News

Music is a mass-produced commodity designed to be consumed by the greatest number of citizens with generally undiscerning tastes and disposable income. This is what's developed over the past century, and at this point, it's culturally set in stone for at least the next couple of generations no matter how we thrash anarchically against it. But we try. And face it, we do have a choice in what particular rock and roll single, slab o' noise or benign holiday-themed recording we decide to spend our... (read more)

P.G. Six are hitting the road - finally! Despite the lateness of the dates (eight months after the release - a virtual lifetime in our timeless virtual contemporary ilifestyle!), this IS the Starry Mind North America tour - as hoped for and who knows, promised even! As is the way with the gentle but insistent force of P.G. and Co., it starts slow, with one show in March, two in April and then a slew (which in this case is less than a dozen... (read more)

Ty Segall and Jesus and Mary Chain that is! Christ (and Joseph Gang), what do you think we do around here? We're a record label, so when one of our young wards lands a gig with one of our anti-heroes from back in the day (I think it was yesterday), we're the first to tell you so!! And now it can be told, a mere day-plus before the gig: Ty Segall will be down at Denton's North Texas Fairgrounds on Wednesday night, March 14th at... (read more)

You know, not every work of art frames up exactly 12" x 12", but those be the die-men-she-own-ays for a record cover, kids! So we of the industry fearlessly take beauty and find its essential detail, finding within the art another form of art, that which is called "album art." But fear not "actual art" lovers! The deep-down-under gang known as Dirty Three is here to increase your galleric intake. Turns out that Australians actually appreciate the work of art outside of its function in... (read more)

Urstan! This toast celebrating the birth of a new child is specific to the Isle of Lewis, Scotland, which makes it a fitting title as well for the new album of Gaelic songs both new and old from Mairi Morrison & Alasdair Roberts. It's set for release on March 27th, at which point we intend to paint the world Gaelic! This is a new-old tongue for most people - so far removed from today that it seems ancient. Which it is - but... (read more)

Sandy Bull glided from raga to classical and back through the acid rock swamp in his all too short days as a master slinger of guitar and guitar-like instruments; his four records for Vanguard are blueprints for anyone working on a freaky guitar sound and a dream, passing through modal drone territories with guitar, oud, and banjo that predate the gen-pop of modern rockers' fascination with eastern sounds by many years. His followers in the day were as big as The Beatles and Hunter S.... (read more)

What have we? Dope Body! The lovely brothers of Baltimore have erected a fresh slab of sound fit for releasin' on May 22nd. They call it, Natural History. 'Tis the Drag City debut for these fellows, sure to give hope to all bodies world-wide, both natural and enhanced. But you've heard about this already, right? You point your ear towards the ground with your head on the rails; otherwise, you wouldn't be reading this (you sick fuck). Dope Body are road doggies, funsters,... (read more)

It's release day here in Drag City country, and we're thinking of buying the farm - cause the positive feedback from all comers for Dirty Three, Masaki Batoh, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and Sophia Knapp is killing us! Speaking of Sophia Knapp, the girl just keeps on creating-on! Like all of us, she's wondered - would life be better living "In Paper?" It's a rhetorical question, one that can't truly be answered, but one that is nonetheless wondrously experienced by Sophia Knapp in... (read more)

YEAR OF THE EAR

Drag City is back in the shattle, 2012 - here to whip the eyes from your head to make you see! You don’t need them ol’ sightballs anyway…like us, you’re a LISTENER. And once you’ve been deprived of your ocular nerve-enders, your listen-senses will sharpen up into something quite non-believable – you know, like the smell of sound will begin to become acute within your aural sections. Who among us doesn’t dream of that? Raise your hand, if you’re... (read more)

Whoa! Howzit towards the end of February in the 2012th-leap-year-of our-lord and we haven't really done talked about Joanna Newsom none? Guess that's the life and times of a record label on the move, busy telling the world all about the whozits and whatzits of the right now- as in the right now of Sophia Knapp, Masaki Batoh, Dirty Three and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, each winners of thee February Best New Release Sweepstakes. But it's no fun galloping through the wilderness with... (read more)