Third Man Records is pleased to announce that very special guest Olivia Jean will be joining Jack White on the bill for his September headline shows. Olivia Jean’s Jack White-produced debut solo LP Bathtub Love Killings will be released October 14th, and her Devil’s Night record release show at Third Man headquarters was recently announced featuring a unique and gory twist…
To obtain a ticket to the Devil’s Night record release party (before they go on sale) as well as a limited-edition version of the Bathtub Love Killings LP, fans must “pay by the pint” by donating blood to the American Red Cross at the Third Man blood drive the day before the record is released. One blood “offering” affords each donor 2 tickets to the event plus a copy of the colored vinyl record — one day early.
Regular tickets will be available for sale closer to the event’s traditional October 30th date.
Third Man Records is proud to present and exciting new full length album from our favorite Third Man chanteuse… Olivia Jean!
Bathtub Love Killings is the debut solo LP from Olivia Jean, the multi-instrumentalist who cut her teeth in the Third Man stable backing folks as varied as Karen Elson, Wanda Jackson and Jack White in addition to fronting the much-loved Black Belles. Jean has accrued a lifetime of experience in a few short years, from highlight performances on The Colbert Report, Conan, Late Show With David Letterman and The Grand Old Opry stage to having one of her songs used as the theme for the television series Elvira’s Movie Macabre.
Produced by Jack White, Bathtub Love Killings showcases Jean as a songwriting force to be reckoned with. Playing damn-near every instrument she could get her hands on, the result is a well-rounded, catchy record that’s chock-a-block full of ear worm moments.
Bathtub Love Killings will be available everywhere on LP, CD and digital on October 14th. A limited edition lavender colored vinyl version will also be available via Third Man Records.
For more about Olivia Jean and Bathtub Love Killings check out this humdinger of a video, listen to this song sampler, and make sure you follow Olivia on Tumblr & Instagram!
LANGUAGE LESSONS: VOLUME 1 (TMR269) BOX SET FEATURING 321-PAGE HARDBOUND BOOK, TWO VINYL LPs & MORE
Available For Pre-Order Now at Third Man Books, In Stores August 5th
LL:V1
At long last Third Man Records and Third Man Books are very proud to present their first commercially available book, Language Lessons: Volume I. Though the term book, in this case, may actually be a bit limiting considering what this whole package actually contains… Want to hear more? Read on.
Language Lessons is a 321 page hardbound book, co-edited by Chet Weise and Third Man’s own Ben Swank, full of contemporary poetry and prose including over 20 award winning and / or nominated contemporary poets and authors such as Dale Ray Phillips, a Pulitzer Prize nominee in fiction, C.D. Wright, a National Book Award finalist and National Book Critics Circle winner in poetry, and Adrian Matejka, a National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize finalist in poetry. Language Lessons is two vinyl LPs of jazz, psychdelic-punk, poetry, blues and pop from artists such as William Tyler, Destruction Unit, Ken Vandermark, Sampson Starkweather and more. Language Lessons is 5 pieces of frameable broadsides of poems by C.D. Wright, Frank Stanford, Brian Barker, Jake Adam York and Chet Weise with original art from former Big Boys guitartist Tim Kerr, one-time Hate illustrator Jim Blanchard, intertwangle-ist folk artist Butch Anthony and more. That’s a lot of bang for your buck… and it all comes housed in a hard-case clothbound sleeve. Has any other record label ever created such a thing? Are we mad?!
We are not mad. As previously mentioned, LL:VI will be Third Man Books first commercially available tome and signifies a strong intent for Third Man entering the universe of publishing. Third Man Books, like Language Lessons, will be fearless, imaginative, and eclectic. We hope to be a welcome addition to what is already a very compelling and thrilling independent American literary landscape.
Language Lessons: Volume I is now available for pre-sale direct from Third Man and will be available in discerning book and record stores the world over from August 5th.
For those attending Newport Folk Festival this weekend, you’ll get the first opportunity for a glimpse into LL:V1. Join LL:V1 contributors for excerpt readings on Saturday, July 26th at the festival. Featured contributors include Zachary Schomburg, Joshua Marie Wilkinson, Janaka Stucky, Sampson Starkweather, Paige Taggart, Kendra Decolo, and Chet Weise. For more information as it becomes available, keep an eye on http://www.newportfolk.org/lineup/saturday/language-lessons and https://www.facebook.com/ThirdManRecords.
LANGUAGE LESSONS: VOLUME I
* The Language Lessons: Volume I box set includes a hardbound book of contemporary poetry and prose, two vinyl LPs of jazz, psychedelic-punk, poetry, blues and pop, and 5 pieces of hangable art all housed in a hard-case clothbound sleeve.
* In 321 pages, the book includes over 20 award winning and / or nominated contemporary poets and authors such as Dale Ray Phillips, a Pulitzer Prize nominee in fiction, C.D. Wright, a National Book Award finalist in poetry, and Adrian Matejka, a National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize finalist in poetry. And, almost as interestingly, many in the book will be published for the first time in their lives.
* To hang on the wall, five frameable broadsides of poems by C.D. Wright, Frank Stanford, Brian Barker, Jake Adam York and Chet Weise, with original art by former Big Boys guitarist Tim Kerr, one-time Hate illustrator Jim Blanchard, intertwangle-ist folk artist Butch Anthony, and more.
* Features unpublished work by Frank Stanford, Jake Adam York, C.D. Wright, Steve Stern, Sampson Starkweather, Joshua Marie Wilkinson, bemsilr brigham, TJ Jarrett, Janaka Stucky, Sommer Browning, Gaylord Brewer, Dan Boehl, Ben Mirov, Daniel Lucca Pujol, William Miller and Chet Weise.
* Features unheard music by William Tyler, Destruction Unit, Paul “Wine” Jones, and Ken Vandermark.
* Nonfiction from punk rock progenitors Richard Hell and Tav Falco.
* The occupations of the anthology’s contributors range from teachers, morticians, librarians, software developers, actors, and taco chefs to bartenders, farmers, musicians, and parents. Although from all over America (and beyond), almost 90% of the contributors read in Nashville at a DIY series called Poetry Sucks.
Can you believe we’re at our 21st Vault package? It seems like only yesterday we were overwhelmed with mono Icky Thump LPs, folding t-shirts, driving the packages to the post office (before we’d figured out USPS would just pick ‘em up from us) and generally feeling like there was no way we’d ever get through mailing all of those. Memories.
Keeping our promise made a few months back, the 7-inch for this go-round is another deadly two song pairing from the leather nightmares of the Dead Weather. THESE ARE TWO NEW ORIGINAL TRACKS…DEBUTING ON VINYL EXCLUSIVELY FOR VAULT MEMBERS! Pressed on pretty golden vinyl, the tracks “Buzzkill(er)” and “It’s Just Too Bad” are further examples that this band, in their downtime from Queens of the Stone Age, the Kills and JW solo, are more deadly than 99% of the rest of the also-rans out there. Don’t let the waterfowl on the single cover fool you…this single spits fire.
The LP for Vault #21 is a release unrelated to new albums or anniversaries or anything of that sort…just something that feels right. The White Stripes Live Under The Lights Of The Rising Sun showcases Jack and Meg in their first overseas trip in October 2000. While the band’s two Japanese shows were far from sold out, the power transmitted by the band is captivating. This double LP contains the entirety of the the White Stripes’ two Tokyo performances. With an on-mic shout-out to the evening’s headliners the 5.6.7.8’s, the Stripes would also cover that band’s classic song “I Walk Like Jayne Mansfield” in an improvised medley that also included Screaming Lord Sutch’s “Jack the Ripper.” Other highlights from the two nights include a rare cover of Iggy Pop’s “I’m Bored” as well as pre-White Blood Cells takes on “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground.” Complete with unseen photos taken during one of the performances and a sneaky die-cut, gatefold jacket, this live document leaves nothing to be desired to even the most die-hard fanatic. Listen to a clip of “Hello Operator” from Live Under The Lights Of The Rising Sunhere.
For our third item…a first in the Third Man world…a flag! A proper 3ft by 5ft, wave it high, show your colors, all aboard the SS TMR rock and roll flag. This thing will give the jolly roger a run for it’s money. And if that weren’t enough…there’s a contest involved. Once they’ve received their flags, Vault members are encouraged to submit photos of the flag in different, unique states of display. The “best” photo, as arbitrarily decided by a team of Third Man’s finest indentured servants, will receive test pressings of both the 7” and 12” discs from the Vault 21 package. You can’t beat that with a stick.
ROLLING STONE VIDEO PREMIERE FOR “YOU’VE GOT NOTHING TO LOSE” NOW LIVE AT http://rol.st/1gA9oD4
Michael Kiwanuka
Third Man Records is delighted to present Michael Kiwanuka’s contribution to the TMR Blue Series of releases.
Kiwanuka, a 25 year-old UK native of Ugandan heritage, was raised in north London where he split his time between session work and local gigs. Along the way, having found footing as a solo artist, he was signed to Communion Records, then Polydor, and has since performed throughout Europe and North America too-touring in direct support of Adele. He made his way through Nashville this past summer with just enough pause and aplomb to commit these morsels to tape. The A-side “You’ve Got Nothing to Lose” is an original composition, featuring The Buzzards’ Dominic Davis on upright bass and Cory Younts on piano, joined also by fellow balladeer Lillie Mae Rische on fiddle. Their contributions transform his work into a stone-cold groove with almost orchestral underpinnings, making it a fitting extension of their previous Blue Series.
Produced by Jack White, the single also features a chilling rendition of Townes Van Zandt’s infamous “Waitin’ ‘Round to Die” on the B-side, the perfect compliment to the timbre and mood of the A-side.
A-SIDE You’ve Got Nothing to Lose
Michael Kiwanuka: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Lillie Mae Rische: Acoustic Guitar, Fiddle
Cory Younts: Piano
Dominic Davis: Upright Bass
Jeremy Lutito: Drums
B-SIDE Waitin’ ‘Round to Die
Originally by Townes Van Zandt
Silver Dollar Music, Inc. (ASCAP)
Michael Kiwanuka: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Lillie Mae Rische: Acoustic Guitar, Fiddle
Cory Younts: Wurlitzer, Piano
Dominic Davis: Upright Bass
Mickey Grimm: Drums
Coinciding with the single’s release is Rolling Stone‘s exclusive premiere for the visually striking and truly compelling video for “You’ve Got Nothing To Lose”, now live at http://rol.st/1gA9oD4. Directed by Nashville-based critic and director/curator for Third Man Records’ Light & Sound Machine film series James Cathcart, the video is a powerful reflection on acceptance and misconception; the story unfolds as a woman gets ready to attend her young son’s birthday party. Cathcart explains his concept for the video: “Michael’s song has this air about it – of a father figure imparting wisdom. So I looked for an unexpected context to apply that to. It’s about misleading perceptions – not just in terms of the character’s gender, but also from what we expect of the people she encounters. Acceptance comes from a camo-clad country boy, while it’s the presumably enlightened young person that harasses her on the bus… we were able to strike just the right tone: sweetness tainted by melancholy…or perhaps it’s the other way around? We’ve all had bittersweet birthdays.”
“The purest, most soul-nourishing album you”ll hear this year”–BUST
“a striking collection in the old-time country mode”–WALL STREET JOURNAL
Following their buzz-worthy ROLLINGSTONE.COMalbum teaser premiere and ROOKIE.COM debut of “Single Girl, Married Girl” (a cover of the Carter Family Classic), The Haden Triplets have partnered with Elle.com to unveil their second single “Slowly”.
Originally recorded by influential honky tonk singer Webb Pierce and written together with Tommy Hill, “Slowly” features the Hadens” intoxicating and chill-inducing harmonies and hip-swaying rhythms, as well as an undeniably infectious chorus. Head on over to ELLE.COM and listen now!
The Haden Triplets” self-titled debut was produced by American music legend Ry Cooder (who you can also hear playing guitar and lending an occasional backup best online casino vocal). See below for track listing, and be sure to grab your vinyl or CD pre-order at http://thirdmanstore.com/the-haden-triplets.
Tracklist:
1. Slowly
2. Single Girl, Married Girl 3. Voice from On High 4. Memories of Mother and Dad 5. Raining Raining
6. Making Believe
7. When I Stop Dreaming
8. My Baby”s Gone
9. Billy Bee
10. Tiny Broken Heart
11. Lonesome Night
12. Will You Miss Me When I”m Gone?
13. Oh Take Me Back
To cap off what will be a busy month for the sisters, Tanya, Petra and Rachel will be making an appearance with Ry Cooder on Conan February 27th. Additionally, they will be playing in Chicago and Los Angeles, as well as a special album release day performance at New York”s Lincoln Center. See below for tour dates, and stay tuned for more shows to be announced.
Feb 01 – Chicago, IL – Old Town School of Folk Music
Feb 02 – Chicago, IL – Old Town School of Folk Music
Feb 04 – New York, NY – David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center
Feb 28 – Los Angeles, CA – Bootleg Theater
Our first Blue Series single of the year is a dark and delirious slice of new American Primitive from the modern master of the form, Frank Fairfield.
For the uninitiated, Frank is a Fresno California native (and now Los Angeles resident) and a genius on the fiddle, guitar, banjo who possesses a broken soulful voice that perfectly reflects the tragedy and damnation of the subject matter reflected in the timeless American music that he’s made his stock and trade through his albums on Tompkins Square, and through countless tours from coast to coast.
On side A, Frank delivers his unique take on the traditional murder ballad “Duncan & Brady,” (available for your listening pleasure here) which details a barroom shooting of police officer James Brady in St. Louis back in 1890. The song has been interpreted a number of times over the years from a wide range of luminaries, including Leadbelly, Bob Dylan, Dave Van Ronk and Judy Henske. The B side finds Frank switching up from the guitar to the fiddle and being accompanied by Zac Sokolow also on fiddle performing “Devil’s Dream Medley.” “Devil’s Dream Medley” blends the duo fiddles with vocal elements from the song “June Apple,” popularized by Wade Ward and Doc Watson.
Frank Fairfield’s Blue Series will be released on 7″ vinyl and iTunes on January 21st and will be everywhere fine independent records are sold. It is available for pre-order or distro now.
Lastly, overseas fans can check out Frank’s current tour dates below including UK and Spain with Cass McCombs!
08/01/14 Bristol, UK Colston Hall w/ Cass McCombs
09/01/14 Glasgow, UK CCA w/ Cass McCombs
10/01/14 Manchester, UK Deaf Institute w/ Cass McCombs
11/01/14 Leeds, UK Howard Assembly Room
13/01/14 London, UK Queen Elizabeth Hall w/ Cass McCombs
14/01/14 Cardiff, UK Gwidihw
16/01/14 Kilkenny, IE Cleere’s
17/01/14 Dundalk, IE Spirit Store
18/01/14 Dublin, IE The Grand Social
20/01/14 Madrid, ES Teatro Lara w/ Cass McCombs
21/01/14 Cadiz, ES Edifico Constitucion 1812 w/ Cass McCombs
23/01/14 Barcelona, ES Sala Apolo w/ Cass McCombs
24/01/14 Marseille, FR Data
25/01/14 Vendome, FR Chapelle St Jacques
26/01/14 St Ouen, FR Mains d’Oeuvres
27/01/14 Nancy, FR Off Kultur
28/01/14 Rennes, FR Mondo Bizarro
January 14 will see the digital release of The Dead Weather’s two brand new studio recordings, “Open Up (That’s Enough)” and “Rough Detective.” Previously available exclusively through Third Man Records’ subscription-only Vault series as a limited edition yellow jacket colored vinyl 7″ in a custom glue-pocket picture sleeve, these roaring new tracks will be available to the general public digitally via iTunes and all other digital retailers.
In a unique long-term strategy, “Open Up (That’s Enough)” and “Rough Detective” are the first of a series of two-song sets The Dead Weather will be releasing up until 2015, at which time the singles–plus numerous other album-only tracks–will be collected into a full album. The songs will be released digitally, but not until TMR Vault packages containing the physical singles have been dispatched to subscribers.
More importantly, the “Open Up (That’s Enough)” / “Rough Detective” single is unlike anything else The Dead Weather has ever done before, while both songs serve as ample reminders of the ferocity of this motley collection of low-lifes, grifters and ne’er-do-wells.
Do you like the White Stripes? Do you like experiments? Do you like the Vault? Do you like combining all three? We do.
For our 19th installment of the Vault, we’re doing something we’ve never done before. Something that Vault members have been clamoring for…the exclusive, limited, colored vinyl edition of a record.
As you probably know, TMR tries to release a limited version of every record we do. That limited edition is usually available only at certain locations or stores, while the black vinyl version is kept in print forever.
This package will consist of limited colored vinyl pressings of all of the White Stripes singles from their album Elephant.
These include…
“Seven Nation Army”
“I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself”
“The Hardest Button to Button”
“There’s No Home For You Here”
The b-sides consist of covers of some of Detroit’s most pre-eminent artists in 2003…
“Good to Me” written by Brendan Benson and Jason Falkner and originally released on Benson’s 2002 album Lapalco.
“Who’s to Say…” written by Dan Miller and released by his outfit Blanche in 2003 on their album If We Can’t Trust the Doctors…
“St. Ides of March” written by the Soledad Brothers and released on their self-titled album of 2000.
As well as a White Stripes live medley of “I Fought Piranhas / Let’s Build a Home” recorded at the legendary Electric Lady Studios in New York.
Each of these tracks has been remastered from the original analog sources, and in the case of “…March” and “Piranhas” where there were no analog masters, we used only the finest digital files that could withstand sitting unused on a hard drive for over ten years.
The artwork on all the singles has been tidied up, spell-checked and given that special Third Man “je ne sais quoi”
“There’s No Home For You Here”, which was originally coupled with a generic company sleeve, now has stunning new artwork. It looks electrifying!
And these sleeves FEEL amazing. Employing a process called (we’re not making this up) “soft touch aqueous coating” each of these glue-pocket sleeves feels like a hybrid between rubber and lambskin. It’s difficult to describe, but immediately noticeable and amazing in person.
Each record will be pressed on clear vinyl with with an added vinyl highlight color insertion of either red, black or white. For “There’s No Home…” all three of those colors will be added to clear vinyl, to make something truly exciting.
All of this will be housed in a custom-made telescoping box, so that these singles can forever live together with distinction in your record collection.
Later in 2014 each of the singles will be available individually, on black vinyl, with no box, to the general public.
Hot off the presses at United, Third Man Records’ next trio of Sun Records reissues is ready to make its way onto your turntable. This is the second installment of their ongoing partnership with Sun (the first (http://thirdmanrecords.com/news/view/sun-records-reissue-series), including The Prisonaires, Johnny Cash, and Rufus Thomas), with each release remaining faithful to its original issue. We’ve replicated the classic logo and label design and coupled it with a custom sleeve that employs the rooster that Sun founder Sam Phillips regretted losing when the label stopped pressing 78’s and moved exclusively to 45’s. One of the first releases to be pressed as a 45 by Sun during this transition is the first 7″ included in this set, D.A. Hunt’s “Lonesome Old Jail” b/w “Greyhound Blues.”
Daniel Augusta Hunt, better known as Junior Hunt, was born in Munford, AL in 1929. On or around March 11th, 1953, Hunt recorded these two songs at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis and they were released in June of that year. For over 50 years, these songs were believed to only exist in 78 rpm form, until a copy pressed as a 45 rpm 7″ single turned up in Minnesota. This only known copy was sold on eBay in 2010 for $10,323. This marks the first legitimate release of Hunt’s material on a 7″ record, and both songs are outstanding examples of the heartbreaking, desolate nature of the solo bluesman accompanying himself on guitar and borrow heavily from the template set by Lightnin’ Hopkins. Hunt was arrested in Memphis in 1958 for stealing a saxophone and died in May 1962 in Phoenix, AZ.
Most likely recorded in June of 1956, “Rockhouse” is a prime example of quintessential, undiluted rockabilly. While Roy and the Teen Kings’ stint with Sun would be brief, the sheer power unleashed on these tracks is palpable. Most folks are only familiar with Orbison’s perfected pop orchestrations recorded for Monument Records in the ’60s, but his roots were firmly planted in the dusty West Texas sound, were influenced heavily by Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley, and remain equally important as the work of both.
Like the Golden Gate Bridge, hot dogs, Wrigley Field, Converse All-Stars, and Jack Daniels, “Great Balls of Fire” is of the uppermost echelon of cultural exports America has ever produced. If you don’t already know this, it’s okay…you can buy this single now and no one will be the wiser.The Killer at his finest.
