July 2000 Parasol Newsletter

Issue #32

Thank you to all whom attended the Parasol Night at Schuba's in Chicago on June 22. Though I couldn't attend due to a previously planned transfer of funds from my bank account to the branch of Disney located in Central Florida (by the way, I heartily recommend the new Buzz Lightyear ride, though you might get a different opinion from the 8-year old in front of me whom I absolutely smoked with my sharpshooting and car spinning prowess), I was assured by the Parasol folks in attendance that the club was packed and that we should spend more money on all bands involved because they put on such great performances. Thanks also to Autoliner, June & the Exit Wounds, Elizabeth Elmore and Doleful Lions for participating. As we handed out free copies of the Parasol Sweet Sixteen Volume One sampler at the show, we got to meet and socialize with some of our beloved Parasol customers. It's always refreshing to hear your feedback. Keep it coming.

SPOTLIGHT

Shalini - We Want Jelly Donuts CD
(PAR-CD-059) $10.00
Signs and bumper stickers with the acronym "WWJD" are prevalent in Shalini's North Carolina environs. What Would Jesus Do? Shalini's translation of said acronym is the title to her debut solo CD, We Want Jelly Donuts. This seems an apt analog to Shalini's breezy view of rock music. Following the late '80s regional success in the Madison, Wisconsin based Kissyfish, Shalini headed to San Francisco where she played in various bands as a side person before starting her own project dubbed Vinyl Devotion. The band name survived a move to Winston-Salem, North Carolina as the band-leader attracted new members for the 1997 Parasol CD release of Floor Model. CMJ New Music Report enthused that Vinyl Devotion "…demonstrates a pop proficiency similar to that of current bands…wowing listeners with her classic sounding vocals," and Jud Cost writing in Magnet said elements sounded "…like a clattering '90s update of the urban heartbreak always so appealing in those mid-'60s girl-group hits by the Paris Sisters and the Shangra-Las." Since the release of Floor Model Shalini has redesigned the group to renew its focus and move forward under the name Shalini. Floor Model producer Mitch Easter has expanded his role on We Want Jelly Donuts to contributing original material and vocals. His four songs mark Easter's re-entry into releasing music of his own creation. We Want Jelly Donuts offers consistent variety. With its kitchen sink recording approach (tympani included!) and engaging vocal melodies, the Easter-penned lead-off track "Telepathic World," is a great introduction to inner workings of WWJD. The folk-rock, almost Byrdsian, undertone of "Get Free" is juxtaposed against the heavier live favorite "Creepy Emily" and the space-y/hypnotic "Emotion Bomb." Also of note is "This is Telluride"-based on Christie Brinkley's plane crash and her life thereafter. The album closes with "Destination Anywhere Else," a theme maybe familiar to those who drive around…maybe in the Southeast USA…maybe behind vehicles that sport bumper stickers that read "WWJD?"

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

…Parasol Mail Order is now stocking Japanese import copies of the CDs we licensed to Philter Records-Japan. All include extra tracks. June & the Exit Wounds adds covers of NRBQ's "It's Not So Hard" and Henry Mancini's "Charade" to Haven Hamilton, Bikeride augments 37 Secrets with "The Rocketeen" and "Butterfly," Wolfie include "Gearing Up" and "Upper Peninsula" on Where's Wolfie, and "On or Off New Wave" and "Love Bugs" on Awful Mess Mystery (which includes a new cover design courtesy of Philter's art team). Starlet's From the One You Left Behind also has a new cover to accompany the extra tracks "Playmate" and "Hanna & Me On a Merry-Go-Round." Stay On My Side is the only release not to feature an exclusive title, as the one bonus track is "Long Lost Love," the B-side to Starlet's "Diary & Herself" 7". These imports are a bit pricey (they arrived via sea in a box marked DANGER!), but they all come with a nifty wrap around paper spine (obi strip), and the first 25 of you to order a copy will receive a 16 page, 3" X 7", full color Philter catalog of Parasol releases, with cutout dice and game pieces!

UPCOMING

We're very excited to announce that Hidden Agenda will be releasing a limited edition of the new Bettie Serveert CD "Private Suit." The Benelux version is out now in Europe, but hang on folks, we should have our copies in stock by early August. This venerable Dutch quartet recorded the classic 1993 album Palomine, and is following up it's most recent studio recording Dust Bunnies and the 1998 live album of Velvet Underground covers titled Venus In Furs. Those attending this year's CMJ Music Marathon should expect a Bettie Serveert booking. Please visit the band's website at www.bettieserveert.com for photos and up-to-date information.

Coming later this month Vitesse's second CD Chelsea 27099 will automate itself into your consciousness. Though we thought their debut CD A Certain Hostility packed an immediate Magnetic Fields-like synth pop wallop it's apparent that it was a slow grower. And usually those are the best kind. Chelsea retains all of the band's most endearing stylistic elements, and adds a sonic clarity that allows more aural access to the lyrical content.

We've put the finishing touches on artwork for the latest Bikeride 10" vinyl EP and just let me say it out does Here Comes the Summer, America's Favorite Omelettes 7", 37 Secrets, and Dogs EP combined for its visual depiction of "friends of Tony." Who IS Raspet? Why is he pointing his finger like that? What's with the beer bottles and South American iconic sculpture? Nevertheless, expect eight more crackling tracks from our favorite Southern Californians.

Our favorite northern Californian, Mike Levy, has recently delivered final mixes for his solo CD 4-Track Mind, which was started with the support of Bus Stop Records five years ago. Six months ago Mike Levy and Bus Stop's Brian Kirk gave us the opportunity to get involved and help see the project through to release. This is destined to challenge June & The Exit Wounds' a little more Haven Hamilton, please as Parasol Records' all-time best seller. Until Todd finishes the new June album that is.

I want to tell you more about the forthcoming CD from the George Usher Group but I'm left with you to savor "Days of Plenty," which appeared on Parasol's Sweet Sixteen Volume 1. Of the eighteen songs on that collection, Usher's "Days" has generated the most positive cross genre feedback to my ears. The album, also titled Days of Plenty, has been mastered and I hope to hear the final version soon. I think I'll go play "Orpheus Turning" and "Wooden Nickel" from Usher's previous album Dutch April to guide me through the rest of the newsletter.

I was fortunate to see Doleful Lions play in New York during last year's CMJ Music Marathon, but you'll recall there was a hurricane goin' on and the trio was desperate to turn and head for home to save their belongings from being washed away in the ensuing flood. Before they jumped back into the storm, Lions' Jonathan Scott passed me a 4-track demo tape containing songs that form the foundation for two new CDs to be released by Parasol before the year 2001. First up is Song Cyclops Volume 1, a collection of 22 songs that maintains the thematic imagery of Doleful Lions The Rats Are Coming! The Werewolves Are Here!, but revisits the musical and melodic approach of Motel Swim. A bit lower-fi than both, but you'll hear the raw songs as they were captured on tape by Scott and Co.

COMING SOON

• Vitesse-Chelsea 27099 (Hidden Agenda) CD due in July
• Doleful Lions-Song Cyclops Volume One (Parasol) CD due in July
• Bikeride-Raspet EP (Hidden Agenda) 10" vinyl due in July
• Friends of Sound-Rock-Ola (Hidden Agenda) CD due in August
• Bettie Serveert-Private Suit (Hidden Agenda) CD due in August
• George Usher Group-Days of Plenty (Parasol) CD due in August
• Mike Levy-4-Track Mind (Parasol) CD due in September
• Various Artists-Tested Charms: A Tribute to Shoes (Parasol) CD due in the autumn 2000

SOME PARASOL RELATED ARTIST ANSWERS SOME QUESTIONS

Mike Levy

1. Mixing session you wish you could have attended-
"Pink Moon" so I could turn to Nick Drake and say, "You know, this would make a great TV commercial!"

2. Songs you think you probably shouldn't like but just can't help yourself-
I don't know about "shouldn't like" but I can't help but like "Lightening Strikes" by Lou Christie, probably one of the dumbest songs ever written. Still, every time it comes on the radio I always turn it up....

3. Favorite record that you can't find on CD (or CD you can't find on vinyl)-
"Slow" by the Sneetches (I can't find it anywhere!)

4. First Concert-
Elton John on the "Captain Fantastic" tour with Kiki Dee supporting. I think he did something like five costume changes.

5. Favorite Bass Player-
That's a tough one, there are so many.... John Entwhistle, John Wetton, Carol Kaye, Jimmy Blanton, Larry Graham, Alec Palao, where does it end?

Mike Levy, an ex-member of The Sneetches, has completed his to-die-for solo album 4-Track Mind, five years after he started recording it for Bus Stop Records. Fans of melodic pop music, The Sneetches, and June & the Exit Wounds will love this album. Look for an advance track to appear on the forthcoming Parasol's Sweet Sixteen Volume 2.

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