Andrew Cohen & Light Coma LP coming soon! OUT record! Karl Hendricks tribute compilation! Big show in Chicago next month!
Andrew Cohen & Light Coma “Unreality” LP (cmo041)
“Unreality” describes the condition in which we all find ourselves, sometimes more apparently than at other moments. Unreality is timeless, but in the current Zeitgeist, it seems more timely than ever.
“Unreality” is also the title of the debut album by Andrew Cohen & Light Coma.
Andrew Cohen & Light Coma is the new rock band for Andrew Cohen, guitarist of Silkworm and Bottomless Pit, backed up by Chicago veterans Light Coma. The group is driven by a dual guitar attack, but is not as heavy metal as that description sounds.
The collaboration highlights Cohen’s skills as a songwriter, with his recognizable touch for balladry, pathos, and the poetry of the mundane. Light Coma call to mind Crazy Horse or the Magnolia Electric Company, matching crisp distortion with the sober cadences of a tall old man on his way to the hardware store again. AC/LC’s arrangements afford the players substantial dynamic range. Cohen can whisper and wail with the best of them; Light Coma match him instrumentally with every turn.
This record – due June 2, 2017 on Comedy Minus One – was recorded in several sessions over some period of time. It came together easily, unrushed, but urgently.
Six of the songs are electric. Three are acoustic.
Limited to 500 LPs + digital download.
Pre-order a copy of “Unreality” here.
Hear the album’s opening track “Repack” here.
Andrew Cohen & Light Coma:
Andrew Cohen (Silkworm, Bottomless Pit) – guitar, vocals
Brian Orchard (.22, Bottomless Pit, Light Coma) – guitar, vocals
Ryan Rezvani (The Missouri Compromise, Light Coma) – bass
Jim MacGregor (Light Coma, Century Rocket Building) – drums, vocals
Mike “Slo-Mo” Brenner (Magnolia Electric Company) – lap steel, dobro
This record was recorded by Mr. Matthew Barnhart and Mr. Steve Albini at Electrical Audio and MINBAL in Chicago.
The cover art is a diorama by artist William Schaff (Okkervil River, Songs: Ohia).
The Wheel & The Alphabet: A Tribtue to Karl Hendricks
Our friend Karl Hendricks died in January 2017. He was 46.
Karl was one of the best songwriters of this generation (or any other) but he was an even better father than he was a musician, and a thorough inspiration to many as a husband, dad, artist and business owner who carried himself with a quiet dignity through some unspeakably lousy times.
This collection of Karl Hendricks covers (with artwork by Dana Lechtenberg) is our perpetual tribute to the “bard of Pittsburgh.”
Some tracks come via dear friends, others from people who just loved the music of The Karl Hendricks Trio.
Songs are arranged by artist alphabetically as a nod to something Karl said about there being two perfect inventions in the whole world: “the wheel and the alphabet.”
New recordings will be added as they are completed and I hope that people will come across this page and be inspired to record their own.
Including you.
The 22 contributors to date include Chris Brokaw, Rick Rizzo of Eleventh Dream Day, The Kyle Sowashes and The Victoria Lucas.
All proceeds from this digital compilation will go to Karl’s wife and children.
You can purchase “The Wheel and the Alphabet: A Tribute to Karl Hendricks” here, where you will also find additional information about each artist and their song.
OUT “Swim Buddies” LP (cmo040)
“Swim Buddies,” the debut full-length by Kalamazoo’s OUT, is out now!
It is very good (and very blue).
This record is an emotional wallop culminating a year of fizzy water, cold basement practices, h.o.t. basement practices, Yahtzee with Buddies, trips to the beach, broken gear, tea, fixed gear, MRIs, bike rides, walks and a metric tonne of good vibes on the regular.
OUT is Isaac Turner, Chafe Hensley and Mark Larmee – also of the acclaimed Michigan rock/roll band Minutes – joined in this new endeavor by TJ Larmee on the bass guitar.
The anthemic-yet-intimate album’s title “Swim Buddies” hints at the pull that Lake Michigan (and Lake Superior, when they can get there) has on the band. TJ and Mark were married on the shores of that gorgeous beast, and it’ll forever be connected to the band and this record in all the right ways. You should really swim at sunset sometime to get the full Technicolor panoramic trip.
OUT’s music is all about the interplay between seemingly simple lines (vocal blurts / guitar riffs) that come together to make a whole larger than parts. Water, and the lack of water, worms its way in the songs: dust and silt covering the Earth after we’ve finally ruined it; flood waters rising to consume the entire town (it’s something we did, pretty sure); the water we need to fill us up after foolhardy endeavors. The water is always there, and its absence will be crucial.
Digital files can be downloaded / streamed from any of the following locations:
iTunes : eMusic : Bandcamp : Amazon : Google Play
Physical vinyl (limited to 300 copies and going fast) can be ordered direct from Comedy Minus One here.
If you would like your favorite North American record store to stock this title, please ask them nicely to order from Revolver.
For TV / Film licensing, please contact Lyle Hysen at Bank Robber Music – [email protected]
Comedy Minus One party in Chicago!
Keep Sunday, May 28th free.
In a little over a month’s time Comedy Minus One is throwing a Memorial Day weekend party in Chicago at Township.
OUT, The Rutabega, Mint Mile and Andrew Cohen & Light Coma will ALL be playing.
Build your vacation around this one!
Can you do us a favor? Through some digital wizardry, the “old” CMO Twitter account is now @jonsolomon, so if you want news / updates from the label, please follow @comedyminusone instead. Or better yet, both!
Comedy Minus One also has a Facebook page and a relatively new Instagram page for those of you who dig such things.
Stores and distributors are welcome to contact us about stocking these titles. Comedy Minus One is distributed directly in North America through Revolver. European customers can contact Day After for our wares.
Canadian, UK and Australian distribution sought.
Thanks!
Jon Solomon
Comedy Minus One
comedyminusone.com