WHAT'S NEW AT THINKER THOUGHT RECORDS
08-12-10- OK. This is coming up fast. On 9/7/10, Thinker Thought Records will be releasing a digital split between Jared Grabb (of Chicago, IL via Peoria) and Wesley Wolfe (of Carrboro, NC via Florida)! The artists will be releasing the 2 songs on 7" clear vinyl as well!! What's best about all of this is that it will be just in time for Jared's tour in September with Tina Sparkle!!! Check out the amazing artwork by Grant Reynolds and Sara Drake below.
Speaking of Jared Grabb's tour with Tina Sparkle, here are the dates:
08-14-10- Brimfield, IL at Yardfest (Tina Sparkle ONLY) with lots of others
08-22-10- Chicago, IL at Ronny's (Jared Grabb ONLY) with Kevin Seconds
09-10-10- Peoria, IL at Brass Rail with Ghosts Of Old Giants
09-11-10- La Crosse, WI at The Root Note (Jared Grabb ONLY)
09-12-10- Madison, WI at The Frequency (Jared Grabb ONLY) with The American Dead
09-13-10- Des Moines, IA at Vaudeville Mews with The Chatty Cathy's
09-14-10- Minneapolis, MN at Psychic School House
09-15-10- Omaha, NE at O'Leavers with Landing On The Moon
09-16-10- Fort Collins, CO at Hammer Time Tool Co-Op with Sour Boy Bitter Girl
09-17-10- Denver, CO at Scruffy Murphy's with Tin Horn Prayer
09-18-10- Lincoln, NE at Cultiva
09-19-10- Urbana, IL at Dude Ranch with Take Care and Fantastic Plastics
And, just to drive home what a great songwriter Wesley Wolfe is, we just got the new Ghettoblaster Magazine, which gave his album "Dumb Children" a wonderful 4/5 rating:
"Wesley Wolfe is a champion of simple lyrics that talk of the morals and life lessons we all learn. There’s a certain respect to be had for a guy who talks about growing up and learning without throwing an “artistic” veil of allegory over it. He’s frank and honest and encourages his listeners to join him in his positive outlook on life and all its necessary struggles. All of this is channeled through a straightforward power pop lens that veers ever so slightly into the garage/noise rock world. The total package of lyrics and music on Dumb Children projects a concept of innocence and childlike naivete that is often absent in our current day. For that his work is to be lauded. 4/5" - Josh Mock of Ghettoblaster Magazine #25
07-21-10- New reviews of Jared Grabb and Scouts Honor are posted on their pages! The reviews come via PunkNews.Org.
06-09-10- New reviews of Jared Grabb and Wesley Wolfe are posted on their pages! The reviews come via AMP Magazine and PopMatters.Com.
06-03-10- Merry Summer, everyone! Chicago is finally in t-shirt weather, which is a blessing and a curse. We're getting ready to sweat all summer. We're also getting ready for some very cool (get it?) Fall and Winter record releases. We'll keep you posted! And now, the news...
WESLEY WOLFE "STORAGE" AND "DUMB CHILDREN"
Wesley's records have been doing great with college radio around the country spinning STORAGE and press pouring in from Magnet Magazine, Blurt Magazine, Rock NYC, Here Comes The Flood, WKNC 88.1FM, Insomnia Radio, Shuffle Magazine, and PunkNews.Org, with more on the way from Pop Matters and Ghettoblaster. Wesley will also be hitting the road this month for a brief Midwestern jaunt. Dates are listed below. If you haven't checked out the music yet, do yourself a favor and head over to http://www.myspace.com/wesleywolfe.
Jun 10, 2010 - Wesley Wolfe @ Durham, NC (US) @ Pinhook
Jun 23, 2010 - Wesley Wolfe @ Morristown, TN (US) @ The Down Town
Jun 24, 2010 - Wesley Wolfe @ Dayton, OH (US) @ Trolley Stop
Jun 25, 2010 - Wesley Wolfe @ Peoria, IL (US) @ Peoria Theater - JARED GRABB's 30th B-DAY!
Jun 26, 2010 - Wesley Wolfe @ Chicago, IL (US) @ Quencher's - JARED GRABB's 30th B-DAY!!!
Jul 25, 2010 - Wesley Wolfe @ Carrboro, NC (US) @ Milltown Restaurant
JARED GRABB "WHERE DO YOU HIDE YOUR LOVE SONGS?"
LOVE SONGS is doing great as well, with several college radio stations spinning the album around the country. This includes featured plays on WXRT (Chicago, IL), Rotation Radio (Oldenburg, Germany), and Kerrang! Radio (UK), as well as a live performance on WEFT (Champaign, IL), which can be heard at http://www.facebook.com/jaredgrabb. Press has just started to come back on LOVE SONGS, with reviews appearing in The Big Takeover, WBOR 91.1FM, and LoudLoopPress.Com. Jared is planning to tour in September with Tina Sparkle and in November with Tom Mess (Germany). If you haven't heard LOVE SONGS, you can stream it at http://www.jaredgrabb.com.
Jun 25, 2010 - Jared Grabb @ Peoria, IL (US) @ Peoria Theater - JARED GRABB's 30th B-DAY!
Jun 26, 2010 - Jared Grabb @ Chicago, IL (US) @ Quencher's - JARED GRABB's 30th B-DAY!!!
SCOUTS HONOR "BURIED" CD/DVD
The midwestern post-hardcore act, Scouts Honor, may have called it quits in 2009, but their final album (released in March 2010) is receiving reviews in The Big Takeover, as well as in the upcoming writings of Amp Magazine, Ghettoblaster Magazine, and Punknews.org. The music was also featured on WXRT (Chicago, IL). If you are of fan of this band, this CD/DVD package is a must-have. Stream tracks from throughout the band's 7 year career at http://www.myspace.com/scoutshonor. BURIED is the follow-up to 2006's I AM THE DUST (No Idea Records).
Jun 25, 2010 - Scouts Honor @ Peoria, IL (US) @ Peoria Theater - Jared Grabb's 30th B-DAY (DVD SHOWING)
TINA SPARKLE ENTERING THE STUDIO
Female-fronted rock'n'roll heroes, Tina Sparkle, are entering the studio this month (with Mike Lust of Tight Phantomz) to begin recording their 2nd album, the follow-up to 2007's ALL AROUND CHAMPION SCREW-UP. While the release will not offically see release until early 2011, hopes are high that advance copies might appear on the band's merch table on tour in September with Jared Grabb.
EMPTY ORCHESTRA FINISHES RECORDING
Flint, Michigan's own Empty Orchestra have finished recording their amazing follow-up to 2007's HERE LIES EMPTY ORCHESTRA. Details are still be ironed out, but we hope to have the new album to you by this Fall.
D.S. YANCEY IN THE STUDIO
While we're on the subject, our good pal D.S. Yancey is currently finishing up his follow-up to 2006's LONELY RIDERS. We can't wait to hear it!
04-13-10- HOORAY!
WESLEY WOLFE RELEASES 2 NEW ALBUMS ON THINKER THOUGHT RECORDS' DIGITAL LABEL
Today marks the release of 2 new albums by a new Thinker Thought Records' artist, WESLEY WOLFE. Mr. Wolfe is an old friend from Chapel Hill, NC. His previous bands Grasshopper and Jehova Chang performed alongside Scouts Honor several times over the years. It must be said, however, that Mr. Wolfe has found his voice is his solo music. Thinker Thought Records is proud to say that as of today, you can now found WESLEY WOLFE - STORAGE and WESLEY WOLFE - DUMB CHILDREN at your favorite digital music retailer (iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, etc). You're going to love these records. You can check out some great samples from STORAGE at www.MagnetMagazine.com and at Insomnia Radio (http://insomniaradio.net/2010/04/10/wesley-wolfe-another-weed/). Wesley Wolfe is on tour this week in the southeast to support the release. Tour dates are listed below.
JARED GRABB - WHERE DO YOU HIDE YOUR LOVE SONGS? LPS ON SALE & 2 FESTIVAL DATES
It's a pleasure to announce that you can now purchase the gorgeous vinyl lp version of Jared Grabb's new album at www.Interpunk.com (http://www.interpunk.com/item.cfm?Item=50118& or http://www.interpunk.com/item.cfm?Item=34754&). The vinyl is limited to 125 splatter LPs and 125 marbled LPs. The Thinker Thought Records tour and SXSW went incredibly well. Jared Grabb is doing all he can to support his new release and will be performing at 2 more festivals this month. The first is this Saturday (4/17) in Lancaster, PA at LAUNCH Music Conference and the 2nd is the following Friday (4/23) in Orlando, FL at Florida Music Festival. Chicago-ans can also catch Mr. Grabb tomorrow night at Ronny's Bar with San Francisco's Tartufi.
SCOUTS HONOR - BURIED
Scouts Honor's final release is on sale at www.Interpunk.com as well (http://www.interpunk.com/item.cfm?Item=50719&)! Thanks to everyone who has picked it up thus far. For those not in the know, this is the final album from the Peoria/Chicago-based band along with a DVD documentary made by the band, telling the story through the years. A must have!
THE FORECAST ON TOUR
The Forecast is currently on tour in support of their new album on Eyeball Records. You can check out their full tour schedule at www.myspace.com/theforecast (unfortunately, we haven't had time to enter the dates into our system yet). You can still buy PROOF OF IMPACT, RELATIONSHIPS RUIN FRIENDSHIPS, and 1090 CLUB SPLIT at your favorite digital retailer or www.Interpunk.com.
03-09-10- RELEASE DAY!!!
SCOUTS HONOR & JARED GRABB ALBUMS ON SALE! STREAMING ON MYSPACE!
The day has finally come! Today (March 9th, 2010), Thinker Thought Records releases 2 new albums: SCOUTS HONOR - BURIED cd/dvd and JARED GRABB - WHERE DO YOU HIDE YOUR LOVE SONGS? lp. You can buy both of them now on iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, Rhapsody, and the like. The physical copies will be available on Interpunk.com within the week and in person at the TTR SPRING 2010 TOUR (dates listed below). You can also stream both albums in full on the artists' myspace pages: SCOUTS HONOR (www.myspace.com/scoutshonor) and JARED GRABB (www.myspace.com/jaredgrabbsolo). In addition, you can actually download JARED GRABB - WHERE DO YOU HIDE YOUR LOVE SONGS? for FREE by signing up for the Thinker Thought Records mailing list (www.thinkerthought.com)!
WESLEY WOLFE POSTS NEW SONG, "WHO'S GOING TO TRULY LOVE YOU"
Chapel Hill-based multi-instrumentalist, Wesley Wolfe, has posted another song on his myspace page (www.myspace.com/wesleywolfe) to promote the upcoming digital releases of STORAGE and DUMB CHILDREN on Thinker Thought Records. The song, titled "Who's Going To Truly Love You" is now available for streaming in addition to the already posted songs: "Then On Sunday" (from STORAGE) and "What Should I Do?" (from DUMB CHILDREN). Both albums will find release on 04/13/10.
THINKER THOUGHT RECORDS 2010 TOUR STARTS TOMORROW
Thinker Thought Records' (www.thinkerthought.com) artists Tina Sparkle (www.myspace.com/tinafuckinsparkle), Mayhew The Traitor (www.myspace.com/mayhewthetraitor), and Jared Grabb (www.myspace.com/jaredgrabbsolo) hit the road and head south for a label tour starting tomorrow. Check the dates to see if they are coming to your town!
Mar 10, 2010 - Chicago, IL (US) @ Subterranean - JARED GRABB ONLY - JARED CD/LP RELEASE PARTY!!! w/ The Gunshy, The Sky We Scrape, and The Spend
Mar 11, 2010 - East Peoria, IL (US) @ The Bean Coffeehouse - JARED GRABB ONLY - SCOUTS HONOR CD/DVD RELEASE PARTY!!! FREE admission.
Mar 11, 2010 - Peoria, IL (US) @ Brass Rail - JARED GRABB CD/LP RELEASE PARTY!!! & TOUR SENDOFF!!! w/ Ghosts Of Old Giants
Mar 12, 2010 - Champaign, IL (US) @ Mike 'N Molly's
Mar 13, 2010 - Nashville, TN (US) @ Springwater - TINA SPARKLE ONLY
Mar 14, 2010 - Memphis, TN (US) @ Odessa w/ Andrew Bryant
Mar 15, 2010 - Conway, AR (US) @ La Lucha Space w/ As Dogs
Mar 16, 2010 - Russellville, AR (US) @ Starfox House - NO TINA SPARKLE w/ As Dogs
Mar 17, 2010 - Shreveport, LA (US) @ Bears Oyster House - NO TINA SPARKLE w/ As Dogs
Mar 18, 2010 - TBA
Mar 19, 2010 - Austin, TX (US) @ Aces Lounge - JARED GRABB ONLY w/ Erin Ivey
Mar 19, 2010 - Austin, TX (US) @ Krush Lounge - JARED GRABB ONLY
Mar 20, 2010 - Austin, TX (US) @ Thunderbird Coffee - JARED GRABB ONLY - w/ Tumbledown (Mike Herrera of MXPX), Mike Hale, Unwed Fathers, and Saw Wheel
02-02-10- Hooray! We have lots to talk about for this amazing new year of 2010! Check it:
SCOUTS HONOR POST DVD TRAILER AND PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS COVER
The disbanded Chicago/Peoria post-hardcore act, Scouts Honor (www.scouts-honor.net), have posted a couple new tidbits to promote their upcoming release of BURIED CD/DVD on Thinker Thought Records.
First is a video trailer for the DVD portion of the package, titled SCOUTS HONOR - A D.I.Y. DOCUMENTARY. The feature length DVD contains clips of Scouts Honor's final show in 2009 along with interviews of most of the members of Scouts Honor telling the history of the band from ROOTS IN GASOLINE to I AM THE DUST and finally to BURIED. You can view the video on YouTube (www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9B0iYUo5lk) or on the band's Myspace (www.myspace.com/scoutshonor).
Second, they have posted their cover of Planes Mistaken For Stars' "Division" on their myspace (www.myspace.com/scoutshonor). The band recorded the cover during their sessions for BURIED.
THINKER THOUGHT RECORDS TO DIGITALLY RELEASE 2 WESLEY WOLFE ALBUMS ON 4/13/10
Thinker Thought Records is teaming up with Chapel Hill-based multi-instrumentalist, Wesley Wolfe (www.myspace.com/wesleywolfe), to digitally release not one but TWO of Mr. Wolfe's albums on APRIL 13, 2010. Wesley Wolfe has been writing songs you've never heard for years. STORAGE, his newest release, was recorded mainly at home, having played nearly every part himself. DUMB CHILDREN is an older but truly amazing album that will find official release for the first time through Thinker Thought Records. A longtime fan of the Chapel Hill music scene, Wolfe relocated from Rockledge, FL to Chapel Hill, NC in the fall of 2002. A bartender by night and a songwriter by day, Wolfe has self released other material and played with a number of different bands in the area (Grasshopper, Jehova Chang, etc.).
You can listen to "Then On Sunday" from the upcoming STORAGE and "What Should I Do?" from DUMB CHILDREN on Wesley Wolfe's myspace (www.myspace.com/wesleywolfe). You can also find cover art for STORAGE at http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/151/l_cdb54e7cfeb14cb4adba14efc555b75b.jpg and for DUMB CHILDREN at http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/133/l_7dfe86b00cf04eef942baa9485db052d.jpg.
JARED GRABB (OF SCOUTS HONOR) POST SONGS AND ARTWORK FOR NEW SOLO ALBUM
Jared Grabb, the singer/songwriter behind Scouts Honor, will be releasing his first album since the break-up of Scouts Honor. The album with be titled WHERE DO YOU HIDE YOUR LOVE SONGS?" and it will find release on LP through Thinker Thought Records (www.thinkerthought.com) on 3/9/10 (the same day as Scouts Honor's final album). Mr. Grabb will also be self-releasing the album on a CD to be given away free at shows. Thinker Thought Records will be digitally distributing the album as well. "Stuart Nelson" is now posted on Jared Grabb's myspace (www.myspace.com/jaredgrabbsolo) along with a very different take on The Bronx's "Notice Of Eviction". The stunning album cover art, by indie comics great Grant Reynolds (http://greyno2.otherpeoplespixels.com) is also posted at http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/125/l_b5914aff261c4e8c913f89044318b69c.jpg.
LOW RED LAND AT HARVEST OF HOPE FEST IN FLORIDA
You can catch our favorite San Francisco rockers, Low Red Land, at Harvest Of Hope Fest in St. Augustine, FL over the weekend of 3/12/10-3/14/10. Check out the festival at www.harvestofhopefest.com.
THINKER THOUGHT RECORDS TOUR 2010
Tina Sparkle, Mayhew The Traitor, and Jared Grabb will be hitting the road and heading south for a Thinker Thought Records tour in March. Not all dates are booked, so if you can help, please get in touch:
Mar 11, 2010 - Peoria, IL (US) @ Brass Rail - JARED GRABB CD/LP & SCOUTS HONOR CD/DVD RELEASE PARTY!!! - TOUR SENDOFF!!!
Mar 12, 2010 - Champaign, IL (US) @ Mike 'N Molly's
Mar 13, 2010 - Nashville, TN (US) @ HELP!!! j@thinkerthoughtwrong.com
Mar 14, 2010 - Memphis, TN (US) @ HELP!!! j@thinkerthoughtwrong.com
Mar 15, 2010 - Conway, AR (US) @ La Lucha Space
Mar 16, 2010 - Russellville, AR (US) @ Starfox House
Mar 17, 2010 - Shreveport, LA or Oklahoma City, OK (US) @ HELP!!! j@thinkerthoughtwrong.com
Mar 18, 2010 - Dallas or Houston, TX (US) @ HELP!!! j@thinkerthoughtwrong.com
Mar 19, 2010 - Austin, TX (US) @ PARTIES AT SXSW
Mar 20, 2010 - Austin, TX (US) @ PARTIES AT SXSW
OTHER UPCOMING RELEASES IN 2010
Thinker Thought Records is also hoping to release new music from The Serpent Son and Empty Orchestra in the new year. Keep your fingers crossed!
10-22-09- Flint, MI-based rockers, Empty Orchestra, will be releasing a new digipak CD repress of their album Here Lies Empty Orchestra on 11/17/09. The repress, like the original, is being released by Thinker Thought Records. You can check out the new artwork here. If you can't wait until 11/17, you can pick up the new CD from the band at Rubbles in Mt. Pleasant, MI on 10/29 or at Durty Nelly's in Gainesville, FL on 11/1.
10-02-09- The recently disbanded Chicago post-hardcore act, Scouts Honor, have posted a new song from their upcoming CD/DVD on their myspace and facebook. The song is titled "Arise". The album/DVD is titled BURIED and will be coming out on March 9, 2010 via Thinker Thought Records. BURIED follows their release of I AM THE DUST on No Idea Records in 2006.
Those of you attending The Fest in Gainesville, FL over Halloween weekend can catch former frontman of Scouts Honor, Jared Grabb, performing live at Flacos on Sunday, November 1st for free. Low Red Land and Empty Orchestra will also be playing at The Fest.
05-20-09- This is just a quick update. Our bands are hitting the road hard for the summer, so please check the tourdates for your city. Also, check out the page for Tyson And The Friction, as the Single Of The Month downloads have been updated with 4 new songs. See you on the road!
03-15-09- It has been a long, cold winter and my landlord doesn't keep the radiators in my apartment going enough. So, to keep warm, I've had to keep moving in the TTR camp. Here's the news:
On March 24th, we will be releasing our first vinyl LP! The album comes from our pals in Empty Orchestra and is the vinyl version of their amazing album Here Lies Empty Orchestra, which we released back in 2007. The pressing comes on 140 gram brown vinyl with pink splatter and is limited to 520 copies. The artwork is screen-printed as well! These are beautiful artifacts indeed. The records will be for sale on Interpunk.com and hopefully Vinyl Collective. Oh, and don't miss the band in the current issue of Amp Magazine.
Speaking of vinyl, remember that Tina Sparkle 7" that was supposed to come out at Halloween 2008? Well, it's finally here, but the wait has been worth it. Ladybugs And Firecrackers features the best songs that we've ever heard from Tina Sparkle pressed on 150 orange and 150 purple 7" records. The art is screen-printed as well and is a sight to behold! These records will also be for sale on Interpunk.com and hopefully Vinyl Collective. Catch Tina Sparkle on tour now (dates are listed to the left).
Now, on a sad note, the coming weeks will be the final tour for Scouts Honor (my band). All I can say is that we're going to make this last tour as big a party as possible and we will be recording a final album during the tour, to be released at a later date (and the record is shaping up to be a great one!). Thanks to everyone who has supported the band over the years and shared your lives with us. Let's make this tour a party to remember! Tour dates are listed to the left.
Low Red Land will be out on tour later this month as well, so if you're out west, make sure to catch these guys and pick up their amazing album Dog's Hymns or buy it from us through that lovely iTunes store.
D.S. Yancey will also be hitting the road in late April and May, so check out those dates and get them marked on your calenders. His fantastic album Lonely Riders is available from us through iTunes as well.
12-18-08- It's 4am and Christmas is a week away. Here's the news from Thinker Thought Records...
WE'VE MOVED!
Please update your address books. If you try to send mail to our Washington address, it will not reach us. Please send all future mail to:
Thinker Thought Records
PO Box 478352
Chicago, IL 60647
Mayhew The Traitor received a new review for "Deathwish" from Skyscraper Magazine:
"Mayhew the Traitor’s Deathwish opens with 'Shakin’ with John Wayne,' an upbeat mixture of jangle guitar and gritty country. The combination works incredibly well, recreating familiar sounds but still managing to inject a sense of the band’s own personality. 'See You in Hell' follows, utilizing the same template to just as rich of an effect. Its bouncy yet gloomy beat, a la The Db’s, weave its tale of heartbreak with equal parts sunshine and melancholia. As Deathwish progresses, however, the band seems to shed itself of its shimmering guitars, shifting its focus solely on world-weary country laments. Make no mistake, Mayhew the Traitor plays country similar to Murder by Death, both bands’ cherry-picking of the genre’s hallmarks (alcohol drenched lyrics, Morricone licks) placing them within a moody rock context. ...Its initial potential marks Mayhew the Traitor as a band to watch out for." - Matthew Siblo of Skyscraper Magazine
Meanwhile, Scouts Honor received a new review for their digital EPs "A Spirited Conversation Between A Blind Man And A Mute" and "Remembrance Of This That I Loved / Six Skeletons" from Big Takeover:
"Scouts Honor, I swear this is a punkish blues-metal trio out of Chicago that figure they've played over 400 shows in five years. And the tightness of these two Eps, and almost prog-like complexity of their hard rock onslaught backs up such claims. Having seen the Melvins, a group SH has been compared to, I hear the same over the top, in your face, top-heavy, Sabbath-gone-hardcore anvil smash, which are cut up by quiet parts that break up the assault and battering. Only singer/guitarist Jared Grabb sounds a lot like Ian MacKaye. That's right, he's got a foghorn bellow right out the old Minor Threat/Embrace/Egg Hunt/Fugazi records, or the work of Sean Stern from Youth Brigade. This is real bomb-drop stuff." - Jack Rabid of The Big Takeover #63
In other Scouts Honor news, the band has decided to break up and will be performing a Farewell Tour in March. This is what their myspace had to say about it:
"I suppose I need to come out and make an announcement for Scouts Honor. The band will be traveling for its FINAL TOUR in March 2009. After six years of doing this band and fighting to keep it's line-up filled, I've decided to call it a day. Around the release of 2006's I Am The Dust, I was struggling to keep things afloat. In the course of one year, Scouts Honor played 150+ shows with four different drummers and two different bass players.
"Finally, after moving to Chicago, I found a new Scouts Honor "family" in David Dobbs and Ernesto Castillo. We had written most of an album, toured Europe, and just had a blast joking around in the van. Well, in recent months, our drummer David returned to Arkansas for family reasons, greatly limiting his activity with a band based out of Chicago. He has decided to return to college, keeping him in Arkansas until 2010. Meanwhile, our bassist Erny is focusing more and more on his career. I no longer have an interest in teaching new members to play old songs. It just doesn't seem like Scouts Honor is a good use of my time anymore. So, I'ved called it.
"Scouts Honor's final tour will take us down to SXSW in Austin, TX and around the Midwest in March of 2009. We will be recording a final EP of new material during the tour to be released after the band's breakup. If you would like to follow each of our musical projects after March, David will be rocking in Har Meggido, Erny will be rocking in a new project called Dorsia, and Jared will be touring with an acoustic guitar and releasing his 2nd solo album.
"Thank you all so much for your support over the years. I've slept at a lot of houses, rocked a lot of shows, and drank a lot of alcohol with you. I can never thank you all enough for sharing this dream, whether you played in the band, sang along, hung out, bought a record, cooked us food, recorded our music, released our music, or put us up for the night. Thanks." - Jared Grabb/ScoutsHonor
11-21-08- We've got lots and lots of news this time around.
First, on this Tuesday, November 25th, we will be releasing 2 digital releases! The releases are BILL TUCKER AND FRIENDS' Illusions Of Repetition and TYSON AND THE FRICTION's Listen To The Braintrust. BILL TUCKER AND FRIENDS are an amazing indie/folk-punk band from the great city of Chicago. With true punk ethics, they have built a following in unconventional venues, such as houses, lofts, and warehouse spaces. TYSON AND THE FRICTION on the other hand, hail from central Illinois (currently Champaign-Urbana) and feature members of THE AMAZING KILL-O-WATTS, THE RED HOT VALENTINES, and TINA SPARKLE. The pop rock act proudly presents their newest EP along with an invitation for fans to join their "Singles Club". To join the club and receive new mp3s for FREE from the band, simply write to tysonandthefriction@yahoo.com.
In the past 2 months, we've released great records from LOW RED LAND and TINA SPARKLE. If you haven't checked them out, you need to, as both bands are extremely talented (and we can't get their records off repeat). We also put out a critically acclaimed record for MAYHEW THE TRAITOR earlier this year. As a nice little treat, MAYHEW THE TRAITOR recently posted a new mp3 on their myspace (www.myspace.com/mayhewthetraitor). The track is a cover of RADIOHEAD's "Life In A Glass House." Speaking of new mp3s, SCOUTS HONOR and THE FORECAST have both recently posted new recordings. SCOUTS HONOR posted a re-recording of their fan-favorite "Sweating Through Our Days" as well as a cover of FLOOR's "Return To Zero." THE FORECAST meanwhile posted a new demo titled "A Better Man." You can check out the tracks at www.myspace.com/scoutshonor and www.myspace.com/theforecast.
And, as usual, check out our bands on tour! (Oh, and buy their albums to give to your friends for Christmas!)
10-30-08- Tina Sparkle Ladybugs And Firecrackers is on sale now on iTunes! You can pick up the actual 7" at their Release Party this Saturday at The Meeting House in Peoria, IL. Also, if you plan to be down at The Fest in Gainesville, FL this weekend, Scouts Honor (Jared Grabb) and Low Red Land will both be performing at the Festival this year.
10-14-08- New reviews of Mayhew The Traitor Deathwish and Empty Orchestra's Get Well Soon are posted on their pages courtesy of Ghettoblaster Magazine. Check it..
10-13-08- Low Red Land's "Dog's Hymns" is available now! You can pick it up on iTunes or your other favorite digital retailer. The band is currently on tour (we'll hanging out in Chicago tonight!) and you can hit them up in your own city for a CD copy. Also, don't forget that Tina Sparkle's "Ladybugs And Firecrackers" 7" vinyl and digital release comes out on 10-28-08. Tina Sparkle will be celebrating the release at The Meeting House in Peoria, IL on 11-1-08. That same weekend, Scouts Honor and Low Red Land will be down in Gainesville, FL at The Fest 7. Don't forget to pick up the 2 recent Scouts Honor digital re-issues as well, here and here.
09-19-08- We have a lot of news for you today, people.
1) The digital label has launched and you can buy the new records from Scouts Honor, Empty Orchestra, Hinter, Har Meggido, and D. S. Yancey NOW from iTunes, eMusic, Rhapsody, Amazon, and more!
2) Our favorite female-fronted rock group, Tina Sparkle, have a new 7" record titled "Ladybugs And Firecrackers" coming out on 10-28-08 (digital release to coincide)! The 3 songs are the most amped-up, rockin' tunes we've heard from the act. You can listen to a couple of the 7" songs on the band's myspace.
3) Thinker Thought Records have hooked up with our good friends in Low Red Land (San Francisco, CA), Bill Tucker And Friends (Chicago, IL), and Tyson And The Friction (Champaign-Urbana, IL - ex-members of The Red Hot Valentines and The Amazing Kill-o-watts) for three awesome new digital releases! The records are as follows:
THI 991 - Low Red Land "Dog's Hymns" ON SALE IN OCTOBER
THI 992 - Bill Tucker And Friends "Illusions Of Repetition" ON SALE 11-25-08
THI 993 - Tyson And The Friction "Listen To The Braintrust" ON SALE 11-25-08
4) And, finally, OF COURSE OUR BANDS ARE ON THE ROAD! Make sure to check out the Low Red Land and 1090 Club national tours in October and November especially.
06-18-08- Many apologies for the long delay in "news" updates. A lot has been going on (such as Scouts Honor touring in Germany and playing NXNE in Toronto), and the site got neglected. Here's the deal...
1) MAYHEW THE TRAITOR "DEATHWISH" IS OUT NOW. BUY IT AT INTERPUNK. IT WILL BE ON ITUNES WITHIN THE NEXT MONTH.
2) We are launching THINKER THOUGHT RECORDS "DIGITAL" on AUGUST 26, 2008. Releases included in the launch are 2 EPs from Scouts Honor, 1 EP from Empty Orchestra, 1 EP from Har Meggido (members of RWAKE and Scouts Honor), 1 EP from HInter, and finally a full-length album from our pal D. S. Yancey (from Phoenix, AZ). The digital label will include all of our current digital distribution through online retailers such as iTunes, EMusic, Amazon, Rhapsody, and Napster.
03-24-08- First and foremost, Thinker Thought Records has signed the soft-spoken, good-humored electric-folk act MAYHEW THE TRAITOR . The band, based out of Champaign-Urbana and Macomb, Illinois, has its debut full-length CD DEATHWISH coming out on April 15, 2008. Some of you may have met them while on tour with Scouts Honor (JW played drums for Scouts Honor for two months of tour back in the Spring of 2007) or while rocking with nearly all of the other active TTR acts. You can stream a few tracks from Deathwish at Mayhew the Traitor's myspace page.
Want more? Our bands are getting press. Hinter was recently the featured band on Punkbands.com. This month's Skyscraper features The Dowry and this month's Curve Magazine features Tina Sparkle. The upcoming issue of Ghettoblaster will feature Empty Orchestra.
As always, make sure to check out our bands on the road. The Dowry is on tour in Colorado this week. Empty Orchestra will be rocking at the Tally Hall CD Release Party, as well as at several shows on the East Coast with Cinematic Sunrise, Daphne Loves Derby, and My American Heart. Scouts Honor will be at MACRoCK Music Festival in April and then in Germany in May.
01-29-08- It's a new year and things are happening... For one, Hinter's new 7" is now available on iTunes. We also have new press for Tina Sparkle, Empty Orchestra, The Dowry, and The Great Redneck Hope. Empty Orchestra have a new music video headed your way next month and we have several awesome new releases in the works for the Spring.
12-12-07- We've made it to the end of another year. 2007 has been the most eventful year for the label yet, with four releases in only six months! All four records are from fresh new artists with incredible potential. 2008 looks to be a year to surpass this one, with more releases from new artists on the way and hopefully some follow-up material from this year's artists. Thanks to The Dowry, Empty Orchestra, Tina Sparkle, Hinter, and all of you who are supporting them for a great year. Much love! Oh, and the website has been updated here and there. Hinter has press photos up. Empty Orchestra should have a music video for "It Gets Better" ready soon.
11-17-07- Thinker Thought Records (www.thinkerthoughtwrong.com) is releasing its first vinyl release in the form of a 7" by the loud indie rock group Hinter (www.myspace.com/explodingwithfavors). The band, based out of Chicago, Illinois, contains members of the defunct screamo/ska powerhouse First Grade Crush along with lesser-known groups Steven and Signsedso. The self-titled 7" comes out on 11/27/07, but the band will have them in advance at their show at Ronny's Bar in Chicago on 11/24/07. And, if you get this in time, you can catch Hinter tonight, 11/17/07 at Paulies in Bloomington, Illinois with The Ponys and Chin Up Chin Up.
In other exciting Thinker Thought Records news, tech-metal/grindcore legends The Great Redneck Hope played a show in their hometown of Colorado Springs, CO this month after nearly a two year hiatus. The band also got play on the popular NPR program, Sound Opinions.
Tina Sparkle, Empty Orchestra, and The Dowry have all been receiving great praise for their records from The Big Takeover, Roctober, ThePlaylist.Net, DEN News, Gapers Block, Impose Magazine, and Black Balloon. Sure enough, these records are GOOD. Check out the press write-ups at www.myspace.com/thinkerthought or at www.thinkerthoughtwrong.com. And if you haven't already, make sure you buy the records from Interpunk.com or your favorite digital online distributor (iTunes, Rhapsody, eMusic, etc).
Oh, and Empty Orchestra is opening for Chiodos in Michigan on 11/30/07. This show is going to be BIG.
09-19-07- TINA SPARKLE's album All Around Champion Screw Up comes out next week on 9/25/07. The band, which features ex-members of The Forecast and Scouts Honor, will be on tour to support and Thinker Thought Records has posted a Full Album Stream for your enjoyment.
TOUR DATES
10-05-07- Milwaukee, WI at 8th Note.
10-06-07- Detroit, MI at 2500 Club.
10-07-07- Morganstown, WV at 123 Pleasant Street.
10-08-07- Philadelphia, PA at The Manhatten Room.
10-09-07- Fredericksburg, VA at House Show.
10-10-07- Chapel Hill, NC at The Reservoir.
10-11-07- Johnson City, TN at The Hideaway.
10-12-07- Cincinatti, OH at Glendora House.
10-14-07- Normal, IL at The Coffee House.
08-24-07- It's official! Thinker Thought Records has signed TINA SPARKLE. The band features ex-members of Scouts Honor, The Forecast, and The Amazing Kill-o-watts. The band has posted four songs from their upcoming album, All Around Champion Screw Up (out 9/25/07), on their myspace.
Also, we've posted new FULL ALBUM STREAMS of Empty Orchestra Here Lies Empty Orchestra, The Dowry The Circus and the Sea, and our first release, Cherry Lane 30. Rock out!
08-13-07- A lot is happening for Empty Orchestra in connection with their new album Here Lies Empty Orchestra coming out on Thinker Thought Records tomorrow (Tuesday, 8/14/07). Empty Orchestra are currently on tour; have new shows confirmed with The Hush Sound, Tim Barry (Avail), Rocky Votolato, The Swellers, and Portugal The Man; have a new "making of" video posted; have 2 more songs from the album posted on their myspace; and are a featured artist this week on myspace.com.
TOUR DATES
08-13-07- New Orleans, LA at Neutral Ground.
08-15-07- Franklin, TN at The Pond.
08-16-07- Chicago, IL at Ronny's with Dr. Manhattan, Vicelords, and The Most Genuine Expression.
08-17-07- Macomb, IL at TBA with Mayhew The Traitor and Chew Toy.
08-18-07- Muncie, IN at The Launching Pad with Brazil and This Story.
08-28-07- Detroit, MI at St. Andrews Hall with The Hush Sound.
09-01-07- Ann Arbor, MI at Metal Frat with The Swellers.
09-07-07- Hamtramck, MI at Smalls with Tim Barry (Avail).
09-14-07- Howell, MI at Howell Opera House with Nice Peter.
09-22-07- Lansing, MI at Mac's Bar with Rocky Votolato and Portugal The Man.
"MAKING OF" Here Lies Empty Orchestra VIDEO
07-27-07- Empty Orchestra is hitting the road in August in support of their upcoming release of Here Lies Empty Orchestra on Thinker Thought Records, which comes out on 8/14/07. The band will be sharing the stage with Birthday Suits, Dr. Manhattan, and Brazil, among others. You can also check out "I Forget" from Here Lies Empty Orchestra on their myspace.
08-02-07- Flint, MI at Total X-Scape with The Bell Tree, The Cobra Punchers, Child Bite, The Champions of Breakfast, and The Hard Lessons. ALL AGES. 6:30pm.
08-03-07- Peoria, IL at Pizza Works with Greyson. 21+. 10pm.
08-04-07- Keokuk, IA at Music at the Mall (River City Mall - 300 Main Street) with Mayhew The Traitor. ALL AGES. FREE SHOW. 7:30pm.
08-05-07- Madison, WI at House Show (message band for address). ALL AGES. 8pm.
08-06-07- Minneapolis, MN at Triple Rock Social Club. 21+. 8pm.
08-07-07- Fargo, ND at The Aquarium (226 Broadway) with Birthday Suits and Screamin Cyn and the Pon Pons. 21+. 9:30PM.
08-08-07- Kearny, NE at The Roman (2004 Central Avenue). ALL AGES. 8pm.
08-09-07- Denver, CO at 3 Kings Tavern (60 S Broadway) with Black Breath and Another Statistic. 21+. 9pm.
08-10-07- Parsons, KS at Lerch's Bar and Grill (2106 Crawford) with Northern Lights. 9pm.
08-11-07- Norman, OK at The Deli (309 White Street) with The Starkweather Boys. 10pm.
08-13-07- New Orleans, LA at Neutral Ground (5110 Danneel Street). 7pm.
08-15-07- Franklin, TN at The Pond (595 Hillsboro Road)with Sleeveless Meeks and the Right to Bare Arms. 8pm.
08-16-07- Chicago, IL at Ronny's (2101 North California Avenue) with Dr. Manhattan and . 21+. 8pm.
08-18-07- Muncie, IN at The Launching Pad with Brazil and This Story. 8pm.
07-19-07- We recently recovered some more copies of THE FORECAST "PROOF OF IMPACT" CD. It's out of print, so if you want one, but it on interpunk QUICK.
07-09-07- Flint, MI based alt-country band, Empty Orchestra--whom you may have seen opening for Lucero, Crooked Fingers, or Murder By Death--have signed with Thinker Thought Records. They will be following up their CDep, Get Well Soon, which was released on Acutest/Karaoke in 2006. The new album titled, Here Lies Empty Orchestra, is set to come out on August 14, 2007. You can check out the cover art here. The track listing for the disc is as follows:
1. I Forget
2. Always Already
3. Vaudeville Tears
4. This Heart is a Monster
5. Words and Music
6. What Do We Want? When Do We Want It?
7. It Gets Better
8. Like Pianos
9. World On a String
10. Someone Else's Grace
11. Lonesome
You can listen to a stream of "I Forget" on Empty Orchestra's myspace or Thinker Thought Records' myspace. The band will also be on tour starting later this week:
07-12-07- Springfield, IL at The Underground City Tavern.
07-13-07- Bloomington, IL at Paulies.
07-14-07- Kankakee, IL at The Whatever.
07-15-07- Lansing, MI at Replay Entertainment Exchange.
07-16-07- Dayton, OH at The Nite Owl.
07-17-07- Philadelphia, PA at The Fire.
07-18-07- Richmond, VA at The Camel.
07-19-07- Washington, DC at Grog and Tankard.
07-21-07- New York, NY at Knitting Factory (Old Office).
07-08-07- Buy "The Circus and the Sea" from The Dowry on iTunes!
07-06-07- The Dowry received a positive review from Music For People Who Can't Read Good.
06-29-07- The Dowry's The Circus and the Sea is out now. You can buy it at www.interpunk.com, www.smartpunk.com, or at their shows. They did an interview with the Peoria Journal Star in conjunction with the release.
05-31-07- The Dowry was part of Punknews.org's "New Music Roundup" earlier this month. And, their van got killed by lightning. Eeeeek!
05-11-07- Thinker Thought Records is on iTunes! Check it out!
THI 011 - The Forecast "Relationships Ruin Friendships" 4-song CD
BUY IT NOW: Interpunk & iTunes
THI 010 - Scouts Honor "Roots In Gasoline " 11-song CD
BUY IT NOW: Interpunk & iTunes
THI 009 - The Great Redneck Hope "Behold the Fuck Thunder" 11-song CD
BUY IT NOW: Interpunk & iTunes
THI 008 - Various Artists "If It Plays... " 19-song CD
BUY IT NOW: Interpunk & iTunes
THI 007 - 1090 Club/The Forecast "Split CD" 6-song CD
BUY IT NOW: Interpunk & iTunes
THI 006 - The Great Redneck Hope "'Splosion!" 11-song CD
BUY IT NOW: Interpunk & iTunes
THI 005 - The Forecast "Proof of Impact" 7-song CD
BUY IT NOW: iTunes (THIS RECORD IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE ON CD)
THI 004 - Jared Grabb/The Lesser Birds of Paradise "Reading Light" 4-song CD
BUY IT NOW: Interpunk & iTunes
THI 003 - The Amazing Killowatts "The Terror of Technology" 16-song CD
BUY IT NOW: Interpunk & iTunes
THI 002 - Jared Grabb "On The Inside" 10-song CD
BUY IT NOW: Interpunk & iTunes
THI 001 - Cherry Lane "30" 7-song CD
BUY IT NOW: Interpunk & iTunes
04-30-07- The label release of The Dowry "The Circus and the Sea" has been moved back to June 19, 2007 in order to insure better promotion and distribution. You can still pick up copies from the band on May 18th for their CD Release Party.
04-24-07- The first record to come out on Thinker Thought Records in 2 years! THE DOWRY "THE CIRCUS AND THE SEA" comes out on May 29, 2007 with a CD RELEASE PARTY on May 18, 2007 at The Dunn Center in Peoria, IL. This is way exciting stuff. You may know these guys under their former name of Aslan. They play amazing folk rock along the lines of Murder By Death and Rocky Votolato. Check it out!
04-05-07- Thinker Thought Records finally has a new website! We had the old one up for somewhere around 5 years and thought it was time for a change. There's a lot of stuff brewing with TTR for 2007, so keep a lookout! -Jared