The Year in Photos 2008

We had an amazing year here at Trekky Records. Here's a little chronological evidence:

01.07.08 - Our first Adopt-a-Highway cleanup. This year was our first of four years of cleaning North Greensboro St. in Carrboro, NC.
Photo by Emma Nadeau.

01.23.08 - We found out just how beautiful our backyard is when it snows.
Photo by Heather Tunnell.

02.20.08 - Joe Norkus of Embarrassing Fruits at Local 506 in Chapel Hill.
Photo by Allie Mullin.

02.22.08 - The Owl Room Recording Cooperative was formed in Trekky House. Here we see Jonny working on an Andean flute piece.
Photo by Martin Anderson.

03.01.08 - Trekky Records held its first Yard Sale Fundraiser. Yard Sale people are vultures! Beautiful vultures.
Photo by Martin Anderson.

03.05.08 - Auxiliary House joined These United States for a joint set at Nightlight. This was part of a tour that These United States did in which they had a band in each town they went to learn some of their songs and play with them that night. A wonderful experience.
Photo by Jordan Lawrence.

04.13.08 - As a fundraiser for Project Symphony, we had "A Classical Garden Party" at Fearrington Village in Chatham County, NC. Here a string septet played selections from Ari Picker's Symphony No. 1 in C Minor.
Photo by Will Hackney.

04.14.08 - A particularly rainy Adopt-a-Highway Cleanup ended up being more fun than the dry ones.
Photo by Jonny Tunnell.

04.17.08 - Will Hackney of Lost in the Trees at the Shakori Hills Festival.
Photo by Brian Vetter.

04.19.08 - The Never performed yet again at the Shakori Hills Festival.
Photo by Brian Vetter.

04.20.08 - In addition to their regular set at Shakori Hills, The Never did an acoustic set augmented by readings from their book, Antarctica.
Photo by Brian Vetter.

04.30.08 - The Trekky Records Screen Printing was in full force in 2008. Here's a batch of 7 color screen printed posters for a show The Never played with Snowden and Colour Revolt.
Photo by Will Hackney.

05.31.08 - TRKfest was an amazing all-day music festival that we held at Piedmont Biofuels in Pittsboro, NC. Here's Joe Norkus of Embarrassing Fruits. There was no smoking on the grounds since there was biofuel everywhere that could explode.
Photo by Brian Vetter.

05.31.08 - Will Hackney doing sound at TRKfest.
Photo by Brian Vetter.

05.31.08 - Endless Mic at TRKfest.
Photo by Brian Vetter.

05.31.08 - Megafaun & Friends performed at TRKfest with members of Megafaun, Akron/Family, Midtown Dickens and The Future Kings of Nowhere.
Photo by Brian Vetter.

06.06.08 - Jonny Tunnell of The Never enjoys a beer in the hammock at one of the summer cookouts at Trekky House.
Photo by Laura Taylor.

08.24.08 - The Physics of Meaning played a small acoustic show around the Trekky fire pit in honor of Daniel Hart's birthday.
Photo by Lara Khalil.

09.01.08 - Daniel Hart of The Physics of Meaning playing with John Vanderslice at the Bumbershoot Festival. Repping PIM!
Photo by Paul Gibson.

09.12.08 - Emma Nadeau of Lost in the Trees at Cat's Cradle for Lost in the Trees' album release show.
Photo by Danielle Harris.

09.12.08 - Butterflies opened up the Lost in the Trees album release show at Cat's Cradle.
Photo by Ryan Sweeney.

09.16.08 - Lost in the Trees played an instore at Schoolkids Records in Raleigh, NC.
Photo by Kevin Norris.

09.24.08 - Assembling Lost in the Trees records at Emma's house.
Photo by Martin Anderson.

10.24.08 - Ari Picker works on his new guitar pickup on the Lost in the Trees Fall Tour.
Photo by Alyssa Reichardt.

10.24.08 - The Physics of Meaning played live on KEXP at the CMJ Music Festival in New York.
Photo by Doron Gild.

10.26.08 - Embarrassing Fruits played at one of the first shows in the new renovation of Nightlight, one of the best small venues around.
Photo by Zoe Litaker.

10.31.08 - The Never played at Evening Muse in Charlotte, NC for Halloween. Here's Jonny Tunnell as Roy Orbison. The Never dressed as The Traveling Wilburys. Not pictured: Joah Tunnell as George Harrison and Noah Smith as Jeff Lynne.
Photo by Steph Burdoff.

11.01.08 - Project Symphony was a huge event held at Hill Hall on UNC campus. Phil Cook of Megafaun played classical piano pieces, Lost in the Trees played and Ari Picker debuted his first symphony, Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, played by the Project Symphony Orchestra, an assembly of over 60 volunteer musicians.
Photo by Jeremy M. Lange.

11.07.08 - Lost in the Trees performed at Durham Central Park as a part of the Troika Music Festival.
Photo by Jordan Lawrence.

11.21.08 - Embarrassing Fruits performed at Armadillo Grill in Duke's Student Union.
Photo by Jordan Lawrence.

11.21.08 - We had so many great releases this Autumn that we had to pull an R. Kelly and double up. By that I mean we had a joint CD release show for both The Physics of Meaning's Snake Charmer and Destiny at the Stroke of Midnight and Butterflies' Nothing's Personal. The show was at Duke Coffeehouse and both bands performed with larger line ups than they usually do. Here's Daniel Hart of Physics.
Photo by Jordan Lawrence.

12.15.08 - Christmas at the Cradle, our annual benefit holiday show, returned for its third year and was better than ever. Here's The Trekky Yuletide Orchestra's Drew Anagnost, as Santa.
Photo by Agatha Donkar.

12.15.08 - Brad Cook of Megafaun at Christmas at the Cradle.
Photo by Shannon Vetter.

12.15.08 - Ari Picker of The Trekky Yuletide Orchestra at Christmas at the Cradle.
Photo by Shannon Vetter.

12.15.08 - Ivan Howard of The Rosebuds made a surprise appearance with Megafaun at Christmas at the Cradle.
Photo by Shannon Vetter.

12.15.08 - Sorry About Dresden brought their kids outto sing "Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer" at Christmas at the Cradle.
Photo by Agatha Donkar.

Have an amazing photo that we missed? Comment or email. Thanks everyone for a great 2008!

Triangle's 40 best songs of 2008: Lost in the Trees and The Physics of Meaning

The Independent has released their list of the Triangle's Top 40 Songs of 2008 and we are happy to find our own Lost in the Trees and The Physics of Meaning on the list. Here's the nice things they had to say:

LOST IN THE TREES

Download "Walk Around the Lake"

(from All Alone in an Empty House; Trekky Records)

Much like Thad Cockrell's "Pride (Won't Get Us Where We're Going)," Lost in the Trees' "Walk Around the Lake" reflects the realization that the world is bigger than one's own woes and will. Ari Picker—formerly of The Never and now the leader of the more orchestral-minded Lost in the Trees—not only admits his problems and the pain they've caused people, but he also thinks about what he can do to help the next generation skip his steps: "Late at night/ I stay up and write a book about my life/ So no one would ever make all of my mistakes." Picker's sentiment is a welcome break from the oft-solipsistic perspective of orchestral indie rock this decade. Another welcome diversion comes with the strident strings that cut across this acoustic jangle. Much like Bowie & Eno's use of strings in Berlin (see "D.J."), they bend a pop moment just enough to eliminate any sense of listener listlessness. —Grayson Currin

THE PHYSICS OF MEANING

Download "Why Can't We Fall in Love Forever? (Anything is Possible)"

(from Snake Charmer & Destiny at the Stroke of Midnight; Trekky Records)

What makes Daniel Hart's new record so enjoyable is in part what it isn't —no conspicuous Eastern exotica, no round-the-clock ragas, no enigmatic yogi bromides. This mid-record cut is instead rooted in chamber rock's tradition of indie exuberance-meets-actual chops. That's what tethers Snake Charmer's ambitious musical conceits to our own worldly experiences, even as the novella-inspired concept threatens to soar off with our disbelief. On this song, these charging guitars, gypsy strings, thumping kicks, cymbal explosions, dustings of glockenspiel, and "Clap your hands/Stomp your feet" imperatives all rush toward an out-pouring of choral joy—a wish fulfilled, love's promise invoked. "There's more to us than just surviving," Hart sings. Halleluiah for that. —John Schacht

Photos: Christmas at the Cradle

These photos by Agatha Donkar.



These photos by Shannon Vetter.

Christmas at the Cradle this Monday!

We are proud to present our 3rd annual Christmas at the Cradle concert. The show is an excercize in excess, with too many amazing bands, too many amazing activities and too much holiday cheer. As always, the show is a benefit for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and is held at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC. Expect to get your photo taken with Santa, see some classic holiday movies, win some raffle prizes from wonderful local businesses, drink some free coffee, eat some free sweet treats and generally explode with Christmas delight. The Trekky Yuletide Orchestra will return to the stage in a larger and more grand form than ever before, with a dozen more string, horn and woodwind players in tow. And of course, stellar Christmas sets from some of the finest bands in North Carolina, who are:

Megafaun
Sorry About Dresden
The Future Kings of Nowhere
The Scene of the Crime Rovers
North Elementary
Rock & Roll Elf (Clarque Blomquist of The Kingsbury Manx)
The International Grapevine
Hosted by Billy Sugarfix

It all goes down Monday, December 15 at 7PM. Order tickets here.