This Weeks Pick Ups

Feist- "Metals"- Cherrytree Records/Interscope Records- Green Marble Urban Outfitters Edition/???
As tall as lions- "Into The Flood"- Triple Crown Records- White/1000
Alkaline Trio- "Crimson" 2xLP- Vagrant Records- Grey Marble/100 (2nd American Press, Technically 3rd press)
Circa Survive- "Blue Sky Noise"- Atlantic Records- Clear Blue/3000+???

Manufacturing a Record

I found this video via Stuck In The Past blog. It documents the pressing process of Mouthpieces "Cant Kill Whats Inside". Was never a big Mouthpiece fan but I highlight this because it hits close to home for me since my occupation/career is similar to some parts of this video. I know too much about the Printing & Folding Section as well as the Assembly & packaging section and I'm sure a lot of people are probably really curious as to what goes into pressing a vinyl LP.

I wish they weren't pressing black and there was a little more about how whacky mix and marble colors are made.

Bear Vs. Shark

This is my Bear Vs. Shark "collection". A very short lived band loved by some but not many. Sort of shoved off to the side in obscurity. I personally enjoy them a lot. Put on a really good live show.

Bear Vs. Shark- Terror Hawk- Friction/Equal Vision Records- red/yellow/500
Bear Vs. Shark- Right Now You're In the Best of Hands...- Friction/EVR- green/clear/250
Bear Vs. Shark- Terror Hawk Picture disc- Friction/EVR- 2nd press of 200

This is the back of the 2nd press. Fronts of both presses were the same but the backs were different.

If you feel you missed out, there is a 2nd press available from Friction Records for "right now youre in the best of hands" as well some first and only press copies left of "Terror Hawk". Go greb them while you can!

Record Store Day 2012 Pick Ups

Record Store Day 2012 was my first ever Record Store Day participation. I am waiting the day where I can stop talking about it but yet again, since I have gotten a record player again I can now take part in fun things such as RSD. As where before, it was something I didn't feel appealed to me at the time.

So this year I went out and made a day of it. I hit numerous shops in my city of Providence Rhode Island(Olympic Records, Armageddon, Newbuy Comics Providence & Newbury Comics Warwick) as well as a shop in New London, CT called Telegraph which I have talked about recently. I spent a good 7 hours of the day traveling, shopping, seeing many different friends. The weather was awesome, I had a really good time!

Although I am sure it differs from person to person, RSD wasn't all that crazy for me. There were only 2 records that I was looking for and sadly, I found them both at a Newbury Comics and not at a small self owned record shop which I was looking to support rather than a corporation. Which isn't that the whole point of RSD to begin with!?


Here are my pickups for Record Store Day 2012:

Moving Mountains- Foreword- Topshelf Records- black/200/RSD exclusive(1000 pressed total, 3 variants)
Matt Pond PA- The Nature Of Maps- Polyvinyl Records- 180 gram black/1000
Matt Pond PA- Several Arrows Later- Polyvinyl Records- 180 gram black/1000 (2nd press RSD exclusive)
Kind Of Like Spitting- Old Moon In The Arms Of The New- Jealous Butcher Records- 180-gram opaque yellow vinyl/500

Matt Pond Sever Arrows was found at Newburys in Warwick, RI. Moving Mountains was found at Neburys in Providence, RI and both are a part of the RSD event. As far as the other two, They are not apart of RSD and just ordinary record purchases. Matt Pond Nature of Maps was an impulse buy, I saw it in the $10 bin at Telegraph and I just couldn't resist! The Kind Of Like Spitting LP I am SO pleased to have found. I saw it and my face lit up. Super stoked on that find! Also found at Telegraph.

The Appleseed Cast Collection.

My Appleseed Cast collection has been done for some time. Figured I'd post it! All releases are first press and not for sale!

From top going right:
1. The Appleseed Cast- Sagarmatha 2xLP- Militia Group/Graveface- Magenta purple splatter/1000,124/250 (first 250 ordered were hand numbered)
2. The Appleseed Cast- Middle States- Graveface Records- milky clear aqua blue/1000
3. The Appleseed Cast- Two Conversations- Graveface Records- "transparent monster electric"/1000, 420/500 (first 500 ordered are hand numbered)
4. The Appleseed Cast- Peregrine- Militia Group/Graveface- Black Vinyl/1000
5. The Appleseed Cast- Low Level Owl Vol I & II 3xLP 2nd Press- Deep Elm/Graveface- Blue/Green/Brown/1000
6. The Appleseed Cast- Low Level Owl Vol I & II 3xLP 1st Press- Deep Elm/Gilead Media- Black vinyl/1000
7. The Appleseed Cast- End Of The Ring Wars 2xLP- Deep Elm/Goodcore- Gold/1000
8. The Appleseed Cast- Mare Vitalis 2xLP- Deep Elm/Graveface- Blue/White-Black/Gold Streaks- 1000

Lets talk about some of these records!

Looking up information to refresh my memory on some of these LPs I discovered that both "Mare Vitalis" and "Sagarmatha" have both been pressed before BUT they were pressed on a European label by the name of Green Hell Records. The current 2 pictured are of the American Press on Graveface records and to my knowledge a few moments ago were the only versions ever pressed. I guess not! Due to information found on Dead Format the euro Green Hell/Deep Elm version of "Mare Vitalis" was pressed as a single LP on black vinyl ltd to 1000 with different art work. I have no info on "Sagarmatha" other than it is a 2xLP and appears that it may have been released with the original CD artwork unlike the completely re-designed Graveface version.

If you were curious to what the LPs for the American version of "Mare Vitalis" here is a picture I found on Dead Format: (the black LP just looks black in my photo, I wanted to showcase what it actually looks like)


Although they may look exactly the same ruling out the fact that one is on black vinyl and the other is tri-color, here are the other differences between the 1st and 2nd press of "Low Level Owl Vol I & II. In the event you do not know, aren't sure due to whatever variable reason or are being lied to by someone selling a copy on ebay, forum, etc.


I have recently thought about maybe selling my 2nd press but when I took it out to take the collection photo I immediately said "no way" simply due to how awesome of a blue the first LP is.

There is a third version out there as well. Pressed on Silver vinyl and limited to 1000, only 500 copies in distribution and the first 250 purchased through Graveface were hand numbered. In a way only 250 went to distro. Graveface keeping 250 to number/250 un-numbered being sent out. The other remaining copies I assume went to The Appleseed Cast to sell on tour since this 3rd press was released to promote the band playing both albums back to back over 38 shows between February and April 2010.

This 3rd press version features different center labels from the 1st and 2nd press(which both have the same center labels) as well as "The Appleseed Cast Low Level Owl Vol. I & II" printed in silver ink on the cover rather than the 1st and 2nd press versions that are printed in light blue.

The Casket Lottery Collection.

So after many years in total, including an 8 year break, in 2012 I've finally completed my Casket Lottery Collection. I am pretty sure I have everything. All first press and besides whacky 7 inch pressing numbers, rarest color.



From top going right
1. The Casket Lottery/Small Brown Bike 10"- Second Nature- Clear/500
2. The Casket Lottery- Possiblies And Maybes Double LP- Second Nature/Status- White/495
3. The Casket Lottery- Survival Is For Cowards- Second Nature- Light Orange/100
4. The Casket Lottery- Choose Bronze- Second Nature- White/110
5. The Casket Lottery- Moving Mountains- Second Natue- Clear/white swirl/100
6. The Casket Lottery- Smoke And Mirrors- Second Nature- Clear/picture disc/520
7. The Casket Lottery/Reflector 7"- Undecided Records- black/
8. The Casket Lottery/Reflector 7"- unknown- black/50 (Casket Lottery/Reflector "tour" version)
9. The Casket Lottery- Lost At Sea 7"- status- brown/white marble/250
10. The Casket Lottery/Hot Water Music 7"- Second Nature- Pink/253
11. The Casket Lottery/Waxwing 7"- Second Nature- Purple/211 (numbered #1369, no idea to the significance of the numbering. Ive seen copies un-numbered but have seen another purple copy with numbering. Myabe its just the purples? I asked Dan Second Nature if he knew of any tour/show versions and he himself could not remember or did not know)

Now that The Casket Lottery are a band again, I will now have to add another LP and 7" when those are released!

(None of this is for sale!)

The Telegraph

The Telegraph is a record store in New London, CT. Now if you are familiar with New London at all, I know you're probably saying "what? theres a record store there?". Trust me, I said the same thing, but yes, there is! New London to me has always been that sketchy port city an hour away from my home that I would drive to and go see sketchy hardcore shows at the sketchy venue called the El-N-Gee. It has always been that and nothing more. Time changes things, everything. After many years the El-N-Gee shut down and stopped hosting shows. To later re-open as a dance club that tried to reclaim some old fame and book hardcore shows once more. However the scene had changed. People and bands changed and it was a change for the worse. Didn't quite pan out. I attended a few of those shows while it was a dance club but nothing spectacular and it closed yet again. To then AGAIN re-open as El-N-Gee. I have no idea what goes on there now.

With new friends that I have made, I have come hip to this new place. From my understanding they have been there for the better part of a year or more. I have had the pleasure to visit once already and plan to visit more every few months or so. Very good atmosphere, nicely done and set up, great stock of all kinds of records new and old. Lost of stuff up my alley. Most of all, good people.

This picture is something they posted about 5 hours ago and to me it is extremely amazing. To me it captures someones dream come alive. The Before is an idea, an attempt, a blank canvas in which to make whatever you want possible. The after being just that. A barren shell. A white wasteland of boring and dull. Turned into something bright, full of life and sound. In argument something a record store should essentially be. I think the store came out excellent. Hard work and creativity can pay off!

From what I was told, even though I cannot speak for the owner(s) operator(s) of The Telegraph, I believe that they are trying to offer more to that "sketchy port city" and offer some sense of a community. Running a business is tough and in my opinion I think New London would be a hard place to do it but if things are happening, people are showing up, local businesses communicates with local businesses, things can take off. It seems to be working for the most part. Nothing too crazy but the beginning is just happening now. I'm sure there is only better things to come.

I wish the Telegraph many years of business, experiences and accomplishments to be conquered. I look forward to popping in again soon!

facebook.com/TelegraphNL