It's Alive Records - 2006 NEWS ARCHIVE


2006 News Archive
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!

2006 News Archive

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!