News
Written by Don Giovanni on 06/18/2013 9:27am
Vacation's new album Candy Waves is out today and so is the CD version of their Self Titled album! Stream it at Spin. Buy it here or pick one up from them on tour.
Written by Don Giovanni on 06/13/2013 1:02pm
Vacation leave for tour tomorrow and you can check out dates
here. You can also stream their entire new album,
Candy Waves, at Spin
here. They will have Candy Waves and the newly released CD version of their
S/T debut with them on this tour so check them out and pick them up.
Written by Don Giovanni on 06/10/2013 9:40am
Modern Hut began when For Science dismantled – and the debut album Generic Treasure has been a work in progress ever since. Produced by Screaming Females’ Marissa Paternoster, who also plays on the record, Generic Treasure is eleven songs of extreme loner folk, six year in the making, meticulously detailed with eloquent lyrics.
Generic Treasure is out August 6th.
Listen to the song History:
Written by Don Giovanni on 06/04/2013 10:15am
Larry Livermore's first book (and our first book), Spy Rock Memories is out today! You can pick it up from us here in the regular paperback edition, a digital version for your e-reader, or a hardcover version limited to 200 copies while supplies last (which are dwindling): Click here to order.
Written by Don Giovanni on 06/03/2013 6:20pm
Maxwell's was the first venue to take our label or any of our bands seriously and played an important role in the formation of our label. In addition to being home to our first showcase, it was also the first non-DIY space most of our bands ever played, and for most of our bands was they biggest show they had ever played the first time they played there. Todd gave our bands a chance when no one else would, and also let us book shows with ridiculous amounts of bands on them that no one had ever heard of based simply on a "trust me, this will work...I think..." As a venue, it will be irreplaceable. Thank you to Todd along with the Maxwell's staff for everything you have done for our label and the NJ music scene.
Here are the shows that Don Giovanni put on at Maxwells over the years, starting with our first showcase:
February 2nd, 2008 – Don Giovanni Showcase: The Ergs, Dustheads, Hunchback, For Science, The Steinways, The Measure (SA), Groucho Maxists, Hellhole
September 27th, 2008 – Jeffrey Lewis, dufus, Pregnant, Barrakuda McMurder, Jettison Sister
Janurary 2nd, 2009 – The Dopamines, Full Of Fancy, Shellshag, Deep Sleep, Tenement, Rubber Molding, Jim Testa
February 7th, 2009 – Don Giovanni Showcase: Screaming Females, For Science, The Measure (SA), Cheeky, Groucho Marxists, Pregnant, The Steinways
Sat. April 11th, 2009 - Stupid Party, Bad Blood, Nude Beach (ex. Dustheads), Red And Blue, We March
Sat. May 30th, 2009 - Screaming Females (return from tour), Shellshag, Pregnant, Mimi And Christian
Sun. June 7th, 2009 -Lemuria, The Measure (SA), Dead Mechanical, Modern Hut
November 7th, 2009 – Double Dagger, Black Wine, Dope Body, Night Birds, Modern Hut
August 13th, 2010 – Screaming Females, Black Wine, Byrds Of Paradise
November 13, 2011 – The Potatomen, Laura Stevenson & The Cans, Black Wine, Waxahatchee, Melissa & Paul
April 20th, 2013 – Shellshag, Screaming Females, Swearin’, Hilly Eye, Great Thunder
Written by Don Giovanni on 05/16/2013 3:34pm
June 18th, the same day as we are releasing the new Vacation album, Candy Waves, we will also be releasing their incredible Self Titled debut album on CD for the first time. Pick both of them up from the band on tour with Nervosas (dates below). Listen to a song off the album:
Vacation -- 2013 Tour Dates
6/13 - Pittsburgh @ Roboto Project with Zeitgeist, No Time! (all ages)
6/14 - Philly @ Hausu with Roman Holiday and Decade (all ages) *early 7pm
6/15 - New Brunswick @ Cooler Ranch with Black Wine, Night Birds (all ages)
6/16 - Brooklyn, New York @ Fitness with Nude Beach, Survival (all ages)
6/17 - Boston @ Charlie's Kitchen with Dan Webb and the Spiders and
Landline (all ages)
6/18 - Portland, Maine @ 442 St. John Street w/ TBA
6/19 - Quebec City @Le Cercle w/ TBA
6/20 - Montreal @Rats 9 w/ TBA
6/21 - OTTAWA EXPLOSION
6/22 - OTTAWA EXPLOSION
6/23 - Toronto @ The Silver Dollar Room w/ Nude Beach
all dates w/ Nervosas
Written by Don Giovanni on 05/14/2013 4:27pm
We're really excited to be working with Worriers to release their 12" EP, Cruel Optimist, in the Fall. Lauren Measure, the band's leader had this to say about the recording:
Cruel Optimist is Worriers first proper record since our first 7" was released on No Idea Records in 2011. Between then and now I've spent a lot of time working on things in my life that aren't directly related to music. Recently, however, I've been asked how my other interests and politics are reflected in my music. While I wasn't incredibly intentional about merging those things before, this record is definitely an attempt to directly combine those other things I'm involved in - like visual art, feminist/queer activism and organizing - with music.
Most of the songs on this record are inspired by or reference artists and writers that have had a big impact on the way I think about the world, especially in terms of gender, and assumptions about sexuality and the way we structure our lives. I think it's a very "punk" notion to not base your life around what people say you "should" be doing, or one path that leads to some magical settled life. But those ideas, for me, haven't just come from DIY or music or the scenes surrounding it.
The record will be out in time for the band to play The Fest 12 in Gainesville, FL this October.
Written by Don Giovanni on 05/14/2013 4:12pm
We're really excited to be able to announce that we'll be working with Upset on their debut album. The new band is fronted by former New Brunswick resident and longtime friend of the label Ali Koehler (Vivian Girls, Best Coast) who is backed by Jenn Prince and Patty Schemel (Hole). They'll be recording their full length with Kyle Gilbride (Swearin', Waxahatchee) for a Fall release.
Written by Don Giovanni on 05/14/2013 12:29pm
We're really excited to be working with one of our favorite bands of the past few years, Tenement, on a new album later this year. Tenement, from Appleton, Wisconsin have toured extensively over the last 5 years and released two albums in 2011, Napalm Dream, and The Blind Wink. They will be entering the studio soon for an album out by the end of the year or early 2014 on Don Giovanni and we couldn't be more excited.
While we had a policy of only working with bands from our local music scene for the past decade, Tenement were always on our radar and were a major part of the national scene our local bands fit in. They were one of two bands we always thought about changing our policy to work with. While they ended up not being the first non-local band released on Don Giovanni, I can say now that they were the first non-local band we approached to work with.
Written by Don Giovanni on 05/14/2013 10:15am
Brick Mower are going on tour and will have copies of their most recent album,
My Hateable Face. Listen to a song below:
Written by Don Giovanni on 04/30/2013 2:10pm
We're really excited to announce that were going to be releasing the first of what will hopefully be a series of collections of artwork by Marissa Paternoster. The collection is entitled My Body Is A Prison/My Mind Is A Disease and is a 42 page booklet professionally printed on high quality paper.
People familiar with Don Giovanni Records are probably already familiar with both Marissa Paternoster and her artwork. In addition to playing guitar and singing in Screaming Females and Noun, Marissa also does all of the Screaming Females artwork and has done artwork for a number of other bands on and off Don Giovanni.
The first printing of the booklets will include a signed and #d edition limited to 100 for mail order only, as well as a non-signed and numbered edition that will be available at Screaming Females shows and through our website.
Pre-orders for both editions will go up on Thursday on our website.
Here are a few sample pages:
Written by Don Giovanni on 04/18/2013 11:02am
Super excited to share the news with everyone that were going to be releasing Candy Waves, a new full length album and the follow up to their incredible self titled album, from our longtime friends in Vacation on June 18th. Listen to a song off the record called Pyro Hippies below:
Written by Don Giovanni on 04/08/2013 11:23am
Shellshag Forever is out in less than two weeks (April 16th) and we are now taking pre-orders!
We also put together an incredible release show on April 20th at Maxwells:
(poster by Beth Fiedorek)
Written by Don Giovanni on 03/25/2013 11:23am
Pre-orders are up for the new Laura Stevenson album, Wheel! The album is out April 23rd and pre-orders will ship a little before then!
Listen to L-Dopa:
Written by Don Giovanni on 03/05/2013 9:34am
Larry Livermore (Lookout Records, The Potatomen, The Lookouts) has spent the last few years writing a book and we couldn't be more excited to help with releasing it. Gabrielle Bell has also done really great cover art for it and its going to be out June 4th. Here is a description of the book:
In 1982 Larry Livermore, ex-greaser, post-hippie, burnt out and disillusioned by the Bay Area punk scene, journeyed north into an off the map, off the grid mountain wilderness that lay at the heart of California's Emerald Triangle in search of something “real.”
Things got way more real than he’d bargained for, as he ended up confronting blizzards, droughts, floods, fires, marauding bears, skunks, rattlesnakes, and a posse of ornery pot growers, all while launching a magazine, a solar-powered punk rock band, and the DIY record label that introduced the world to the likes of Green Day, Operation Ivy, and Screeching Weasel.
As he learned valuable lessons in self-sufficiency, taking responsibility, and how to avoid (for the most part but not always) getting punched in the face by irate hippies, Larry also found his place and made his home in the far-flung, disjointed and eccentric community he encountered in the anarchic realm that begins where Highway 101’s tattered tarmac dissolves into the dust of Spy Rock Road.
Written by Don Giovanni on 03/05/2013 9:23am
Waxahatchee - Cerulean Salt is out today! Get it here, and or when you see them on tour.
Written by Don Giovanni on 03/03/2013 3:17pm
Written by Don Giovanni on 02/21/2013 11:53am
Screaming Females made a music video for "Poison Arrow" from their recently released Chalk Tape and its awesome. Kate Sweeney who made the most recently Brick Mower music video made it and it really weird.
Written by Don Giovanni on 02/14/2013 1:06pm
We're really excited to announce that we are re-releasing the Noun - Forgotten Grin tape in both its original cassette form as well as digitally for the first time. I'll never forget the first time I heard this thing because I had no idea what to expect from it since it had 34 songs on it and I had little indication as to what it would sound like. The tape was above and beyond any expectations of a limited run self released tape since it was way better than most real releases I owned at the time. I spend the next 5 years begging Marissa to let me re-release it so more people could hear it and somehow I finally convinced her.
The tape version is only available from the band but you can get the digital version from us directly in our store or on iTunes.
Listen to the song The Weekend here:
Written by Don Giovanni on 02/12/2013 9:42am
There are four great new releases out today!
Set on Destroy, from
Stormshadow who just played for the first time in 13 years at our label showcase. The first full length from
Nuclear Santa Claust,
Order Of The New Age.
Screaming Females self recorded
Chalk Tape which also includes a duet with
Shellshag. And
Runner a 7" EP from
Laura Stevenson with one new song from her upcoming album
Wheel and two exclusive b-sides. All are available in our
store.
Written by Don Giovanni on 01/28/2013 10:16pm
We're excited to announce a new Laura Stevenson record, Wheel, which will be out April 23rd. The record has 13 new songs including Runner which is also availble on a limited 7" EP in our store.
Written by Don Giovanni on 01/25/2013 9:28am
We're really excited to be working on the second Waxahatchee album, Cerulean Salt, out March 15th. The album has the difficult task of follow up last years American Weekend but somehow manages to do so. Listen to a song here and read an interview with Katie about it at Pitchfork. And catch her on tour i she comes through the area or at our label showcase Feb. 8th in Brooklyn.
Waxahatchee:
01-29 Poughkeepsie, NY - Vasser College
01-30 Wilkes-Barre, PA - Crimson Lion Hookah Lounge
01-31 Ithaca, NY - Cornell University
02-01 Cohoes, NY - The Icehouse (house)
02-02 Burlington, VT - Wristwrens (house)
02-03 Newmarket, NH - Fuckingham Palace (house)
02-04 Cambridge, MA - All Asia
02-05 Easthampton, MA - The Flywheel
02-06 New Haven, CT - PAC
02-07 New Paltz, NY - Mosh Depot (house)
02-08 New York, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
02-09 Providence, RI - Squidamps
02-16 Purchase, NY - SUNY Purchase
Written by Don Giovanni on 01/25/2013 9:28am
The debut album from California X is out today! You can order it in our store or pick it up at your local record store or on iTunes!
Written by Don Giovanni on 01/10/2013 10:20am
We launched a new website and also pre-orders for four records. Head over to the new Store and you can pre-order the new California X, Hilly Eye, Stormshadow, and Nuclear Santa Claust albums!
Written by Don Giovanni on 01/03/2013 10:11am
Listen to "Since I Woke Up (Berlin Wall)":
Written by Don Giovanni on 01/03/2013 10:05am
We've got a great lineup for the Thursday night of our annual label showcase this year, and were finally able to share it with everyone.
Thursday, Feb. 7th, 2013
Don Giovanni Records Showcase
Nuclear Santa Claust (Record release)
California X
House Boat
Brick Mower
Plastic Cross
$8/8pm
@Death By Audio in Brooklyn, NY
Written by Don Giovanni on 12/18/2012 10:50am
California X are going on a northeast tour in support of their new record which is out Jan. 15th. Check them out when they come through your city:
Thu. 1/10 - Amherst, MA
Fri. 1/11 - NYC, NY
Sat. 1/12 - Philly, PA @ Nachouse
Sun. 1/13 - Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar (Upstairs)
Mon. 1/14 - Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
Tue. 1/15 - Washington DC
Wed. 1/16 - New Brunswik, NJ @ House Show
Thu. 1/17 - Hartford, CT
Fri. 1/18 - Somerville, MA @ PA's Lounge w/ Dig Safe, Sneeze, No Fun
Sat. 1/19 - New Market, NH @ Fuckingham Palace w/ Young Leaves, Betty Nico
Also, check out a new song from their debut album, Spider X, here:
Written by Don Giovanni on 12/10/2012 1:00pm
Next year is our 10th year as a label and we have an incredible showcase planned. Tickets to both nights will be on sale Friday and they were will be a very limited amount (100) of 2 day passes available for just $20 dollars. Our showcase has sold out every year and this should be no different so please please please get tickets early because I really want to see you there.
Friday - Feb 8, 2013
Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY
Laura Stevenson
Jeffrey Lewis
Waxahatchee
Lemuria
Hilly Eye
$13 adv/$15 door
Saturday - Feb 9, 2013
Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY
Screaming Females
Black Wine
Stormshadow
Home Blitz
Shellshag
$13 adv/$15 door
Written by Don Giovanni on 12/10/2012 12:51pm
Stormshadow were one of the most important bands to me growing up. They were short lived but in many ways defined everything I like about the New Brunswick music scene. They were original, they were emotional, they were political, they were tight musicians, and had cool art and style. Before they broke up they put out one of the best records I had ever heard and only made a few CD-rs to sell at their last show. I never really stopped listening to it since then. I went to college in Boston and no one had even heard of the band, or most of the other local bands from the New Brunswick punk scene, since most had never toured or had albums with real distribution. This was one of the main reasons I wanted to start a label to put out New Brunswick bands and get them heard and distributed. From day one with the label, even when it wasn't really a serious label, the plan was to be able to do a quality pressing of the Stormshadow record, and 10 years later, we finally are able to do that.
We'll be releasing Set On Destroy on vinyl Feb. 9th when they reunite for our label showcase.
Listen to the opening track, "Switched On" below:
Written by Don Giovanni on 11/20/2012 1:37pm
We're incredibly exited to announce that well be releasing the debut LP from Amherst, MA's California X on January 15th.
In less than a year, Amherst trio California X have emerged from basements and punk practice spaces of Massachusetts as one of the tightest new garage punk bands in the Northeast, teetering between various pockets of the punk spectrum -- drawing influence from the worlds of noisy 80s Western Mass rock, fuzzy 90s garage pop, and classic post-hardcore SST sounds. Fronted by main songwriter Lemmy Gurtowsky, their debut LP for Don Giovanni follows one prior release, a double A-side single "Sucker" b/w "Mummy" out via the UK's Sound of Sweet Nothing label.
Check out a song, Pond Rot, here:
Written by Don Giovanni on 11/08/2012 1:10pm
We're super excited to announce the debut album from Hilly Eye, Reasons To Live, out January 22nd on CD, LP, and Digital! Check out a song from the album below:
Written by Don Giovanni on 10/23/2012 11:00am
The vinyl issue of Jeffrey Lewis' debut album, The Last Time I Did Acid I Went Insane is out now! Go out and get it at your favorite store or order it from us here.
Written by Don Giovanni on 10/18/2012 12:15pm
Nuclear Santa Claust played live on WFMU's excellent Distort Jersey City show yesterday. You can listen to the archived version here.
Written by Don Giovanni on 10/08/2012 3:11pm
Usually we start posts with something to the effect of "we are really excited to announce" or whatever, but that is not the case. I wish we didn't have to announce that Screaming Females are going to have to cancel all dates between now and the end of the year after the end of their dates supporting Garbage. Please send Marissa all your good vibes and well wishes. For more details check out this story from Consequence of Sound or this post on the bands blog.
Written by Don Giovanni on 10/02/2012 10:10am
Brick Mower's new album "My Hateable Face" is out NOW! You can order it from us here or pick it up from them on tour. To celebrate we are releasing a video for Stuttering directed by Kate Sweeney:
Written by Don Giovanni on 09/20/2012 12:25pm
We are really excited to announce that we are going to be doing the first vinyl pressing of Jeffrey Lewis' debut album "The Last Time I Did Acid I Went Insane." This record, originally released on Rough Trade, was an instant classic when it came out with the New York Daily News naming it the Best Indie Album of 2002 and Uncut magazine calling it "bizarre but brilliant." Since then he has played hundreds of shows and earned high praise from everyone from Will Oldham and Jens Lekman to Jarvis Cocker and Ben Gibbard. Jeff and I have been talking about doing this for almost seven years and finally just in time for its 10th anniversary will be doing the first vinyl issue.
In addition to being on vinyl for the first time the record will come with a download card which in addition to the album includes four live never before released bonus tracks from 2001.
Check out a song here:
Pre-orders for the record are up now in our store.
Written by Don Giovanni on 09/20/2012 12:24pm
Pre-orders are up now for Brick Mower's second album, My Hateable Face. The record is out October 2nd. You can order the record here, or catch them on their October tour. Check out a song below:
Written by Don Giovanni on 08/29/2012 9:15am
Written by Don Giovanni on 08/20/2012 10:04am
We will be releasing Brick Mower's second record, My Hateable Face on October 2nd after which they will embark on a 3 week tour. Listen to a song below:
Written by Don Giovanni on 07/12/2012 11:45am
The debut LP from Plastic Cross is up for pre-order now! First 300 copies are on PINK vinyl. Listen to a song below:
Plastic Cross features CraigFuYong from The Degenerics and Kamikaze back on vocals backed by most of The Measure (SA).
If you're in the New Brunswick area there will be a record release show on July 20th with The Match And The Moth and more...
Written by Don Giovanni on 06/20/2012 11:39am
Black Wine's third album Hollow Earth is now up for pre-order in our store. Copies will ship out before July, 3rd.
Written by Don Giovanni on 06/17/2012 2:17pm
Written by Don Giovanni on 06/13/2012 4:13pm
Waxahatchee leaves for tour tomorrow and will have copies of the recently repressed American Weekend CD/LP with her:
June 12 - Richmond, VA @ House Address
June 13 - Charlottesville, VA @ Magnolia House
June 14 - Christiansburg, VA
June 15 - Charlotte, NC @ the Kickstand
June 16 - Asheville, NC @ the Goblin Hole
June 17 - Rock Hill, SC @ Gettys Art Centre
June 18 - Athens, GA @ the Globe
June 19 - Atlanta, GA @ Blacklodge
June 20 - Gainesville, FL @ the Lab
June 21 - Tampa, FL @ Transitions Art Gallery
June 22 - Tallahassee, FL @ St. Anger House
June 23 - Birmingham, AL @ the Firehouse
June 24 - Birmingham, AL @ God's Butt
June 25 - Chattanooga, TN
June 26 - Nashville, TN
June 27 - Carbondale, IL @ Lost Cross
June 28 - Chicago, IL @ Gnarnia
June 29 - Lansing, IL @ Tommy's BBQ
July 1 - Grand Rapids, MI @ the DAAC
July 2 - Milwaukee, WI @ Quarters
July 3 - Appleton, WI
July 4 - Minneapolis, MN
July 5 - Fargo, ND @ the Aquarium
July 6 - Minot, ND
July 7 - Helena, MT @ Jester's
July 8 - Missoula, MT @ Zoo City Apparel
July 10 - Seattle, WA
July 11 - Seattle, WA @ the Kraken
July 12 - Olympia, WA
July 13 - Portland, OR
July 15 - San Jose, CA
July 16 - Oakland, CA
July 17 - San Francisco, CA
July 18 - Santa Cruz, CA @ Storey House
July 19 - Los Angeles, CA
July 20 - Pomona, CA
July 21 - San Diego, CA
July 22 - Tuscon, AZ @ the Pound
July 23 - Las Cruces, NM
July 24 - Lubbock, TX
July 25 - Austin, TX @ Little Carbondale
July 26 - Ft. Worth, TX
July 27 - Oklahoma City, OK
July 28 - Kansas City, MO
July 29 - Columbia, MO
July 30 - St. Louis, MO
July 31 - Louisville, KY
August 1 - Columbus, OH
August 2 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Roboto Project
August 3 - Philadelphia, PA
August 4 - New Brunswick, NJ
August 5 - Long Island, NY
Written by Don Giovanni on 06/11/2012 11:55am
We just posted a new video from Black Wine for "Burlap" off their third album Hollow Earth our July 3rd! Check it out!!!
Written by Don Giovanni on 06/11/2012 11:48am
NPR named the Waxahatchee song "Be Good" off American Weekend their song of the day today! Check it out and listen here. If you don't have the album yet, you can get it here.
Written by Don Giovanni on 06/11/2012 10:29am
We're really excited to announce that well be working with New Brunswick NJ's
Brick Mower to release their next full length sometime in fall. The band is a natural fit for our label and from the first time we saw them it felt kind of inevitable that we would someday be releasing their records. They leave for tour with
Black Wine in July who will be supporting their 3rd full length, Hollow Earth.
Written by Don Giovanni on 06/07/2012 10:39am
Hilly Eye play their record release show for their debut 7" Jacob's Ladder this Saturday at Cakeshop with Shellshag! If you are in the area you should make sure to be there. If you are not, you can order the Hilly Eye 7" (and the Shellshag LP) through our store.
Written by Don Giovanni on 05/30/2012 2:00pm
The debut 7" from Hilly Eye is now up for pre-order. It is limited to 300 copies and will not be repressed. Hilly Eye has been described by pellytwins as "a post-Riot Grrrl two-piece fronted by Amy Klein (ex-Titus Andronicus)."
Pre-order Here
Listen to a song:
Written by Don Giovanni on 05/25/2012 11:55am
Laura Stevenson and The Cans leave for a 2 week tour tomorrow. Don't miss them when they come through your town:
May 26 New York, NY @ Webster Hall w/ The Arrogant Sons of Bitches (Reunion) (tickets)
May 27 Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw w/ The Arrogant Sons of Bitches (Reunion) (SOLD OUT!)
May 28 Pittsburgh, PA @ 222 Ormsby w/ The World is…
May 29 Columbus, OH @ Double Happiness w/ The Sidekicks, Sega Genocide
May 30 Louisville, KY @ Chestnut House
Jun 01 Hot Springs, AR @ Maxine’s
Jun 02 Dallas, TX @ La Grange w/ Chelsea Wolfe (tickets)
Jun 03 Austin, TX @ Emo’s East w/ Best Coast, Lemuria (tickets)
Jun 05 Hattiesburg, MS @ Downtown Grill & Grocery
Jun 06 Decatur, AL @ Coffee and Playhouse (fb)
Jun 07 Athens, GA @ Farm 255 (FREE SHOW!) w/ Viking Progress
Jun 09 Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter w/ Nude Beach (fb)
Jun 10 Brooklyn, NY @ Death By Audio w/ Iron Chic (fb)
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