COMEDY MINUS ONE

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Good people of the Internet,

In this first Comedy Minus One newsletter of 2014: Minutes has a record out! Bottomless Pit draws rave reviews and heads to the west coast for the first time since 2006! Silkworm "Libertine" re-issue test pressings approved! Distributed titles galore!



cmo027 Minutes "Roland" Lp/Digital Download

Out now!

Kalamazoo's Minutes started playing music together in the summer of 2008. The band began as an outlet for songs written by each of the four members - Chafe Hensley, Mark Larmee, Ike Turner and Ryan Nelson.

Minutes is one of those bands, one that switches around on stage, but they try really hard not to be too show-offy about it.

Their eponymous first record was very well-received, with Pocket Jury writing:

"For a debut album so steeped in the lore of independent music and pleasantly reminiscent of past greats such as Mission of Burma, Archers of Loaf or Vitreous Humor, Minutes has an embarrassment of incredible moments and terrific ideas of its own."

After a couple of years of contemplation, writing, and family-raising, Minutes convened in the basement in July of 2013 to record "Roland."

The album was recorded over a furious week, fueled by LaCroix and pizza, Ricola and mad tape hiss, and a general sense that THESE GUYS REALLY LIKE HANGING OUT WITH EACH OTHER.

Although Minutes set out to record a longer album than their first ("Roland" does have twelve songs!) they didn't quite get there and somehow shortened it by nearly two minutes.

The album is named after Larmee's dog Roland, who passed on right after the recording of the record. Roland (the dog) was at every single Minutes band practice. EVER. Do you know how significant that is? Super significant! He was their buddy, their confidant, and was way, way into licking sweat off of the drummers' legs after a hot rock session. He'll be missed.

Comedy Minus One is handling the worldwide digital distribution for "Roland" (cmo027), which is available TODAY! Surprise!

iTunes : eMusic : Rhapsody : Amazon : Google Play

If this is the first time Minutes is hitting your radar, thank you for your interest in their little corner of the world.

"The only negative here is that the band has been around for a while, and I missed them. Don’t make the same mistake." - Cabildo Quarterly

"That there be no mistake, these guys...are not here to offer an anthology of past glories, but offer direct universe, consisting of short titles and contagious. Spontaneous compositions as their joy of playing transpire on all pieces, chained themselves to the speed of light, without hollow or musical lengths. Members let go brilliantly on their instruments, and light voices are bursting with freshness, despite sometimes dark lyrics." - MOWNO (after being run through Google Translate)

The Michigan Independent Network (MIN) has released "Roland" on actual vinyl in a limited run of 500 copies. Comedy Minus One is stocking limited numbers of this title in our shop, shipping ASAP. Order a copy here.

Also of interest: Minutes' Ryan Nelson has previously been/presently is a member of Beauty Pill (Dischord), Most Secret Method (Superbad/Slowdime) and Soccer Team (Dischord).



cmo026 Bottomless Pit "Shade Perennial" Lp+Cd/Digital Download

Out now!

Bottomless Pit's third full-length album "Shade Perennial" (cmo026) is available in both record stores and through all of your preferred digital providers, such as...

iTunes : eMusic : Rhapsody : Amazon : Google Play

Order a physical vinyl copy direct from Comedy Minus One here. Includes a complimentary compact disc in lieu of a download code.

Stream the album opener "Fleece" here.

"[Bottomless Pit] imprint the music with the heavy stomp and lurching swing of Neil Young’s Crazy Horse, right down to the way explosive, bloodied solos burst from tangles of ringing riffs. And more than ever the lyrics address the fragility of existence, with empathy for those near and dear. The members of Bottomless Pit have loved this sound for years, but within their embrace of it is something so sacred that everything sounds new." - Chicago Reader

"The music contained within those brief moments is the best, most intricate work of their career and consistently leaves the listener not only moved, occasionally enraptured but often more cerebrally impressed with their ability to twist the classic rock jams of the likes of Crazy Horse around a taut, sharp, Shellac-shaped nail and have these hybrid songs deliver both melodically and in terms of emotional impact." - The Quietus

"This record sneaks up on you, like…you think it’s going to pick your pocket or give you a punch, but it just put it’s hand on your shoulder and hands you a beer instead. Fascinating band. Thoughtful and wonderful." - Collapse Board

"Conversing via musical telepathy, Andy Cohen and Tim Midyett’s leads spar and spiral over Brian Orchard and Chris Manfrin’s intuitive rhythms. These cathartic communiqués could easily be private rituals, but Shade Perennial grants access to eight lasting compositions. The evocative, near-mythic imagery of “Fleece” and “Sacred Trench” merits dedicated study." - New Artillery (Best of 2013)

"Shade Perennial" found inclusion on many other esteemed Best of 2013 lists, including those from John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats, Huffington Post, Baby Stew, Can't Stop The Bleeding, Used Wigs, Carl Zimring and Dirty Laundry TV.

Color Is Its Own Reward, Artistxite, NUVO and New City have interviews with members of Bottomless Pit about "Shade Perennial."

Tim Midyett was also a guest on the Kreative Kontrol podcast.

At a loss with how to describe "Shade Perennial," in our own words, we asked our friend Sohrab Habibion from Obits/Edsel to listen to it and share his thoughts. Find them below.



The first ten seconds of "Fleece," the opening track on Shade Perennial, Bottomless Pit's mesmerizing third long player, sets the tone for the rest of the album. A carefully considered series of notes are picked on baritone guitar, deliberately unfolding the melody, only to be interrupted by a staccato burst. The guitars wrap around one another over a propulsive and elegantly understated rhythm section. Space opens in the music for a voice to emerge. It is enveloping and hypnotic, and you may play it over from the beginning a few times before moving on.

What do we know about Bottomless Pit? Perhaps you're already familiar with Tim Midyett and Andy Cohen from Silkworm, a band that put out nine albums between 1987 and 2005. Maybe you're a fan of Seam, with whom Chris Manfrin drummed, or .22, one of bassist Brian Orchard's other groups.

None of that matters. What matters are these songs. What matters is hearing Midyett phrase the lyrics to "Full of Life." What matters is hearing Cohen's magnificent guitar solo cut into "Null Set" and then disappear. What matters is the way Orchard and Manfrin exercise restraint throughout, allowing the guitars to rise and fall and the arrangements to unfold effortlessly.

By the time the feedback begins and the band fades out on "Felt a Little Left," Shade Perennial's final and possibly most widescreen tune, thirty-two minutes will have passed under Bottomless Pit's spell. This music is an incantation. It's post-punk perspiration and the well-worn warmth of Crazy Horse. It's inspired and assertive and won't make you ashamed to call it the blues.



Bottomless Pit heads to the west coast next month for a run of shows with the mighty Kinski. Dates include...

Wednesday, February 26 - Bootleg Theater - Los Angeles, CA
With Kinski.

Thursday, February 27 - Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA
With Kinski. Part of Noise Pop 2014.

Friday, February 28 - Mississippi Studios - Portland, OR
With Kinski.

Saturday, March 1 - Sunset Tavern - Seattle, WA
With Kinski.

Sunday, March 2 - TBD

Monday, March 3 - Biltmore Cabaret - Vancouver, BC
With Joel R.L. Phelps & Kinski.
Guest DJ Darcy Hancock of Ladyhawk.

Eastern dates should follow.

For more on "Shade Perennial" and band interview requests please contact Daniel at Force Field PR.

cmo019 Silkworm "Libertine" 2x12" + Cd

Coming soon!

After a six+ month manufacturing delay that involved going through two separate pressing plants and five different sets of test pressings (all stacked below for effect), I am happy to announce that as of January 16th, 2014 the vinyl for Comedy Minus One’s definitive 2×12″ re-issue of Silkworm's "Libertine," was finally APPROVED.

With jackets, labels, inserts and the like already at the plant, it is my sincere hope that you will see your records soon.

Thank you once again for your patience and good humor. This has taken longer than any of us ever expected but the end is in sight!

More frequent "Libertine" production updates will continue to be posted on Comedy Minus One's Facebook page.

Preview the remastered "Couldn't You Wait?" here.

You can still pre-order a copy here.

For more on the "Libertine" reissue please contact Daniel at Force Field PR.



A few associated titles are gradually being added to the Comedy Minus One on-line shoppe.

In addition to our label's fine releases you can pick up "Gala," the first album in nine years by Joel R.L. Phelps and The Downer Trio (12XU / $15) and/or the debut compact disc by Chicago trio Light Coma (Self-released / $8), a band that includes Bottomless Pit bassist Brian Orchard.

Finally, on top of all major credit cards and PayPal, Comedy Minus One can now accept Bitcoin as a form of payment. Do with that information what you must.

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Comedy Minus One has a Facebook page and a Twitter handle for those of you who dig such things. More frequent bursts of news can be found there or on the Comedy Minus One blog.

Stores and distributors are welcome to contact us about stocking these titles. Comedy Minus One is distributed directly in North America through Carrot Top, Matador Direct and Revolver.

Canadian and European distribution sought.

Thank you.

Jon Solomon
Comedy Minus One
comedyminusone.com

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