It's Alive Records


*Not so new news...*
08/01/07 - Going, Going, Gone... We've got a few titles on the verge of being sold-out and out-of-print. The Copyrights Button Smasher and the Teenage Bottlerocket / Prorotipes split 7"s were the first to have sold out their first pressings of 500, but they've each been repressed a final time to round out the total of each at 1,000, There aren't too many left of either of those records, but some of our more recent releases are down to anywhere between 5 to 25 copies before they're sold-out. I don't think any of these titles will be repressed anytime soon (if ever). Like The Copyrights Nowhere Near Chicago 7" which went out-of-print over a year ago, these ones are destined for eBay auctions and happy hunting. Kitty & The Manges Joey's Song The Varsity Weirdos Fly Me Up To The Moon The Popsters The Scene The Apers / Sonic Dolls split The Copyrights / Zatopeks Handclaps & Bottlecaps split The Badamps Two Face Retarded Gambling On Rock When you see these records disappear from the store page, that means they're all gone. Check out the mailorder / distro links page to find some distributors that might still have some copies after we've sold all of ours. There isn't a distro on that list that has more than 5 to 10 copies of any oen title though, so act fast! Speaking of selling out first pressings, the Dear Landlord / Chinese Telephones split 7" sold out all 500 copies of the first pressing in less than one week! I knew that record was gonna rule and sell fast, but I had no idea it'd go that fast! A repress of another 500 has already been ordered and should be arriving within a week. The second pressing will be on black vinyl. If you were quick enough to snag a copy of the violet vinyl, hold on to that bad boy!
07/15/07 - Time Has Come Today That's right, it's time we got down with the compact disc format. We've gone and released our first release on cd this month. We honestly could not be happier with the final product. When deciding on who and what we'd do with our first cd release we had a couple of criteria musts: 1) The band had to be beyond awesome. 2) The songs had to be the best thing we've ever released. 3) The production value had to be top-notch in every way. 4) It had to be an ep... we're still not ready to jump into the full length game. We found the band and the songs that met all the criteria. That band was For Science and songs are Way Out Of Control. The title of this ep couldn't be more fitting. Fear not, we will not be leaving the 7" vinyl format behind (or any sized vinyl format for that matter). As a matter a fact, we've got yet another band to add to the It's Alive family and another 7" to add to the It's Alive Records jukebox of rock right now! This time out we've gone and snatched up some awesome tunes from another band coming from the great white north, Canada. The band is Fear Of Lipstick and record is Indie Band. This is another debut release from a new band that really surpasses all expectations of what you'd expect from a band just getting started in this game. At the same time we hope it's exactly what you've come to expect from our label's releases. As usual, the first 50 copies of each record sent out will come with a free button. Check out the releases page for more info on each records and listen to some song samples at our myspace page. In other news, we just got back from the Insubordination Records Fest out in Charm City USA, Baltimore! The Insub Fest is fast becoming the best of fest shows here in the states. We got to see 9 of our It's Alive bands play sets - The Copyrights, Teenage Bottlerocket, The Varsity Weirdos (their first show outside of Canada), The Apers, Retarded, Dear Landlord, Chinese Telephones, For Science and The Steinways (their 7" is on deck next!) - as well as some other top notch pop punk acts including Mr. Ben Weasel himself. If you have yet to attend the Insub Fest and you like this shit called pop punk and having a great time with good people, I strongly suggest you keep an eye on the pop punk message board sometime around early spring of 2008 to make sure you can secure a ticket or two to attend this fantastic event. We got to hang out with a bunch of great friends we made last year and meet a bunch more that we hope to meet up with again next year. It really is the best time of the year - better than Christmas!
06/13/07 - Here we go again... It's been a busy couple of months for us here at IAR HQ. We've been putting together release after release. The goal for 2007 was to release 2 records every three months. Things were going just as planned up until now. We had the Copyrights Mutiny Pop LP and Retarded Gambling on Rock 7" in January, followed up by the Manges Go Down LP and Popsters Two Minutes 7" in April. We were due for two more releases this July. Well, turns out it's gonna be more like four releases! In an effort to get shit out that's been on hold forever and a day and to take advantage of a few record pressing sales that were happening, we pushed hard for two and ended up with four. So here's how it's all going down. Right here right now we've got two records dropping: The Children's Crusade Get Awesome 10" and a split 7" with Dear Landlord and The Chinese Telephones, which also happens to be another co-release - this time we're doing the two-headed label thing with Recess Records. Both of these records deserve stories and descriptions, so here goes... The Children's Crusade Get Awesome The story: I had been online acquaintances with Mike Napkin for a couple years by 2002. We used to buy and sell stuff from each other on and off eBay. One day he emailed me some MP3's that he and his newest band at the time had recorded. The band was The Children's Crusade. Often I had thought about starting a little bedroom label. After hearing those recordings I knew I had to get one going if for nothing else to release those songs! Fast forward to a year later, 2003. Another email from Mike, another batch of recordings, another kick in my ass to get a label going... Worried about not having the means and know-how to start a label, I floundered on the idea for another year. 2004 saw It's Alive Records first release, The Copyrights Button Smasher. I considered releasing The Children's Crusade tracks as IAR # 02, but decided against it because the band had disbanded a year prior. Fast forward to 2007, 14 releases later. The Children's Crusade MP3's are revisited as they are at least a few times a year since I first received them. The fact that I still love these tracks so much and am forever bummed that they were never officially released lead me to the conclusion that now is as good a time as there's ever gonna be to get this shit on wax. And so it is. Finally, the recordings that made me want to start a label have actually been released. It's 4 years later but still not too late. These songs have stood the test of time as I think they will from now until forever. The band: Mike Napkin has been the drummer of at least a dozen bands by now, most of them with recorded releases (The Minds, The Observers, Blood Bath & Beyond, Defect Defect, Land Action). I think the only drummer I know to be in more bands at one time is Mikey Erg (he's gotta be in at least 20 bands!). Max Trashie is in The Trashies - I bet you could have guessed that already - and Land Action. Jerm is currently in a band called Hockey out of Spokane, WA. I could be crazy but I think I remember hearing something about some major label interest in the band. Don't quote me on that though. To the best of my knowledge, the band that brought these fellas together was The Somethingtons. I don't know if these three formed the band while still living in San Diego or if it happened after they all moved up to the pacific northwest. If any of you followed Oregon's Mutant Pop Records you probably recognize the band name. The Somethingtons were definitely one of the best bands Mutant Pop ever released anything by. The Somethingtons were kind of a parody band (I think?) who parodied "-ington" pop punk bands so well that the parody became better than the bands being parodied! Three chord pop punk songs about brain damage, shock therapy, girls and Neanderthals never sounded so good! The end of The Somethingtons opened the doors for The Children's Crusade. All three members remained, but most of the silly songs moved out and were replaced by songs with a little more substance. A few girl songs managed to hang around, but the simplicity of song structure did not. Listening to The Children's Crusade you can hear a real history of where these guys came from and where they were headed and currently are. I think this band was really ahead of its time when they recorded these songs. And though these recordings are 4 and 5 years old, I think the underground sound is just now catching up with the awesomeness of these songs! Dear Landlord / Chinese Telephones split This project was brought to us by the fine lads in Dear Landlord. For those of you unfamiliar with the band as of yet, it's made up of two current members of The Copyrights (Brett and Fletcher) and two former members of Rivethead (Zack and Brad). Jenna and I met these four fellas a few years back when the two bands were touring across the country. We caught up with them in some one (dead) horse town called Hemet. The cool thing is that that was the day we decided to start this label. Having recently picked up The Copyrights debut album We Didn't Come Here To Die we had ideas rolling around about finally starting a little label of our own. We figured we'd check them out live and kinda decide from there if we were gonna proceed. Well, they rocked our socks off! I know the band would probably say they sucked that night, but we couldn't disagree more! Also on that night we got a huge surprise in the form of awesome as delivered by Rivethead. We saw these four dirty dudes with long chain key chains and one or two with baseball caps and figured them for locals. They seemed at home so we figured it was their home. Turns out they weren't local and they didn't suck (most local bands here do, thus the assumption). In fact, they rocked our socks off too! The Weasel head tattoo and Mosrite wielding by Zack shoulda been clues that they weren't typical so cal shit, but I hadn't slept in something like 60 hours and Jenna was nursing a 102 temperature - we weren't at our best. After the show we hung around with the Rivethead guys (mostly just Brad and Zack) for most of the night and I left thinking that Rivethead should totally have a record out on our yet-to-be-formed label. They would have too had they not ended the band. We kinda met the members of The Copyrights that night too, but they seemed to be road weary and not so happy. Brett did say hey to us later on and thanked us for coming out. I remember not being able to put a sentence together (quite literally) and I think I scared him off. Anyway, long story longer, that night and those two bands made up those guys were a big part of the start of this little label. I think it's really awesome to be putting out a record with all those guys from that day of days three years ago. The Chinese Telephones weren't a band we were too familiar with before this project idea came up. I had heard their name dropped by a couple Razorcakers and Ben Weasel among others, but never actually heard any of their stuff. I finally checked out their myspace page a few months ago and totally dug on their song "Those Hot Milwaukee Nights" from their split 7" with Dan Padilla on Fast Crowd Records. That song alone was enough to sell me on this split release. I immediately started the big e-hunt for all of their records and managed to get my hands and ears on all but one - their debut s/t 7" (anyone out there got one for me?). We're stoked to be releasing this record with them and adding it to their discography which I think is one that's gonna end up being something that fans will need each and every record of before they can rest. We haven't met any of these guys yet, but that'll change in less than a month when we meet up with them at the Insubordination Records Fest in Baltimore. Both bands from this split 7" will be touring together from July 4th until the middle of the month. They'll have this 7" at the merch table. I strongly suggest hitting up any show from this tour that's within traveling distance. It's gonna be awesome every night I bet! As far as the co-release goes, Recess Records were asked to be part of this project at the same time as It's Alive. We're really happy to be doing something with them. From what I gather we are doing the "business" end of our label the same way as Recess - DIY by the seat of our pants! I love that Recess has been around for more than 15 years, released over 100 records and they still haven't gotten all businessy. It seems like they do it for the music and nothing else. I think that's awesome and couldn't be happier about co-releasing something with them. They've got a crazy discography and being a small part of it is super cool in my book. Oh yeah, this bad boy was pressed on extra tough violet purple vinyl! It looks sweet. As usual, the first 50 copies of each record sent out will come with a free button. Check out some song samples from each new release at our myspace page.
04/24/07 - It's about that time again... Hey folks! For those you of keeping an eye on the label these days I am sure you have noticed a pattern - when the site goes for a couple of months with no news updates, we've got releases in the works. Well, I guess we've always got releases in the works! It's been over two months since our last news update, so you know what that means - new records! Today is the official release of two more records for all you vinyl fiends out there. Yet another one-two punch from our Italian pals The Manges and The Popsters! From The Manges we've got their second album Go Down available for the first time on 12" vinyl. If you haven't picked it up on cd yet I strongly suggest you do so! Or better yet, listen to it for the first time on vinyl and up your underground punk rock street cred status like crazy! Just like all It's Alive releases this album comes stuffed with good stuff: full color insert and fold-out poster. First 50 orders will get sent out with a nice little Manges Go Down button and the usual bonus goods! From The Popsters we bring you a new two song 7", Two Minutes b/w Runaway. This release is the product of combined funding and support from 6 different labels. Anyone with a decent amount of Italian punk rock records is probably familiar with seeing records that have more than half a dozen labels represented on the back cover. It's a great way to combine resources and get a record out into the world that might not have been possible to do so otherwise. We were really happy to be included in the group of labels asked to participate in the release of this record. I think it's one of our best so far! First 25 orders will be sent out with a fancy little Popsters button featuring the awesome Dee Dee Ramone cover art from the record drawn by Manuel of The Manges! For more detailed information on these two records please check out the releases section. In other news, we're currently in the process of setting up a media page for song samples and video footage. As always the distro lists on the store page are constantly being updated on a near daily basis. Check out some recent additions of really awesome items like the new Ergs album Upstairs/Downstairs on CD and LP, a bunch of stuff from local so cal record label CG Records, and a bunch other goodness! And until we get some copies of the new Copyrights album Make Sound for our distro, do yourself a huge favor and head on over to Interpunk to snag a copy. I'll bet dollars to donuts it makes your top 10 list of 2007, without a doubt!
02/22/07 - It's Alive in the news A few tidbits of news for you all... I was interviewed for the long-running German punk rock Ox Fanzine late last year. The interview was printed in this month's issue # 70. The entire zine is written in German so unless you read German you might have a hard time making any sense of it. However, the interview is currently online and can be accessed here. The cool thing about that is you could just cut-n-paste all the text into an online translation site to read it in English. Sure it won't be a perfect translation, but that might actually make it more fun of a read! The Varsity Weirdos song "Codependency" from their It's Alive release Fly Me Up to the Moon has been featured on punknews.org as the mp3 of the week! I think that's really awesome for the band and for classic pop punk in general. Overall that site isn't too keen on the old-style four chord pop punk, so I see this as a small victory for the little guys. "Codependency" is also featured on the new compilation cd Where the Fun Never Sets released by Cabana 1 Records. Check it out!
01/30/07 - Our first LP It's totally fitting that our 12th release also happens to be our first 12 inch LP. It's also fitting that our first LP comes from the first band we released a record with, The Copyrights. Mutiny Pop is the first album The Copyrights have had on vinyl thus far. If you haven't heard this album yet you're really missing out on some top-notch, cream of the crop pop punk rock. This album made lots of top ten lists this past year and will surely resonate as one of the better if not best pop punk albums of recent times. The Copyrights have a knack for producing big hits with big hooks and no filler whatsoever. It's a real pleasure to be able to release this as our first ever LP. Big thanks to Insubordination Records for granting us the rights to press this bad boy on vinyl. If you don't have a record player you probably won't be purchasing this LP, but be sure to pick it up on cd from Insubordination or our distro section while we still have some in stock. As with all of our releases, this slab o wax was pressed on color vinyl - clear with orange and black splatter - and comes with a fancy insert and fold-out poster. And in keeping with tradition, the first 25 copies out the door will come with a Mutiny Pop button and fancy new It's Alive Records guitar pick. Collectors take note, this vinyl release features significantly altered artwork from the cd version released last year. In other news, we recently stocked a handful of It's Alive Records band T-shirts in the store section. Sizes and quantities are limited, so if you see something you like don't hesitate to pick it up before it's too late! The Varsity Weirdos and Zatopeks shirts even have the It's Alive Records name and logo on the back! And for those who have been with us since the beginning, The Copyrights Button Smasher T-shirt has been licensed out to Interpunk and is once again available. Finally, for those still unaware, Ben Weasel has started up a radio show called Waubesa Radio. It streams through the Insubordination Records live radio show. The third installment of the show that just aired this past week features a handful of songs from It's Alive releases. Do yourself a favor and tune in to hear some great new music and Ben Weasel banter. Check out the Waubesa Radio Show mypsace page here.
01/03/07 - A new year, a new record... We wanted to start this year off with a bang, so that's exactly what we're doing! Our latest release is probably the hardest hitting stuff we've released to date. Gambling On Rock is the first release from Retarded since 2003. They have taken hard-edged 70’s rock-n-roll, stripped away the excess glam and added some piss, venom and punk rock to the mix. Retarded have really stepped it up a notch from the ramonescore cretin-hopping punk rock styling of their past, but they’ve managed to do so without losing any of the infectiousness their music has always been in ample supply of. A few years ago Retarded had a 7” release titled I Don’t Wanna be Trained. It was released with three different picture sleeves (each featuring a different band member of the trio) and pressed on a few different colors of vinyl. This release is somewhat of a sequel to that release, but now there are four band members which means four different sleeves! The silly KISS pictures are a nod to the nonsense that record labels and bands of the 70’s arena rock variety (KISS Included) brought to the record buying public: multiple picture sleeves, various vinyl colors, but only one recording! Collectors will love it. Any label still releasing vinyl has got to love the record collectors of the world - we certainly do! We are offering up all 4 versions on 4 different colors of vinyl at a discounted price in the store section. First 25 people to take advantage of the 4-pack deal will receive a 5-pack set of buttons (featuring each band member plus the Retarded kiss logo). Check out the It's Alive Records myspace page for samples from the new release!
11/28/06 - We Want the Airwaves? We have stepped things up a bit lately in regards to sending out promos. Record reviews and ads have been popping up in the bigger of the smaller zines of the world. Razorcake, MRR, Jersey Beat, Amp, Big Wheel and Under The Volcano are a few I can think of off the top of my head that should at the very least have reviews in their back pages soon. We've also been lucky enough to get some internet "airplay" lately. Is it called airplay if it's online and not the radio? Regardless, the following is a list of a few "radio" shows and podcasts that have recently had some It's Alive Records tunes featured on their playlists: 10/27/06 - Grant Lawrence of the Smugglers has a radio show he does for the CBC. From what I hear it's one of Canada's most listened to radio shows. He recently played a Varsity Weirdos track off their Fly Me Up to the Moon ep. The CBC Radio website is a little hard to navigate and find the archived shows. Here is a link to download the entire show. It's a really good listen start to finish. Grant is a real characater and makes listening in fun for new and old fans alike. 11/04/06 - Jim Testa of the long-running Jersey Beat Magazine was kind enough to ask yours truly for an interview. We talked shop about the label, its history and future. He dedicated an entire podcast to the interview interlaced with all It's Alive tracks! You can check out all of his podcasts here, and you can download the It's Alive podcast here. 11/18/06 - Maximum Rock N Roll Radio was sent the entire It's Alive catalog a month or so ago. We were really excited to see that the Sonic Dolls tracks from their It's Alive split with The Apers got played on last week's radio show. And on the same show another Varsity Weirdos track from their Fly Me Up to the Moon ep was played. Those weirdos are on a radio roll... The entire show can be downloaded here.
10/31/06 - Two new records for all you trick-or-treaters Forget the candy and all that crap. We've got the sweetest stuff in town this Halloween. Two new records for everyone in need of a good fix. The Copyrights (Illinois) and Zatopeks (UK) have teamed up to bring us what might be the most rockin' split to come around this year. That's saying a lot considering all the tracks were recorded acoustic. Yeah, that's right, acoustic! If you're thinking this is gonna be some sensitive, emo, touchy feely kinda record forget it. If you're already into these bands or this label you should know we'd never do you like that. Handclaps & Bottlecaps will rock your socks off just as much as anything The Copyrights and Zatopeks have ever done. We've got orange and green copies with slightly different cover art for each - we love those collectors. And as usual, first 50 copies out the door get a free Copyrights or Zatopeks button made for this release (order both colors, get both buttons). The Badamps are badass, plain and simple. They've got the goods and now we've got the tunes! Two Face is our first split label project to come about. Black Market Records out of Vancouver, BC represent the other half of this collaboration. Much like their Canadian brethren to the east, The Varsity Weirdos, the Badamps know how to bring the pop to the punk with all kinds of style. This record is big fun start to finish. And yes, free Badamps buttons for the first 50 orders. We do really well selling records to our neighbors to the north (Canada, eh). We're happy to be releasing records from bands of the lands with good taste in music! Check out the It's Alive Records myspace page for samples from each new release!
09/18/06 - It's Alive Worldwide Sorry for the lack of updates. We've been busy putting together new projects and working on other label related projects. We have been busting our butts trying to get our records into the hands of people all around the world by getting them into distros and mailorders in other countries. We've got a good start. Check out the distro section of the links page. USA, Japan and Italy are pretty well covered. We've got one mailorder site in the UK helping us out - we'd like to get more in that area. We're still working on Germany, Spain and The Netherlands. We've also finally started sending records out for review. I know, I know, that's usually the first thing labels do with their records. We are also going to be placing ads in a few zines big and small. Up until now we've only had ads in the small but awesome Nuthin' Zine out of Ohio. Our first "official" ad just showed up in the latest issue (# 34) of Razorcake. We plan on making a little statement in a future issue of MRR. We know how much those folks like pop punk. As for new projects, IAR 09 is in our hands. It's a split 7" with two of our favorites bands: Zatopeks and The Copyrights. We are going to hold off on officially releasing it for sale until the end of October. By then we'll have IAR 10 ready to ship as well! It's another 7" from another neighbor to the north (Canada, eh!), The BadAmps! It's gonna be a happy halloween for everyone. A little later in the Fall IAR 11 and 12 will be coming out. We've got another Italian act joining the family, The Retarded. They've got new material and the best I have heard it described was by Adam Copyright as "power violence!" Then we've got our first LP - Mutiny Pop by The Copyrights. It's pretty awesome that our 12th release is gonna be a 12".
06/26/06 - Distro a Go Go! We were lucky enough to be able to attend Insubordination Record's 10 year anniversary "They Came to Baltimore" Fest last week. It was a blast! Easily the best pop punk related show to have ever happened in recent history. We met a ton of awesome people and great bands. We came back with a lot of records and cds to add to the ever-growing distro section of our online store. On top of the new additions we picked up at the Fest, we also have the three latest 7" releases from Stardumb Records and a few other cd releases they've put out over the years. Bands and Labels looking to trade releases with us for our distro section, please get in touch! Thanks to everyone who placed orders this past week... It was our biggest week for mailorder since we started this bedroom operation two years ago!
06/8/06 - We can't slow down! Three more new releases! That's right folks, three more records and four bands have just joined the family Alive! First up, The Varsity Weirdos Fly Me Up to the Moon - five tracks of pure pop punk at its finest... tons of harmonies, nifty little riffs, handclaps, a little organ for good measure, and of course, all downstokes! This release is long overdue, but more than worth the wait. The first 50 orders will receive a miniature sized Varsity Weirdos pennant shaped patch! Up next we have the UK's greatest musical export, the Zatopeks, gracing our hearts and ears with Smile or Move - four tracks of insanely unique punk rock progress. There's no other band out there today that sounds like these guys. Two tracks are brand new and two tracks are from their debut album, Ain't Nobody Left but Us, on wax for the first time; graciously donated from pop punk's greatest record label of all time, Stardumb Records. First 50 orders come with a Zatopeks punkrock patch! Finally, we bring you a four song split from two of Europe's finest pop punk rock bands: The Apers, who serve up two brand new tracks that find them coming back to their classic power pop punk sound, and the Sonic Dolls, who donate two of the most buzzsaw guitar driven tracks to ever hit wax! The first 50 orders come with an Apers and Sonic Dolls button! Check out the It's Alive Records myspace page for samples from each new release!
05/30/06 - New T-shirts and other merch! The T-Shirts have arrived, and they turned out great! Check out the store section to pick one up. We got some in every size from YM to XL. Also added to the merch section of the store are the new magnets for the next three releases and another button set! Speaking of our next three releases, we're still waiting on the Varsity Weirdos, Zatopeks and The Apers/Sonic Dolls 7"s from the pressing plant. We still expect to have them ready for release by June 14th... keep your fingers crossed, this one's gonna be close!
05/08/06 - Three more 7"s, Distro Additions, and T-shirts! We've put a big fat rush on our next three projects in an effort to get them all good to go in time for the big Insubordination Records Fest in June. All three records are chock full of exclusive, unreleased songs, and the usual It's Alive goodies - all on color vinyl, of course. Keep your eyes peeled for the best pop punk from all over the world. We'll be sure to get the website updated just before they become available for ordering. Speaking of the best pop punk from all over the world... Our distro section has a new addition! We've gotten our mitts on a brand new 7" from Austria's The Mugwumps, "...Slit Your Tire." It's their debut release but it sure doesn't sound like it! It could very well be the single best 7" to come out so far this year (not counting our own releases of course, hehe). We were so completely bowled over by this record, and had so much fun dancing to it, that we had to have a part in making it more available to our American buddies at a domestic shipping cost. Don't forget to tack this record on to your next It's Alive order. Remember... We have flat rate shipping! And while you're at it, be sure to check out the Zatopeks/Ritalins split 7" and The Pop Punk Circus cd we scored from Sebby Zatopeks label, All-Nite Records - more imports at domestic rates! And finally, we just put in an order for 100 It's Alive Records t-shirts. We should have those by the end of the month. As soon as we do we'll be sure to update the website yet again. We were sure to order some in every size from YM to XL...all in black of course (people weren't too hot on white shirts last time).
04/01/06 - Two New Releases and a Website to Match! Well, it's been a hectic few months. We're up to our ears in projects, and though we almost murdered each other during the process, we still managed to squeeze in a much needed website re-vamp. (Feel free to shoot us an email if anything doesn't work!) We've got two new records available for purchase now, both with distinctive Italian style! First, NYC's Kitty Kowalski teams up with Italy's quintessential pop punkers, the Manges, to bring us this three song barrage of catchy, danceable, rock and roll goodness. Kitty and Andrea both bring their vocal stylings to this party, resulting in an unbeatable mix! Features: Joey's Song (easily the best Joey tribute song ever penned), Elvis Has Left the Building (duet version with Andrea and Kitty both singing), and The Goonies 'R' Good Enough, with awesome artwork by Mass Mosrite, on multi-colored vinyl. First 50 copies come with a free button! But that's not all Italy and It's Alive have to offer! We're also really excited to bring you the newest single from the Popsters, featuring a killer cover of Tom Petty's American Girl, taken from their stellar new full length available now on Incessant Drip Records, and two must-have exclusive new tracks: The Scene and You Said, on clear blue vinyl. First 50 copies come with a free Popsters guitar pick! Coming up on the release schedule, we have a whole bunch more international goodness for you... Canada's Varsity Weirdos will be out next, followed by the Zatopeks from jolly ol' England, and then a split between our favorite Dutchies, the Apers, and Germany's finest, the Sonic Dolls! Check back soon for details!

Not so new news...

08/01/07 - Going, Going, Gone...

We've got a few titles on the verge of being sold-out and out-of-print. The Copyrights Button Smasher and the Teenage Bottlerocket / Prorotipes split 7"s were the first to have sold out their first pressings of 500, but they've each been repressed a final time to round out the total of each at 1,000, There aren't too many left of either of those records, but some of our more recent releases are down to anywhere between 5 to 25 copies before they're sold-out. I don't think any of these titles will be repressed anytime soon (if ever). Like The Copyrights Nowhere Near Chicago 7" which went out-of-print over a year ago, these ones are destined for eBay auctions and happy hunting.

Kitty & The Manges Joey's Song
The Varsity Weirdos Fly Me Up To The Moon
The Popsters The Scene
The Apers / Sonic Dolls split
The Copyrights / Zatopeks Handclaps & Bottlecaps split
The Badamps Two Face
Retarded Gambling On Rock

When you see these records disappear from the store page, that means they're all gone. Check out the mailorder / distro links page to find some distributors that might still have some copies after we've sold all of ours. There isn't a distro on that list that has more than 5 to 10 copies of any oen title though, so act fast!

Speaking of selling out first pressings, the Dear Landlord / Chinese Telephones split 7" sold out all 500 copies of the first pressing in less than one week! I knew that record was gonna rule and sell fast, but I had no idea it'd go that fast! A repress of another 500 has already been ordered and should be arriving within a week. The second pressing will be on black vinyl. If you were quick enough to snag a copy of the violet vinyl, hold on to that bad boy!

07/15/07 - Time Has Come Today

That's right, it's time we got down with the compact disc format. We've gone and released our first release on cd this month. We honestly could not be happier with the final product. When deciding on who and what we'd do with our first cd release we had a couple of criteria musts: 1) The band had to be beyond awesome. 2) The songs had to be the best thing we've ever released. 3) The production value had to be top-notch in every way. 4) It had to be an ep... we're still not ready to jump into the full length game. We found the band and the songs that met all the criteria. That band was For Science and songs are Way Out Of Control. The title of this ep couldn't be more fitting.

Fear not, we will not be leaving the 7" vinyl format behind (or any sized vinyl format for that matter). As a matter a fact, we've got yet another band to add to the It's Alive family and another 7" to add to the It's Alive Records jukebox of rock right now! This time out we've gone and snatched up some awesome tunes from another band coming from the great white north, Canada. The band is Fear Of Lipstick and record is Indie Band. This is another debut release from a new band that really surpasses all expectations of what you'd expect from a band just getting started in this game. At the same time we hope it's exactly what you've come to expect from our label's releases.

As usual, the first 50 copies of each record sent out will come with a free button.

Check out the releases page for more info on each records and listen to some song samples at our myspace page.

In other news, we just got back from the Insubordination Records Fest out in Charm City USA, Baltimore! The Insub Fest is fast becoming the best of fest shows here in the states. We got to see 9 of our It's Alive bands play sets - The Copyrights, Teenage Bottlerocket, The Varsity Weirdos (their first show outside of Canada), The Apers, Retarded, Dear Landlord, Chinese Telephones, For Science and The Steinways (their 7" is on deck next!) - as well as some other top notch pop punk acts including Mr. Ben Weasel himself. If you have yet to attend the Insub Fest and you like this shit called pop punk and having a great time with good people, I strongly suggest you keep an eye on the pop punk message board sometime around early spring of 2008 to make sure you can secure a ticket or two to attend this fantastic event. We got to hang out with a bunch of great friends we made last year and meet a bunch more that we hope to meet up with again next year. It really is the best time of the year - better than Christmas!

06/13/07 - Here we go again...

It's been a busy couple of months for us here at IAR HQ. We've been putting together release after release. The goal for 2007 was to release 2 records every three months. Things were going just as planned up until now. We had the Copyrights Mutiny Pop LP and Retarded Gambling on Rock 7" in January, followed up by the Manges Go Down LP and Popsters Two Minutes 7" in April. We were due for two more releases this July. Well, turns out it's gonna be more like four releases! In an effort to get shit out that's been on hold forever and a day and to take advantage of a few record pressing sales that were happening, we pushed hard for two and ended up with four. So here's how it's all going down. Right here right now we've got two records dropping: The Children's Crusade Get Awesome 10" and a split 7" with Dear Landlord and The Chinese Telephones, which also happens to be another co-release - this time we're doing the two-headed label thing with Recess Records. Both of these records deserve stories and descriptions, so here goes...

The Children's Crusade Get Awesome

The story: I had been online acquaintances with Mike Napkin for a couple years by 2002. We used to buy and sell stuff from each other on and off eBay. One day he emailed me some MP3's that he and his newest band at the time had recorded. The band was The Children's Crusade. Often I had thought about starting a little bedroom label. After hearing those recordings I knew I had to get one going if for nothing else to release those songs! Fast forward to a year later, 2003. Another email from Mike, another batch of recordings, another kick in my ass to get a label going... Worried about not having the means and know-how to start a label, I floundered on the idea for another year. 2004 saw It's Alive Records first release, The Copyrights Button Smasher. I considered releasing The Children's Crusade tracks as IAR # 02, but decided against it because the band had disbanded a year prior. Fast forward to 2007, 14 releases later. The Children's Crusade MP3's are revisited as they are at least a few times a year since I first received them. The fact that I still love these tracks so much and am forever bummed that they were never officially released lead me to the conclusion that now is as good a time as there's ever gonna be to get this shit on wax. And so it is. Finally, the recordings that made me want to start a label have actually been released. It's 4 years later but still not too late. These songs have stood the test of time as I think they will from now until forever.

The band: Mike Napkin has been the drummer of at least a dozen bands by now, most of them with recorded releases (The Minds, The Observers, Blood Bath & Beyond, Defect Defect, Land Action). I think the only drummer I know to be in more bands at one time is Mikey Erg (he's gotta be in at least 20 bands!). Max Trashie is in The Trashies - I bet you could have guessed that already - and Land Action. Jerm is currently in a band called Hockey out of Spokane, WA. I could be crazy but I think I remember hearing something about some major label interest in the band. Don't quote me on that though. To the best of my knowledge, the band that brought these fellas together was The Somethingtons. I don't know if these three formed the band while still living in San Diego or if it happened after they all moved up to the pacific northwest. If any of you followed Oregon's Mutant Pop Records you probably recognize the band name. The Somethingtons were definitely one of the best bands Mutant Pop ever released anything by. The Somethingtons were kind of a parody band (I think?) who parodied "-ington" pop punk bands so well that the parody became better than the bands being parodied! Three chord pop punk songs about brain damage, shock therapy, girls and Neanderthals never sounded so good! The end of The Somethingtons opened the doors for The Children's Crusade. All three members remained, but most of the silly songs moved out and were replaced by songs with a little more substance. A few girl songs managed to hang around, but the simplicity of song structure did not. Listening to The Children's Crusade you can hear a real history of where these guys came from and where they were headed and currently are. I think this band was really ahead of its time when they recorded these songs. And though these recordings are 4 and 5 years old, I think the underground sound is just now catching up with the awesomeness of these songs!

Dear Landlord / Chinese Telephones split

This project was brought to us by the fine lads in Dear Landlord. For those of you unfamiliar with the band as of yet, it's made up of two current members of The Copyrights (Brett and Fletcher) and two former members of Rivethead (Zack and Brad). Jenna and I met these four fellas a few years back when the two bands were touring across the country. We caught up with them in some one (dead) horse town called Hemet. The cool thing is that that was the day we decided to start this label. Having recently picked up The Copyrights debut album We Didn't Come Here To Die we had ideas rolling around about finally starting a little label of our own. We figured we'd check them out live and kinda decide from there if we were gonna proceed. Well, they rocked our socks off! I know the band would probably say they sucked that night, but we couldn't disagree more! Also on that night we got a huge surprise in the form of awesome as delivered by Rivethead. We saw these four dirty dudes with long chain key chains and one or two with baseball caps and figured them for locals. They seemed at home so we figured it was their home. Turns out they weren't local and they didn't suck (most local bands here do, thus the assumption). In fact, they rocked our socks off too! The Weasel head tattoo and Mosrite wielding by Zack shoulda been clues that they weren't typical so cal shit, but I hadn't slept in something like 60 hours and Jenna was nursing a 102 temperature - we weren't at our best. After the show we hung around with the Rivethead guys (mostly just Brad and Zack) for most of the night and I left thinking that Rivethead should totally have a record out on our yet-to-be-formed label. They would have too had they not ended the band. We kinda met the members of The Copyrights that night too, but they seemed to be road weary and not so happy. Brett did say hey to us later on and thanked us for coming out. I remember not being able to put a sentence together (quite literally) and I think I scared him off. Anyway, long story longer, that night and those two bands made up those guys were a big part of the start of this little label. I think it's really awesome to be putting out a record with all those guys from that day of days three years ago.

The Chinese Telephones weren't a band we were too familiar with before this project idea came up. I had heard their name dropped by a couple Razorcakers and Ben Weasel among others, but never actually heard any of their stuff. I finally checked out their myspace page a few months ago and totally dug on their song "Those Hot Milwaukee Nights" from their split 7" with Dan Padilla on Fast Crowd Records. That song alone was enough to sell me on this split release. I immediately started the big e-hunt for all of their records and managed to get my hands and ears on all but one - their debut s/t 7" (anyone out there got one for me?). We're stoked to be releasing this record with them and adding it to their discography which I think is one that's gonna end up being something that fans will need each and every record of before they can rest. We haven't met any of these guys yet, but that'll change in less than a month when we meet up with them at the Insubordination Records Fest in Baltimore. Both bands from this split 7" will be touring together from July 4th until the middle of the month. They'll have this 7" at the merch table. I strongly suggest hitting up any show from this tour that's within traveling distance. It's gonna be awesome every night I bet!

As far as the co-release goes, Recess Records were asked to be part of this project at the same time as It's Alive. We're really happy to be doing something with them. From what I gather we are doing the "business" end of our label the same way as Recess - DIY by the seat of our pants! I love that Recess has been around for more than 15 years, released over 100 records and they still haven't gotten all businessy. It seems like they do it for the music and nothing else. I think that's awesome and couldn't be happier about co-releasing something with them. They've got a crazy discography and being a small part of it is super cool in my book.

Oh yeah, this bad boy was pressed on extra tough violet purple vinyl! It looks sweet.

As usual, the first 50 copies of each record sent out will come with a free button.

Check out some song samples from each new release at our myspace page.

04/24/07 - It's about that time again...

Hey folks! For those you of keeping an eye on the label these days I am sure you have noticed a pattern - when the site goes for a couple of months with no news updates, we've got releases in the works. Well, I guess we've always got releases in the works! It's been over two months since our last news update, so you know what that means - new records! Today is the official release of two more records for all you vinyl fiends out there. Yet another one-two punch from our Italian pals The Manges and The Popsters!

From The Manges we've got their second album Go Down available for the first time on 12" vinyl. If you haven't picked it up on cd yet I strongly suggest you do so! Or better yet, listen to it for the first time on vinyl and up your underground punk rock street cred status like crazy! Just like all It's Alive releases this album comes stuffed with good stuff: full color insert and fold-out poster. First 50 orders will get sent out with a nice little Manges Go Down button and the usual bonus goods!

From The Popsters we bring you a new two song 7", Two Minutes b/w Runaway. This release is the product of combined funding and support from 6 different labels. Anyone with a decent amount of Italian punk rock records is probably familiar with seeing records that have more than half a dozen labels represented on the back cover. It's a great way to combine resources and get a record out into the world that might not have been possible to do so otherwise. We were really happy to be included in the group of labels asked to participate in the release of this record. I think it's one of our best so far! First 25 orders will be sent out with a fancy little Popsters button featuring the awesome Dee Dee Ramone cover art from the record drawn by Manuel of The Manges!

For more detailed information on these two records please check out the releases section.

In other news, we're currently in the process of setting up a media page for song samples and video footage. As always the distro lists on the store page are constantly being updated on a near daily basis. Check out some recent additions of really awesome items like the new Ergs album Upstairs/Downstairs on CD and LP, a bunch of stuff from local so cal record label CG Records, and a bunch other goodness! And until we get some copies of the new Copyrights album Make Sound for our distro, do yourself a huge favor and head on over to Interpunk to snag a copy. I'll bet dollars to donuts it makes your top 10 list of 2007, without a doubt!

02/22/07 - It's Alive in the news

A few tidbits of news for you all...

I was interviewed for the long-running German punk rock Ox Fanzine late last year. The interview was printed in this month's issue # 70. The entire zine is written in German so unless you read German you might have a hard time making any sense of it. However, the interview is currently online and can be accessed here. The cool thing about that is you could just cut-n-paste all the text into an online translation site to read it in English. Sure it won't be a perfect translation, but that might actually make it more fun of a read!

The Varsity Weirdos song "Codependency" from their It's Alive release Fly Me Up to the Moon has been featured on punknews.org as the mp3 of the week! I think that's really awesome for the band and for classic pop punk in general. Overall that site isn't too keen on the old-style four chord pop punk, so I see this as a small victory for the little guys. "Codependency" is also featured on the new compilation cd Where the Fun Never Sets released by Cabana 1 Records. Check it out!

01/30/07 - Our first LP

It's totally fitting that our 12th release also happens to be our first 12 inch LP. It's also fitting that our first LP comes from the first band we released a record with, The Copyrights.

Mutiny Pop is the first album The Copyrights have had on vinyl thus far. If you haven't heard this album yet you're really missing out on some top-notch, cream of the crop pop punk rock. This album made lots of top ten lists this past year and will surely resonate as one of the better if not best pop punk albums of recent times. The Copyrights have a knack for producing big hits with big hooks and no filler whatsoever. It's a real pleasure to be able to release this as our first ever LP. Big thanks to Insubordination Records for granting us the rights to press this bad boy on vinyl. If you don't have a record player you probably won't be purchasing this LP, but be sure to pick it up on cd from Insubordination or our distro section while we still have some in stock.

As with all of our releases, this slab o wax was pressed on color vinyl - clear with orange and black splatter - and comes with a fancy insert and fold-out poster. And in keeping with tradition, the first 25 copies out the door will come with a Mutiny Pop button and fancy new It's Alive Records guitar pick. Collectors take note, this vinyl release features significantly altered artwork from the cd version released last year.

In other news, we recently stocked a handful of It's Alive Records band T-shirts in the store section. Sizes and quantities are limited, so if you see something you like don't hesitate to pick it up before it's too late! The Varsity Weirdos and Zatopeks shirts even have the It's Alive Records name and logo on the back! And for those who have been with us since the beginning, The Copyrights Button Smasher T-shirt has been licensed out to Interpunk and is once again available.

Finally, for those still unaware, Ben Weasel has started up a radio show called Waubesa Radio. It streams through the Insubordination Records live radio show. The third installment of the show that just aired this past week features a handful of songs from It's Alive releases. Do yourself a favor and tune in to hear some great new music and Ben Weasel banter. Check out the Waubesa Radio Show mypsace page here.

01/03/07 - A new year, a new record...

We wanted to start this year off with a bang, so that's exactly what we're doing! Our latest release is probably the hardest hitting stuff we've released to date.

Gambling On Rock is the first release from Retarded since 2003. They have taken hard-edged 70’s rock-n-roll, stripped away the excess glam and added some piss, venom and punk rock to the mix. Retarded have really stepped it up a notch from the ramonescore cretin-hopping punk rock styling of their past, but they’ve managed to do so without losing any of the infectiousness their music has always been in ample supply of. A few years ago Retarded had a 7” release titled I Don’t Wanna be Trained. It was released with three different picture sleeves (each featuring a different band member of the trio) and pressed on a few different colors of vinyl. This release is somewhat of a sequel to that release, but now there are four band members which means four different sleeves! The silly KISS pictures are a nod to the nonsense that record labels and bands of the 70’s arena rock variety (KISS Included) brought to the record buying public: multiple picture sleeves, various vinyl colors, but only one recording! Collectors will love it. Any label still releasing vinyl has got to love the record collectors of the world - we certainly do! We are offering up all 4 versions on 4 different colors of vinyl at a discounted price in the store section. First 25 people to take advantage of the 4-pack deal will receive a 5-pack set of buttons (featuring each band member plus the Retarded kiss logo).

Check out the It's Alive Records myspace page for samples from the new release!

11/28/06 - We Want the Airwaves?

We have stepped things up a bit lately in regards to sending out promos. Record reviews and ads have been popping up in the bigger of the smaller zines of the world. Razorcake, MRR, Jersey Beat, Amp, Big Wheel and Under The Volcano are a few I can think of off the top of my head that should at the very least have reviews in their back pages soon.

We've also been lucky enough to get some internet "airplay" lately. Is it called airplay if it's online and not the radio? Regardless, the following is a list of a few "radio" shows and podcasts that have recently had some It's Alive Records tunes featured on their playlists:

10/27/06 - Grant Lawrence of the Smugglers has a radio show he does for the CBC. From what I hear it's one of Canada's most listened to radio shows. He recently played a Varsity Weirdos track off their Fly Me Up to the Moon ep. The CBC Radio website is a little hard to navigate and find the archived shows. Here is a link to download the entire show. It's a really good listen start to finish. Grant is a real characater and makes listening in fun for new and old fans alike.

11/04/06 - Jim Testa of the long-running Jersey Beat Magazine was kind enough to ask yours truly for an interview. We talked shop about the label, its history and future. He dedicated an entire podcast to the interview interlaced with all It's Alive tracks! You can check out all of his podcasts here, and you can download the It's Alive podcast here.

11/18/06 - Maximum Rock N Roll Radio was sent the entire It's Alive catalog a month or so ago. We were really excited to see that the Sonic Dolls tracks from their It's Alive split with The Apers got played on last week's radio show. And on the same show another Varsity Weirdos track from their Fly Me Up to the Moon ep was played. Those weirdos are on a radio roll... The entire show can be downloaded here.

10/31/06 - Two new records for all you trick-or-treaters

Forget the candy and all that crap. We've got the sweetest stuff in town this Halloween. Two new records for everyone in need of a good fix.

The Copyrights (Illinois) and Zatopeks (UK) have teamed up to bring us what might be the most rockin' split to come around this year. That's saying a lot considering all the tracks were recorded acoustic. Yeah, that's right, acoustic! If you're thinking this is gonna be some sensitive, emo, touchy feely kinda record forget it. If you're already into these bands or this label you should know we'd never do you like that. Handclaps & Bottlecaps will rock your socks off just as much as anything The Copyrights and Zatopeks have ever done. We've got orange and green copies with slightly different cover art for each - we love those collectors. And as usual, first 50 copies out the door get a free Copyrights or Zatopeks button made for this release (order both colors, get both buttons).

The Badamps are badass, plain and simple. They've got the goods and now we've got the tunes! Two Face is our first split label project to come about. Black Market Records out of Vancouver, BC represent the other half of this collaboration. Much like their Canadian brethren to the east, The Varsity Weirdos, the Badamps know how to bring the pop to the punk with all kinds of style. This record is big fun start to finish. And yes, free Badamps buttons for the first 50 orders. We do really well selling records to our neighbors to the north (Canada, eh). We're happy to be releasing records from bands of the lands with good taste in music!

Check out the It's Alive Records myspace page for samples from each new release!

09/18/06 - It's Alive Worldwide

Sorry for the lack of updates. We've been busy putting together new projects and working on other label related projects. We have been busting our butts trying to get our records into the hands of people all around the world by getting them into distros and mailorders in other countries. We've got a good start. Check out the distro section of the links page. USA, Japan and Italy are pretty well covered. We've got one mailorder site in the UK helping us out - we'd like to get more in that area. We're still working on Germany, Spain and The Netherlands.

We've also finally started sending records out for review. I know, I know, that's usually the first thing labels do with their records. We are also going to be placing ads in a few zines big and small. Up until now we've only had ads in the small but awesome Nuthin' Zine out of Ohio. Our first "official" ad just showed up in the latest issue (# 34) of Razorcake. We plan on making a little statement in a future issue of MRR. We know how much those folks like pop punk.

As for new projects, IAR 09 is in our hands. It's a split 7" with two of our favorites bands: Zatopeks and The Copyrights. We are going to hold off on officially releasing it for sale until the end of October. By then we'll have IAR 10 ready to ship as well! It's another 7" from another neighbor to the north (Canada, eh!), The BadAmps! It's gonna be a happy halloween for everyone. A little later in the Fall IAR 11 and 12 will be coming out. We've got another Italian act joining the family, The Retarded. They've got new material and the best I have heard it described was by Adam Copyright as "power violence!" Then we've got our first LP - Mutiny Pop by The Copyrights. It's pretty awesome that our 12th release is gonna be a 12".

06/26/06 - Distro a Go Go!

We were lucky enough to be able to attend Insubordination Record's 10 year anniversary "They Came to Baltimore" Fest last week. It was a blast! Easily the best pop punk related show to have ever happened in recent history. We met a ton of awesome people and great bands. We came back with a lot of records and cds to add to the ever-growing distro section of our online store. On top of the new additions we picked up at the Fest, we also have the three latest 7" releases from Stardumb Records and a few other cd releases they've put out over the years.

Bands and Labels looking to trade releases with us for our distro section, please get in touch!

Thanks to everyone who placed orders this past week... It was our biggest week for mailorder since we started this bedroom operation two years ago!

06/8/06 - We can't slow down! Three more new releases!

That's right folks, three more records and four bands have just joined the family Alive!

First up, The Varsity Weirdos Fly Me Up to the Moon - five tracks of pure pop punk at its finest... tons of harmonies, nifty little riffs, handclaps, a little organ for good measure, and of course, all downstokes! This release is long overdue, but more than worth the wait. The first 50 orders will receive a miniature sized Varsity Weirdos pennant shaped patch!

Up next we have the UK's greatest musical export, the Zatopeks, gracing our hearts and ears with Smile or Move - four tracks of insanely unique punk rock progress. There's no other band out there today that sounds like these guys. Two tracks are brand new and two tracks are from their debut album, Ain't Nobody Left but Us, on wax for the first time; graciously donated from pop punk's greatest record label of all time, Stardumb Records. First 50 orders come with a Zatopeks punkrock patch!

Finally, we bring you a four song split from two of Europe's finest pop punk rock bands: The Apers, who serve up two brand new tracks that find them coming back to their classic power pop punk sound, and the Sonic Dolls, who donate two of the most buzzsaw guitar driven tracks to ever hit wax! The first 50 orders come with an Apers and Sonic Dolls button!

Check out the It's Alive Records myspace page for samples from each new release!

05/30/06 - New T-shirts and other merch!

The T-Shirts have arrived, and they turned out great! Check out the store section to pick one up. We got some in every size from YM to XL. Also added to the merch section of the store are the new magnets for the next three releases and another button set!

Speaking of our next three releases, we're still waiting on the Varsity Weirdos, Zatopeks and The Apers/Sonic Dolls 7"s from the pressing plant. We still expect to have them ready for release by June 14th... keep your fingers crossed, this one's gonna be close!

05/08/06 - Three more 7"s, Distro Additions, and T-shirts!

We've put a big fat rush on our next three projects in an effort to get them all good to go in time for the big Insubordination Records Fest in June. All three records are chock full of exclusive, unreleased songs, and the usual It's Alive goodies - all on color vinyl, of course. Keep your eyes peeled for the best pop punk from all over the world. We'll be sure to get the website updated just before they become available for ordering.

Speaking of the best pop punk from all over the world... Our distro section has a new addition! We've gotten our mitts on a brand new 7" from Austria's The Mugwumps, "...Slit Your Tire." It's their debut release but it sure doesn't sound like it! It could very well be the single best 7" to come out so far this year (not counting our own releases of course, hehe). We were so completely bowled over by this record, and had so much fun dancing to it, that we had to have a part in making it more available to our American buddies at a domestic shipping cost. Don't forget to tack this record on to your next It's Alive order. Remember... We have flat rate shipping! And while you're at it, be sure to check out the Zatopeks/Ritalins split 7" and The Pop Punk Circus cd we scored from Sebby Zatopeks label, All-Nite Records - more imports at domestic rates!

And finally, we just put in an order for 100 It's Alive Records t-shirts. We should have those by the end of the month. As soon as we do we'll be sure to update the website yet again. We were sure to order some in every size from YM to XL...all in black of course (people weren't too hot on white shirts last time).

04/01/06 - Two New Releases and a Website to Match!

Well, it's been a hectic few months. We're up to our ears in projects, and though we almost murdered each other during the process, we still managed to squeeze in a much needed website re-vamp. (Feel free to shoot us an email if anything doesn't work!) We've got two new records available for purchase now, both with distinctive Italian style!

First, NYC's Kitty Kowalski teams up with Italy's quintessential pop punkers, the Manges, to bring us this three song barrage of catchy, danceable, rock and roll goodness. Kitty and Andrea both bring their vocal stylings to this party, resulting in an unbeatable mix! Features: Joey's Song (easily the best Joey tribute song ever penned), Elvis Has Left the Building (duet version with Andrea and Kitty both singing), and The Goonies 'R' Good Enough, with awesome artwork by Mass Mosrite, on multi-colored vinyl. First 50 copies come with a free button!

But that's not all Italy and It's Alive have to offer! We're also really excited to bring you the newest single from the Popsters, featuring a killer cover of Tom Petty's American Girl, taken from their stellar new full length available now on Incessant Drip Records, and two must-have exclusive new tracks: The Scene and You Said, on clear blue vinyl. First 50 copies come with a free Popsters guitar pick!

Coming up on the release schedule, we have a whole bunch more international goodness for you... Canada's Varsity Weirdos will be out next, followed by the Zatopeks from jolly ol' England, and then a split between our favorite Dutchies, the Apers, and Germany's finest, the Sonic Dolls! Check back soon for details!