Photos: Butterflies' Album Cover Photo Shoot

We're putting the final, behind-the-scenes touches on Butterflies' brand new album, coming out in November on Trekky Records. Last week we got together to take photos for the album art at Josh Kimbrough's childhood home. Here's a sneak preview of what will become the art for the new album. Photos by Clare Connolly and Will Hackney. More details coming soon!

Embarrassing Fruits Album Release Show Tonight

Tonight we celebrate the release of Frontier Justice, the new album from Embarrassing Fruits. Release shows are amazing events. They represent an inherent turning point for a band (and a label). It is the perfect night to reflect on where you've been, what it took to get there
and where you may go in the future. We hope you'll join us tonight at Duke Coffeehouse in Durham, NC, for this very special release show. Frontier Justice will be available in stores and online on Tuesday, but we'll have the first copies available tonight. The album comes with a vinyl record, compact disc and MP3 download, all for only $12. The first 25 copies will also come with a free Frontier Justice poster, so make sure to get there early tonight!

Another reason to arrive early tonight is to catch the two amazing bands who will be sharing the stage with the Fruits. Durham's Midtown Dickens and Raleigh's Lonnie Walker complete this amazing trinity of Triangle music. After the fantasy that was the Hopscotch Music Festival this past weekend, this bill is proof that the overwhelming amount of music coming from North Carolina never stops. It happens every weekend. Every night, even. The show is free and BYOB, so we're all in for a good time.

Fruits have been all over the papers this week, here's a sample of some interesting reviews and interviews:

The Independent Review
The Daily Tar Heel Review
The Mill Interview
Mann's World Interview

MP3: Embarrassing Fruits - "Vanishing Frontier"

Embarrassing Fruits' new album Frontier Justice comes out in less than a week! We are brimming with excitement over here at the Trekky office. The package looks beautiful, the record sounds great, and we're having a free release party this Friday with some amazing bands. In order to help you get as pumped as we are, we are releasing the second single from Frontier Justice today! The song is called "Vanishing Frontier" and its a brooding jam that showcases one of Fruits' great strengths: being aggressive and laid back at the same time.

Look for the grim music video for "Vanishing Frontier" late next week and we'll see you this Friday as we celebrate our new album! If you missed it, here's a video of Fruits working on Frontier Justice in the studio:



MP3: Embarrassing Fruits - "Vanishing Frontier" (from the upcoming Frontier Justice LP)

Photos: Hopscotch Music Festival 2010

Members of Midtown Dickens at panel on North Carolina music.
Photo by Abby Nardo.


Lost in the Trees at DAY-DREAM, our Hopscotch day party.
Photo by Lalitree Darnielle.


Sharon Van Etten outside of The Pour House during DAY-DREAM.
Photo by Abby Nardo.


TRK Banner at DAY-DREAM.
Photo by Agatha Donkar.


Butterflies at DAY-DREAM.
Photo by Agatha Donkar.


Martin Anderson and Brad Cook of Megafaun.
Photo by Derek Anderson.


Midtown Dickens in downtown Raleigh.
Photo by Derek Anderson.


Catherine and Jonathan of Midtown Dickens watch Pattern Is Movement.
Photo by Derek Anderson.


Folks in the stairwell at DAY-DREAM.
Photo by Graham Tolbert.


Mark Daumen of Lost in the Trees joins Midtown Dickens at DAY-DREAM.
Photo by Graham Tolbert.


Catherine Edgerton of Midtown Dickens loads in for DAY-DREAM.
Photo by Lalitree Darnielle.


Kym Register of Midtown Dickens.
Photo by Graham Tolbert.


Martin Anderson and Phil Cook of Megafaun.
Photo by Derek Anderson.

Trekky Records' Guide to Hopscotch 2010

2010 is a very special year for music in North Carolina. The overwhelming amount of quality music being created and played in the area has given way to a teeming network of artists, labels, publications, documentarians and appreciators. For this reason, local newspaper The Independent decided to organize a giant music festival right in the middle of North Carolina, and we are very excited about it. In addition to the 60 or so excellent local bands playing the Hopscotch Music Festival, we have heavy hitters like Public Enemy, Broken Social Scene and Tortoise visiting our fair Piedmont. And whether they intend to or not, they are shedding a national light on some of the great, overlooked music from around here. Hopscotch starts today, and we're not expecting to sleep much until its over. There are hundreds of great things to see, but here are our recommendations for your Hopscotch journey.

THURSDAY

12:30PM-5PM | Knox With An X Day Party (Kings)



The amazing round of free day parties starts off Thursday with 307 Knox Records' Knox With An X. Many great bands are playing short sets, including Midtown Dickens, Phil Cook and North Elementary. Great way to start off the festival.

4PM-6PM | Superchunk Listening Party (Foundation Bar)



One of the bands responsible for our incredible music scene, Superchunk, is releasing a new album this year, and this is an opportunity to hear it before it comes out. Listening parties are underrated and oft forgotten rituals, so take advantage of this opportunity.

10PM | Midtown Dickens (Deep South)



Midtown Dickens are some of our best friends and favorite musicians. Their shows always feel like family gatherings. Their songs are the backporch tunes you never sung. But now you get the chance. Midtown Dickens are also playing the Trekky Records day party on Saturday, but they'll play more songs at this show, so plan to catch both!

11:30PM | Pattern Is Movement (Busy Bee)



Pattern Is Movement are dear old friends of ours from Philadelphia, PA. Over the years, we've seen them develop from an angular, experimental 5-piece guitar rock band, to a virtuosic, math-soul duo. These fellas make some very challenging and beautiful music. Highly recommended.

12:30AM | Akron/Family (Pour House)



If you have never seen Akron/Family before, you are in for the party of your life. You've been warned.

FRIDAY

11AM-6PM | Friend Island Day Party (Pour House)



One perk of Hopscotch is that so many friends from out of town have a reason to come visit! Hometapes is one of our favorite record labels outside of NC, and we're very happy that they will be in town and also have their very own day party. Come show these Portland folks some NC love, and enjoy music from Megafaun and Pattern Is Movement. Free!

7PM | Broken Social Scene (Raleigh City Plaza)



Broken Social Scene are unbelievably awesome, both on record and live. Good job, Hopscotch for getting these Canadian geniuses. Maybe a guest appearance from John McEntire, who produced BSS' latest album and is in town with Tortoise? Hope so.

10:30PM | Veelee (Busy Bee)



Veelee is from Carrboro, but any chance to see them play should be taken. Matt Park and Ginger Wagg cover a lot of ground for two people, accumulating guitars, drums, keyboards, samples and loops to make dense, textural pop songs. Can't wait to hear their new record, out soon on Grip Tapes. This show is at the same time as Sharon Van Etten, who we also recommend, but she's also playing at our free day party on Saturday, so you could see both!

11:30PM | Bowerbirds (Pour House)



More hometown heroes! There's many great bands from out of town, but objectively, we still feel like many of the local bands are the must-see shows at Hopscotch. Bowerbirds make beautiful woodland folk music. For this show, their usual guitar/accordion setup will be augmented by a small string section, marimba and mandolin.

SATURDAY

2PM-5:30PM | DAY-DREAM Day Party (Pour House)



Our very own day party! We're thrilled to host this free day party, with a bill that is a true dream come true for us. Lost in the Trees, Midtown Dickens, Sharon Van Etten, Embarrassing Fruits and Butterflies will all play in the same place. We'll keep things moving swiftly and there'll be free popsicles, so we hope that you'll party with us all afternoon!

12AM (Midnight) | Tortoise (Lincoln Theatre)



Another brilliant choice for Hopscotch to bring to NC. Tortoise is probably the best instrumental band of all time. These Chicago post-rock legends possess that magic combination of technical ability and restraint that creates music that is endlessly rewarding. Great way to close out the festival.

See you in Raleigh!

Video: Lost in the Trees on Austin City Limits' Sattelite Sets

During South By Southwest earlier this year, Lost in the Trees played on the Austin City Limits stage for their Satellite Sets series. See the band play "Tall Trees", "Icy River" and "Fireplace" on the historic stage here.

Arrival: Embarrassing Fruits' Frontier Justice

One of the most exciting and inspirational moments in the life of a musician is the moment that a new release arrives in the mail. Its the culmination of hours of writing, rehearsing and recording songs, drafting and finalizing art, and thinking about how it will all come together. We make music to share with people, but the simple pleasure of finally holding a copy of your new album in your hands is something that really makes all of the work worth it.

Embarrassing Fruits' new album, Frontier Justice, arrived last night while we were finishing the last few shots for the music video for "Vanishing Frontier". It was like Christmas morning. The album is a full, three-part package, with a vinyl record, compact disc and MP3 download. The album cover, featuring a colony of penguins on a desert, was created by Joe Norkus and John Neville of Embarrassing Fruits. We'll be releasing this wonderful album on September 21, but you can get your copy first at the album release party on Friday, September 17 at Duke Coffeehouse, with Lonnie Walker and Midtown Dickens. The show is absolutely free (and BYOB), but make sure to bring some cash to pick up a copy of Frontier Justice!

Lost in the Trees record Daytrotter Session

Lost in the Trees recently stopped by the famed Daytrotter Studios in Rock Island, Illinois, to record a few songs. The band performed a few tracks from the new All Alone In An Empty House album, as well as an unreleased song called "An Artist's Song". Listen to the whole session here and download "An Artist's Song" here.

The Physics of Meaning announce North Carolina dates

The Physics of Meaning have announced a short run of North Carolina dates this month. Physics leader Daniel Hart has been busy crisscrossing the globe with his other band, St. Vincent, but has found time to take an extended trip to The Physics of Meaning's state of birth. Daniel is hard at work on the next Physics record and will undoubtedly be debuting new material at these performances. Get ready!

08-26 Chapel Hill, NC - Wallace Plaza*
08-27 Greensboro, NC - Legitimate Business
08-28 New Bern, NC - Broad St. Music
08-29 Wilmington, NC - Satellite Bar

*with Lost in the Trees

PHOTOS: Embarrassing Fruits Video Shoot

SPOILER ALERT!! Below are some photos from the Embarrassing Fruits video shoot for the song "Vanishing Frontier" off of their upcoming album Frontier Justice. Get ready y'all this one's gonna be wild!

Lost in the Trees Press Round-up

The dog days of Summer have been busy times for all of us over here at Trekky Records. While we've been finding time to swim in the quarry and throw cookouts, we've also been gearing up for a whirlwind Fall/Winter season. There's so much exciting news we can't wait to share with y'all! Stay tuned!

It's been a week now since the national release of Lost in the Trees' All Alone in an Empty House and we have been humbled and honored by the overwhelming positive response. Thank you to everyone who bought the record, came out to a show, wrote about the band, and sent us good vibes over the past week (and always). We can't thank you enough! Below we've gathered some of the nice things folks have had to say about Lost in the Trees this week.

• Paste Magazine featured the band in their Best of What's Next section.
• Last Friday, 'Song For The Painter' was KCRW's Top Tune.
• eMusic posted a nice feature and interview with Ari.
• Gapers Block has photos and a review from the band's recent Millenium Park performance in Chicago.
• Heeb Magazine did an interview with Ari, touching on religion and classical music.
• Amanda Stovall over at Venus Magazine wrote a very warm review of the new record.

Lost in the Trees have been crisscrossing the country all season and still have a few more summer dates planned, including a stop in New York and a hometown show at Wallace Plaza with Trekky labelmates The Physics of Meaning:

08-23 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
08-26 Chapel Hill, NC - Wallace Plaza*

*with The Physics of Meaning

Lost in the Trees music video premiere!

We're very happy to share with you Lost in the Trees' very first music video, a haunting visual companion for "Walk Around The Lake", the lead single from the new All Alone In An Empty House album. The video was filmed in the backyard of Trekky House I, our old headquarters, by our friend Jerry at Creato Destructo. Filming day brought some unexpected weather for the band, which actually ended up being perfect for the video, adding a desperate chill to the images. Hopefully this icy video will cool your hot, Summer days. If you haven't yet, click on over to Spinner to stream the new album in its entirety, and then click on over to order the album on vinyl or CD.

Lost in the Trees album out today!

Lost in the Trees' new album, All Alone In An Empty House, hits record stores today, courtesy of Anti- and Trekky Records. So please take a few minutes to stop by your favorite independent record store and pick up a copy on vinyl or CD. The album is also now available in Europe, for our across-the-pond friends, as well. If downloading is your thing, the album is also available in MP3 form from Amazon and iTunes. If you'd like to preview the album before you buy it, the good folks at NPR Music have the entire record streaming right now. For our Los Angeles friends, the band is playing an in-store show at Amoeba Music at 7PM tonight for free. Enjoy the album!

Lost in the Trees Take Away Show on La Blogothèque

Lost in the Trees played two songs for the world renowned La Blogothèque while on tour in Montreal earlier this year. Here's the video proof of two beautiful acoustic performances. The band plays "Time Taunts Me" a song from the EP of the same name, as well as "Icy River", a heartbreaking new song that will be on the next Lost in the Trees album.

Embarrassing Fruits in the studio + album release party

We're gearing up for the release of the brand new Embarrassing Fruits LP, and we can't wait for you to hear it! Frontier Justice will be out on September 21 in our signature LP+CD+MP3 package, but before you hold the record in your hands, we wanted to give you a glimpse on the recording process for the album. Recorded over four days in late June at Duck Kee Studios in Mebane, NC, Frontier Justice was a two-speed affair. After ripping through tracking for 12 songs in one day, the Fruits spent 3 days meticulously adding vocals, extra guitars, toy pianos and sitars. "Sweetener" as guitarist Joe Norkus would say. Check out this short behind-the-scenes documentary of the Frontier Justice experience.

We are also happy to announce the album release party for this magical LP, with a bill featuring an amazing triumvirate of Triangle music: Chapel Hill's Embarrassing Fruits, Raleigh's Lonnie Walker and Durham's Midtown Dickens. The party will be on Friday, September 17 at the centrally located Duke Coffeehouse and admission will be absolutely free. This will be the first chance for you to get your hands on a copy of the album, four days before the official release date. Also, folks will be able to take advantage of the Coffeehouse's wonderful BYOB policy. How's that for Frontier Justice? Mark your calendars!