Video: The Strugglers - "The Fade" (Megafaun cover) @ The Owl Room

We recently hosted another installment of Sessions at the Owl Room at our label house featuring The Strugglers, Englishman and Butterflies. It was a lovely night, and the highlight was certainly The Strugglers' arresting cover of Megafaun's "The Fade". Randy Bickford makes the song even more plaintive than the original and its great to see a local artist's take on another local artist. Thanks to Eric Chen for filming this song. Enjoy!

Embarrassing Fruits on The Independent's Top Songs of 2009

The Independent published their much anticipated, much celebrated The Year in Music issue this week and we were happy to see that Embarrassing Fruits' "Corner" made the list of Top 40 Local Songs of 2009. Listen to the song on The Independent's music player or you can even download all 40 songs for free, which is incredible because this list features some of our favorite local artists, including Bowerbirds, Hammer No More the Fingers, Horseback, Kinoeye, Megafaun, Polvo, Veelee, Whatever Brains and more!

Also, check out the Top 10 Triangle Albums, which features a couple Trekky connections. Midtown Dickens, a band that Trekky Manager Will Hackney also plays in, were honored with the number 9 spot, and Kinoeye, the electronic alias for Trekky Housemate Zeke Graves, got an honorable mention for the "Mean Old World" single.

Christmas at the Cradle 2009 Report

Thank you so much to everyone that was a part of this year's Christmas at the Cradle celebration. It was, by all accounts, our best show yet. We'd like to specifically thank the bands that played, the volunteers that helped set up and break down the show, and also all of the friends and family that came out to support us, have fun and raise some money for a just cause. Remember to shop local this year, and that the latest releases from all of the bands that played the show make great Holiday gifts.

Here are some wonderful photos of Christmas at the Cradle, taken by excellent concert photographer Agatha Donkar:



Here's a nice review of the show from WKNC.

Here are the photos from The North Pole at Christmas at the Cradle, where Santa was told what everyone wants for Christmas:



And here's some photos of The Trekky Yuletide Orchestra from the Chapel Hill Holiday Parade:



Check back soon for The Year in Photos 2009!

TONIGHT: Christmas at the Cradle!

Video: The Trekky Yuletide Orchestra in Chapel Hill Holiday Parade

Watch live video from thepeopleschannel's channel on Justin.tv

Yesterday The Trekky Yuletide Orchestra played on a moving float in the Chapel Hill Holiday Parade, bringing Christmas joy to every inch of Franklin St. (and Main St. in Carrboro). Little did they know The Peoples' Channel was doing an awesome Macy's Day Parade style broadcast from The Franklin Hotel. In this clip, you can hear the band finishing their original song "Christmas Like No Other" and starting the Russian folk "Skating on the Volga". Unfortunately, the camera crew caught the band right in between songs, so the TV hosts sort of awkwardly trail off in describing the band. Hilarious! Hopefully more clips to come. Catch The Trekky Yuletide Orchestra in all of their glory at Christmas at the Cradle at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC on Tuesday, December 15.

TRK Best of 2K9

As 2009 draws to a close, its a great time to reflect on the wonderful year we've had. One special way to reflect is with lists of things that were important to us. Specifically: music that blew our minds in 2009. We've compiled "Best of 2009" lists from select members of the Trekky Records Collective. Here's what they loved:


Martin Anderson (Trekky Records Management)

01. Megafaun- "Gather, Form & Fly"
02. Bowerbirds- "Upper Air"
03. Akron/Family- "Set 'em Wild, Set 'em Free"
04. Midtown Dickens- "Lanterns"
05. Mount Eerie- "Wind's Poem"
06. Chris Darrow- "s/t + Under My Own Disguise" (Everloving reissue)
07. Phil Cook and His Feet- "s/t"
08. The Dodos- "Time to Die"
09. Embarrassing Fruits- "Community / Exploitation"
10. Slaraffenland- "We're On Your Side"
11. Volcano Choir- "Unmap"
12. Califone- "All My Friends Are Funeral Singers"
13. Horseback- "The Invisible Mountain"
14. The Kingsbury Manx- "Ascenseur Ouvert!"
15. Julie Doiron- "I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day"
16. Tinariwen- "Imidiwen Companions"
17. Hammer No More the Fingers- "Looking for Bruce"
18. Vetiver- "Tight Knit"
19. V/A- "Ghana Special" (Soundway)
20. Phosphorescent- "To Willie"

12"s/7"s/EPs/Singles:
01. High Places/Soft Circle- split 12"
02. Superchunk- "Crossed Wires" 7"
03. High Places- "I Was Born" single
04. Mark McGuire- "VDSQ - Solo Acoustic Volume Two"
05. Bell- "Magic Tape" 7"
06. No Age- "Losing Feeling" EP
07. Whatever Brains- "Saddle Up" 7"
08. Horseback- "MILH IHVH" 7"
09. All Tiny Creatures- "Segni" 12"

Most looking forward to in 2010: Gayngs (you've never really partied unless you've partied to Gayngs)


Clare Connolly (Auxiliary House)

1. Jonsi & Alex- "Riceboy Sleeps"
2. Jack Rose- "Dr. Ragtime & Pals" / "s/t" (RIP)
3. Megafaun- "Gather, Form and Fly"
4. Real Estate- "s/t"
5. D Rider- "Mother of Curses"
6. Love of Everything- "Ghosts & Friends"
7. Owen- "New Leaves"
8. Richard Youngs- "Under Stellar Stream"
9. Mount Eerie- "Wind’s Poem"
10. Jackie O Motherfucker- "Ballads of the Revolution"
11. Kurt Vile- "Childish Prodigy"
12. Neon Indian- "Psychic Chasms"


Wil Donegan (Auxiliary House)

Trembling Bells- "Carbeth" (I think my favorite? That and megafaun. http://www.myspace.com/tremblingbells First song. All of them. Rock it. Don't judge me for her voice)
Megafaun- "Gather, Form and Fly"
Bill Callahan- "Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle"
Marvellous Boy- "Calypso From West Africa" (Honest Jon's)
The xx- "s/t"
The Clientele- "Bonfires On The Heath"
True Widow- "s/t" http://www.myspace.com/truewidow (Listen to Duelist, and loud...)
Akron/Family- "Set 'em Wild, Set 'em Free"
Open Strings: 1920's Virtuoso Recordings and New Responses
Vetiver- "Tight Knit"

Things I discovered this year that are not new but I like a lot:

Wire (why was I not told how good this band is?)
Souled American (Fe and Flubber are awesome records)
Ronnie Lane and Slim Chance
Jim Ford (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-2-3JUim54)
Kath Bloom and Loren Conners


Will Hackney (Trekky Records Management, Lost in the Trees)

1. Bill Callahan- "Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle"
2. Mount Eerie- "Wind's Poem"
3. Built to Spill- "There is No Enemy"
4. Wye Oak- "The Knot"
5. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy- "Beware"
6. Mirah- "(A)spera"
7. Embarrassing Fruits- "Community / Exploitation"
8. St. Vincent- "Actor"
9. Bowerbirds- "Upper Air"
10. Megafaun- "Gather, Form and Fly"
11. Karl Blau- "Zebra"
12. Neko Case- "Middle Cyclone"
13. Why?- "Eskimo Snow"
14. The Kingsbury Manx- "Ascenseur Ouvert!"
15. Drake- "So Far Gone"
16. The Beatles- Reissues


Josh Kimbrough (Butterflies)

Bowerbirds- "Upper Air"
D. Rider- "Mother of Curses"
Joan of Arc- "Flowers"
Jim O'Rourke- "The Visitor"
Yo La Tengo- "Popular Songs"
Megafaun- "Gather, Form, and Fly"
Birds and Arrows- "Starmaker"
Deleted Scenes- "Birdseed Shirt"
Embarrassing Fruits- "Community / Exploitation"


Seamus Kenney (Lost in the Trees)

Ray Davies- "The Kings Choral Collection"


Jon Mackey (Auxiliary House)

Megafaun- "Gather, Form and Fly"
Baroness- "Blue Record"
Horseback- "The Invisible Mountain"
David Bazan- "Curse Your Branches"
The Twilight Sad- "Forget the Night Ahead"
Dawes- "North Hills"
Molina & Johnson- "Molina & Johnson"
Hi Ho Silver Oh- "Put It All In One Place and Burn it"


Joe Norkus (Embarrassing Fruits)

BEST:
(in no order)
Marmoset- "Tea Tornado"
Sonic Youth- "The Eternal"
Dinosaur Jr.- "Farm"
Deerhunter- "Rainwater Cassette Exchange"
Girls- "Album" (suck it!)
Big Star- "Keep An Eye on the Sky" (reissues)
Veelee- "Two Sides"
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart- "s/t"
Nirvana- "Bleach" (deluxe edition)
Polvo- "In Prism" (!!!!)

WORST:
(as seen on Pitchfork's "Best New Music")
Animal Collective- "Merriweather Post Pavilion"
Dan Deacon- "Bromst"
Wavves- "WAVVVES"
The Antlers- "Hospice"
Dirty Projectors- "Bitte Orca"


Lee Shaw (Embarrassing Fruits)

Hammer No More The Fingers- "Looking For Bruce"
Marmoset- "Tea Tornado"
Karl Blau- "Zebra"
Kentucky Nightmare- "Take Her Favour"
Wavves- "Live in Barcelona"


David Straughan (Endless Mic)

Raekwon- "Only Built For Cuban Linx Pt. 2"
Elvis Costello- "Sulphur to Sugarcane"
Sean Price- "Kimbo Price"
Peter, Bjorn & John- "Living Thing"

Video: Lost in the Trees - "The Old Man's Back Again" (Scott Walker cover) @ Local 506

Lost in the Trees ended their very special, recent show at Local 506 with an unlikely cover: Scott Walker's funky diss track about the 1968 Czech Government and the ghost of Stalin, "The Old Man's Back Again (Dedicated to the Neo-Stalinist Regime)". With the addition of a baritone saxophone and guest vocals from The Toddlers' Nathan Toben, the choice actually turned out to be more appropriate than you would think. Also, check out the Scott Walker original below:

The Trekky Yuletide Orchestra in Holiday Parade, Lonnie Walker and Raffle Prizes!

Christmas at the Cradle is just over a week away, and we couldn't be more excited. If you weren't already jazzed enough about the show, we've got some exciting new developments to share with you:

1.The Trekky Yuletide Orchestra has been invited by the Town of Chapel Hill to perform on a moving float in this year's Holiday Parade. We're not kidding. GIANT MISFIT CHRISTMAS ORCHESTRA PLAYING ON A MOVING SOLAR-POWERED FLOAT IN A PARADE. We're pumped about this opportunity and can't wait to make The Town of Chapel Hill proud. The parade starts at Morehead Planetarium at 10AM on Saturday, December 12 and moves toward Carrboro. Please be there to witness it so that later you can convince us that it actually happened.

2. We're happy to announce the last-minute addition of one of NC's finest bands to the bill for Christmas at the Cradle. Its Lonnie Walker from Raleigh. Yes!

3. Everyone likes presents this time of year, and we genuinely want you to walk away from the Cat's Cradle late Tuesday night with a gift of your very own. So, we're holding a raffle! Just buy a raffle ticket and you'll be in the running to win a wonderful gift from one of these amazing local businesses: Carrburritos, Cat's Cradle, CD Alley, Faux Paw, The Lantern, Local 506, The Looking Glass Cafe, The Merch, Moshi Moshi, Nightlight, Orange County Social Club, Roulette, Southern Rail and Trekky Records. All money raised in the raffle will be directly donated to National Multiple Sclerosis Society. We'll also have coffee generously donated by Cafe Driade.

Trekky Records presents:
Christmas at the Cradle 2009
December 15, 2009 at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC

The Trekky Yuletide Orchestra
Dexter Romweber
Stuart McLamb and Missy Thangs (of The Love Language)
Des Ark
Whatever Brains
Lonnie Walker
Organos
Veelee
Birds and Arrows
Mount Weather
Hosted by Billy Sugarfix

Doors at 7PM. Show at 7:30PM.
$8 Advance. $10 Day Of.
Proceeds benefit NMSS.

The Physics of Meaning Announce Holiday Forever Tour

The Physics of Meaning have been been taking a small break while lead Physic Daniel Hart tours the world with his other band, St. Vincent, but the Holidays are a great time to get back together with friends, and embark on a Holiday Forever tour! The tour starts right here in Chapel Hill and takes Physics all the way down to Austin, TX, where the band will begin recording songs for their follow up to 2008's Snake Charmer and Destiny at the Stroke of Midnight. Dates below:

12-11 Chapel Hill, NC - Nightlight
12-12 Greensboro, NC - The Green Bean
12-13 Knoxville, TN - Pilot Light
12-14 Jackson, MS - Hal and Mals
12-17 Dallas, TX - City Tavern
12-18 Austin, TX - Hole in the Wall

Video: Embarrassing Fruits In The Studio

Embarrassing Fruits are hard at work on songs for their new album, the follow up to this year's Community / Exploitation. Here's a nice glimpse into what the boys have been working on. Filmed by the band at the studio in Elon, NC, the video diary shows the band recording vocals, cowbell and incorporating a hit viral video into their promising new batch of songs.

The Duke Chronicle on Trekky Records, Trekky House and Christmas at the Cradle

Today The Duke Chronicle published a nice article about Trekky Records, our home and headquarters, and our upcoming Christmas at the Cradle show. The print edition also features a bunch of silly, Christmas-themed photographs of Martin Anderson and Will Hackney that are worth checking out. Thanks to the Chronicle and their wonderful Recess section for writing about music.

Christmas at the Cradle 2009!

We are very pleased to announce the details for this year's Christmas at the Cradle celebration, our fourth annual Christmas show. We think we have the best bill we've ever had and can't wait to see how these excellent bands interpret Christmas tunes. As always, we'll have
The Trekky Yuletide Orchestra, our 25+ member Christmas super-group, as well as free snacks and drinks, a charity raffle with prizes from wonderful local businesses, classic holiday films, and a visit from the Bearded One himself, Santa Claus. Every year the show is a benefit for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and we are proud to keep that tradition alive this year. Here are the bands and details:

Trekky Records presents:
Christmas at the Cradle 2009
December 15, 2009 at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC

The Trekky Yuletide Orchestra
Dexter Romweber
Stuart McLamb (of The Love Language)
Des Ark
Whatever Brains
Organos
Veelee
Birds and Arrows
Mount Weather
Hosted by Billy Sugarfix

Doors at 7PM. Show at 7:30PM.
$8 Advance. $10 Day Of.
Proceeds benefit NMSS.

Trekky Records' Guide to Troika 2009

Every year the good folks of Durham do a giant favor for the good folks of the Triangle by putting on the Troika Music Festival. A weekend-long, multi-venue circus of local music, all for only $20. Pretty much every Trekky Records artist has played the festival at some point, and this year we are honored to have both Butterflies and Embarrassing Fruits involved. If you're having trouble choosing between which worthy artist you'll be catching at any given point, here's our official guide to Troika: our recommendations, or at least just where we'll be at over the course of the weekend. Also, here's a great preview video featuring music from Embarrassing Fruits:




THURSDAY

7:45PM | Megafaun (Durham Central Park)

Our dear friends and brilliant musicians who turn everything they touch to gold. Come see their warm, celebratory blend of folk, blues, old time, drone and everything that is good in this world at this lovely outdoor, nighttime show at Durham Central Park. DO NOT MISS.

11:00PM | Bowerbirds (DPAC)

Our other dear friends who compose gorgeous songs that say exactly what we are thinking about how we interact with our world. Deceptively complex music that sounds as simple and true as if it has been around for centuries. This show will be in the cavernous Durham Performing Arts Center, so it'll be quite an experience.

FRIDAY

7:45PM | Liza Kate (West End Wine Bar)

Liza Kate is actually from Richmond, VA, but since she calls excellent local record label Holidays For Quince home, she is welcomed with open arms in the Triangle. Her songs are quiet, beautiful, contemplative, precious, intimate and well worth seeing live in order to hear every little detail.

10:30PM | Embarrassing Fruits (Marvell Event Center)

Our own Embarrassing Fruits have become a cherished rock band in the Triangle, and we couldn't be happier to see people connecting with their magnetic brand of distorted pop music. They are hard at work on their new record and will be playing new songs you've never heard before. Rejoice! This will be Fruits' first year playing the festival.

12:30PM | Dex Romweber Duo (Trotter Building)

Dexter has become a legend not only in these parts, but also everywhere else through his work with Flat Duo Jets as well as his extensive solo work and collaborations. Artists such as Jack White, Neko Case and Chan Marshall have sung his praises, but don't take their words for it, come see for yourself. Dexter plays with his sister Sara in the Duo.

SATURDAY

2:30PM | Mount Moriah (Trotter Building)

Mount Moriah features Heather McEntire and Jenks Miller, who run the aforementioned Holidays For Quince label. They play pretty, slow, transcendent Southern rock and they get their name from the road right by our house. Start yr Troika day off right with this early show.

8:30PM | The Tender Fruit (West End Wine Bar)

Led by the tender voice of Christy Smith, this band is criminally unknown. One of the many undiscovered treasures teeming about in the Durham city streets. Guitar, drums, piano. Simple and powerful.

9:30PM | Veelee (Duke Coffeehouse)

Matt and Ginger of Veelee cover a lot of ground for a two piece. Drums, guitars, synths and guy/girl vocals swirl around slightly sinister pop songs. The result is both charming and meaningful. They'll sound great through the powerful sound system at Duke Coffeehouse.

11:30PM | Butterflies (Bull McCabes)

Butterflies also make their Troika debut this year, and we're excited for people to hear what Trekky's finest emo-art-jazz-pop band can do. Josh and the boys will be playing many new songs from their upcoming album, which is in the process of being recorded right now. As always, you'd be a fool not to stick around for the inevitable disco jam that Butterflies shows generally erupt into. You've been warned/tipped off.

See you in Durham!

Joe Norkus offers free Halloween EP

Embarrassing Fruits' Joe Norkus continues his prolific history of amazing, free, home-recorded music with a new Halloween EP, titled Hollerin' Haints, available now for free download. Yes, he was a few days late on this, but who says you can't celebrate your holidays anachronistically? Enjoy these seven eerie new songs, and if you're hollerin' for more, check out Joe's classic Livin' in the Wrong Times and Digital Hiss, also available for free from Trekky's arch-nemesis label, Sufficient Records.

Also, check out the video for "Casper" from Hollerin' Haints, composed of public domain footage from the golden age of American culture:

Lost in the Trees Tour Diary

Our resident folk orchestra, Lost in the Trees, just returned from a short tour centered around a performance at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City. The journey began and ended in Chapel Hill, with a wonderful hometown performance in the historic Gerrard Hall on the University of North Carolina's campus. The Independent's Scan blog asked the band to document their travels, and they obliged. Check out Lost in the Trees two part tour diary here and here, complete with text and photographs.

The tour diary was posted before last night's show at Gerrard Hall, but UNC's wonderful newspaper, The Daily Tar Heel, documented the occasion wonderfully. Read the preview article, a few words on their Song of the Week, Lost in the Trees' "Fireplace", a review of the performance and see some lovely photographs below.



Lost in the Trees return from the road poised to work on their new record, the follow up to last year's All Alone in an Empty House, with acclaimed producer Scott Solter (The Mountain Goats, Pattern is Movement, Midtown Dickens). The band will play one more show in 2009: December 6 at Local 506 in Chapel Hill, previewing new material before committing it to tape this Winter.

Video: Embarrassing Fruits on Sessions at Studio B

Embarrassing Fruits appeared on local news station NBC17 today as a part of the ongoing Sessions at Studio B series, making their local network news live debut. The band played a few songs and had a short interview about their past, present and future. Watch it above, or check it out at Music.MyNC.

Adopt A Highway #5

For the uninitiated, let me explain. A couple years ago, The Trekky Records Collective posed a question: Why is it that only law firms and church groups get to adopt highways? We wanted a highway of our own, to raise in our own image. The highway we never had. When given a chance to select our highway, we of course chose North Greensboro St. in Carrboro, NC. The busiest highway in Carrboro. So now we are charged with the noble stewardship of two miles of road and sidewalk, jutting through Carrboro like a ANTM catwalk. Every couple months we assemble and clean.

Adopt A Highway #5 was a classic cleaning. We picked up little pieces of paper, received hurried "Thank You!"s from Carrboro Vegans, found a skateboard without wheels, half of a Pokemon card, a Teva sandal and (I think) our spiritual beings. Keep Carrboro Green, Y'all!

Video: Lost in the Trees - "Love On My Side" @ Shakori Hills

Here's Lost in the Trees playing "Love On My Side", a song that rarely makes it into the live set, at the Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival a couple weeks ago. This video shows Trees' Ari Picker and Will Hackney rehearsing the song behind the stage shortly before performing, spliced in with the actual performance from the show. Enjoy! And check out Lost in the Trees on tour, dates below.

Lost in the Trees tour to CMJ

Lost in the Trees have been invited to play the infamous CMJ Music Marathon for the first time and they can't wait to be 10 more people making New York City an overcrowded circus. The band has added a few more dates at their favorite places on the East Coast to make a nice little mini-tour, capped off by a hometown show in the historic Gerrard Hall in Chapel Hill, NC. Dates below:

10-21 Charlottesville, VA - Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar
10-22 Washington, DC - DC9
10-23 New York, NY - CMJ/Paste Magazine Showcase at The Living Room*
10-24 Boston, MA - Cafe 939
10-25 Freehold, NJ - The Studio
10-28 Chapel Hill, NC - Gerrard Hall (UNC)
*=with The Love Language

Trekky Records' Guide to Shakori: Fall 2009

Every Spring and Fall, our hippie festival fix is satiated by the Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival in Silk Hope, NC. There's just something about drum circles, hula hoops and noodle dancing that you can't deny. If you're planning on heading down this weekend, here's our official endorsements for what bands to catch.

THURSDAY

5:15PM | Midtown Dickens (Meadow Stage)

Hot off the release of their brilliant new album (which I happen to play on...conflict of interest?) Midtown Dickens are winning hearts all over. They'll be right at home at Shakori, slinging banjos and wielding mouth harps with utter joy. This is the very first performance of the whole festival! Don't miss it.

FRIDAY

3:30PM | Butterflies (Cabaret Tent)

Josh Kimbrough's tender, jazzy post-rock may seem an odd fit for a Grassroots festival, but look no further than the influence of Libba Cotten's incredible finger-picking style to see that Butterflies have folk in their veins, as well. This will be Butterflies' second time appearing at the festival and they will be a refreshing jolt of something different on Friday afternoon. They'll be augmented with mandolin for the first time ever. Should be a very special performance.

SATURDAY

2:30PM | The Never (Meadow Stage)

Shakori's favorite sons return to the festival they've seen grow through its infancy. The Never bring their sunny, elegant, sometimes haunting pop music to the giant Meadow Stage. Ye shall here their harmonies across the land!

6:00PM | Chatham County Line (Meadow Stage)

One of North Carolina's best authentic bluegrass bands, Chatham County Line spin classic country tunes in a way that feels modern without trying to reinvent the wheel. There's a reason there are so many bands with guitars, banjos, mandolins and three part harmonies.

10:30PM | Lost in the Trees (Grove Stage)

Trekky's preferred giant folk-orchestra Lost in the Trees return to Shakori for their third time. This late night performance will be utterly picturesque, with Ari Picker's precious symphonic compositions at center stage.

Videos: TRK @ Milltown: An Evening with the Trekky Records Collective

Here's some moving picture highlights from our recent TRK @ Milltown showcase party.



Butterflies' Josh Kimbrough covering "Don't Know Much" by Aaron Neville and Linda Ronstadt.



Will Hackney (Trekky Records, Lost in the Trees) playing a rare solo performance.



Lost in the Trees performing a mostly unplugged version of "Walk Around the Lake".



The Trekky Mafia covering Empirikal Evaden$e's cover of Embarrassing Fruits' "Willing Partner".

Photos: TRK @ Milltown: An Evening with the Trekky Records Collective

We had a wonderful time last night at our semi-acoustic showcase-lovefest at Milltown. Thank you so much to all of the friends and family that came out to support us. Its support like this and shows like this that make the scary lifestyle of an independent musician totally worth it. There were too many highlights to list here, but check above for some photographic documentation. The first set is by Jordan Lawrence, of the excellent Diversions section of The Daily Tar Heel. The second set is by talented local concert photographer Agatha Donkar. OK, here's one highlight...the whole Trekky Records collective joining in on a drinking song sing-a-long to Embarrassing Fruits' "Willing Partner":

TONIGHT: TRK @ Milltown: An Evening with the Trekky Records Collective

Tonight, members of Butterflies, Embarrassing Fruits, Lost in the Trees, The Never and Vibrant Green (aka The Trekky Records Collective) will convene at Milltown in Carrboro, NC, to perform, share songs and collaborate. Expect lots of new songs, covers and reinterpretations. The show is Free and starts at 7PM. See you there!

Embarrassing Fruits take part in Dot Matrix Project

The Dot Matrix Project is a collective of documentarians based in Greensboro, NC, who graciously organize free concerts, and then photograph, record and film them for the artists. They've already done amazing shows with our friends Hammer No More the Fingers and Sorry About Dresden, as well as many of Greensboro's finest bands. We are happy to announce that our own Embarrassing Fruits will be getting the Dot Matrix treatment at The Green Burro on September 24 at 8PM.

New song from The Never!

Our friends at Terpsikhore Records just released a wonderful compilation highlighting some of the best bands from the Triangle area of North Carolina, and The Never were lucky enough to be a part of the album. The Never's song, "Littlest Things" is exiting new territory for the trio, and its already received some kind words from the press:

"With its meticulous harmonies and layers, The Never's arch "Littlest Things" suggests Grizzly Bear striving for the stars."
-The Independent

"The delicate piano ballad “Littlest Things” is a pristine replica of the Beach Boys’ late emo phase via Chapel Hill’s The Never."
-The Daily Tar Heel

OK, enough talk...time to listen! Check out the TRK Mix Tape to hear the song right now!

Photos: Butterflies and Embarrassing Fruits Summer Tours

Both Butterflies and Embarrassing Fruits hit the road this Summer to bring their respective three-piece rock bands to the people of the East Coast and the Midwest. Need proof? Here's photographic evidence:

The Physics of Meaning in Hometapes Takeaway Show

At SXSW 2009 in Austin, TX, Vincent Moon filmed a wonderful Takeaway Show with the artists and friends of the Hometapes Label. The final product is more like a short film, following a continuous stream of wonderful music from Megafaun, Balmorhea, Murder, Stars Like Fleas, our very own The Physics of Meaning, and Slaraffenland (including an all star jamboree at the end). Its a wonderful little piece of music video. We suggest watching it in its entirety, but if you are in a rush, The Physics of Meaning starts playing at about 15:40. They play a brand new song which will most likely appear on their new album, the follow-up to last year's Snake Charmer and Destiny at the Stroke of Midnight

Photos: Lost in the Trees Summer Tours 2009

Here are some lovely photographs of the recent Lost in the Trees tours taken by multi-instrumentalist Alyssa Reichardt, violinist Jenavieve Varga and bus driver/sound man/lighting designer Dave Keister. Check back as more will be added in the next few days.

The Never to appear on Hear Here compilation

Our old friends at Terpsikhore Records are releasing an excellent compilation called Hear Here: The Triangle on August 29th, featuring a new and unreleased song from The Never! Terpsikhore invited local bands into their very own studio to record the tracks for the compilation, so all of the tracks were made with the same microphones, which should give it an interesting unity. Other bands on the comp we are excited about are The Rosebuds, The Kingsbury Manx, Hammer No More the Fingers and Terpsikhore's Annuals. The video above shows all the bands recording their songs, including our boys in The Never.

There's also an amazing release show at the Cat's Cradle to celebrate the release on Saturday, August 29. The Never will be playing, joined by Annuals, Birds of Avalon and Hammer No More The Fingers. The $10 admission gets you a copy of the comp, and proceeds go to benefit The Visual Art Exchange in Raleigh, NC. Hallelujah!

Troika Music Festival lineup announced!

Troika is a wonderful music festival that has been happening in Durham, NC, for many years now. The 2009 lineup was announced today and we are proud to share that our own Embarrassing Fruits is playing this year. There are too many amazing bands appearing to list here, but if you need quick convincing, our friends Bowerbirds, Hammer No More the Fingers, Bellafea, Veelee and Mount Moriah are all on the list, so get excited. The festival is November 5-7 and passes go on sale August 15.

Embarrassing Fruits featured on The State of Things

The State of Things, a wonderful radio show on local NPR affiliate WUNC, recently broadcast a great feature on music from North Carolina. A lot of great bands were mentioned and we were pleasantly surprised to hear a few words about our very own Embarrassing Fruits. Listen to the whole show here.

Butterflies Summer Tour!

Butterflies will be flying into a town near you this summer, supporting their latest album Nothing's Personal. Catch the band in all of their emotional, jammy glory:

07-08 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
07-09 Asheville, NC - The Garage
07-10 Knoxville, TN - Barley's
07-11 Louisville, KY - Derby City Espresso
07-12 Bloomington, IN - The Pour House
07-14 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
07-16 Akron, OH - The Matinee
07-17 Rochester, NY - Abilene
07-18 Boston, MA - PA's Lounge
07-19 New York, NY - Monkeytown
07-23 Baltimore, MD - Metro Gallery
07-24 Washington, DC - Comet Ping Pong*
07-25 Durham, NC - Bull City Headquarters
08-01 Greensboro, NC - The Grean Bean*
*=with Carol Bui

Follow Lost in the Trees on tour

Follow Lost in the Trees on their summer tour via their new blog.

Lost in the Trees Summer Tour!

Lost in the Trees will be boarding our trusty Bluebird school bus and driving all over this beautiful nation, bringing its signature brand of grandiose orchestral folk music to the masses this July. With a fresh new pressing of their latest All Alone in an Empty House and a solidified live band, this promises to be a very special tour. Don't miss, tell yr friends:

07-04 Durham, NC - Eno River Festival
07-05 Richmond, VA - Plaza Bowl Duckpin
07-06 Charlottesville, VA - Tea Bazaar
07-07 Huntington, WV - V Club
07-08 Bowling Green, OH - Howard's Club H
07-09 Chicago, IL - Schubas
07-10 St. Louis, MO - Firebird
07-11 Lexington, KY - Natasha's Bistro
07-12 Knoxville, TN - Pilot Light
07-13 Nashville, TN - 3rd & Lindsley
07-15 Athens, GA - 40 Watt
07-16 Greensboro, NC - The Blind Tiger
07-17 Charlotte, NC - The Milestone*
07-18 Asheville, NC - Bobo Gallery
07-19 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle#

*=with The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players
#=with The Kingsbury Manx

Daniel Hart on Pitchfork.tv with St. Vincent

When Daniel Hart isn't writing. recording and touring with The Physics of Meaning, he spends his time on the road with his dear old friend Annie Clark in her band, St. Vincent. Check out this lovely video of the band playing a few songs on Pitchfork.tv. Daniel is the dashing young man in the navy shirt, if you didn't know.

Photos: TRKfest

Relive the magic of TRKfest with these wonderful photos. We suggest you watch both slideshows in 'full screen' mode with some nostalgic music playing in the background!







Thanks to Derek, Agatha and Prachi for taking these photos and thanks to everyone who came to TRKfest!

TRKfest schedule announced

Our (now annual) super-special, psychedelic outdoor music festival TRKfest is coming up this Saturday, June 13th and we couldn't be more excited. Not only are there going to be awesome games, vendors, food and activities, but our absolute favorite bands will be playing from 2PM to Midnight! We want you to be there the whole time to see these amazing musicians, but we understand if that's not possible so we made this nifty little time schedule for you:

2:00 - The Never
3:15 - The Strugglers
4:00 - Vibrant Green
4:30 - Mount Moriah/Liza Kate
5:30 - Butterflies
6:15 - Midtown Dickens
7:00 - Embarrassing Fruits
7:45 - Des Ark
8:30 - Pants-off Dance-off
9:00 - Hammer No More the Fingers
9:45 - Ivan Rosebud
10:15 - Lost in the Trees
11:00 - Megafaun

As with all rock shows and heady, outdoor festivals, times are subject to changes, switches and approximations. These should be real close, though.

Check out the TRKfest MySpace for more info!

The Physics of Meaning cover The Smiths

The folks over at The Music Slut have curated a wonderful tribute to Morrissey (and those other dudes in The Smiths) and are revealing it for free download, day by day all month. They were kind enough to ask our own The Physics of Meaning to contribute a cover and destiny has finally been revealed! Daniel Hart chose "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side" from The Smiths' classic The Queen Is Dead album, transforming it from a dancey lament to a baroque soliloquy. The compilation also features songs from our dear friends Pattern is Movement and Deleted Scenes so stay tuned to The Music Slut for those tracks.

Download the song here!
And just for fun, listen to the original here.

Photos: Everything.

New photos up from everything that has happened in the last four months on our Flickr Photostream. Thanks to Clare Connolly and Katie Zickefoose for taking all of the excellent photographs and sharing them with us. Here are the specific albums:

Sessions at the Owl Room: Session No. 3 - with Embarrassing Fruits and Midtown Dickens
Trekky House II: The First Visit - our first visit to our brand new home and headquarters
Beers with the Boss: Deep Meadow Edition - the legendary social event takes a walk down the hill
Shakori Hills Fireside Chats - campfire sing-a-longs at the Hackney Farm during the Shakori Hills Festival
Auxiliary House @ Local 506 | 04.25.09 - Aux House's tribal reunion show
Fun in de Office - random things happening in the Trekky Records Office
TRKsoccer - springtime soccer game at Carrboro Park
TRK All Label Meeting | 04.21.09 - our most recent coalition of the chilling
Spaghetti Western Rehearsal - John Neville of Embarrassing Fruits' new solo project
Auxiliary House Reunion Rehearsal - first whisperings of the return of the beast
Lost in the Trees @ Lincoln Theatre | 04.10.09 - backstage and onstage
Snowbama | 01.20.09 - that magical day when it snowed and Obama became our president

VIDEOS: Lost in the Trees and The Never in Harvey's Kitchen

Lost in the Trees and The Never both recently appeared on a recurring video series called Harvey's Kitchen. See the action here, including new unreleased songs from both bands:

Lost in the Trees - A Church That Fits Our Needs


Lost in the Trees - Walk Around the Lake


The Never - The Littlest Things


The Never - Raincloud

Auxiliary House reunion tonight

Tonight is a very special night. Trekky Records' musical-collective/supergroup/party-band Auxiliary House is playing a one time reunion show. Why now? Well our good friends at Pox World Empire are releasing Compulation Volume Three: Songs from North Carolina, an amazing compilation of some of the brightest stars in the musical galaxy of The Old North State. Auxiliary House has a song on the comp and Pox asked the band to play the release show and we just couldn't say "no". The Aux Army will be 9-strong and ready to blow your mind with old classics and questionable new experiments. Midtown Dickens, Filthybird and Bull City (who are all excellent) are also playing, and the show is only $8. Best news yet: you get a free copy of Compulation with admission.

Don't miss this one! Starts at 9PM and its at Local 506 in Chapel Hill, NC.

Lost in the Trees on WKNC

Ari Picker and Katie Wyatt of Lost in the Trees recently stopped by the WKNC studio for an interview and to play some songs. Listen to the interview here and hear Ari talk about Trekky Records, the new Lost in the Trees record, teaching kids about classical music and what its like to have 14 people in your band. Also an acoustic version of the new song "A Church that Fits Our Needs" as well as "Walk Around the Lake".

Embarrassing Fruits tour southeast

Embarrassing Fruits will hit the road this Spring in support of their new album, Community / Exploitation. Following in the footsteps of last year's The First Time EP, the new long player has been receiving extremely warm praise from writers all over the place. Catch the band's deafening live show at these places:

04-23 Greenville, NC - Spazzatorium
04-24 Wilmington, NC - The Soapbox
04-25 Athens, GA - The Rye Bar
04-26 Asheville, NC - New French Bar
04-29 Charlottesville, VA - Tea Bazaar*
04-30 Richmond, VA - Rumors
05-01 Baltimore, MD - Talking Head
05-07 Raleigh, NC - Tir Na Nog
05-15 Chapel Hill, NC - Nightlight
06-13 Pittsboro, NC - TRKfest
08-08 Sanford, NC - That Thing We Did Fest
*=with Lost in the Trees

TRKfest 2009 announced!

On May 31, 2008, The Trekky Records Collective put on its first music festival. After the single sun-drenched day and warm summer night, it became clear that this would not be a one-time event. Back by popular demand, we present the second annual TRKfest Music Festival on Saturday, June 13. We've upped the ante in many ways, but hope to retain the same communal, inclusive and casual spirit that made last year so special. The festival will once again happen in one day at Piedmont Biofuels, a biodiesel plant in Pittsboro, NC. Here's what we have for you:

Performances by
Megafaun
Lost in the Trees
Ivan Rosebud
Embarrassing Fruits
Hammer No More the Fingers
The Never
Des Ark
Midtown Dickens
Butterflies
The Strugglers
Mount Moriah + Liza Kate
Vibrant Green
DJ_TRK

Other special things
Volleyball
Local Art and Crafts for sale
Local food and drinks for sale
Pants-off Dance-off
Human Rubberband
Coffee Sack Race
Cool Kids Yoga Session
Group Bottlecap Mosaic Mural
Information and Literature from local organizations
Tour of Piedmont Biofuels
Free Massages
Free Haircuts
Shadow Puppets
Bliss Tent
Cake Walk
...and probably more!

Check out the TRKfest MySpace for more info!