IN THIS ISSUE
THE HITS vol. 1 Album, artist and donation info NEW JERSEY’S YEAR IN REVIEW Favorite shows Favorite venues Top Albums of the Year What can we do to make things better in 2016? SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT Rad Cat Shop In the West Spina Records BEST PLACES TO GET CHEAP SNACKS IN NEW BRUNSWICK ART BY SHANNON KEELAN
FEATURING GULPS Rest Ashore Boosegumps Long Neck Fraternal Twin Eagle Daddy Microwave Death Led Paint Death Vacation Lung Monks Morus Alba Cachabacha The Hits vol. 1 is a digital sampler of New Jersey based independent artists, and the first compilation of music released by LFBC. All $$ donations will go towards the Reformed Church of Highland Park. Among many programs that benefit and support local youth, the incarcerated, homeless, and LGBT communities, the RCHP is a participant in The Take Ten Campaign, a project of the Interfaith Refugee Resettlement Coalition of Highland Park and New Brunswick, which has been created to help tackle the growing global refugee crisis by starting at the local level. The coalition is committed to helping newly arriving refugees during their initial transition in the United States, calling on its local community and communities throughout New Jersey to “Take Ten� refugee families from the Middle East and North Africa, and committing to resettling at least 10 families in each town. This Inter-faith coalition also calls on the U.S. government to accept 100,000 refugee families from Middle Eastern and North African conflicts.
AVAILABLE FOR DIGITAL DOWNLOAD lettersfrombummercamp.bandcamp.com/album/the-hits-vol-1
2015 IN REVIEW NAME: A Holl
NAME: Nic Lalicato
FAVORITE VENUE: In the West
FAVORITE VENUE: Nowhere USA
FAVORITE SHOW OF 2015: Vacation, Casual, Year of Glad, Glazer, GULPS
FAVORITE SHOW OF 2015: Vundabar, Professor Caveman, and Moris Alba at the Kremlin
FAVORITE BANDS DISCOVERED THIS YEAR: Glazer, Casual, Radiator Hospital, Knights Templar, Lil Postie, Gnards, Ghetto Ghouls, Petal
FAVORITE BANDS DISCOVERED THIS YEAR: Downtown Boys, Fire is Motion, Care, Florist
FAVORITE VENUE: The Candy Barrel
FAVORITE BANDS DISCOVERED THIS YEAR: Rita Fishbone, Bethlehem Steel, Rest Ashore, Queen Moo
TOP AOTY: The Most Lamentable Tragedy by TOP AOTY: GULPS Bummer Ep, Casual- self titled, Titus Andronicus Knights Templar-Not like this, Wild Rice- Sour lands, Ghetto Ghouls- Collisions Grimes- Art Angels NAME: Brian Fuzz-II Thee Oh Sees- Mutilator, Defeated At last, FAVORITE VENUE: The Candy Barrel Vacation-Non Person, Downtown Boys-Full Communism FAVORITE SHOW OF 2015: Palehound @ Nowhere USA NAME: Shawn
FAVORITE BANDS DISCOVERED THIS YEAR: Rita Fishbone TOP AOTY: asdfasdf - Katie Dey, Divers - Joanna Newsom, Fever121614 - Deerhoof NAME: James Falero FAVORITE VENUE: BoMA FAVORITE SHOW OF 2015: BoMA Halloween cover show FAVORITE BANDS DISCOVERED THIS YEAR: Furnsss TOP AOTY: Long beard, sleepwalker Vundabar, gawk Homeshake, midnight snack Have a good season, the assassination Alex g, beach music Mineral girls, cozy body Good morning, a vessel/radiovoice El americano, unfit to climb a tree Secret mountain, shift happens Furnsss, silent gold
TOP AOTY: Alex G- Beach Music, SwingsSugarwater, Palehound- Dryfood, Palm- Trading Basics, Pile- You're Better Than This, Krill- A Distant Fist Unclenching, Frankie Cosmos- Fit Me In, Dirty Dishes- Guilty, Elvis Depressedly- New Alhambra, Fern Mayo- Happy Forever NAME: Chowder FAVORITE VENUE: The Candy Barrel FAVORITE SHOW OF 2015: Sounds of Spring only because of Mal Devisa. TOP AOTY: Songs of The Summer EP - Lanlord Lance, 4U - Mal Devisa, Director - Yonatan Gat, Arthur's First - Arthur Shea, The Dolphin Tapes Larry & the Babes
2015 IN REVIEW NAME: Isa
NAME: Tracy
FAVORITE VENUE: BoMA
FAVORITE VENUE: BoMA
FAVORITE SHOW OF 2015: BoMA Halloween cover show
FAVORITE SHOW OF 2015: Carlos’s Benefit Show
FAVORITE BANDS DISCOVERED THIS YEAR: Old Maybe, The Grey Company, Cook Thugless, Rest Ashore
FAVORITE BANDS DISCOVERED THIS YEAR: cook thugless, the alligator, rest ashore professor caveman, vundabar
NAME: Nicole Gifford
NAME: Kelli
FAVORITE VENUE: The Candy Barrel
FAVORITE VENUE: “I’m biased”
FAVORITE SHOW OF 2015: Girlpool/Quarterbacks at Cooler Ranch
FAVORITE SHOW OF 2015: Outer Art Space opening night :*), Flemfest, Pile/Knights Templar/Glazer/Radiator King (In the West opening night), Ultrabunny/Think Tank/Currents/Knights Templar/Gulps at In the West
FAVORITE BANDS DISCOVERED THIS YEAR: overlake, shitbox jimmy, krispy kareem, i am an island TOP AOTY: "creases" sink tapes, "repeating" eagle daddy, "viet cong" viet cong (even tho name is problematic etc etc good record), "hyperview" title fight, "art angels" grimes, "fetty wap" fetty wap ,"goon" tobias jesso jr, "sometimes i sit and think, sometimes i just sit" courtney Barnett, "in the rug" sink tapes, "window unit blues" sink tapes
FAVORITE BANDS DISCOVERED THIS YEAR: Laika's Orbit, Lair (RIP), Sex Snobs, Yowler, Vile Creature, Howardian TOP AOTY: Sex Snobs - Pop Songs and Other Ways to Die, Long Beard - Sleepwalker ;) ;), Knights Templar - Not Like This, Pile - You're Better Than This, Microwave Death, All Dogs - Kicking Every Day, Pink Wash - Cancer Money 7"
NAME: Dale Nixon
NAME: Anastasia Lasky
FAVORITE VENUE: In the West, Cooler Ranch, Tromaville, Outer Art Space, 90 Main
FAVORITE VENUE: In the West, 90 Main, Astro Lounge, Candy Barrel
FAVORITE BANDS DISCOVERED THIS YEAR: rubrics (SC), Katherine (oh), mannequin pussy (ph), youth expire, ugly parts
FAVORITE SHOW OF 2015: Flemfest FAVORITE BANDS DISCOVERED THIS YEAR: pinegrove, long beard, fraternal twin, spowder, casual, John wayne's teeth TOP AOTY: Casual’s full length
2015 IN REVIEW NAME: shhh
NAME: Dash
FAVORITE VENUE: In the West
FAVORITE VENUE: Index Art Center
FAVORITE SHOW OF 2015: Flemfest
FAVORITE SHOW OF 2015: microwave death, knights templar, lunch cult @Christian Science Reading Room
FAVORITE BANDS DISCOVERED THIS YEAR: boys, bethlehem steel, rita fishbone, year of glad, spit take, secretary legs NAME: Amrou Ibrahim FAVORITE VENUE: the Candy Barrel FAVORITE SHOW OF 2015: Long Beard/Bethlehem Steel/Fern Mayo/Rita Fishbone FAVORITE BANDS DISCOVERED THIS YEAR: Eagle Daddy, Professor Caveman, Long Beard, Fraternal Twin, Morus Alba, Secret Mountain, Ghost Camp, Ex Wife, California X, Dollys, Screaming Females, Perennial Reel TOP AOTY: Long Beard: Sleepwalker, Eagle Daddy: Repeating, Professor Caveman: Vol 2, Waxahatchee: Ivy Tripp, Secret Mountain: Shift Happens, Sleater-Kinney: No Cities To Love, Hop Along: Painted Shut, Courtney Barnett: Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit, Forth Wanderers, Tough Love, Foxing: Dealer NAME: big red FAVORITE VENUE: the Candy Barrel TOP AOTY: oddisee- the good fight, long beardsleepwalker, monobody- monobody, perennial reelribbon (lol jk i wish), earl sweatshirt- i don't like shit, i don't go outside, palm- palm, professor cavemanprof. caveman vol. 2 (december '14 but fugg it)
FAVORITE BANDS DISCOVERED THIS YEAR: lunch cult, lair, your mystery guest, pinkwash TOP AOTY: Awkward Pop Songs by Jank, Wind by Blob, Body Complex by Heathered Pearls, Mushrooms on my Ass by D.L.I.M.C., Promo Use Only by Youth Expire, Microwave Death by Microwave Death, Slurping At the Cosmo's Spine by Dawn of Humans, Summertime '06 by Vince Staples, Vulnicura by Björk, Desert Safari Swamp by Spowder NAME: M FAVORITE VENUE: the no-longer-existent Circuit City FAVORITE BANDS DISCOVERED THIS YEAR: Perennial Reel TOP AOTY: Ibeyi - Ibeyi NAME: Luke Hendricks FAVORITE VENUE: BoMA, Asbury Lanes, In The West FAVORITE BANDS DISCOVERED THIS YEAR: prince daddy and the hyena, rita fishbone, casual TOP AOTY: we cool? - jeff rosenstock, adult summers - prince daddy and the hyena, casual – casual, why'd i have to get so high? – shellshag, momentary lapse of happily - adult mom, manhattan - jeffrey lewis
2015 IN REVIEW FAVORITE SHOW OF 2015: Not just a boys club
NAME: Liz
FAVORITE BANDS DISCOVERED THIS YEAR: facility, the brass, rubber, blotter, g.l.o.s.s., mouthbreather
FAVORITE VENUE: Asbury Lanes and In the West
NAME: Mike Haller
NAME: Andrew Gerber
FAVORITE VENUE: In the West
FAVORITE VENUE: BoMA
FAVORITE SHOW OF 2015: long beard release was cool. but vacation show was fun except i played it so im biased.
FAVORITE SHOW OF 2015: Second night of Mulberry fest with Forth Wanderers
NAME: A FAVORITE VENUE: Candy Barrel, Kremlin, BoMA FAVORITE SHOW OF 2015: BoMA Halloween cover show, Long Beard record release @ In the West, Emperor X at Circuit City, Old Maybe/Rest Ashore/I Tried to Run Away When I was Six/Stick Bug at the Kremlin FAVORITE BANDS DISCOVERED THIS YEAR: Laia’s Or bit, Beverly Tender, Hard Femme, Lilac Daze, Long Neck, Vagabon, Rita Fishbone, Rest Ashore, Stick Bug TOP AOTY: Sleepwalker by Long Beard, Skin Gets Hot by Fraternal Twin, A Lot of People Like It by Pboy, Lord Mayor Makes 1,000 Speeches by Beverly Tender, The Last Dance by Shady Hawkins, It’s so Nice & Not Avoiding You by I Tried to Run Away When I Was Six, Before the World Was Big by Girlpool, Moving Songs by Free Cake for Every Creature, by Boosegumps
FAVORITE BANDS DISCOVERED THIS YEAR: lake affect, Use Big Words, dollys, hop along, petal
FAVORITE BANDS DISCOVERED THIS YEAR: Killer Shrimp, Rest Ashore, Stick Bug, Pinegrove, Rita Fishborne, Emily Yacina, Eskimeaux, Porches., Palehound TOP AOTY: Frankie Cosmos – Fit Me In, Eskimeaux – O.K, Long Beard – Sleepwalker, Secret Mountain – Shift Happens, The Districts – A Flourish And A Spoil, Action Bronson – Mr. Wonderful, Fraternal Twin – Skin Gets Hot, Alex G – Beach Music, Earl Sweatshirt – I Don’t Like Shit I Don’t Go Outside, Courtney Barnet – Sometimes I Sit and Think and Sometimes I Just Sit
THANKS FOR SUBMITTING YOUR RESPONSES!
2015 IN REVIEW “What do you think should happen to make basement show culture better in the future?� I feel (at least in New Brunswick) that there isnt as much unity as there used to be. the houses are all divided and have their own camps. So it becomes difficult to have good turn outs for shows because there are 3 to 4 shows in one night.
Keep it DIY / I love the idea of an intimate small crowd attending lil shows
Direct more attention into finding bands with front and supporting members that are part of underrepresented minority groups in America. Hispanic, Asian, Black etc
make basements smell better 2016
there's always a lot of talk about hearing a variety of voices but it seems pretty homogeneous to me. by that I mean people with the same type of opinions and interests and the same skin color participating in the scene. of either gender. I see this as an issue of the absence of more intersectional conversation and consideration when it comes to dealing with problems that may arise. also, on a less serious but still related note, I have friends that feel like they aren't "alt" enough to go to shows even though the listen to local music. they're worried they'd be ostracized if they went. something is very wrong with that picture
destroy bro bands
eliminate bro culture that comes with the college scene, regulate the amount of people drinking/smoking to avoid cops coming through and shutting down the show
Hosts being strict with shitty people being at the show, more shows on weekdays, show houses being smart about how they run the shows.
less talking during shows. more people about da music.
More love -real connections -real attraction u no?
less dudes
Better teamwork between different houses in terms of sharing bills, helping each other out with dropped shows, help at specific shows if issues with sound/security/too much noise etc.
More surveys, suggestions, and complaints from the community
RAD CAT SHOP
Quality used, new, and vintage clothing. As well as handmade prints, patches, pins, and zines. Feel free to contact us about exact measurements, material, better photographs, or anything else. Only shipping in the US for now, sorry! email: radcatshop@gmail.com Highland Park, NJ
WEBSITE: radcat.rocks IN-PERSON PRIVATE SHOPPING ALSO AVAILABLE
IN THE WEST
In the West is a techno-functional sound space and recording studio in New Brunswick, NJ. A leader in capturing the essence of sonic truism and restoring the pride of the American sound culture. Currently featuring selectively deployed components of Analog and Digital audio technology as well as comprehensive audio network resources for a fully customized experience. Our facility includes: 2 large live rooms of differing reverberation characteristics, an introspective isolation booth for deep meditative thought and a control room. What we do here: Tracking, Mixing, Mastering, Audio Digitization, Cassette Duplication. Demos, Full Lengths, EPs, Singles, Podcasts, Theme Songs, Musical Greeting Cards. All services now feature a professional lack of judgement and full IT support! Half way between NYC and Philadelphia. Easily Accessible by train!
intheweststudio.com
SPINA RECORDS
25 EASTON AVE, NEW BRUNSWICK BETWEEN HOLE-IN-THE WALL & COOL RUNNINS VINYL RECORDS BOUGHT AND SOLD 732-543-0642
BEST PLACES TO GET CHEAP SNACKS IN NEW BRUNSWICK Cinco de Mayo o Veggie burrito: $4.50 o Vegan friendly Cool Runnin’s o Beef/chicken/veggie patties: $2 each Mamoun’s Falafel o Pita sandwiches: $3.50 Hummus/baba ganoush/falafel o Grape leaves: $2.50 o Vegan Friendly Tata’s Pizza o Slice: $2.50 o Vegan friendly PJ’s Pizza o Slice: $2.50 Truly Yogurt o Modest amount of froyo: $4-5 Krauzer’s Hole-in-the-Wall bagels
THANKS EVERYONE I LOVE YOU lettersfrombummercamppress@gmail.com