crazy from the heat…

…so, we FINALLY began to see some rain in our town after several weeks without. lack of rain + some of the hottest days we’ve ever experienced in the hill city = no excuse for your friendly neighborhood record label to take a break! we have so much to do…here’s a few of the details:

- virgineola has begun it’s string of performances as part of endstation theatre’s “macbeth”! the local media has been getting behind this, the conclusion to the blue ridge summer theatre festival. here’s an article from our local arts weekly that covers the band & how they came to be involved with the theatre company & “macbeth” is particular. you can also hear some of the music that virgineola has tracked for the show in the player above:

- white laces will be releasing their new LP, a collection of songs by the name of “moves”, next month on speakertree records. we’ve heard this LP & believe it to be one of the best things to come out of our commonwealth this year! we will be carrying copies in the distro by the time fall semester gets underway!

- in case you hadn’t already heard, HSAL is buying a record shop! our local haunt, “speakertree records” is currently closed as we stake claim on it & prepare it according to our wildest dreams! our hope is to be up & running strong not too long after august 1st. the shop, located at 522 fifth st (corner of fifth & madison) in downtown lynchburg, will also serve as the HQ for our label…so expect every release, both from our label & the distro, to ALWAYS be in stock (well, until they are completely gone forever). we are also working on filling up the live performance & art opening calendar for the rest of the year, but more on that once the shop reopens.

something wicked this way comes…

for the past month or so, the newly reconstituted virgineola has been fleshing out the sounds & textures that will eventually be performed as part of the closing ceremonies to this year’s blue ridge summer theatre festival – a retelling of shakespeare’s “macbeth”. the band has taken from source material written by ringleader nathan mcglothlin & has fashioned a balance of minimal soundscapes & swooning melodies. the band is working feverishly to capture everything in the moment, demoing run-throughs & scripting out course changes from one musical passage to the next.

the shows themselves begin next month, running from july 6th through the 22nd, out at sweetbriar college. tickets, as well as a listing of the local breweries & vineyards that are sponsoring each show, are available for every performance here.

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