The distro section of LNA is more or less up and at ‘em. Some of the new stuff will be up in the coming days, but all Transparent releases are up but are in limited quantities so act quickly! I’m trying to catch up with all the great records streaming out right now, so distro adds will be happening often. As bountiful and commonplace as Boy Scout potlucks.

As of right now the Forest Swords and Pure Ecstasy tapes have gone out of print. If you strongly desire a copy there are a couple distros that have both tapes and a few odd ones may turn up in random boxes etc. just get in touch. Be sure to buy Pure Ecstasy’s new 7″ out now on Light Lodge and keep your eyes peeled for the Forest Swords 12″ set to drop on Olde English Spelling Bee any day now. It has remastered, blown out versions of ‘Miarches’ and ‘Hoylake Misst’ on it that will make your innards rumble with joy. Like you just ate a huge turkey leg of soulful dubbed-out peninsula pop bliss.

Keep your eyes peeled for some sort of Valentines Day special but be warned this one isn’t for happy couples. It caters specifically to heartbroken Belle & Sebastian fans who now listen to ambient music so there is never silence which constantly reminds them of their loneliness. Maybe thats just me, but you’ll get some dank tapes for minimal scrilla.

LNA has two special projects upcoming that are super, crazy exciting. It is very difficult for me to contain this excitement but I must until all the details are hammered out and confirmed. One involves a major ambitious fanclub of sorts and the other is an inventive visual art meets music kinda thing. Its so hard for me not to spill.

That aside, we have a number of co-releases forthcoming I want to talk about. First will be a collaboration with the divine Friendship Bracelet on a cassette release for the sparkling Boneless. The next is another cassette collaboration with Calypso Hum on a tape for a fine young gentleman by the name of Carter Mullin. Its a c30 of ambient perfection. The third is a collaboration with Black With Sap, a label run by my two favourite dadz ever, and we are working on the super secret fanclub project. Don’t worry, it isn’t a shitty LNA fanclub or some bullshit.

Thanks for being golden.

Fondly,

Alex//LNA

P.S. Attention all citizens of Europe! All LNA tapes will soon be avail. from the superb Bis Auf’s Messer online as well as instore in Berlin. Buying from them will be much more prompt as they probably ship like… immediately and they have far less distance to travel. Yay!

After my lengthy absence from all things LNA, I’m ecstatic to say that all tapes (as well as the ‘Triple Threat’ special) are back up for grabs! Getting to be in London for a month was pretty unbelievable but it really only refueled my creative juices as I now have tons of new stuff coming up to feed my (and maybe your) aesthetic appetite. The next three tapes are from Legionnaires, Boneless, and Junior Low so keep your eyes open for info on those. I have a new venture in publishing and film producing called Hazed Nostalgia. Got a film, 2 zines, and a music journal in the works thus far so if any of thats your beat be excited. There are a handful of vinyl projects under wraps right now which will be revealed in good time. The distro will be up and running in a few weeks as there may be a small LNA boutique selection at The Empyrean in Spokane which might gobble a lot of my remaining stock. So, sit tight for distro goodies. So much DIY loving it hurts. My plate is really full but if I don’t keep it that way I become an unmotivated sod. Thanks for sticking with me.

Best,

Alex//LNA

P.S.

There were so many good looking tapes//records released while I was on hiatus so I’m super on the prowl for trades. Shoot me an email. Or, if you have other stuff to trade ((zines, knitted goods, art, flannels, recipes, etc.)) get in touch.

You may have noticed that you can’t buy anything off of here and you may have thought, ‘Has LNA gone the way of the buffalo already?’ or maybe you were thinking, ‘Thank God. Those tapes were shit.’ Whatever your speculations were, LNA is almost back in action! I’ve been having a ball here in London, seeing//listening to phenomenal plays, musicals, and orchestra concerts. I have about a week left of lukewarm cask ale, supreme museums, and jolty underground riding which is a bummer but I’m super excited to get back in the swing of things with LNA projects. I’ll be putting pay-a-pal buttons back up and all orders placed will be shipped no later than Feb. 4 except for the Campfires tapes which need finishing when I get back to the states (they sound spectacular by the way, its a must buy.)

There are going to be some cha-cha-cha-changes (Bowie in London above) to LNA in the near future. Not only will we be releasing oodles of neat tapes but preliminary work has begun on a number of vinyl projects from some delicious bands//musicians. Supreme tunes on the supreme format.

(The Beatles in London ‘63) As I mentioned before, I’m also working on a new film production project called Hazed Nostalgia. Being a cinema lover, a DIY businessman, and a dreamchaser//dream-supporter I’m going to help produce some films for a couple of young, visionary directors. We are going to try and figure out the whole festival system together and work on growing a DIY film community. We are going to do limited run releases with the handmade element and see where it goes from there. It should be an adventure. If you are curious or interested in getting involved email hazednostalgia@gmail.com

(The Rolling Stones in London) I had the pleasure of going out with the Transparent gents the other night and had a rollicking good time. I saw Vampire Weekend at the drool worthy Rough Trade East. They will be deservedly invading popular radio airwaves soon, their music is just too ex-new waver friendly to escape the Go-Gos, UB40, B-52’s, Bowie, Marley generation for long. My Mom loves ‘em, so ‘Contra’ may be a better Mother’s Day gift then you first thought. Then I was whisked away to the awesome bar venue, The Lexington, to see the Transparent gents mates play their set. Yuck won me over with their catchy, fuzzed out pop sensibilities. Can’t wait to hear more from these cats. Afterwards I was whisked again to a club in Dalston where the Vampire Weekend release was being held. Sahil from Transparent dished out a groovy DJ set complete with solid gold middle school 90’s hits. Excessive amounts of alcohol were consumed as London’s trendiest partied the night and morning away with the Vampire Weekenders. Anyways, I’m bringing home a bunch of Transparent 7″ restocks as well as the new Active Child 7″ so be looking for those in the coming weeks. Thanks Sahil and Jack for dragging me around, it was a blast.

Thanks for still loving LNA even when its not there every second of everyday releasing groovy tapes. I made this mix that I have been listening to over and over again here in London town. It has 8 songs on it: ‘Play With Fire’ and ‘Ruby Tuesday’ by The Rolling Stones, ‘Rocky Raccoon’ by The Beatles, ‘Ziggy Stardust’ and ‘Golden Years’ by David Bowie, and finally ‘Strangers’, ‘This Time Tomorrow’ and ‘Powerman’ by The Kinks. The Kinks’ (pictured above) album ‘Lola vs. Powerman and the Moneygoround’ is in my top albums of all time. I especially recommend it, especially for London listening.

Cheers,

Alex//LNA//HN

Happy Holly Kiddos! Taking a little leisure and throwing the new Campfires tape up for pre-order! The tapes will all ship on January 3rd and will not be available again (along with all the other tapes) until the first week of February. So, if you are itching to get it (as many folks are) snatch it now! Those can be found on the Tapes page. Due to a little issue getting the correct shell colour for the Legionnaires tape, I’m pushing production on those back until I return. Speaking of returning, got a grip of splendid releases forthcoming. Big things happening late winter//early spring 2010.

Included in the big things for LNA, I will also be releasing some beautiful short films sometime in the Spring. I am acquainted with a pair of superb young directors who have some awesome projects the world needs to see. I will be releasing the films as Hazed Nostalgia Moving Pictures. More info will surface in the coming months. I’m exuberant.

Its not every Christmas you get to wear a turtleneck and be a gunslinger. I hope you do one of the two. But I’ll have a blu-ooo-e Christmas.

Fondly,

Alex//LNA

Hey Lovers,

I’m heading home in a few days for Christmas Break and then I will immediately after be heading over to London for a little beer abroad trip so LNA will be essentially shutting down for the next couple months on Thursday. I should be back and raring to go around the 1st of February. I will be taking a limited amount of tapes home with me//to London so you will still be able to order tapes until January 1st but all distro items are on hold until early February. So, if you have your eye on something get it now! Also, I have two of the Christmas Specials left (super popular!) so head over to the specials page and hook up a music lover on your list.

I will be releasing two tapes while I’m at home for break, the first is the much anticipated tape from Campfires and the second is from Legionnaires out of London. Both tapes are going to be superb and I can’t wait. Keep your eyes peeled for pre-order coming in a week or so and remember that Jan. 1st is the last day to order tapes until Feb. 1st!

Fondly,

Alex/LNA

FAKE ESCAPE FEST was an absolute blast! BIG thanks to all the bands who performed, you are all the more dear to me now that we have actually met and kinda hung out. I was mainly running around trying to keep it rollin’ along with some unforeseen time constraints. Also, BIG thanks to all the Spokane cats who came out to the fest! Its the first of many events on my quest to help foster a thriving music scene in Spokane. The fest had a ridiculous merch table, (pictured below, both shots taken by one of my two roommates Jordan).

One of the finest I have ever seen. So many goodies. Wild Animal Kingdom stuff, Stuff from the bands, Travis’ Seattle scene stuff, LNA stuff. Overwhelming.

I made up LNA package deals for the fest and I still have some left, so I’m turning it into a CHRISTMAS SPECIAL. Perfect for the music//dead format nerd on your list. Or perfect for yourself. You get The nearly out of print Forest Swords, Pure Ecstasy, & Yarn Owl tapes as well as the Cat Killer, pə-ˈrād, Matthew Melton, and Secret Colors tapes. 7 tapes plus a hand screened LNA punk rock patch all strung together with jute twine for only $28! Saves you 14 whole bucks! Hot damn its high time you got some tapes. Check out the specials page for the deal!

I’m going on a study abroad (Beer Abroad) trip to the UK in January/Early Feb. and since LNA is a one man show there will be a couple months where you won’t be able to get your hands on LNA tapes & distro treats. There will be two new releases before I leave, the much anticipated tape from Campfires as well as a tape from Legionnaires. I will be halting orders in a week or so, so if you want something nows the time! I will be releasing the new tapes from CA while on break so those will become available in 2 weeks or so for a limited time until I leave. When I get back, LNA will be going full force! New tapes, vinyls (ah!), and of course tons of sweet distro adds.

Fondly,

LNA//Alex

Why are these above dudes celebrating you ask? Well, over the summer (when LNA was still kinda getting started) I contacted a Mr. Nate Grace about buying one of his tapes I had read a Cassettes Gods review on. What I didn’t know was that his group Pure Ecstasy was going to be the second tape I would release. Between that and the self-released 7″, it got some pretty damn awesome attention for tape//uber-limited vinyl. But, nothing beats what the awesome McGregor over at the prodigious Chocolate Bobka had to say about our dear Pure X in the past couple of days. Not only was the ‘Tape of the Year’ honor bestowed upon Pure X but also the ‘Poised for Big Things in 2010′. If you are in CA late this month//early Jan., you better be seeing these guys on tour with Silver Pines. There was also some pumping up for Pure X’s NY shows that followed the Best Of post on Chocolate Bobka. Congrats to the Pure X gang.

I’ve already rambled about it a bunch and probably nobody in Spokane checks this site except maybe my roommate who likes to exclaim, “My roommate is the tapes guy!.” In case you didn’t see the write-up on Pill Wonder in The Inlander or the awesome posters up around town, FAKE ESCAPE FEST is happening tomorrow!!! Its going to be massive. The lineup is of a ridiculously high calibre. Be there or be square.

Finally, I’ll be putting LNA’s two newest tapes up for pre-order today! The first is by Secret Colors and it is called ‘Lunar’ (hence the rad spacey picture up top). C-40 of entrancing ambient soundscapes with awesome j-cards (picture coming soon!) designed by Jeff Walls of Campfires. Its an awesome tape. Instant classic just like his out of print tape on Bumtapes. The second is a massive C-21 split between Wild Safari//Cough Cool. Both of these projects have made colossal waves and I’m stoked to be releasing this groovy tape. Weekend warrior tropic treks on the Wild Safari side and and a super chill, head nodding, enlightenment meditation pop songs on behalf of Cough Cool. You know you need it. Pictures and pay-a-pal buttons for both will be up soon!

I listened to Abe Vigoda last night just because and I realized I had never shared the video that Matt Barnes had made for ‘Wild Heart’. So, here it is. Enjoy. It is gorgeous.

Abe Vigoda – Wild Heart from the battle on Vimeo.

Hey Brus,

Back from my little unexpected hiatus, so thanks in advance for being understanding on slow orders and slowness in general! Thanks to everyone who still ordered a ridiculous amount of stuff over the past week. My distro is running thin, so stay tuned for new adds and removals etc. Sometimes the experimental jetset doesn’t move at a jet pace.

That aside, FAKE ESCAPE FEST is on! Poster is up top. It is the genius work of Nate Ellefson who is showing at Caterina Winery on Friday, so hit up the Caterina Friday night (+ wine consumption) and then hit up FAKE ESCAPE FEST Saturday for tons of awesome tunes (+ cheap beer consumption sponsored by The Inlander.) Yarn Owl was added to the lineup, so 3 current members of the LNA roster will be playing! Plus we are releasing the Secret Colors tape at the show! Yeah! Show starts at 5:30 and will rage until about Midnight and only costs $7!

There should be 5 or so more tapes out before years end including the aforementioned Secret Colors tape as well as from Wild Safari//Cough Cool (split), Campfires, Legionnaires, Junior Low, and maybe more! Be stoked!

<3 LNA

Hey Kidz,

I was planning on catching up over the weekend and getting all orders shipped out by Monday, but I have had a little bit of misfortune with a familial emergency so I have to delay orders a little bit more. I did ship over 40 packages yesterday, so a bunch of people will be getting their goodies but not everyone. Feel free to email me if you have any questions but know that I will be on Thanksgiving break for a week. My apologies for the seeming unprofessionalism. I’m not really a businessman, more of a peddler and quite frankly in the words of El Tule’s main man Dylan Ettinger, “Slangin’ tapes ain’t easy.”

Home for me is a lil’ ol’ gold rush town about forty-five minutes from Yosemite, so I had to share this awesome Nat Geo scan of the Big Yo’ I found the other day. I think all releases from now on will have j-cards designed around old scans.

In other news, FAKE ESCAPE FEST is go! The lineup is sickeningly good: Pill Wonder, Naomi Punk, Universal Studios Florida, Alaskas, pə-ˈrād, Secret Colors, Dimples, M. Women, Hari Kari, Space Age Fur, Slippers USA, Dana Jewell, and The Terrible Buttons. It is basically going to be the coolest event Spokane has ever seen. It is set to go down at the beautiful Empyrean Coffee House on Saturday December 5th, oh-nine. Two stages, cheap beer night, and one giant merch table. I’m PUMPED. The poster as well as schedule details and online ticket purchasing links will surface in the coming weeks.

The pə-ˈrād tape as well as the Melton tape are finished! My main gurl CJsnapped some photos of the tapes for your lurking needs. Sample are up for lurking, so head over to the tapes page and lurk on!

Shalom,

LNA

PS I found one of my new favorite punk bands. They are called Mean Jeans from Portland. Phenomenal. So, I’m giving you a little taste of their most recent album called Are You Serious out now on Dirtnap. Also, one of my favorite Black Lips songs is Hippie, Hippie Hoorah and I love this live version. Mainly because someone is yelling ‘Orale, Orale’ at the end. Plus it rocks. Enjoy.
Mean Jeans- ‘Born on a Saturday Night’
The Black Lips- ‘Hippie, Hippie Hoorah’ (Live ((In Mexico?)))

Today is the day that the LNA krew is getting together with the pə-ˈrād gents to put together their debut release! The tracks sound awesome and my dubber will be whirling away all afternoon getting them ready for 100 lucky listeners. We are releasing the tape tonight at The Empyrean in Spokane at the pə-ˈrād gents first show since their Alaskan adventure over the summer. So, if you are in Spokane drop by, grab a brew, listen to pə-ˈrād’s noise, and buy a tape! For all you non-Spokane folk (don’t blame you) the tape is up for pre-order now (with a sample track up for download). Its groovy. You’ll like it.

Once the pə-ˈrād tapes are finished today, I’m immediately beginning work on the massive Matthew Melton demo tape. I’m really stoked to be putting this out as I’m a big fan of both of Melton’s formal bands, Bare Wires and Snake Flower 2. A c55 worth of golden garage demos. You need it. The pre-order for the tape should be up soon accompanied with a sample song.

More awesome tapes coming later in November and all thru December until LNA’s hiatus over the month of January.

In other news, I have fallen head over heels in love with Best Coast. The project has matured so much since the tape on Blackest Rainbow. The 7″ I have in the distro is fantastic. I stumbled on some ‘acoustic in a bathroom’ recordings of Bethany’s and I wanted to share one. It will make yr day.
Best Coast- The Sun Was High (Acoustic in a bathroom)