trying to look like you don’t try…

…we are working our way towards the summer heat here at the ol’ assembly lab!

ARTISTS: several bands are really pushing themselves in studio spaces across the mid-atlantic, with the snowy owls, white laces, rugby, & TLVS are working on new albums that should be surfacing in the waning months of this year. goodwill falcon has pretty much rethought their approach to sound, both for live performance & recorded work. look for carter & dan to bring a completely synthesized rig to upcoming shows, as they have cut guitars out completely!

DISTRO: we have been collecting various recordings from friends for a while now & have finally constructed a distribution system for these records on our site. Simply click on “HSAL DISTRO” in the menu on the right hand side of this page & be swept away to non-HSAL releases that we still consider extended family.

SHOWS: HSAL is working with some local (read: downtown lynchburg) establishments to set up a weekend of HSAL approved shows this fall! as we approach the fall semester, most details should materialize. In the meantime, be sure to get out to a performance of “macbeth” out at sweetbriar college next month. virgineola‘s most recent incarnation, featuring members of TLVS & the maplewaves, will be helping turn one of the campus’ well known dells into the estate of early 19th century up-&-coming land owners .

HSAL #21 (12″ Comp)

HSAL #21: various artists, HSAL compilation #3 12″ LP $8 (+ shpng)

this is HSAL’s third mid-atlantic based compilation & our first one to take shape in a physical form. the goal of these compilations (HSAL #08, #12, & now #21) is to pair our stable of artists with great sounds from regional based like-minded acts. our reasoning behind a physical release on this comp is simple – we wanted to help good bands fill merch tables with great sounds. while we can’t sign every great band we hear, we can offer this small token of our appreciation for their work.

brand new jams from oulipo, the snowy owls, goodwill falcon, TLVS, & white laces…great sounds from the diamond center, borrowed beams of light, top girls, rugby, matt northrup, maxfield alan háag, & nelly kate!

AVAILABILITY: two-tone marbled vinyl + digital download, run of 300
ARTWORK: courtesy of matthew klimas
PURCHASE: hardingstreet.bandcamp.com

you’d see further if you’d only close your eyes.

we are super jazzed to finally have these together! as soon as the ink dries on the front cover art for the rest of HSAL #16, we will be shipping all pre-orders. we will be throwing some extras in each package as a way of saying thanks for the obscene amount of patience we have required of you.

up next on the HSAL docket (in case you hadn’t heard) is the debut release from a long time friend of the lab, herizon. oh, & our next compilation, HSAL #21, which should be arriving from the presses soon. oh, & we are working on an “event” for the fall semester that should include most every HSAL artist as well as a dozen or so additional hand-picked acts…STAY TUNED!

HSAL #19 (Split 10″ #3)

HSAL #19: asentimentalsong / guilty ghosts split 10″ EP $15 PPD

*this is the third of our split 10″ series. the idea is to feature one of our own on the A side, with a friend of the label holding down the B side.*

the simplicity & openness of minimal music has always been near & dear to the heart of the assembly lab & this release allows for that affection to make itself known. j morgan’s (of TLVS) first released outing as “asentimentalsong” is a single fifteen minute composition that flirts with tension will riding down streams of swelling guitar layers. the b side, courtesy of brooklyn’s guilty ghosts, is comprised of three guitar pieces that rely less on rhythm & more on anticipation. these songs were dreamt up by tristan o’donnell during the tracking of his most recent “veils” LP.

AVAILABILITY: marbled burgundy vinyl + digital download, limited run of 100
ARTWORK: jacket courtesy of HSAL, insert courtesy of the artists
PURCHASE: hardingstreet.bandcamp.com

HSAL #17 (Split 10″ #2)

HSAL #17: white laces / the snowy owls split 10″ EP $15 PPD

*this is the second of our split 10″ series. the idea is to feature one of our own on the A side, with a friend of the label holding down the B side.*

this RVA centric release showcases some of the finest tunes from the current live set of white laces. the lead single, “hands in mexico”, was leaked online & taken to by just about every hip east coast blog. the rest of the A side leans towards new potential for the four piece. capital city up & comers the snowy owls turn in their own super hot single (“could”, featuring a killer boy/girl call & response chorus), as well as three other scorchers from their live set, which has been earning the group great shows around the mid-atlantic for nearly a year.

AVAILABILITY: marbled brown vinyl + digital download, limited run of 100
ARTWORK: jacket courtesy of HSAL, insert courtesy of the artists
PURCHASE: hardingstreet.bandcamp.com

HSAL #16 (Split 10″ #1)

HSAL #16: TLVS / long division split 10″ EP $15 PPD

*this is the first of our split 10″ series. the idea is to feature one of our own on the A side, with a friend of the label holding down the B side.*

the late virginia summers (TLVS) present one of their most impressive (as well one of their oldest) moments with the drone of “heather majestic purple”, then finish the offering with a recent creation (“matisse”) penned specifically for this EP. norfolk’s long division hand in a couple of pieces written during the creation of their self-released “calm before”. “transmogrifier” is loaded with memorable hooks & passages, while “tragic colors” is a darker trail, replete with perfectly placed layers of feedback & wash. this b side also features the final sessions of long division in their “classic” lineup.

AVAILABILITY: marbled teal vinyl + digital download, limited run of 100
ARTWORK: jacket & insert courtesy of HSAL
PURCHASE: hardingstreet.bandcamp.com

you’ll taste it in time.

ARTIST NEWS:

- White Laces: our RVA darlings are SUPER busy these days. they skipped SXSW in lieu of working out ideas for their upcoming full-length. they have been accepted to this year’s MACRoCk festival (04/06 & 07, harrisonburg va) & will be playing with the likes of creepoid, lower dens, & big troubles! they are currently playing shows in support of HSAL #17 & a recently released split 7″ with arches (worthless junk).

- Goodwill Falcon: in addition to a new track on the upcoming HSAL 12″ compilation & their recently released split CD single with rugby, the falcon are flying high with a new CDEP out through closing scene. this collection offers up the first recordings with the current lineup & features live favorites like “the comforter” & “before you yell”.

- TLVS: they made it back from SXSW in one piece! they will be playing out this spring in support of HSAL #16, which should be shipping out from the lab in the final days of march. joe & nathan are continuing to work out new ideas, building off of “eid mar”, which will appear on the upcoming 12″ comp. their self-imposed goal is to have a new record done by summer’s end.

- Virgineola: stripped down to a four piece (with the occasional guest), virgineola are actively working out sound ideas for their role in this summer’s re-telling of shakespeare’s macbeth. a recent performance to support endstation theatre’s upcoming season proved to be a successful test run for the new line up, as reverb drench banjo, electric drones, simple synth driven low-end, & brushed percussion echoed through sold out auditorium. highlights from their 2010 run with “hamlet” can still be downloaded for free here.

- asentimentalsong: j morgan is looking to play some shows this spring in support of his split 10″ with brooklyn’s guilty ghosts (HSAL #19). morgan’s other drone offering, parties, has a few copies of their “monster mash” cassette (courtesy of drone life) left over from their west coast tour that they would love for you to check out.

it’s still dark when i wake up.

as the new year begins, we’re way too busy with day jobs & with getting records together for all of you. here’s a quick update on what’s shakin’ round these parts:

GOODWILL FALCON / RUGBY SPLIT SINGLE:
- you can stream it & buy it here
- this is ridiculous

HSAL #17 & #19
- coming back from the presses now

HSAL #16
- waiting for test presses now

UPCOMING HSAL COMPILATION 12″
- we’re curating a collection of jams from many HSAL artists & friends.
- this comp will be in the same tradition as HSAL #08 & HSAL #12, but will be released on vinyl as well!

did you say you felt that?

…some new virgineola material has begun to surface as the winds begin to blow cold. while these “source” tracks are tracked by nathan alone, he is working with a new core of musicians to flesh out these ideas after the first of the year. we look forward to more & more sounds being unleased from the virgineola camp as the summer & their work with endstation theatre‘s performance of “macbeth” draws near.

…we are in the home stretch for all the tracking & mixing of the maplewaves‘ debut album! 10 songs of lonely autumn strolls with only lost love to stir the soul (ok, there’s a few snappy ones thrown in for good measure). rumor has the band doing something pretty unique for the release. look for those tunes to be out & about around valentine’s day. in similar news, we are starting to receive inquiries from different groups interested in working with harding street in a tracking & mixing capacity. we are pretty booked up through january, but are always interested in interesting things (NOTE: it would help if what you’re doing sonically plays nice with records we have been involved with). hit us up with ideas you may have – our email is hardingstreet@gmail.com.

…test presses for HSAL #17 & HSAL #19 are currently on their way to the lab! we can not wait to get these records released, as we are quite sure they’re some of the best sounds we’ve been involved with yet.

…finally, joe morgan (TLVS, asentimentalsong) will be out on the west coast for a few weeks in january touring with “parties“. after laying down nearly 4 HOURS (!!!) of material, joe, along with pd wilder & andrew weathers
have mixed down the highlights to create a handful of slow burners. you can stream a couple of jams here & gear up for “monster mash” (their debut cassette), which will be available beginning with the aforementioned west coast dates.

is that your name or a doctor’s eye chart?

…it’s been what the kids would refer to as a “hott minute” since our last update. we’ve just been too busy getting things done ’round here! here’s a list of the things that are happening in the world of the harding street assembly lab:

- we’re STILL waiting on the shipment of HSAL #16 (split 10″ b/t TLVS & long division). the folks that are making the records for us are working to get these EP’s in our hands by the time our rescheduled release show takes place down in norfolk on the 15th. the day that we receive the copies, we plan to ship out all of our pre-orders (THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE!!!)

- white laces are in the midst of a brief hiatus. with a 1/4 of the band currently trekking europe, the remainder are working on writing the band’s first full length album. plans for the group to, err, regroup in late october will coincide with rehearsal for more shows throughout the fall & winter, the first of which will be in NYC on 10th of november.

- herizon has finished tracking a rather dark, yet engaging collection of songs that we hope to release in the winter. a few songs from previous releases have been reworked (“cave drums”, “home again”) in an effort to sonically marry up to newer tracks (“tied to me” has become a classic here at the HSAL offices!). plans are still being worked through on the format of the release, but, rest assured, it will be one of HSAL’s finer moments!

- HSAL #17 (split 10″ b/t white laces & the snowy owls) has been turned in! 3 KILLER jams from white laces (including what was initially planned as the “hands in mexico” single) on the A side will be paired with 4 as of yet unreleased tunes from richmond newest fuzz merchants. the lead track, “could” features BGV’s from members of fellow RVA luminaries adah. HSAL #17 will be sent off to press this week & we are hoping for an early december release.

- HSAL #19 (split 10″ b/t asentimentalsong & brooklyn’s guilty ghosts) is also finally ready for press. this features a single 15 minute drone from j. morgan on the a side, with 3 slow burners (recorded in a single take) from one of NYC’s finest holding down the reverse side. our goal is to have this one off to press & back in time for a holiday release date. if you have ever heard either of these artists, you know to expect a headphone record extraordinaire! we are super jazzed to share this one with you all!

- TLVS is currently working on material for a follow-up to 2010′s “porcelain“. they have been demoing new jams, as well as fleshing them out on stage. one such jam is “eid mar”, which the two piece recently posted online here.