Song We Like: Pipe by Styrofoam Turtle

The Styrofoam Turtles have grown their musical reputation through constant touring and rocking the Asheville underground music scene as an explosive live show with great catchy garage grunge punk songs. Their latest release “Pipe” moves their sound significantly forward. “Pipe” is bratty soulful or soulfully bratty, and the vocals have grown from snarls and sneers to the uncovering of a pure heart. They’ve slowed down their punk destruction without forgetting the influences they wear on their sleeve: Nirvana, Pixies and the Violent Femmes. Featured on our #71 podcast at www.hlycrp.com.

Ep 72 – God vs. Thor! Featuring: Crooked Ghost, Motel Glory, French Ketamine, Fertile Hump, Sagitttaire

Best of the underground, week of Sept 24, 2019: Lots of great music, plus Cinnamon gets real weird on about three topics and almost gets fired from her own record label. Also, misheard lyrics, and lots of discussion of the artistic theory of music videos. (All podcasts are on itunes and spotify, and reviews plus podcasts are on our website. And you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and, reluctantly and occasionally, Twitter.) We love you artists 💚

Band Management: Blog 41: “Band B”

Holy Crap Records Podcast has been interested in running a label. I just don’t know how. But I want to be a good label and do something that helps bands. So the plan was to use “Band A” to explore the current music industry and also interview all these other labels, publicists, publications, and bandcamp to actually find out what’s happening. And when I got to Blog 100 I’d know something.
I feel like I’ve done a disservice to “Band A” this year – because every time they’ve had success (being played on KPSU, WNCW, Belter Radio, reviewed by Divide and Conquer, on Kafadan Kontak Records) I’ve never named them.
So Holy Crap Records became a label this week, and we signed “Band B” – The Styrofoam Turtles. We put out a single by “Band A” and “Pipe” by The Styrofoam Turtles. Cinnamon and I were playing the new song by The Styrofoam Turtles on the podcast and Tristen Colby wrote: “We’re releasing our BRAND NEW single “PIPE” September 17th exclusively with Holy Crap Records!” Which is kind of bold. But we were like – alright – let’s just do this – we’re starting a label.
I’ve seen Tristen and Josh Davis (and now Colm McKeon) around the Asheville music scene for a couple of years. They’ve got that ambition. They have a live show inspired by the small town professional wrestling circuit. They’re put together a couple of tours, they’re always playing, and if they’re not playing they’re out watching other bands.
Most importantly they write songs. The Holy Crap Records Podcast loves punk, post-punk, garage rock, surf rock, indie rock, blues, country – but we’re really about SONG. The understanding of song. Verse-chorus-verse. Melody. Catchy hooks. And actually saying something that’s true. If we play you on the podcast we ADORE your song.
The Styrofoam Turtles write great songs. Holy Crap Records will only release singles, this single. I want to send out press releases and emails to college radio stations and see if I can replicate the small success of “Band A” with The Styrofoam Turtles. I’ll grift. I’ll see where I can put these two bands and see what works and what fails.
You can find “Pipe” by The Styrofoam Turtles on the Holy Crap Records label on bandcamp: https://holycraprecords.bandcamp.com.
And you can find the single on the Holy Crap Records website: https://hlycrp.com/the-label

Band Management: Blog 40: Kafadan Kontak Records

I am managing “Band A” for one year, as an exploration of the current underground music scene. This is the hard truth: few bands make money.
Everything from the old infrastructure of selling music has been destroyed. So now everything is new again. Lawless. Wild West. Brimming with possibility. A place where a good grifter can build an empire. You can make up your own underground music scene. Make up your own magazine. Your own publicity company. Your own label. Your own podcast – for f*cksake.
My friend Tolga Ozbey is in the band Reptilians From Andromeda and also manages Kafadan Kontak Records. I imagine he wakes up and drinks a coffee and searches bandcamp and the rest of the internet for new “garage rock” releases. If he hears something he likes he reaches out to the band and asks them to share a handful of songs for his label. It’s not so much – but when you get that email out of nowhere it is so nice…
And then Tolga comes back around: You want to be part of a Suicide compilation album? Can we release a live album?
He just has a fresh energy. No one has written these rules. Why not suddenly put together a massive catalogue of your favorite garage/punk bands from around the world? Why not put out compilation albums with these bands? This is just about having the biggest set of brass balls in this brave new world.
I’ll say this much about “Band A” – they’re kicking ass on the bandcamp game. I didn’t do anything here – and this is the truth. “Band A” put out two EPs on bandcamp and they ended up with a third EP on Kafadan Kontak Records, a music review on Divide and Conquer, and publicist reaching out to us…

Holy Crap Records – The Label

Holy Crap Records has launched as a boutique label. We specialize in unique voices within the genre’s of garage rock, punk rock, surf rock, new wave, blues, and country. We believe in the art form of “song” and enjoy artists who understand pop structure, melody, and hooks. The label will only be releasing singles.

Band B: The Styrofoam Turtles

We’re super excited to release “Pipe” by The Styrofoam Turtles.

The Styrofoam Turtles have grown their musical reputation through constant touring and rocking the Asheville underground music scene as an explosive live show with great catchy garage grunge punk songs. Their latest release “Pipe” moves their sound significantly forward. “Pipe” is bratty soulful or soulfully bratty, and the vocals have grown from snarls and sneers to the uncovering of a pure heart. They’ve slowed down their punk destruction without forgetting the influences they wear on their sleeve: Nirvana, Pixies and the Violent Femmes.

Band A: The Egg Eaters

We’re super excited to release “C&D” by The Egg Eaters.

The Egg Eaters sound has evolved from raw garage punk to that indie new wave sound of bands like Blondie, Talking Heads, and B-52s. These songs are catchy earworms in your brain. “C&D” is the perfect blending of garage rock and new wave, with abstract lyrics about living a larger life than was written in your fate. Egg Eaters have been played on KPSU, WNCW, Belter Radio, and their lates EP “You’re a Bad Choice Baby” was release by Kafadan Kontak Records.

Song We Like: Quiet Life by The Black Swells

Give me some moody post-punk! Give me that repetitive steady bass, a metronomic minimalist beat, and spoken sung vocals like Lou Reed. I lost my body but I found mind. Then rev this motor through the chorus and drop it back to the beat. Oh yes – this song speaks to my soul. Featured on our #70 podcast at www.hlycrp.com.

Song We Like: Gift by Secret Shame

I saw these guys at the Mothlight on Monday night. I’ve followed the Asheville scene for years – but I have never witnessed this level of self-belief, of a band knowing that they’re at exactly the right moment at exactly the right time. Oh Secret Shame will own the rest of 2019. It is 2019 and we’ve been waiting for decades for the next Siouxsie and the Banshees to arrive. Wonderful wounded, angry, glamourous, dramatic vocals over hypnotic reverb drenched guitars and drums. Featured on our #70 podcast at www.hlycrp.com.

Song We Like: So Be It by Blackfoot Gypsies

Enjoy this classic country twang, outlaw-style, sped up and driven with an almost punk attitude. The other strange influence I hear is The Beatles, or maybe it’s just their confidence and excellence in classic songwriting. Featured on our #670 podcast at www.hlycrp.com.

Song We Like: Dead Man by Minorcan

The voice is like a prophet emerging from the wilderness, half spat out wisdom and half spat out madness. Backed up by some classic unfussy American rock – you don’t need anything else. Special shout-out to the backing vocals. If your singer sounds like a gravely prophet, you need those great backing vocals to add beautiful melody and hooks. Featured on our #70 podcast at www.hlycrp.com.