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 🙂
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!
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.
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.
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.
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):
The Lost DaysLost Demos (The Long Road Society)
5 really great songs – it’s Tony Molina, shouldn’t be a hard sell.
Kids on a Crime SpreeFall in Love Not in Line (Slumberland)
Been waiting for this one since ’11. I was immediately impressed by KOACS and then they went dead quiet! I had all but given up on new music let alone a new album, but then suddenly we were rewarded with this gem.
Hook-UpsDomestic Fantasy (Smoking Room)
I love anything from Smoking Room and this one was no different. Just a fun tape to throw on whenever (I swear I’m not underselling it).
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!
Widower‘s Baby We Were cassettes are in and shipping now! This project was pure joy: I first met Kevin Large when he was playing a Widower set at a record store in Torrington, CT, opening for my friend Sean of Quiet Life. It was something special and I never looked back (side note though – if you know Torrington at all, it’s INSANE that there was ever a record store, even briefly. Couldn’t remember the name of it for the life of me, but I remember it sprung up shortly before I moved to Portland, Oregon at 19).
Present day: Baby We Were is the best thing K Large has ever done and I had to make it a tape. He requested the classic Warner Brothers j card design, which I found myself finally comfortable enough to create after years of failures, and here we are! It looks perfect and I hope you get yourself a copy, it deserves to be heard (it also includes a download code FYI if that’s your thing) – get one here. Thanks Kevin!!
Life has sucked, so let’s celebrate: The Whiffs are in Philly TONIGHT at The Fire along with my friends The 1910 Chainsaw Company (featuring SLUDGE PEOPLE’s own Brian Mietz). I can’t wait to let loose, hope to see some locals there!
That’s all. Smarts and The Only Ghost in Town tapes should be here in a week or so, I’ll be back then. Take care!!
The FredsBedrock and Roll and Alien NosejobOnce Again the Present Becomes the Past tapes are real and out now on Planet Earth. We had some fun with the j cards for these 2 in particular: the ANJ covers are reversible if you like to have interactive fun with your physical media and Bedrock and Roll has a brand new comic from songwriter Alex Schubert that is so, so good and I know that I’m lucky to have it. (And both include download codes too – now that you’re sold, get a copy here and here).
We also made shirts! Pocket tees to be specific which are the very best kind in my opinion. Get one here or the tape n’ tee combo here.
The announcement hadn’t made it to these parts yet, but I’m blessed to be doing a cassette pressing of Smarts‘ amazing album Who Needs Smarts, Anyway? from last year. Unfortunately, the tapes were delayed a smidge because it’s the year 2021, but they’re very much in the works at the manufacturer and should arrive by October. Pre-order here. Thanks for always being so cool, understanding and patient. It means a lot to this little one man operation.
The Only Ghost in Town are back with a new record: Pure Bliss is out October 29th on tape (duh) and digital. The first single “Inside My Head” is out everywhere and this Friday I’ll have the second for your enjoyment. It’s a chiller endeavor, with a bit of psych thrown in for good measure. I can’t wait for you to hear it, and Dan and I (mostly Dan) put together a nice treat for all pre-orders. More on that soon, but you can get a copy of Pure Bliss here.
Before I sign off, I should mention that co-ed broke up. It’s a bummer as things seemed to be on a steady rise (positive word of mouth, a glowing review in Razorcake Magazine, lots of gigs booked and Thurston Moore even bought a tape), but sometimes things just blow up. I think the ep will be one of those cool essential blips in punk music though, and best of luck to all with their future endeavors.
The co-ed tapes are HERE! I’m so psyched about this collection of songs that the band put together, it’s been a privilege to be involved with them. I was also lucky enough to design this one, so opening the box of these was quite thrilling. More co-ed news on the way – videos, gigs, new songs, etc. I just started a mailing list (something that had been requested and of course I’d been taking my time to bring to fruition) so please sign up if you want to hear about such happenings – it’s on the home page or at the bottom of this one. Snag a copy of the ep here or from the band on their Bandcamp. Good news if your walls are hungry: there’s a limited supply of posters that will be included with ep orders.
I’ve had four other releases come out since we last spoke (pictured above, L-R: OzmaRock and Roll Part Three, L’Resorts Bad Love, SangloriansOdalisque and Beachwood SparksBeachwood Sparks). Each one came out like a total dream, thanks to all who have got a copy so far. The Ozma tapes sold out lightning quick, that ruled.
I don’t know why, but I’ve really had trouble keeping up with the fast paced world of website updating. There’s a lot of available excuses, but ultimately I’m aware I’m blowing it. Time had been getting away from me, but I think I’ve finally caught it. I’m also trying to do better with the delays, which aren’t entirely my fault but I’d like to try to build a better safety net if any arise. Thankfully you all have been so cool and patient. Big summer ahead with releases from Alien Nosejob‘s Once Again the Present Becomes the Past (pre-order up now, out in July) and The FredsBedrock and Roll (August 13th, that pre-order up next). Filling a lot of holes in the catalog with these – The Freds is SPT3 aka a loooooonnng time coming. It has a fancy mastering job and everything, which I realized might be my favorite part of the record label process. Single dropping in June!
Okay, that’s it. That’s the update. Lots coming up, it’s practically exhausting. Stay cool.
Hey there. I’ve been working on this website off and on throughout the 2020 dystopia. It’s been a real “suck it up and keep going” operation here at Sludge Manor/America, ignoring how bonkers it has been releasing cassettes into a void. Live music is where most people find out our contributions exist and with that gone The Whiffs couldn’t do their planned SXSW tour for Another Whiff (with tapes in hand) and we couldn’t do a release show for Brian Mietz‘s Panzarotti album (it was in the early stages, but what was talked about what exciting). Big bummers, but thankfully everybody has been very supportive and I think every release found it’s desired listener, and the label gained an increasing audience in the process.
Every draft I’ve done of the news has been a full rundown of everything that I put out so far in ’20, but I figure I can get into all of that at the end of the year if need be. It’s November, evil has been defeated after 4 looooooonnnnng years! Hope seems wearily possible and here are some more things to be excited for the future about…
OzmaRock and Roll Part Three preorders went live a few weeks back. This one has been brewing for a full year, so I’m extra glad to see this becoming a reality. Limited to 150 copies on computer shell, I’m really looking forward to how this one turns out.
Speaking of bands with Daniel Brummel in them, our tape of Sanglorians‘ Odalisque just launched for preorder! Clear shell, chrome tape and includes download code. Check it out if you haven’t, it’s a really really cool album.
I come from comic books. When a monthly title would reach the milestone of 25, 50, 75 or 100 (and so on) it would be a big deal and that mindset has stuck with me. I knew our 25th (!!) release had to be something incredible, but never in my wildest dreams could I ever picture that it would be one of my most treasured albums. Anyone I know who listens to Beachwood Sparks holds them high above all others and I feel the same way. The reality that this is happening will probably never kick in: SPT25 is Beachwood Sparks’ self-titled debut in a special 20th anniversary edition. Side A is the album with all of the bonus tracks on Side B, completely remastered. Get your copy here, out 1/27/21!
Thanks to Curation Records for the opportunity, make sure you snag the vinyl, cd or shirt from them here!
Brower tapes arrived finally and gosh if they weren’t worth the wait! This collects Buzzsaws on Side A and Little Big on the B Side – it’s the best sounding cassette I’ve put out so far, I’m beyond thrilled. Want one?
Thanks to DIG! Records for making this one happen, they’re the greatest!
Suddenly Everything Is Twice as Loud by Alien Nosejob has been out since August and is already half way sold out. Jake just released a new album called Once Again the Present Becomes the Past on Anti Fade/Iron Lung that everyone is raving about. Look for our tape of it in early 2021, plus I’ll be doing a cassette edition of his band Smarts‘ new one Who Needs Smarts, Anyway?, out as of a few weeks ago on Anti Fade/Feel It. It rules, ALL OF IT.
The Only Ghost in Town‘s Live at the Gradwell House is available on tape and digital (you can also now find Mirage and False Color Images on digital services for the first time). Mietz made a rad video for “Dead Houses” (above) and oh yeah ringer tees are still available!
co-ed!! Very excited to be working with this awesome band who are currently finishing up their debut ep. You can hear a track from it now: Look for “Error” wherever you stream. It looks like this:
I seriously love this band so much and am THRILLED to be involved in their magic in any shape or form. They will take over the new world next year after we’ve rebuild it.
That’s all for now, but there’s lots of cool things to come (maybe we’ll publish a comic finally?). We’ll meet again soon – do a kickflip!
