MYTY KONKEROR CONTRIBUTES UNRELEASED "KEY OF CAESAR" TO FRIENDS FOR EQUALITY FUNDRAISING COMP

Rather than get mired in post-election blues, our friends at UK-based Fox Food Records decided to take action by putting together a compilation of previously unreleased songs by artists and bands from around the globe in order to support some vital civil rights causes. The proceeds from this digital comp will be split evenly and donated to three organizations: Planned Parenthood, American Civil Liberties Union, and the Southern Poverty Law Center. When we learned about this project, we were excited to be part of it by donating a previously unreleased song by Myty Konkeror called "Key of Caesar." It's one of our favorite MK tunes ever recorded and the first featuring Jon on lead vox.

Friends for Equality is an epic compilation of over 40 brilliant songs for which I'm grateful for turning me on to the likes of Good Good Blood, Hand Habits, John Andrews & The Yawns, Henoheno, The Prids, Spartan Jet-Plex, Chris Harford& The Band of Changes, Henry Demos, G Lucas Crane, The Blank Tapes, Fair Mothers, The Sunken Lanes and many, many more. Please follow the link below and dig in!

FRIENDS FOR EQUALITY FUNDRAISING COMPILATION

MYTY KONKEROR RETURNS UNDER A NEW MONIKER AT THE WOBBLING ROOF REVUE

Myty Konkeror had been on its longest hiatus since it inception until last month when the three of us decided to get together over the holidays for our first jam in over two years. We went into the studio with no plan other than playing what felt good and true and rediscovering the feeling that made playing together so compelling in the first place. We thought things would be more interesting if we used instruments we never incorporated into MK's sound: electric mandolin, banjo, acoustic guitar, and an array of effects pedals. We're really excited about the results, which were three completely improvised jams that represent a new direction for us. So much so, we'll be releasing these songs under a new moniker--More Klementines. And we'll be performing these songs (or ones like 'em) for the first time in front of an audience on March 4th at the Wobbling Roof Revue in New Haven, CT at Never Ending Books. This variety concert series was expertly curated by Mercy Choir/Rivener's Paul Belbusti and Lys Guillorn and will be held every Friday night in March at 8:00, and it's sure to be a blast. Hope to see you there!   --Kiefer

Listen to More Klementines below.

INTRODUCING: RIVENER

We are beyond psyched to announce the latest addition to Twin Lakes -- Rivener, a new project started by our label co-founder Michael Kiefer and the hyper-prolific Mercy Choir mastermind Paul Belbusti. According to Kiefer, since his main musical outlet Myty Konkeror had been relatively inactive over the past year, he was itching to do something new and different:  "I was looking to do something totally free-form with no rules...something improvisational, sort of in the rockist tradition that could be noisy at times, or calm and subdued, but with less emphasis on the harshness of noise and maybe with more psychedelic or no wave elements. As these ideas were starting to percolate and I started thinking about collaborators, Paul had just put out this amazing album under his Mercy Choir moniker called Gguitar, which was mostly improvised guitar pieces. I knew right away that he was the guy."

Unbeknownst to him, right around the same time, Belbusti had placed a Craigslist ad looking for someone to form an improv duo, citing pretty much all the same influences that were inspiring Kiefer at the time. The stars had aligned, and the two began practicing almost immediately. 

Their first release, Fires in Repose, consists of three pieces captured during only their second jam session: shape-shifting explorations of no wave, noise, and psych with elements rooted in the rockist tradition. Rivener stretches, bends, and breathes new meaning into these influences, conjuring stormy, cosmic clouds of sound. It will be available on limited edition cassette and CD-R (50 each), as well as digital, just in time for their next gig, which features a killer lineup including MV & EE, The Mountain Movers, and Spectre Folk (feat. members of Magik Markers, Sonic Youth, and Pavement). Details below.


HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2013 HONORS FOR TTOTALS AND MICHAEL BEACH

Happy New Year! Man, what a year 2013 was. While it wasn’t our busiest in terms of the number of releases we put out, it was definitely one of our most exciting. I had the pleasure of watching Ttotals perform at this year’s Austin Psych Fest and meeting in the flesh excited fans who had just placed orders online for their critically acclaimed Spectrums of Light 7-inch that we released days before. Another highlight was meeting the man who had a hand in making this record sound so damn good hours before he blew us all away on stage…Spacemen 3’s Sonic Boom. While Tate Eskew expertly handled recording and engineering duties, Sonic mastered this A/B slab of outer blues. Expect more doses of brooding psych sure to set your soul ablaze from these guys in 2014 in the form of a new LP. 

Ttotals at Cake Shop, NYC

August saw the release of Michael Beach’s sophomore LP, Golden Theft, a real genre-bending stunner. I got to tour the East Coast with Beach, backing him on drums, while his regular bandmates waited for him to return home to San Francisco for some West Coast dates. That week saw us share the stage with Matt Valentine (MV&EE) and John Moloney's (Chelsea Light Moving) new project, Home Comfort, as well as Chris Forsyth and other great bands, like the Estrogen Highs, Fatal Film, and Margaret Mead. We managed to wrangle a gig in an old church on the stunningly beautiful Monhegan Island off the coast of Maine. What a blast!

Beach at The Elevens, Northampton, MA

Both of the aforementioned additions to our catalog turned many heads this year and earned end-of-year honors. Ttotals appeared on The Styrofoam Drone’s Top 7” Records of 2013 list, while Beach broke the top 5 on both The Vinyl District and SF Weekly’s Top Albums of 2013 lists.

Twin Lakes has never been about the sheer volume of output…it has been and always will be about turning people on to the music we carefully curate because we love it. We’re looking forward to continuing to do so in 2014 with more from Ttotals, long-awaited releases from Closely Watched Trains and Myty Konkeror, and who knows what else? In the meantime, head on over to our Bandcamp page where you can download for free a Twin Lakes compilation.

MYTY KONKEROR IS BACK... BEACH BACK IN OZ WITH SHOVELS

Just wanted to get everyone up to speed on some key happenings in the Twin Lakes family. For starters, after taking about a year off from shows, Myty Konkeror is back in action. This coming Sunday the 17th, they will be helping heavy psych jammers Eidetic Seeing release their new LP at Brooklyn's Death By Audio.  The new record, Against Nature, features some serious stoner riffage amidst doses of improvisation, prog explorations, and some of the sweetest melodies we've heard from a band this heavy. I hear they put on a killer live show, too. And if you haven't seen Myty Konkeror in a while, you won't want to miss them either, as their live set continues to evolve and explore uncharted waters. They've been working on some new sounds for the follow-up to their highly-acclaimed 2011 LP "I miss the future." so come see what they've been up to. Check the full lineup here.

As always, Michael Beach remains active. Quick on the heels of his summer dusk tour around both US coasts, he's back in Australia for a long string of both solo shows and plenty of gigs with his mates from Electric Jellyfish, who have recently undergone a name change to mark the release of their new cassette--the eponymously titled SHOVELS. Same awesome riffs and intensity from these dudes who've mastered the art of unhinged Gothic blues-punk. 

Beach also continues to tour in support of Golden Theft, the genre-bending stunner of an LP that we put out in late August. One show in particular you will not want to miss if you're in "Brizzy" is this Thursday at the Beetle Bar. Our favorite music blogger from Brisbane, Sonic Masala, has curated a killer lineup with Beach as the headliner. Click here for details.

TWIN LAKES SHOWCASE AT THIS YEAR'S STPP MUSIC FEST

OCTOBER 6TH, 2012 at the Velvet Lounge, 915 U St. NW, 4PM-Midnight: 
All-Day All-Night Rock and Noise Open House Party, 18+ $10, 21+ $8

An afternoon, evening, and night of psych rock, heavy rock, folk, noisy composition, and compositional noise featuring Twin Lakes artists and some of our other favorite bands, like Nashville's Ttotals and from Drag City Records, P.G. Six! Plus a very special performance by a large-scale all-star rock orchestra from D.C. and abroad performing compositions from Erik Satie's Furniture Music collection, led by acclaimed guitarist/composer and Georgetown music prof Ben Harbert.
 

ELECTRIC JELLYFISH HEADED EAST...JOIN FEEDTIME, MYTY KONKEROR

Electric Jellyfish continue to blaze a path across the States on their 2012 US tour and are headed to the Northeast for some killer shows. Highlights include two shows with Aussie legends feedtime--one at Cake Shop in lower Manhattan on 3/31, and the other at Maxwell's in Hoboken the following night. They'll also be playing two back-to-back shows with labelmates MYTY KONKEROR--3/28 at BAR in New Haven with psych-jammers Spectre Folk, and 3/29 at the Ding Dong Lounge in NYC with Bob Crusoe and Sugarm. Their final show also features a killer lineup with Noveller and Tall Firs joining them at Death By Audio on 4/3.

Trouble Coming Down limited edition tour cassettes keep getting plucked from the merch table, but we should still have some left by the time they get out here. In the meantime, watch the band play a blistering version of their new single last week at SXSW at the WFMU showcase. Then listen to the entire show from the WFMU archives.

 

TWIN LAKES CO-FOUNDER INTERVIEWED IN SLOVENIA'S FINEST ONLINE MUSIC MAG

When It's Psychedelic Baby contacted us about doing an interview, we jumped at the opportunity. It's creator, Klemen, has an incredible ear for vital music, past and present, and we couldn't be more honored to share our story. Twin Lakes co-founder and MYTY KONKEROR singer-guitarist Steubs took the reigns on this one, giving an in-depth look at our genesis as purveyors of sound with some glimpses as to what the future holds. Dig deeper here.

LATHE-CUTS FOR JAPAN

Photo credit: Mark SchoneveldThough we sold out of the very limited, first edition of MYTY KONKEROR's "I miss the future." we had set aside a handful of these lathe-cut records for band members and family that made its recording possible. But we've decided to sell those with 100% the proceeds going to the Japan Society's Earthquake Relief Fund. This out-of-print, critically-acclaimed record can be purchased here for $30. Of course, the new white vinyl edition of the album is also available from the same location...just be sure to use the drop-down menu to select "Lathe-cut for Japan" to ensure your purchase goes toward helping our brothers and sisters in Japan overcome this tragedy.


MORE END-OF-YEAR HONORS FOR "I MISS THE FUTURE."

In addition to a selection in IMPOSE Magazine's Best 25 Albums of 2010, we recently found out that MYTY KONKEROR's "I miss the future." was also picked for Built on a Weak Spot's Top 20 Records of 2010, as well as The Styrofoam Drone's Top 25 Albums of 2010.

As nice as it was for the record’s music to be recognized on these lists, its inclusion in Redefine Magazine's 90 Notable Album Covers from 2010(#26) might be the raddest of all. Kanye was their #1 pick…we don’t intend to lose to that guy again. 

TWIN LAKES CO-FOUNDER CO-HOSTS COLLEGE RADIO SHOW ON WESU

Yesterday evening Twin Lakes co-founder and MYTY KONKEROR drummer Michael Kiefer co-hosted DJ Rob DeRosa's "Homegrown," a WESU program dedicated to artists from the Nutmeg State. In addition to a new cut off of MYTY KONKEROR's recently released debut LP "I miss the future.", Kiefer premiered pre-release songs from The Mountain Movers, Ultrabunny, Old Man Lady Luck, and Iron Hand, as well as tracks from Titles and the Suicide Dolls. Play the archived stream below.