

Austin, Texas

Mar 18 2009

4:00P

SXSW - The Red House Lounge and Pizzeria

Austin, Texas

Mar 19 2009

2:00P

SXSW - Okay Mountain Gallery

Austin, Texas

Mar 20 2009

3:00P

SXSW - Club Primos w/ Ringo Deathstarr

Austin, Texas

Mar 20 2009

8:00P

SXSW - Karma Lounge

Austin, Texas

Mar 21 2009

12:00P

SXSW - Austin Convention Centre

Austin, Texas

Why does good news always come with bad news...

2009-02-05T09:49:00.000-08:00

Hey the latest news. The anniversary release looks like it will be here on time! That is the tracking information above. I think I was resigned that this wouldn't happen. Tullycraft's recording studio and band space caught fire in the middle of recording their song. We thought we had a professional screen printer that would be able to hook us up with printing but my pregnant wife and my friend Todd have chipped in to get 50 of the sleeves done. They look fantastic. So for those making their way to the show we will definitely have 50 ready maybe more they will be available for the paltry sum of $20. We will also have Guy Burwell prints available at the show for a mere $10. So bring some extra cash.

Okay here is the bad news. The Someday Lounge is telling me that the OLCC never got back to them and it would be illegal to have underage people in the club. I am really really sorry and I am putting this info out there ASAP in case any one had travel plans. Please make a comment on this blog if this pisses you off. Let anyone who might be making plans to come know.

Guy Burwell illustrator extraordinaire

2009-02-03T10:10:00.000-08:00

Guy Burwell is a poster making institution. I met Guy when he was working at Music Millennium in 1997 or 98. He was doing illustrations for some posters, graphics for editorials, and for signs in Music Millennium. I was DJing at KPSU and I brought in my Bunnygrunt CD to play and I noticed that he had been credited with the artwork for Jen-Fi. I had really always loved that main image so it seemed kind of weirdly coincidental that I had randomly met him around the same time we were getting songs together for a compilation and our first release. I think Mark had plans for a nice photo of his dog Sherman for the cover so he saved us on that one. He also did graphic design work for us as well. I think he was learning it as he went.
Guy designed the Kissing Book and Lunchbox releases and designed and illustrated The Best Friends Group and The Gazetteers. He has gone on to make highly collectible posters for many bands and his artwork appears in places like Guitar Hero 3 and commercials. Anyway we were thrilled that he wanted to make the poster for our 10th Anniversary show. He hand screened them himself and will be available at the show.

Please check out all of his other work: Guy Burwell

6 Days until the show

2009-02-02T08:57:00.000-08:00

Sooo lets do a bit of an update. Toby posted an interview that took us a while to get to him. It took so long that by the time we finished it it was nearing time for this upcoming show. Toby made this image which i thought was pretty awesome. Here is a link to his blog and the interview: The Finest Kiss

As far as the compilation getting done in time. We spent most of this weekend burning screens for the artwork. We did take a break for the Super Bowl but other than that its been a silk screen fest. I talked this morning to the pressing plant. They were doubtful on us getting the vinyl in time but I encouraged them to give it a good college try. There might be some expedited shipping involved so wait and see.

More news to come.

10 Days until the Big Anniversary Show

2009-01-28T08:54:00.000-08:00

Yeah 10 days.

If I haven't mentioned it or you haven't figured it out the All Girl Summer Fun Band are not playing. They told me a few weeks ago and I let the venue know. It is kind of a bummer but Kathy and the Thermals got a sweet tour offered to them with the Cribs in Europe. Oh well that just means more time for the bands that are playing. So that is the bad news. The good news is the venue is going to be all ages for the night. So let all your underage friends know this is their one and only time to see these performances. I never thought I would get to see a Dear Nora reunion show or the Galactic Heroes perform again.

The line up is now

Dear Nora
Tullycraft
BOAT
Galactic Heroes

We are planning on a limited release to have for sale on the night of the show. It will be 5 7"s with 10 sides and 10 songs. Magic Marker bands covering the songs of other Magic Marker artists. 200 copies thats it. The songs list is

The Owls "Springtime Fall" (Dear Nora)
Walker Kong "Bells" (The Bats)
The Manhattan Love Suicides "Superboy & Supergirl" (Tullycraft)
Dear Nora "Air" (The Owls)
BOAT "Nosebleeders on the Track" (The Faintest Ideas)
Galactic Heroes "Former Hero" (Heikki)
Tullycraft "Welcome to the Big Ten Conference" (Vehicle Flips)
Birds of California (Lunchbox) "Kick It back" (The Manhattan Love Suicides)
The Gazetteers "Ordinary Day" (Lunchbox)
Kissing Book "Any Kind of Pain" (The Best Friends Group)

I am pretty sure we will have these ready in time.

Here We Come Around

2008-12-18T22:57:00.000-08:00

When I first met Katy she was playing in a band called Dear Nora with her friends from Lewis and Clark College , Ryan Wise and Marianna Ritchey. Before I ever saw her perform my roomate Andrew Kaffer (Kissing Book) had already offered her a place to live at the Magic Marker House. He had heard the Katy Davidson tape and let me know that it was good and for that reason alone she was coming to live with us. Katy moved to California pretty soon after the release of "We'll Have A Time". Dear Nora changed line ups and the band evolved as well as the sound. One of the my favorite set of songs by Katy was the "Dreaming Out Loud" ep where she wrote and recorded all 7 songs in 24 hours. This almost felt like flaunting her own ability to write almost effortlessly. As I shared a wall with Katy I could hear her play guitar for countless hours just writing. She would write and record and send songs off to cd compilations, split singles, and a lot of them never found homes. We have collected on this 2CD collection all of her singles, and compilation tracks, as well as songs that never made out of the basement on "Three States: Rarities '97-'07". In celebration of this release Katy, Ryan and Marianna are reconvening in Portland to play a Dear Nora on Feb 7th at the Someday Lounge. It is also our 10th Anniversary of us running the record label. Others that are performing are Tullycraft, All Girl Summer Fun Band, BOAT, and the Galactic Heroes. It will be a time.

Here are three songs off the latest release.

Make You Smile

My Guitar

Hey Tiger (early 2003)

Hello Seahorse! "Won't Say Anything"

2008-10-21T21:59:00.000-07:00

Big news! We are excited to announce that we are working with Mexico's Hello Seahorse!. We have set for release on November 11th the EP of "Hoy A Las Ocho" with bonus tracks. HS! Is Burgos, Denise Aka Vanilla Face & Bonno. A young promising band with an unpretentious proposal, a trio that celebrates that naïve spirit that leads our behavior most of the times. HS! is pop full of very attractive & emotional lyrics that will hook you up & surely will make you dance. This song is the catchiest song of the year. It has the fun and energy of Los Campesinos with only 3 members. We are very excited about this release and their upcoming album.

2008-10-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

So we got the results of the ultrasound back and those that voted for a girl were right! According to the ultrasound she is healthy and on schedule for a late February delivery. I am not placing any expectations on her but it does seem like a good time to post a song from the new All Girl Summer Fun Band Album Looking Into It. I grabbed this from the Skatterbrain blog.

AGSFB - "Lost"

Guess what we are having

2008-10-07T23:13:00.001-07:00

Sooo I guess I should explain this a little further. We have tried to tell everyone we know personally but for those that know us who don't know my wife Molly is pregnant and we are going to find out the sex pretty soon. Going back to olden times it seems to be a tradition to try to guess what the sex of the baby will be. So I created a little poll to take in everyone's guess or personal preference.

Tuesdays are for Kickball

2008-10-06T16:30:00.000-07:00

My friend Jason found some old footage of a house show at the old Magic Marker house. He hadn't uploaded it until recently and decided to post it to youtube. I think this might have been the 4th of July show with Dear Nora and Eux Autres. This song is a nice rarity that was on one of the many compilations that the Galactic Heroes contributed to. Ricky's clarinet sounds a little rusty but it all still sounds good to me.

The Sporting Life

2008-09-30T12:59:00.001-07:00

The Sporting Life were a band that had a pretty short life expectancy. The members of this band were Kip, Constance, Kyle, and I forget the name of the 4th member. This I believe was Kip's first band. He has gone on to be in many different bands including his current project The Pains of being Pure of Heart. When Kip told me about this band he said their main goal was to be good enough to play at the Magic Marker House. Well those that know Kip know that he is a very goal oriented person. The Sporting Life reached their goal and subsequently broke up pretty soon afterwards. I think the only other venue they played was the neighboring Reed College where all the members attended. This photo (by Jeff Mawer) and the song I am posting are from the "House Full of Friends" compilation that we put out several years ago. The idea behind this post is to let all the fans of The Pains of being Pure at Heart hear what Kip was working on back in the day. I think they had a bit of a Cat's Miaow sound to them. Kip was obsessed with tea and sweaters back in the day. Please check out the new and future releases of the fine The Pains of Being Pure of Heart to be found soon at Slumberland Records.

*edit Kip let me know that Nicole was the fourth member of the band .

Listen to The Sporting Life "Queen of Sandcastles"

Mark it's your birthday.

2008-09-19T08:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday!

Back to school

2008-09-02T10:07:00.000-07:00

Right now Dave Crane is in front of a group of kids filling their minds full of knowledge. It is the first day of school. So that means summer is coming to an end but BOAT has left us with a video for "With Confidence" that was shot during their recent fall tour. Hope you had a great labor day. I know i need a nap.

The Owls "Channel"

2008-08-29T09:09:00.000-07:00

The Owls "Channel" from Magic Marker on Vimeo.

This is a new Owl's video for "Channel". It is off their album Daughters and Suns. The video was directed by Philip Harder. I really like this video because you can see all the band members and well it is a nice reminder was a great song this is.

Martin has left the building

2008-08-25T15:52:00.001-07:00

I heard from Martin from The Faintest Ideas and he said he has quit the band and that as far as he knew the rest of the guys were still figuring out whether to continue or what exactly they were going to do. The Faintest Ideas recently did a make shift tour while traveling down to the Athen's popfest. After the Columbus,OH show Martin proclaimed via myspace/facebook that he was done. I love the Faintest Ideas and I thought the record we put out was definitely one of the best releases I had heard two years ago but yeah thats me. Completely indie pop and completely catchy. Their record was even on heavy rotation on KEXP which I think they have been our only band that has ever done that. They were sort of the band that while they were the greatest guys and big pop fans themselves sort just barely kept it together to be brilliant. It seemed like they could just as easily fall apart as pull it together to be spectacular. Well as you many have figured out after apparently no one in Columbus went to see them they weren't exactly hugely popular. Hopefully those that got a chance to see them appreciated it. 2 years ago when they played SXSW they made it through about 15 minute set before Martin, who was terribly ill, immediately left the stage to go vomit.

I tip my hat to you Martin and The Faintest Ideas. Clearly class acts all the way.

BOAT appears on Major League Baseball website

2008-08-22T09:28:00.000-07:00

Baseball card, chewing gum...record?

Nostalgia-packed EP riffs on Topps memorabilia

By Doug Miller / MLB.com

• Read the MLB.com/Entertainment blog
• MLB.com/Entertainment

D. Crane is not ashamed to reveal that he learned to read by memorizing the backs of baseball cards. Nor is he ashamed to reveal that these skills led him to his current position as a sixth-grade teacher.

"The teachers all sit around and talk about all the books they've read," says Crane, who moonlights as the lead singer and guitarist for the up-and-coming Seattle "sloppy pop" band known as BOAT.

"They're snobby about it. I feel kind of like a hack teacher because I would just take out my cards and my Baseball Digest magazines, read about George Brett, and now I'm able to read as well as the other sixth-grade-teacher people."

But he sings a lot better, which is evident on BOAT's new, baseball-inspired EP, Topps, named after the title track that references the legendary company that makes all those baseball cards.

Taking the concept all the way, the band had their own homemade cards made -- depicting band members Crane, Jackson Long (drums), Mark McKenzie (bass), Josh Goodman (guitar, keyboards), on-and-off band contributors and actual baseball players from Crane's childhood.

The clever, funny cards were then thrown, along with the requisite sticks of chewing gum, into the packaging for the vinyl EPs.

"The song has to do with baseball cards, so what better idea than to make it like baseball cards?" Crane says. "Who doesn't love baseball cards?"

Crane says this whole Topps thing is really catching on.

During recent gigs, audiences have been singing the chorus of "Topps" together, and Crane and the boys have been approached by fan after fan at the merchandise table to recount baseball memories brought back by the nostalgic EP package.

"Everyone's got memories and players they remember," he says. "It's been kind of amazing. They look at the cards and know someone in the set, and they relate that to someone.

"Rock people have baseball memories in general, and it's a unifying thing for kids who grew up in the late 1970s and '80s. Plus, the ladies seem to love coming to us and talking about Andre Dawson and Rick Sutcliffe."

Meanwhile, Crane prefers the New York Mets.

He grew up in New Jersey and fell in love with the late-1980s powerhouse teams at Shea Stadium.

Courtesy of Magic Marker Records

"My uncle worked for Sharp, the electronics company, and they would present big checks to the 'Sharp Shooter of the Month,'"Crane says. "It was amazing because he got to meet all the players. I remember all of them. Sid Fernandez, Mookie Wilson, Howard Johnson, Darryl Strawberry, Gary Carter. What a great team."

Crane says he's looking forward to checking out the 2008 Mets when BOAT hits New York this summer, and the band has been cutting a nice wake in the music scene in the meantime.

BOAT played the prestigious South by Southwest Festival last year and recently gigged at the Showbox, a big-time Seattle rock club, alongside the Long Winters, one of Crane's favorite groups.

And while BOAT is in their van touring around the country, Crane and drummer Long will have baseball on their minds.

"We love playing cities with historical teams, like Philadelphia and Boston and Pittsburgh," Crane says. "We're excited to be in those cities and play them for the first time, and we'll try to hit the stadiums.

They did just that on a recent excursion to Los Angeles, although the Dodgers were out of town at the time.

"It didn't matter," Crane says. "We drove by Dodger Stadium and took pictures. Then we played Wiffle Ball in a shopping center parking lot.

"We made our own little stadium."

Doug Miller is a Senior Writer for MLB.com/Entertainment. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

My trip to the record store

2008-08-21T11:57:00.001-07:00

You know those unsuspecting trips to the record store? I have gone to the record store so many times and not bought anything that it isn't a disappointment because I am not looking for anything specific. This trip was actually a time waster between dinner and going out to see Phil Wilson play. My friend's Steve and Nancy were in town and were excited to see Phil after all these years and he wasn't coming to Seattle so this was a good excuse for the 3 hour drive south. So after finishing a delicious meal we drove by the record store. I had been here a hundred times and while there isn't a huge vinyl selection they usually get a decent amount of recent arrivals. I hadn't been in a couple of weeks or so , so the possibilities were okay for some finds. We struck out with the lps and made our way to the mess of a 7" bin. I am going to have to give almost full credit to Nancy and if she hadn't already owned these singles they would surely be in her possession now as she was the one that found almost all of them. To my credit though I did start at the A's and she started at the Various Artists section. What made this one of my best trips to a record store is that all of these were priced at $1 each.

Here they are
1. Ninotchka "I've Got Wings" (this might have been the best find of them all)
2. Versus "Frog" (my old copy was in my bag when is was stolen)
3. Heavenly "She Says" (surprisingly did not have this)
4. Summer Hits "1000 Moments of Natural Flotation"
5. The Dentists "Speak No Evil" (never heard of them until Nancy recommended it)
6. Heavenly "So Little Deserve" (an honest to god Sarah Record)
7. Wedding Present Hit Parade "Go Go Dancer"
8. Wedding Present Hit Parade "Three"
9. Wedding Present Hit Parade "Love Slave"
10. Wedding Present Hit Parade "Sticky"
11. Wedding Present Hit Parade "The Queen of Outerspace"
12. Wedding Present Hit Parade "No Christmas"

Finding an actual Sarah Record single in the record stores here in Portland is really rare. The only problem being that now I need to find the other 7 Wedding Present Hit Parade singles. Oh Nancy did end up with a few 7"s that she was looking for. One especially nice find being the Spinanes first single "Suffice".

BOAT take Manhattan

2008-08-18T11:34:00.001-07:00

BOAT played in New York last night and Sound Bites covered the whole thing. Check out his blog for videos and reviews. Also be sure to check out as they travel along the east coast.

Sound Bites

The Manhattan Love Suicides "Never Far From You"

2008-08-15T10:17:00.000-07:00

The Manhattan Love Suicides "Burnt Out Landscapes" is finally available on Magic Marker records. 27 songs . 78 minutes. $10. So many great crash pop hits on one release. I don't know how they do it every song is just pure noise pop bliss. Here is the new video for one of the songs off "Burnt Out Landscapes" titled "Never Far From You" . Enjoy.

The Swedish Invasion

2008-07-31T09:01:00.000-07:00

Yeah it has been almost two years since The Faintest Ideas stormed the United States in punk rock seat of their pants fashion. Their invasion starts tomorrow at Mondo at Don Hills where I saw the Cats on Fire play a rousing set between indie pop dj sets. It's really a fantastic way to hearnew and your favorite songs while dancing and drinking and only to interrupt it with a fantastic pop band. Of course it is the Athens popfest that has brought The Faintest Ideas to our fair shores. Here is their scheduled tour dates.

Aug 1 2008 11:00P Mondo Indiepop Dance Party @ Don Hill’s New York, New York
Aug 2 2008 8:00P SFBC Rockin Pool Party Hammonton, New Jersey
Aug 4 2008 8:00P The Cake Shop New York, New York
Aug 6 2008 8:00P PA’s Lounge Somerville, Massachusetts
Aug 9 2008 9:00P Craig’s house Durham, North Carolina
Aug 11 2008 8:00P Wayward council Gainsville, Florida
Aug 15 2008 9:00P 40 Watt Club Athens, Georgia
Aug 17 2008 8:00P Skull Alley Louisville, Kentucky
Aug 18 2008 8:00P Bernie's Distillery Columbus, Ohio
Aug 19 2008 8:00P Mohawk Place Buffalo, New York

here are a few tracks to remind you why you have to go

Nosebleeders on the Track
Skip the Bridge

Minisnap "New Broom"

2008-07-30T07:37:00.000-07:00

We are extremely excited to announce that we are releasing the debut release by Minisnap. Minisnap features Kaye Woodward, Malcolm Grant, and Paul Kean who are all original members of The Bats. Minisnap also features Marcus Winstanley on guitar and the song writing and striking vocals of Woodward. As Woodward has only had a few song credits in the long history of The Bats, Minisnap's debut "Bounce Around" is a coming out party as Woodward steps to the front and blows us away. The release date is August 12th check back for to buy the cd.

BOAT on 5,4,3,2,...Fun!

2008-07-24T11:24:00.001-07:00

BOAT are back from their west coast tour. Their show in Portland last weekend made staying up on a Sunday night totally worth it. BOAT also had a reportedly a fantastic show in Santa Barbara. In Santa Barbara there is a radio station that goes by KCSB. Hoshwa hosts a fantastic radio show there and brings the noise of a lot of indie pop bands. BOAT were invited to record an in studio. I haven't heard any other in studios at KCSB but BOAT's in studio was like the perfect storm. It is so good it almost sounds scripted. Hoshwa's deadpan delivery, the unnecessary swearing, trying to get Josh's phone call on the air it is all really hilarious and probably go down as one of the best on air riff sessions.

you can here it here BOAT on KCSB

SUPER BOAT

2008-07-03T12:22:00.000-07:00

Have you heard the news. For what appears to be a one night only performance on July 5th at the Showbox BOAT transforms into "SUPER BOAT" with the addition of "Galactic Ricky". This phenomenom is being covered in the press!

You're playing at the Showbox on July 5, opening for the Cops and the Long Winters. That's a big room.

"The Showbox is the biggest place we have ever played. We are bringing our friend Ricky up from Portland to make us a super, five-piece BOAT. We will have extra vocals, bell kits, tambourines, keyboards, and Ricky is going to add saxophone to several songs. More Clarence Clemons than Kenny G. Imagine if Clarence Clemons and Buddy Holly had a baby—it would look kind of like Ricky. We haven't decided yet if we will be making confetti for the show. My paper cutter needs to be sharpened. But we are only playing songs that we consider anthems." The Stranger

The Seattle group, in addition to crafting the perfect summer release, is going to make BOAT history by playing as a 5-piece. "Galactic Ricky" joins on lead saxophone, one fingered arpeggio guitar, bells, and keyboards. And them some group named "The Long Winters" will play. With the Cops. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151. 8 p.m., $16. The Seattle Weekly

Also visit Three Imaginary Girls website where Dave Crane is interviewed by John Roderick and John is interviewed by Dave right back.

Dave Interview John

John Interviews Dave

This seems like such a historic event that I am making my way up to Seattle to witness it. I will report back what will surely be an explosive weekend.

The Sounds of Young Scotland

2008-06-27T06:51:00.001-07:00

I really was always a Postcard Records person than a Sarah Records fan.

I know the difference between a Boscoe and a Bruno

2008-06-24T09:16:00.000-07:00

Here I am with Frank Boscoe who is sporting his NYC Popfest t-shirt. I hadn't seen him since 2001? or 2000? yet I still knew the difference.

Thursday night at the Cake Shop.

So as I mentioned in the previous post, I went to New York during popfest and I thought I would sum up my trip and the shows I saw.

For those who have never been Cake Shop, is a coffee and pastry shop on the main floor with a tiny record shop on wheels and a downstairs bar and venue. Thursday night featured the New York band, In Interview. I have been obsessed with finding more out about this band since about 3 or 4 years ago they played with Ladybug Transistor and Walker Kong and I found out they were former members of the band Toulouse. As with Toulouse, In Interview separates themselves with the fantastic bass lines and they also had nice female vocals with strummy bossa nova guitar. I thought their greatness was understated and rewarding. I even overheard someone complimenting their wardrobe. I was pleased as punch to actually be able to pick up a cd-r demo of 6 songs at the merch table. Why so few songs after so many years? Already can't wait to hear more.

Oh Custer! from Sweden were next and sounded good though i missed a lot of their set catching up with friends though I do remember liking what i heard.

The Secret History played next. I think they were basically My Favorite with a new lead female vocalist. I love My Favorite so I was excited to see them play. Michael Grace Jr was the same old self with a new set of songs and suave fashion sense he was only challenged with the Cats on Fire guy for fanciest dressed. It was pretty great to have the Secret History if we no longer have My Favorite.They were sort of less new wave more dramatic in a Prefab Sprout way. I missed Andrea's energy but I was warming up to this.

Love is All were my favorite band I saw at SXSW 3 years ago and they skipped Portland on their subsequent tour. So I can only hope they lived up to how i remembered them. Unfortunately I had moved out of the front to hang out and chat with others. So i was stuck near the back trying to get to a decent position to see them. The Cake Shop was sold out and let way more people in that were suppose to be in that space. So while I wasn't in the most enjoyable spot ie craning my neck to see anything it was the lively high energy sax blarring chaotic fun. In celebration of their tour 5 song cover ep they played Flock of Seagull "I ran" . My main complaint with the popfest was maybe overselling small venues. I know it wasn't their fault with Love is All as they requested Cake Shop but it wasn't the most comfortable place to see them.

Amazing to witness this as Pant Yell! played a fantastic set. I had never seen them before and was really impressed. Nick Underwood filled in on trumpet which added that nice touch. I know you east coast people get to see this band all the time and I will continue to be jealous.

The Besties played a fairly tongue in cheek slapstick set. I like a lot of their songs but was a little put off by their antics. Though they did bring the energy level up to a repectable level.

Tullycraft play "Twee" at NYC Popfest from Magic Marker on Vimeo.

Tullycraft took the stage and people could not leave the room for fear of not being let back in. Really really great set. Super tight and they just exuded pure joy. Older hits included: 8 great ways, Josie, Superboy and Supergirl but the newer ones seemed to get the biggest reactions like Our Days in Kansas, The Punks are writing love songs and of course Twee. The Besties and some others almost had a mosh pit
going with one of the Besties actually crowd surfing. One of the best Tullycraft sets i have ever seen.

Onto later after decompressing and getting a cab to Don Hills and an actual indiepop dance night including a performance with Cats on Fire. I wasn't actually dancing but the DJs were fantastic. I was catching up with friends I never get to see. Though I am completely jealous as this is an awesome idea and with amazing execution. There were a lot of people there and it was more spacious than Piano's so there was room
to dance. Cat's on Fire took the stage around 1am and the main guy is just dramatic looking. He looked like a cross between Morrissey and Postcard era Edwin Collins. I really loved their record and their set was pretty fantastic. We stayed for their set then I booked it back to our friend's place and a couple of subway trains later and peaceful sleep.

Saturday I decided to go to the Market Hotel show in Brooklyn and see Cause Commotion, The Vivian Girls and Love is All rather than the popfest show. I wanted to see the Pains of Being Pure at Heart and I wanted to see the Orchids but wasn't really into their new album and the people I was with weren't familiar with them. So we went to what was a rundown ballroom in a hotel with a decent stage and no air
conditioner. Cause Commotion opened with punky pop in a herky jerky clever sort. Only heard a few of their songs before this and was happy to hear more.

The Vivian Girls were next and were utterly fantastic. I am not sure why they weren't on the popfest bill but they should have been. Their reverb soaked vocals created the wall of utter brilliance. This is easily my new favorite band. I bought the record but it doesn't capture what they do live. It is good and i need to listen to it more
but this was really bliss. fans of the Aislers Set, Black Tambourine "throw aggi from the bridge" and Phil Spector girl groups beware.

We went outside the place to pick up beer and ended up with Colt 45s and since it was so hot in there that we were pretty much soaked with sweat. We just kept drinking more beer. So by the time Love is All went on I was pretty drunk and it was nice not spending $4 on a Pabst. They were great at the Cake Shop but the Market Hotel was so much better/spacious a place to see them than an over crowded Cake Shop. It seemed liked 150 people had shown by the time Love Is All went on. The saxaphone player came on wearing a Vivian Girls shirt so they seemed like instant coverts. By this time for me that I determined this was one of my favorite shows and between this and the Friday Piano's show that I had clearly made the right decision to fly to New York for a long weekend. Pretty drunk in the middle of brooklyn and seeing one of my favorite bands clearly enjoying themselves on stage. I know this stuff must happen all the time in New York. I mean why would only 150 people be there if it didn't right? I mean the Orchids must have been making dreams come true filling so many Sarah Records fantasies over at the popfest.

I missed the Sunday show with the Hermit Crabs and Silent League, and
Cannanes but I had to get back. Hope you all enjoyed yourself and had as much fun as I did.

I also spotted Thurston Moore at Starbucks, ate large slices of pizza,
saw awesomeness at MOMA, and hit the Renegade Craft Fair.

Just wanted to say thanks to the organizers. So much work. I really
appreciated it. Great job!

Tullycraft tour East Coast play NYC Popfest

2008-06-10T13:42:00.000-07:00

My god man how the time flies. Here is a photo of Tullycraft from the 1997 Popfest NW in Seattle, WA. Appearing left to right Jeff, some girl not in the band, Sean, Chris, and with cigarette is Gary. This is when Mark and I drove up to Seattle to ask Tullycraft to give us a song for a compilation that would be our first release. It was an amazing experience as I put 10 dollars in the raffle that Steve and Nancy had to help raise money for the festival and won so many times I actually felt bad and even turned down the 4 th time I won. I didn't know any of these guys and I had never met Steve and Nancy. I had never heard of the Indiepop List and actually signed up while there or first thing when we got back. Today is the first day of the Tullycraft east coast tour with Tullycraft headlining the Friday's Popfest show at Pianos. They are posting updates on their blog during the whole trip. Here is a current photo of Tullycraft and their tour dates. I will be in New York enjoying the festivities so be sure to introduce yourself.

Here is a photo of what they look like now. From left to right is Jeff, Jenny, Cori, Chris, and Sean. Here are their tour dates.

June 11th - Winooski, VT at The Monkey House w/ The Smittens

June 12th - Boston at PA's w/ Pant's Yell! & The Smittens

June 13th - NYC at Pianos w/ Pants Yell!, The Besties & From Bubblegum To Sky

June 14th - NYC at Cake Shop - all-ages show w/ The Cannanes (2PM)

June 14th - Philadelphia at at The Barbary w/ Scary Monster & Surefire Broadcast

June 15th - Washington, DC at Red and Black Bar w/ Sprites & From Bubblegum To Sky

Mark hits the road on his bike

2008-06-09T16:39:00.000-07:00

Hey all. I, Curt, am the one who is always updating this blog. Mark who also runs Magic Marker is a bit more of a behind the scenes guy (this is a photo of him at work). I am not sure if you remember but Mark biked across the country two years ago to help raise money for cancer research. He also works in cancer research first at Stanford and now at OHSU. Mark and I have been friends for not only the ten years Magic Marker has been around but several years before that in college. Well a few weeks ago Mark's mom died of cancer and I know it has been rough. He had been planning his trip to Glacier Park for some time and he just started a few days ago. He has his own blog with daily updates and photos from his blackberry. I thought it would be okay to post this for people who may have met Mark or are just interested in his trip. Feel free to contact him and let him know you are thinking about him. Awful lonely out there.

Mark's Blog

The Bridal Shop CloudkicK!

2008-06-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

As you can see that is Magic Marker's most recent band ,The Bridal Shop, on the top right of this morning's Pitchfork review. We reissued their self released mini-lp "From Seas" recently and they posted a newly recorded song on their myspace page "Cloudkick". Go to Pitchfork to read the review yourself or just click right to their myspace page to hear it. They were also featured in an interview last monday on the Swedish radio program P3 Pop. They were asked about the Sound of Sweden and if Sweden as a whole had a specific sound. Unless you understand Swedish you won't be able to determine what they are saying but Toomas said the comment was like how in Sweden you are more likely to be influenced by The Field Mice and Slowdive than in the US where Pavement is a larger influence. Anyway enjoy and have a great weekend.

UPDATE: BOAT is not in THE PROMOTION

2008-06-05T09:06:00.001-07:00

Normally we don't put up trailers for Hollywood movies but this is a special occasion. Now the millions of people that go see The Promotion will hear approximately 1 minute and 20 seconds of BOAT "Free The Birds in the Stall" in the background of a Sean William Scott scene. We haven't seen the movie yet but with John C Reiley, Seann William Scott, and Jenna Fischer starring in the film this has promise. Not only that but according to the music supervisor the director of The Promotion, Steve Conrad, picked the song himself. Here is the trailer and "Free The Birds From the Stall". It is in limited release this weekend and hopefully coming to a cineplex near you. BOAT play on Friday with the All Girl Summer Fun Band and Crayonsmith in Portland at No Exit.

Wait! HOLD ON. After getting the song cleared and the song being personally picked by the director it got cut. We can no longer endorse a BOATless film. Go see whatever movie you want to.

BOAT "Free The Birds in The Stall"

The Story of the Vivian Girls

2008-06-02T10:14:00.000-07:00

I have a huge crush on the Vivian Girls well not on the actual girls themselves but the band. Now I think there have been several bands with the name the Vivian Girls including one from Philadelphia, St. Louis, and most notably one from Australia. Well I am not talking about any of those bands. I am referring to the ones from Brooklyn. I was ignorant as to what the name meant or why so many bands had decided to take this moniker. So I did some handy research and found thanks to wikipedia that the Vivian Girls is a reference to the work of Henry Darger. He is known in the outsider art world and wasn't known until after his death in 1973. He was a self taught artist and left a body of work that largely contained his opus the 10,000 some pages of The Story of of the Vivian Girls of The Realms of the Unreal.

This is one of the images from said opus.

Well let me continue on here with what was my original thought. The Brooklyn band the Vivian Girls passed through Portland last week playing one of the worst venues in town which seemed a bit of a theme for their tour. At the top of the post is a photo of them at the Twilight Lounge Cafe. My wife Molly and I met up with Shelflife records Ed and Laura. We showed up supposedly a half hour into the first band's set. In true punk rock fashion not only had the first band not started but no equipment had even been set up. So we bought some of the daily specials which happened to be BL limes. Thats right Bud Light but lime flavored. So delicious. It felt a little weird ordering Bud Light Limes but if it was the "special" it must be cool or punk or something right? Ed and Laura all of a sudden looked at their mixed drinks as boring and mundane and immediately wish they were drinking something as refreshing as a BL Lime as they are called or as the label wanted us to believe. We finished our drinks and decide that BL Limes for $1.50 was really a special treat so we got to get more and Ed follows to get some too. In what I assumed was true punk rock style I held up my hand in a peace symbol and said "I will take two BL Limes". Ed followed suit with a similar motion. As we soon found out the BL Limes we were drinking were not the special because anyone at the bar liked them. They were merely trying to get rid of them which they only had one left. The BL Lime doesn't taste much like beer just so you know. Here is the beautiful design BL label.

So we were back to poor hipster status as we drank our Pabst Blue Ribbons and patiently waited for the Wet Heaves to finish playing what was a truly inspiring set of "songs". Finally the Vivian Girls played what these ears have longed to hear since I first heard the Shop Assistants, Aislers Set, and the One Kiss Can Lead to Another box set of girl groups. No it wasn't the most amazing performance but that sound the one i can't get out of my head was just there. The echo vocal harmonies, the wall of sound guitar, and short fast songs it was just that. So i can only leave you with a recorded song that won't live up to the live experience but will surely draw you in.

Vivian Girls - "Tell the World"

Also here is one of my favorite Walker Kong songs "Vivian Girls"

Also a Comet Gain song titled "The Story of the Vivian Girls"

Basically some of my favorite bands reference Henry Darger so I am definitely hoping to look up info on this artist.

THE MANHATTAN LOVE SUICIDES - CLUSTERF**K

2008-05-26T21:36:00.001-07:00

A new video and a limited 7" single from The Manhattan Love Suicides with the a-side "Clusterfuck" as well as 3 others. It is on the band's own label Squirrel Records and here are their own words to describe it. The Manhattan Love Suicides just keep getting better. Their latest 7" on this very label is the roughest one of the bunch so far. Recorded with the needles in the red and without too much polish, but still keeping the pop elements that make them what they are. "Clusterfuck" will be familiar to anyone who has ever seen the band play live, "Detroit Diesel" is three minutes of My Bloody Valentine inspired noise, "Burning Wire" doesn't even hit the 2 minute mark and is raw sounding pop at its best, and finally "Heat And Panic" is rough, noisy, sweet and abrasive all at the same time. It could even be "Sister Ray" condensed into three and a half minutes.
As usual, this single is limited edition, so get your order in before they've gone for good." A generel warning as the video is pretty gruesome. These songs will also appear on a cd compilation due out later this summer on Magic Marker.

2008-05-19T09:07:00.000-07:00

BOAT Kelly's Olympian from curt kentner on Vimeo.

BOAT pulled ashore in sunny Portland, OR this weekend. They played Kelly's Olympian Mark, Dave, Jackson, and Ricky filled in on parts to cap off a day of Softball, Lawn Jarts, and BBQ. I was kind of randomly taping songs and I missed the Baba O'riley intro but here is "Make Way for the Genius to Appear" and "kind new shrink". Fantastic show! Can't wait to see them again in few weeks with The All Girl Summer Fun Band.

When summer began the thunderstorms came

2008-05-16T09:33:00.000-07:00

First of all i wanted to comment that two blog posts in two weeks is pretty good. Second of all given all that, I am straight up stealing this post from Fred Thomas' blog City Center. There are a lot of good songs on his blog that most of them will never show up anywhere else. He post regularly with half songs and experimentations for that day that sound great even in their rawest form. The song i am posting today is a song he recorded 2 years ago at the K records studio that he never finished. I am not a recording engineer but he states on his blog that it isn't mixed and that the 8 track tape broke but this song just sounds beautiful whatever state it is in. I have been listening to it on repeat while drinking my morning cup of coffee and It just feels like one of those life changing songs. I am not sure what Fred is trying to express here or dissecting the lyrics but to me it just feels so epic and grand that I am swept up in the whole thing. As his blog goes on to say a live version will show up on a Australian release sometime this summer but i am happy that his blog rescued this gem from import rarity. It is going to be hot weekend in Portland so much time may be spent in the basement. BOAT is coming through town and I think they have enlisted Ricky from the Galactic Heroes on saxophone and everyone on shakers. Have a great weekend and checkout Fred's blog.

Saturday Looks Good To Me "When We Die There Will Be More"

Whatever I have is yours and it's right here

2008-05-09T10:07:00.000-07:00

So I didn't want to forget Sydney. If you know anyone from either Melbourne or Sydney you know they are in constant competition with each other. While Melbourne feels more organic, bike friendly, and small townish to Sydney's sophistication, tourist attractions, and more big cityness. Sydney was so jealous that Melbourne hosted the Olympics in 1956 that I believe the Opera House was built in response for tourist and cultural competition. Sydney was finally awarded the Olympics in 2000 and no longer feels inadequate to Melbourne. While Melbourne boasts a much larger of "good" bands we met up with some of Sydney's best Darren Hanlon and Sarah Blasko. We were shown the neighborhood of Petersham, backyard bbqs, chocolate bullets and the very popular board game World Domination created by the founder of Candle Records (RIP) , Crouchy. Darren also shared with us a Go Betweens tribute both he and Sarah had participated in that was released by the Triple J national radio station. We are such big fans of the Go-Betweens that it is hard to improve on perfection but we think these two covers are worthy of your ears. Here are two of the tracks off that release.

Darren Hanlon - "Right Here"

Sarah Blasko and Darren Hanlon - "Hold Your Horses"

Opportunities are available in all walks of life in australia

2008-04-29T22:04:00.000-07:00

Well I am back from three weeks in Australia. My wife and I had an amazing time and saw many great things. After many years of hosting our Australian friends we were happy to take them up on their offer to stay with them. We went to Melbourne, Tasmania, and Sydney. One of the events we attended was the 2nd annual Velorock. Velorock was a free festival put on by the Brunswick Cycling Club in Melbourne who Joel Meadows (Sugargliders/Steinbecks) is a member. This years festival featured The Icy Poles, The Motifs, Mid-State Orange, The Crayon Fields, and The Lucksmiths. The theme for the day was about bicycles. All the equipment had been brought in by bike and while the equipment was more traditional powered all the proceeds for the raffle and baked goods went toward the bike club. The show was really only promoted along the bike paths and with the clouds looming it brought out a modest crowd. While this show might not have seemed like a big deal to the locals I couldn't believe my luck. Not only were these bands in attendance but I met or was reaquainted with members of the bands The Zebras, The Summer Cats, Fred Astereo, The Cat's Meow, Architecture in Helsinki, and Hydroplane. In between the sets they had bike trailer races and you will notice Joel Meadows with his cousin Tali White in the trailer in the photo above. From there we head to root on the St Kilda Saints in an Australian League Football game and eat meat pies which pretty much sums up Melbourne.

Mark filled in with the orders while I was away and we are back to our regular posts.

Happy Valentimes!

2008-02-14T14:15:00.000-08:00

It is official, i am half assing this blog. Well lets not say I didn't miss Valentine's Day. As you may have already seen or heard Tullycraft played live on KEXP a month or so after the record came out. KEXP has made the performance available in podcast form just last week! Here is the link.
I am listening to it right now and it is playing a little slow but not that slow where Sean becomes more of a bass. I mean his voice and even Chris doesn't sound like a girl. Oh yeah here is the Time Out Tel Aviv article on Tullycraft. I think it's a good review?

We sure are cute for two ugly people

2008-01-22T20:43:00.000-08:00

This is pretty amazing. Such awesomeness. Whoopi Goldberg and Moldy Peaches together. I saw the movie Juno last night and I am not sure if it is best picture material but I liked it. For all the posturing of bands and record labels trying get their bands heard it seems rare that an unsuspecting artist like Kimya Dawson and The Moldy Peaches get such a loving platform for their music. Oh yeah the soundtrack is the number 1 album on the Billboard charts.

The Get-Arounds "Get Around!" free album

2007-12-14T10:24:00.001-08:00

Ricky from The Galactic Heroes spent all of November writing, recording, a whole album. It was part of the National Solo Album Month. Where musicians write and record an entire album during the month of November - all by themselves and they can only have one cover song. I think this is the challenge Ricky needed since he has been separated from Mike by distance and usually records with a collaborator that this encouraged him to go out on his own. Ricky has his own blog where you can see his comments during the month of recording. I know Ricky did a lot of work on this but I feel like his friends and fans real get all the benefit. It has been so long since there was a new Galactic Heroes' song that this such a joy to my ears.

Here is a quote from Ricky's blog about the album"I had already been writing songs as part of my song of the week exercise, but a 30 minute album in a month meant that I'd have to triple my current rate. What slows me down the most when I record is trying to figure out what to write songs about and my compulsive overdubbing tendencies (an old theory is that if you mask a crappy song with enough instruments it becomes good). To counter this I decided to pretend to be an oldies band with 4 members -- 2 guitarists, a bassist and a drummer. All four members could sing. This stopped too many overdubs (though I did add tambourine to almost every song and claps to a few). Also, being an oldies band meant that I could write every song about a girl."

I helped come up with the band name. Padgett came up with the title and Todd did the cover artwork. I would love to see a real live Get-Arounds band play these songs.

Here is a link to the album

Here is a link to his blog which includes way more info and bonus songs. Thanks Ricky!

The Owls - Afternoon Song

2007-12-13T13:56:00.000-08:00

The Owls performs their version of "Afternoon Song" in the studios of 89.3 The Current. The song is part of the Songs From Scratch project by Minnesota Public Radio where Minneapolis area musicians were invited to provide their interpretation of a set of lyrics. Pretty awesome especially since from writing to recording this song was all done in a week. This song is unreleased.

more info about the Afternoon Song project can be found here

New Fred Thomas

2007-12-06T10:17:00.001-08:00

Yeah thats right. I guess this has been a well kept secret. Fred Thomas who fronts the band Saturday Looks Good to Me has recorded a beautiful album titled "Flood". Magic Marker is releasing it deep into the year 2007. While we know this may keep it off of many year end lists but we feel like this is grower anyway. We have been big fans of Fred's work for awhile. His band's album "Every Night" is what first drew our attention and we pretty much have kept up with everything since. Fred seems to write more songs than most and has been writing them for years. Last years "Sink Like Symphony" was the first solo record that had any distribution. When Fred told us he had been working on the follow up we were happy to get involved. We posted one of the songs from the website. I really like this song but it really is hard to get the full picture of the album with 6 minute long pop/experimental sad songs. This is not the phil spectorish sound of Saturday Looks Good To Me this is much more raw and precious. Here is a traack form the album. Last One

New The Owls Video!

2007-11-14T09:16:00.001-08:00

"The Way On" from our album "Daughters and Suns." It was directed by Todd Cobery. Produced by Brady Kiernan. Director of Photography was Wilson Webb. Edited by Joe Martin. Graphic Design and Creative by Scott Wenner

The Owls take Minneapolis

2007-11-13T13:17:00.001-08:00

The Owls celebrated their cd release last weekend in Minneapolis. It has been quite a big to do since the city fell in love with The Owls from their last cd release four years ago "Our Hopes and Dreams". It almost one best local release as deemed by City Pages but then was trumped at the last minute by Atomsphere's new release at the time. So the city and music lovers welcomed them back last week. The cover you see to the left was for the free weekly City Pages and features the The Owls in a sailboat and The Story of The Owls. "Before they could take on the pop world they had to conquer stage fright and each other". So here is a story that follows.

They did the whole press junket. I have always wanted one of our bands to do a press junket. It seems rare that a whole city and I agree on music, especially music that we release so I have to say Minneapolis is one of my favorite places. The Owls appeared on Radio K on October 26th. Some of those songs can be heard here. They were also on Minnesota Public Radio with an in studio on November 5th here. I noticed that from the Radio K broadcast a bunch of new songs so one can only hope we won't be waiting for 4 more years for another release. Brian wrote that the cd release show was a complete success! I only wish I had been there to witness it. Anyway I am really proud on John, Allison, Maria and Brian and am glad they are being appreciated.

New Tullycraft Video!

2007-10-22T09:51:00.000-07:00

Tullycraft "Georgette Plays A Goth" from curt kentner on Vimeo.

I am straight stealing this post from the Tullycraft Blog. Here is the new video for Georgette Plays A Goth. It's about a waitress who occasionally shows up to her posh restaurant shift dressed as a goth. It was illustrated and animated by George Pfromm II. Amazingly fun and very stylish. Thanks to everyone that came out for the Tullycraft release shows. It was really fun and had ace stage banter as well as great performances.

Tollycraft Yachts

2007-10-15T11:45:00.001-07:00

I am terrible at blogging. I get ideas for posts but don't post them right away so then it seems like yesterday's news. This is a record label blog so maybe it isn't appropriate to post about things that other blogs are covering besides with our two new releases coming out at the same time I feel like I shouldn't cover anything but that. So here is another Tullycraft post.

I find myself spending lots of time in Thrift Stores looking for the usual things like old records, vintage clothing, hi-fi equipment... Last year I was shopping for Halloween outfits and I found this sweater. I couldn't believe my luck. Not only is it a Tollycraft Yacht article of clothing but it is a baby blue V-neck sweater that actually fits. I mean I just can't imagine anything more twee than that other than maybe that shirt that Courtney owns. If you have ever asked Sean where they came up with the name Tullycraft he will usually down play saying it is just a word they came up with. I originally thought it was a play off his last name Tollefson until I found out that there were wooden boats that were branded Tollycraft. So it seems like that is where Sean and Co got the name so I decided to check it out on Wikipedia. The wiki entry goes as follows:

Tollycraft was a US powerboat manufacturer which is no longer in business.

Tollycraft was founded in 1936 as a wooden boat builder by Robert Merland Tollefson (better known as Tolly). In 1962 the company switched to building their boats from fiberglass. Tollefson sold the company in 1987, and it was bankrupt by 1993. Although it attempted to resume operations, the company was dead by 1997.

Tollycraft was known to make high quality boats ideally suited to the waters of its home in the Pacific Northwest.

So this is speculation and Sean has never confirmed this or if he is related to "Tolly" but it seems like a pretty big coincidence.

Tullycraft have their CD release show this Thursday. I will be there wearing this sweater , dancing and singing my lungs out. Please join me. Oh here is "If You Take Away the Make-up (Then The Vampires, They Will Die)" from the new album.

New Single by The Owls!

2007-09-28T00:39:00.001-07:00

Finally after over three years the Minneapolis band The Owls lets everyone in on what they have been up to. The Owls have three songwriters (sometimes four) and have finally finished their debut album "Daughters and Suns". The song we have posted here is written and sung by Maria May and opens with the prettiest harmonies. It is a charming piano song that reminds us of the heart aching hit song from the EP "Air" but a bit more playful. The Owls are the best at what they do, amazing harmonies with beautiful pop production. Brian Tighe, Allison Labonne also have their equal share of songs on this 14 song album. It has taken three years to get here so don't rush let The Owls seep into you. The Owls album Daughters and Suns will be released Oct 23rd and the cd release show is scheduled for Nov 8th at the Cedar Cultural Center.

The Owls "Peppermint Patty"

New Tullycraft Single!

2007-09-23T23:01:00.002-07:00

We are very excited to announce a brand new Tullycraft song for download. "The Punks Are Writing Love Songs" is off the new album "Every Scene Needs A Center" which is due out Oct 23rd. Tullycraft have a cd release show planned on Oct 18th at The Crocodile with The Math and Physics Club and Patience Please. "Punks" is the lead off track to the band's upcoming album. I love the new Tullycraft and one of the reasons is the variety of styles and sounds on the record. It is a lengthy 14 tracks long and will surely not disappoint all the fans who have been waiting since "Disenchanted Hearts Unite". "Punks" has a huge hook and lends to fist pumping "hey"s. Corianton Hale of Tullycraft designed the JPEG to go along with this free download. Stay tuned to for a free download from The Owls later this week.

Tullycraft "Punks Are Writing Love Songs"

Hola Mexico!

2007-09-21T11:24:00.001-07:00

After I married Molly, we risked possible hurricanes to spend a week in paradise known to some of you as the state of Quintana Roo or more commonly as the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. It was an amazing experience as for one I have never really had a relaxing vacation before. We spent hours watching the tide come in and catching up on our novel reading. We encountered sea turtles, spider monkeys, and countless number of crabs. We didn't really experience much of a music scene other than the cover band that played fairly late outside of our hotel room on the Isla de Mujeres. We did however bring the ipod and speakers and played my favorite mexican indie pop band Hello Seahorse! On their website they have 4 acoustic versions of some songs from their album available for download. I will post a link to one of their songs sung in English "Lost Cause Heart". They have their cd available everywhere via CD Baby and Itunes. I can't think of another mexican indie pop band but lets hope they are starting a trend.

Happy Birthday!

2007-09-18T09:36:00.001-07:00

This is a photo of Mark. He and I run Magic Marker Records. This photo of Mark is when he had a beard and before he started riding his bike everywhere. I have known Mark since my junior year in college at Indiana University. We both worked at WIUS , the college radio station. Mark once had Bunnygrunt play his house with his friend's ska band whose name I am forgetting right now. In even bigger news is Mark is moving back from California back to Oregon very soon! I am so happy to have Mark back. Either way today is Mark's birthday and I am making a post about it. Happy Birthday Mark! I will include the fantastic video from Altered Images of "Happy Birthday". All so fantastic. As Mark may point out it was my birthday yesterday as well. Happy Birthday Mark ! I hope you are having a fantastical day!

Magic Marker Curt gets married presses 7"

2007-09-13T14:35:00.001-07:00

On September 1st, 2007 I Curtis Kentner married Molly Anderson. It was truly the happiest day of my life. All our friends and family came to Portland, Oregon and had a grand ol' time talking, dancing, eating, drinking, and laughing. So many people helped make this such a special day and we love them all. To commemerate the occasion Molly and I asked Ricky of The Galactic Heroes and Dave from BOAT to collaborate to cover the Trogg's song "With a Girl Like You" for our first dance. We also asked Katy Davidson if she would cover the Zombies song "This Will Be Our Year" for Molly to walk down the aisle to. Here are those two songs for your enjoyment. We also had them pressed onto a 7". Depending on demand we have some left over. I will send them out for the price of shipping. Oh yeah this photo is from the photo booth that Ricky built himself. Amazing.

Just paypal me your request at info@magicmarkerrecords.com

In the US or Canada $1.50
Rest of the world $2.50

MANHATTAN LOVE SUICIDES - KEEP IT COMING

2007-09-12T11:51:00.001-07:00

Here is an update. The 7" singles were found. It turns out the British government wanted to hang onto them long enough to keep us guessing. So they are available in the UK as well as in the US. Here we have an actually video for an upcoming single that is due out in October on Lost Music Recordings.

where are the 7"s?

2007-08-24T13:35:00.000-07:00

So we pressed 500 7 inch single/eps with The Manhattan Love Suicides. Featuring a new version of "Kick It Back" and 3 others including the song the Ronettes never recorded but should have "You'll Never Get That Guy". It is a fantastic piece of wax. A must to add to your collection. I sent half of the copies to Leeds to The Manhattan Love Suicides 3 weeks ago. They had an upcoming gig with And You Will Know Us By... they were hoping to have the hot new single for sale. It didn't show up in time for the gig. In fact we don't know where they could be. We only pressed 500 and are now down to 250. This could become quite the collectible if not found. I could have written the address wrong but I don't think I did. If that happens they would get sent back and I would not only have to pay to get them back but pay to then send them back to the UK. I mean 7"s are a money losing product anyway but this could be a wash. Well anyway I hope where ever they are they are safe and not broken or underwater. I will keep you updated.

DEAR NORA - Weird Cactus

2007-08-22T11:07:00.001-07:00

Why wouldn't Katy tell me she made a video? I am not really sure. Anyway she made this video while on tour with Darren Hanlon who is playing in Portland tonight at the Mississippi Studios. Darren was quick to draw attention to this amazing piece of video made with a $10 budget in Meekathara a remote part of Western Australia.

Bears hit Portland

2007-08-09T09:40:00.000-07:00

Last night I was treated to the fantastic sounds of all a things a midwest pop band, Bears. Charlie from the band let me know they were coming to town and I am glad he did. Bears on the recordings are breezy, pleasant pop in an Elliott Smith meets The Lucksmiths but live they were very energetic and upbeat even including a Hall and Oates cover. I know I missed out on seeing Ladybug Transistor across town but I have seen them before and felt rewarded for trying something new. They have a week or so left on their tour so please go see them or buy cd. Here is a song off their self released ep that came out earlier this year.

Bears - Those Years

Zombie Kid Likes Turtles

2007-08-01T15:59:00.001-07:00

"All right you're a great zombie" so genius in its simplicity.

Boycrazy Album Spotted!

2007-07-25T08:31:00.002-07:00

Here we have Tegan and Sarah posing for a recording photo shoot with Chris Walla from Death Cab For Cutie and making a guest appearance Boycrazy's album "Foreign Words". I saw this image up on Brooklyn Vegan and it made me happy. It appears as the album is being used as a prop for this photo as the plastic sleeve is still on the jacket. Boycrazy suffered from the fate that many bands do having played together for many years finally release an album only to break up soon afterwards. Here is an MP3 from that album titled Stark Street. Chris Walla once spent a weekend in the Magic Marker House recording what was to be the second Dear Nora single. As far as I know those recordings have never seen the light of day for whatever reason. Anyway it was nice to have a reason to think about Boycrazy again.

architecture in helsinki

2007-07-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

hey all,
We started a blog to easily update you on things we are interested in and goings on around here. First thing I wanted to share is by a band that is friends of Magic Marker. Architecture in Helsinki made one of the most amazing videos I have seen in awhile. Architecture features Kellie Sutherland who was in the one off band The Best Friends Group on Magic Marker. Check it out.

Architecture in Helsinki - Hold Music from helsinkids and Vimeo.

SXSW here we come!

2007-03-13T23:13:00.001-07:00

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