The Record Machine

State Bird - I Saw The Light from Mostly Ghostly

Here is a moment we have been wanting to share with you for a long time. You can even go over to Pitchfork.tv and check this video out with several others(yes that pitchfork). This video has been several months in the making. Countless hours were put into the stop animation of the video by TRM partner Mike Russo. Hopefully the song and video make you want to get out of your seat and dance right along with us.

Today the second volume of the Peace on Earth compilation was released by It’s Hard to Find a Friend. It features a new song from Nathan Phillips of The Winston Jazz Routine. I encourage every last one of you to go purchase this years and last years compilations. All of the proceeds of the go to charity and it features really great artists.

If you have followed The Record Machine for awhile you would maybe remember that our first record was the James Dean Trio- Getting Scary. It came out in the November of 2003. Anymore small indie record labels struggle to make it to 5 years and 12 release like we have done.

When it came closer to the 5 year mark we asked our good friends DJG Design and Never Sleeping to make some posters to commemorate the last 5 years. I had no idea that it would be this extensive. Below is the first of three sets of images from DJG and Never Sleeping. Every image ties back to all of our bands in some way or another. DJG’s explanation is below and you can visit the set in some more detail here. I would love to see some speculation on which illustration is for what band. Record Machine would really like to thank all of our bands, DJG, Never Sleeping, Any one that has lent a hand to us(this list is way too long and I know I would leave someone out) and you the listener to keeping us going for 5 years and hopefully another 5 too.

This is a series of 5 DJG posters made from over a hundred illustrations to celebrate the 5th birthday of Kansas City, MO independent music label The Record Machine. Illustrations are based off of ideas pulled and culled by DJG from every band or album that has been released by The Record Machine.

This is phase one of a project that will incorporate over a hundred more illustrations made into another five 5’s and then screen print over-layed on top of DJG’s 5’s by Ben Chlapek of www.neversleeping.com

Interstates played last week to packed out home crowd at the 930 Listening Room in Louisville last week. Our friend Sean from Buzzgrinder.com was there and he snapped a few pics for us.

Interstates Photo by: Bobby Giles

Both Interstates and Max Justus have been getting some great responses from their MP3’s of the Month.

Interstates released their remix of Brooke Waggoneer Eyes O’ Eyes last month and we got this response:

I’m going to get lost today. I’m going to stare into her eyes again and never come out - I can feel it. I know it’s going to happen, my senses are tingling inside me, like pins-and-needles in my limbs, like a heart attack, or falling upside down. She will be home soon, she will walk through the front door and she will want me to look at her. God, I have to do this everyday and every time it’s more dangerous! It feels like I’ve lost myself, her grey/blue eyes just pull me in - a world inside a world, deep and loved.

Full Review: Ear Garden

Interstates also played a show with Wovenhand and did a Podcast with Sojourn Music.

Max Justus Photo by: Scuddr

We have been getting the word out on Max Justus first off we sent out Ctrl_Alt_Dance video and MP3’s earlier this month. The folks at Idolator really loved it:

He revels in just making beats and bleeps and throwing them out there, and there’s always a hint of softness and beauty behind the retro goodies. It’s rare that this kind of thing strikes me as emotionally generous and fun.

Stuart Bury directed a video for Justus’ “Ctrl_Alt_Dance” that also has a simple warmth to it, matching the glassy beauty of the track. It’s little more than animated drawings of cute robots dancing. Sometimes the robots get a little nasty, but that’s about it. And I love it.

Full Review: Idolator.com

Ear Garden Picked up the on first single Seven from Five Leaping Leopards:

I’m trapped inside an old arcade-machine with clouds, quarters and a warm neon sky. I’m fighting evil with a special kind of super-power called a ’sweet, sweet love-axe’. I’m not singing, just dancing, waving, dying to the sounds of quiet machines and tiny pixel monsters with big bad smiles

Full Review: The Ear Garden

Earlier this week we sent out his latest single from Five Leaping Leopards called Altered Beast which you can hear on his myspace:

Darker, richer, and much more in the realm of dubstep, the track Altered Beast is a side of Max Justus you didn’t hear in our previous post.

Full Review: Above the Fold

And lastly we couldn’t agree more with The Culture of Me

This kid has something genius inside of himself that he wants to share and for fuck’s sakes, you all better listen up.  Do not miss out on this kid.

Full Review: The Culture of Me