“Are those starships or submarines?”

Posted on by Joey Gantner

Ahoy! Things were going so well here in the Updates section for a minute, but it all slipped away. I’m still trying to adjust my time management due to my new job, but we’re here and I’m taking the victory that this didn’t take several months like usual.

Where did I last leave off? Oh yeah, duh: reliance is here and up for pre-order! Thanks to everyone who listened to tommy oeffling‘s latest and those who already pre-ordered a copy. We’ve got a limited supply of zines for those early birds, and I’m sure you’ll be quite pleased. It’s full color, with lyrics, photos, and some in-depth commentary on the record by Tom. It’s going to be a real cool package. I’ve been listening to the test tape all week, and copies should arrive at Sludge Manor shortly.


Grounded by Company Calls is here! They came out great, and the whole package is a real treat. I’ve become re-obsessed with the album again, which seems to happen to me every couple of weeks. They’re up in the Merchtable shop now, and also on Bandcamp we’re running a 3-tape bundle with cardigan hate train and the reliance pre-order for $30.

Remember when I teased these? Well, now you can buy ’em! We are fast-moving motherfuckers. We are women and men of action. and Keep Dreaming by The New Trust are on cassette for the first time! Last year, both these albums celebrated big anniversaries (20 and 10 years, respectively), and that achievement deserved celebration. I’ve probably bugged Josh about doing tapes from the first moment I started releasing tapes, and we were finally able to make something happen. I loved TNT for at least 19 of those years, so it’s a huge honor to add to their cassette discography. I have all of their other tapes (when they released Get Vulnerable on tape in 2008 or 2009, it was one of the first in my meager collection. I thought it was so cool). I saw Josh 2 weeks ago when he was in town, and there was talk of future reissues; let’s hope it pans out! You can purchase Fast-moving… here and Keep Dreaming here. Thanks to the fans who got theirs on day one; it’s great to know that there are other like-minded people out there.

That should do it. I posted about this on Instagram and Bandcamp, but The Pains of Being Pure at Heart s/t tapes came in and they had an audio glitch that was pretty heartbreaking to discover; otherwise, they were perfect. I had to send them back to be reduplicated (huge thanks to my manufacturer for being so cool about the whole thing, it’s insanely appreciated), so we all have to wait just a smidge longer. I sincerely apologize and thank you for your patience, but I promise they’re worth the wait. Beyond the audio, the art, shell, and j-card came out so damn great. I already miss looking at them, and eagerly await their return.

Grounded

Posted on by Joey Gantner

I start a new job tomorrow (nervous/excited!), so pretend this is Monday morning.

Company Calls released their debut album Grounded one year ago (4/22), and today (4/22) we’re announcing that it’s coming to tape! Caiden Dohr and Tom Oeffling are among the most exciting songwriters of their generation, and when you put them together it’s special (add Ethan Bailey and Luke Tinsley to the mix and now you’re really cookin’). I love Grounded so much, and I can’t wait for us all to put it in our tapedecks.

Pre-orders are up now. It’s already off to press and shouldn’t be long, but the manufacturer got swamped recently, which added some time to their production schedule. Fingers are crossed for an early arrival, but I set the ship date for 5/17.

Need an introduction?

 

 

javale mcgee / fireman

Posted on by Joey Gantner


See? I told you I’d be back.

“javale mcgee / fireman” by tommy oeffling is now streaming everywhere. reliance is ONE WEEK AWAY! Time is really flying.

Come back Monday for another tape announcement (and yes, it’s oeffling related). I’m trying to update the photo on the landing page each time I post an update so you’ll know whether or not your time is about to be wasted.

 

I know you, and I know that you know me too.

Posted on by Joey Gantner

Ahoy there! Anytime that I get to post a tommy oeffling update, I know it’s gonna be a great day. Mr. Prolific himself is back with his latest and greatest album, reliance – it’ll be out very, very soon – digital release is April 26th and the tape will be out shortly after. The pre-order will launch on release day and we’ve been putting together some bonus goodies to make this special album feel a little extra special-er. 

In the lead-up to reliance, tom will release two 2-song digital singles every Friday, starting today. You can hear “telstar drugs” and “frown-off” on all the services. More to come next week, check back then!

Yep, there’s lots coming up! I’ve been steadily doing around 2 tapes a month, and it’s been paying off. I am confident that this year I will be fully caught up on the backlog of projects that’s been building up, and I’ll be ready for an unknown future at long last. It’s gonna be great. Also great? The 3 pre-orders running RIGHT NOW! They’re with three of my favorite bands – three HOLY FUCKING SHIT projects.

The Pains of Being Heart‘s legendary self-titled debut is currently at press and will be shipping early next month! This is my third project with the band and the omg factor of it all has yet to wear off for me. Thanks to Kip for giving me a shot at reissuing this tape – I did everything I can to make it as special as possible (beyond the usual care I put into every project, of course) – lyrics, a fancy white matte shell (our first one!) dubbed on RTM Tape, plus I designed a very tasteful o-card which was limited to the first 50 copies (I’ll show that off once they arrive). Those are sold out, as are all pre-order copies, but any spares will be sent to Merchtable and available there. I’ll try give y’all as much notice as possible, but FYI I’m also about to start a new job so it may be tough to set aside time for this stuff initially.


This one has been a loooooooonnnnngggg time coming, but at long last The Doubble Donkey Disc is ready for ordering. It’s always a huge honor/pleasure to collaborate with Ozma, aka the world’s nicest band, who P.S. deserve many kudos for hanging on to their art files from 20+ years ago.  No one had that kind of hindsight in those days (myself included), which has been a hurdle for a lot of reissues. I can only imagine that struggle for any labels doing vinyl.

The j-card design for this ranks amongst my all-time favorites: I used all of the art that we love, plus some other gems that I found in those old folders. Copies are running low, but you can still get one while supplies last. DDD is expected to start shipping in early June – fingers crossed for sooner. 🤞

And last and not even close to least, Beachwood Sparks are BACK with their first album in 12 years!! Can you believe it?? It’s my favorite album of the year so far (maybe their finest effort ever), and I cannot wait for you to experience Across the River of Stars, coming July 19th on pink cassette from myself, and on LP/CD from my pals at Curation Records. Thanks to Brent for letting me have another crack at BWS on tape! I got to do their first album a few years back and it was a dream come true. It’s still my favorite SLUDGE PEOPLE tape, though this one could easily overtake it because the record really is that amazing. Pre-orders are up now, and will ship in early July! Check out the first single if you haven’t already:

 

This concludes our business for the evening. Have a great weekend, and I’ll be back to hype the next oeffling double single next week, plus these 2 tapes from The New Trust will going live soon. I adore TNT, but I’ll save that gushing for later.

Twelve Big Ones

Posted on by Joey Gantner

Twelve Big Ones from The Wand-ers is HERE!! This is a lovely package with 12 rippin’ Wanda Jackson covers. I really fell hard for her songs when I first encountered them a loooooong time ago (oof), so it was nice come into this with a love for the material already intact. This marks my third project with Nat Brower, and hopefully that number will continue to rise.

You can listen and purchase a copy at the Bandcamp site, and they’ll be up at Merchtable shortly (just shipped over copies today).

Join me for a moment and we’ll partake in the sky

Posted on by Joey Gantner

Hello 2024. Yes, I’m tardy as usual. Get over it 🙂 Usually, I start these posts with an apology and a look behind, but let’s start with the future past before going further backwards.


Billiam‘s full-length Corner Tactics is HERE and it’s a winner, with the full album side a and 2 rarities plus a live set on side b. The album has been out digitally for a minute now and seems to have found itself a healthy audience (though I’d argue Billy was already well-loved, just now more so). The LP is out on Under the Gun (US) and Cow Tool Records  (AUS). I don’t know CT, but Evert at UTG is an old and cherished friend. He was very helpful with tape advice when I was about to launch this whole operation, and he even printed the Weed Homer shirts. We’ve been wanting to do something together for years, so it was nice that this project came together with both of us attached to it. I just did the tapes, but regardless it was nice to feel like part of the team. Spin.com did a feature on the rise of egg punk recently, and Billiam had plenty of coverage in it. It’s worth a read if you’ve got a minute.

I finally got the Panzarotti represses and It’s a King Thing tapes to the finish line – what a fucking relief. These took an embarrassingly long time, but they’re here and they’re a 10/10, so I can rest easy at last. With the Brian Mietz trifecta complete, it feels like last year’s Wow! can be properly celebrated – so let’s celebrate! Copies are up and shipping now in the shop.


The next release that’s immediately on the way is Twelve Big Ones by The Wand-ers. It’s all Wanda Jackson covers, which is right up my alley. Thanks to Nat Brower for thinking of me once again. That’ll likely be here in a week, and once they arrive I’ll tell you where you can buy it from with specific links (otherwise duh, it’ll be on Merchtable and Bandcamp).

Okay, let’s simmer in the twinkle of yesterday’s tears:

So hey speaking of Nat, Nancy is going on tour starting THIS weekend! I got to a greatest hits tape with them last year for the European tour and they’re rad as fuck. Such a great band, if you live anywhere near here get your buns out to the show. I’ll see you in Philly – Foto Club is maybe my favorite venue in town right now. Maybe they still have copies of the cassette, but you can always get ’em on Merchtable or Bandcamp).

2/24 Chicago – Empty Bottle
2/25 Detroit – The Regal Beagle
2/26 Toronto- Toronto Style Bar and Grill
2/27 Buffalo – Area 54
2/28 Pittsburgh – Cattivo Bar
2/29 Philadelphia – Foto Club
3/2 NYC – Union Pool w/ PROTEX (LOW TIX!!!)

New tommy oeffling song/video! Check it out.

cardigan hate train instantly became one of the best things I’ve ever released. I’m sorry I didn’t post about it at the time here, but I’ve been gushing everywhere else I swear it. tom is a prolific mastermind and we’re lucky to be on this planet at the same time as him. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for his music and what the future holds for us. My magic 8-ball is showing a date of April 21st, 2024. Maybe check back then 🎱.

The Whiffs Scratch ‘N’ Sniff cassettes were a fucking smash, as was the album in general (congrats to the lads and to Dig!). I got to catch them last year and it was a ripper as always, and the new stuff was so good. They’re gonna hit the road again soon, I’ll do my best to keep you informed.

Lastly, Sir Kim from Kim came out. This came together because of my old CT friend Bradley is in the band and it was a joy to work on a project together after some false starts back in yesteryear. They also did the art for the tape, it’s really neat.

There’s more, but I’ll wait until they’re closer to being real before I spill the beans. Some catch up, some mustard. Check out my 2023 year-end playlist, it’s full of the good stuff. I remain psyched about cassettes and everything on the horizon. Every time a box of these beauties arrives from Canada it’s just the best feeling. I always feel behind on my passions but in reality, SLUDGE PEOPLE is still here contributing to the musical climate. That’s cool. I need to stop and simmer in that more often. This thing celebrated 10 years last year! I’m determined to get caught up on all lingering projects so I can feel more joy and less stress about this venture. So far so good!

The flames forged a new path, past hot lips and into the light.

Posted on by Joey Gantner

The Belong cassettes arrived and they’re perfect in every single way. Thanks so much to Kip for letting me return for round 2, it was another unbelievable pleasure. I also want to extend my huge appreciation to everyone who pre-ordered and have been waiting patiently – it was worth the wait, I promise! Copies are still available and if you run a shop/distro, please get in touch for wholesale prices.

Brian Mietz and The Whiffs tapes are almost here too, then I’ll announce the next slate of releases. Some are a long time coming, some haven’t been announced yet. It’s gonna be a fun Summer, stay cool 🙂

My drink has spilled and my shoes stick to the soil

Posted on by Joey Gantner


If I got in a time machine and told the version of me who was working on this website how his plans for blog updates and news reports were too ambitious, I think that guy would be pretty let down. Me? The messenger? I’m slightly more okay with it, but jeez – first update in a YEAR!

It’s weird, I was always pretty good with website upkeep until I started SLUDGE PEOPLE and throughout the label’s ten-year existence (more on that in a moment) it has never fully come together. I almost got there a few years back, but this portion has remained a challenge. I hope all of the tweaks and updates I’ve done throughout will inspire me to be better at it. No promises though, that’s how these hijinks get started to begin with.


So yeah – TEN YEARS! That’s pretty wild and I have plenty of thoughts about it that I plan on putting into SPT50, out around the end of the year. You’ll hear about it around then, just know I’ve been brainstorming some cool ideas on top of the tape. It should be a special package.

So what happened from March ’22 to now? Plenty and not much! 2022 was a complicated year and as a result, I took a longer break than I had hoped but I released tapes from The Warhawks, By Surprise and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.


Adulthood by Adulthood came out at the end of December so it honestly feels like a 2023 release to me. It’s such a good-looking tape, from the appealing cover to the frosted ice shell. You can get a copy of that here.


Heinous Action by Wayne Pain and the Shit Stains is out now, after years of behind-the-scenes planning. The whole project evolved so much over the years and I’m so pleased with how it turned out. I even drove my buns out to Kansas City for the release show and it did not disappoint. What a ripper!


Speaking of projects from old Kansas co-workers, Old-Light Painting by Danny Pound is out now on tape and digital. These came out awesome, the silver shell is especially sharp.

Up next:


Belong by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart is almost here, running a tad behind but nothing too extreme. Not sold out yet, but getting close! Looking forward to seeing those, I’ll gush a bit more on those in a post showing off the final product. It’s still mind-blowing to be doing these Pains tapes, the first one was such a hit and I think this one is even better.


The Whiffs are back with their latest Scratch ‘N’ Sniff! It’s probably the album of the year and it’ll be out next month. Pre-order that here.


Brian Mietz has a new record coming April 21st called Wow! and it’s the best. The second single just dropped today – stream “Cranefly” wherever you have an account.

 

Also, we’re repressing Panzarotti and putting It’s a King Thing on tape for the first time. So much great music!! You can pre-order all three in a bundle and save some bucks, or get them one at a time. Up to you, consumer! There’s also a release show booked on 4/21 at Tin Can. Here’s the flyer:

AFTER THAT?? So much! It’s gonna be a non-stop year as I have some holes to fill to get us to SPT50. Can’t wait to get those out at long last, it’s been a long time dreaming big.

Okay, that’s plenty. Until next time!!

Street noise

Posted on by Joey Gantner

A proper news-filled update is forthcoming (all is well and lots of fun is on the way, I swear it!), but I have some blog things that I’d like to get out of my system first…


Crickets #7 blew me away in a way that I hadn’t felt since #3, but even better. I’ve loved all chapters of Sammy Harkham’s “Blood of the Virgin” of course, but this latest entry was something especially touching. I also enjoyed that this issue seemed to come from out of nowhere and that Philadelphia’s Partners and Son had a copy – it really made me glad to be living in the city in a way that I really haven’t felt in these Pandemic years. Find yourself one at cooler comic shops or online.  It has my highest recommendation.


The Velvet Teen‘s Out of the Fierce Parade celebrated 20 years last week. To say it changed my life is an understatement – my adoration with this album led to my befriending the man behind Slowdance Records, which led to an internship offer that brought me from out of Connecticut and over to Portland, Oregon. I’m not sure if I would’ve ever left my home state without that push and belief in me, and it led to a real cool time of my life. The album is still great, I encourage you to check it out again or the first time, if you’re so lucky. Time flies.

Here’s some tape recommendations (as of this post there are still copies):


In the ‘Oops File’, I guess I never really mentioned this but Dan Saraceni (The Only Ghost in Town, By Surprise) and I have been putting out a weekly film noir podcast called Out of the Podcast and we’re now on our second year. Pretty wild – check us out, or at least check out the movies. You can find it wherever you listen to podcasts.

I put some new artwork in the art section. Hoping to collect all of that stuff and more into something that you can physically flip through this Summer… also would like to get more art done, but it seems to be getting more challenging to do that as the years pass.

That’ll do it. Eventually I’ll do some deep dive posts on Green Acres and Supreme, the two biggest things I’ve binged and obsessed over as of late. In the meantime, let’s make it through the rest of this bitter cold weather (Smarch at its finest) and take care of one another – that includes yourself!