What's in the fire? Decide for yourself

Käpykaarti LPs en route + Sekaannus / Massacre Split LP news

2011-12-23T21:14:00.094-06:00

This is an update to let you know that the newest releases I have been involved with should be here soon. I admit that I suck at giving descriptions and drawing comparisons when it comes to this stuff, but I did find a couple of quotes to inject here and there that I liked.

Käpykaarti

"Rough-edged attitude with full speed

Slanted, rough-edged, angry Finnish punk rock with anarchistic lyrics. This is what Käpykaarti brings to the table. These guys have been doing this for many years, and it shows. Bling-bling rock stars, the Winter War fans and other bases of the society get their share of the old-timers' derision. Käpykaarti shout the facts and they do it loud!"

I got the quote from here.

I will also be getting copies of the new Käpykaarti 7" which was released this past November for a short Finnish tour in support of Finnish punk magazine Toinen Vaihtoehto.

Sekaannus / Massacre

In January, I should be getting copies of the newest release I have been associated with; Sekaannus / Massacre - split LP. I inserted another quote from Kämäset Levyt Records below. I should add a big THANKS to Jukkeli for having me be a part of this!

"These Finnish bands made their first classic split 7”ep already in 1984! Another split 7”ep

came in 2008 and here we have now a full-length split-lp showing that both bands are still alive and strong! 8 tracks from each band including a cover song from each others. Note that this record is only pressed 300 copies and comes on thick vinyl!!! Includes a 20-pages booklet as well!"

SEKAANNUS - http://www.myspace.com/sekaannus

MASSACRE - http://www.myspace.com/massacrepunkrock

BHL Label News

2011-11-17T18:33:00.000-06:00

Bad Hair Life Records on Cassettes

Crysis Records in Malaysia has released three of the Bad Hair Life LPs on cassette. I should say thank you to Anix for his interest in this, time spent, and patience. I was 100% behind this idea when he asked and I think this is really cool; a great way to get these releases into that part of the world, where I am told these have mostly sold.

The releases are cassette versions of the Pahaa Verta and Ydinperhe LPs. These have been done on a single cassette. The Ydinperhe side also consists of their tracks from the split 7" with Pahaa Verta. The other cassette is the Secret Prostitutes' Nevermind the KBD, This is A.D.D. LP.

I will not be getting these for sale in my go-nowhere mailorder, but I do have a lot of other goodies.

More info here: http://crysisrecords.tumblr.com/

Newest Release: Käpykaarti LP Repress Available

While I have been busy with the Secret Prostitutes repress, another repress was taking place in Finland. This is a repress of the Käpykaarti LP, which came out earlier this year. The band really handled everything, as it was their own self-release initially. When I heard this record last summer, I was stoked to get something going. Their plans were to repress the LP and they were kind enough to ask if I would like to take part. I am very thankful and proud to be a part of the second coming of this record. The go-it-alone spirit of this band rules, and bonus is they aren't much younger than myself. They also have a new 7" available, which is their own release.

The original pressing was 500 copies with the discobag (aka "euro-style") innersleeves. The vinyls are all black and the jackets all are printed innerside-out. Everything about the LP is the bands' own creation. This recent repress is another pressing of 500. Everything is the same as the original. The pressings were done by Flight 13 Duplication in Germany. This is the company I used for the Ydinperhe LP. I have nothing but great things to say about them and they have always been very prompt and informative, especially with international shipping tips (my favorite subject). This is matrix number LN-007 for BHL.

Check it here: http://kapykaarti.mine.nu/

Secret Prostitutes LP Repress Info

2011-11-06T17:21:00.035-06:00

ALL COPIES ARE SOLD OUT.

PLEASE DO NOT ORDER. Thanks to everyone who did. All paid orders have been shipped out.

As of Dec. 26, I know Feral Ward still has some copies. You can also contact our local record store, Sound Exchange.

In Europe, try Repo Man in Copenhagen and Punk Iberico in Spain. In Finland, try Roku Records. Static Shock Records in UK also got copies, but I'm not sure if they have any left.

In Japan, try Nat Records and Record KNOX, though I'm not sure if they still have copies.

The Secret Prostitutes' Nevermind the KBD, This is A.D.D. LP has been repressed. The release has the same release number (LN-005) and was done by the same pressing plant, A&R Records in Dallas, Texas. As before, I have had only good times with A&R. This repressing took longer than what I have become used to, but more business for the pressing plant should be happy news.

For this release, the band had asked for yellow wax, so the vinyl on all copies is yellow with some black, white, clear and red mixed right in there with the yellow. There are 500 copies.

The jackets were made by Imprint Indie Printing. Adit came up with the outer cover artwork. I did the innersleeve work over the summer after returning from the Pahaa Verta/Ydinperhe tour. Everything was created with photocopiers, scissors, glue, shakey hands, and bad taste. We 'fine-tuned' the images with a computer. These LPs come with a Euro style innersleeve, like the Ydinperhe LP did.

All copies were ordered without center labels, but as the pressing went on, the vinyl began to stick to the center of the stampers. The plant contacted me and recommended completing the run with paper center labels; it was that or quit at 400. As a result, the last 100 or so copies have paper center labels. I was really bummed about this truthfully, because I wanted to avoid a special, or limited edition. Our preference was to have wax only. I really think these look better for this.

MAILORDER RECORDS

2011-08-06T01:15:00.046-05:00

ALL COPIES UNPLAYED!

Welcome to
Arsenal of Poverty Mailorder

To make things complicated, I gave the mailorder a different name and translated it to English. Prices are listed. They do not include shipping. I charge for mailer (if I don't have a reusable), shipping, and 4% for pay pal. I like this way as opposed to adding more to each record to account for these things. I am happy to add insurance, tracking, or whatever you wish. For large orders, especially foreign and distros, I ALWAYS double box and re-inforce the corners! I can pack anyway you prefer, just let me know; keep in mind that it will add to the shipping weight/cost, but in some cases I would recommend it. You can reach me here: mosquitopool@gmail.com.

7 "
1981 - Decay 3-Track EP (Kämäset Levyt, Finland) - $5.50
Acid Reflux - Moves (No Way, US) - $4.50
Amsterdamned - XXX (Gummopunx, Netherlands) - $5.50
Artificial Limbs - s/t (Eat, US) - $5.00
Bad Parents - Purple Heart (Secret Records, US) - $3.00
Banran - Stop Kor (Even Worse, Netherlands) - $5.50
Battletorn - Burn Fast (Mad at the World, USA) - $6.00
Burnt Cross - In Nature We Trust (5 labels, UK) - $6.00
Catburglars - Holy Shit E.P. (Tooth Decay, US) - $4.00
Catholic Boys - Dead Ball (Trick Knee Prod., US) - $6.00
Candy Apple Killings - Leather for Liquour (Solid Sex Lovie Doll, Italy) - $12 each or both versions $20
Cheveu - Clara Vénus (SDZ/Royal, France) - $7.00
Chronic Sick - s/t (No Way, US) - $4.50
Cross Rage - s/t - (No Way, US) - $4.50
Cut Throat - At the Seams (self released, US) - $10.00
Dead Ghosts - What to Do (Milk n Herpes, US) - $5.00
Deadsunrise - Several Casualties (4 labels, Finland) - $6.00
Death Trap - No Hicks (Warm Bath Label, US) - $4.50
Demon's Claws - That Old Outlaw (Profêt, France) - $7.00
Dirtbombs - Tahnzen Gehn' (Sound Flat, Germany) - $15.00
Dirty Needles - Justine's a Junkie (Certified PR, US) - $3.50 - orig.
Diskurz - s/t (Todo Destruido) - $4.50
Double Negative - Hardcore Confusion, Vol. 1 (Sorry State, US) - $5.00
Double Negative - Hardcore Confusion, Vol. 2 (Sorry State, US) - $5.00
Dwarves - I Wanna Kill Your Boyfriend (Sympathy, US) - $6.00
Eat Skull - s/t (Meds, US) - $30.00
Eat Skull - Dead Families (Skulltones, US) - $30.00
E-Coli - Big Stupid Ape (Stress! Domain, US) - $5.00
Ergs - Thrash Compactor (Grave Mistake, US) - $4.50
Etulinja - Liity Etulinjaan (Roku, Finland) - $6.00
Extortion/Septic Surge - split (RSR, Germany) - $6.00
Eye-Gouge! - Fast Pissed Off and Proud (Who Cares?, France) - $6.00
Ex-Fag Cop - Gimmefagagenda (Bat Shit, US) - $5.00
Fag Cop - s/t (Eat, US) - $5.00
Foreign Objects - s/t (Loud Punk, US) - $4.00
Frat Boys - Demo '07 (Who Cares?, France) - $5.00
Fy Fan - Ingen Framtid (No Way, US) - $5.00
Gas Chamber - Corpse With Levity (Warm Bath Label, US) - $4.50
Glöm Dä! - I Skuggan Av Eran Stia...(D-Takt & Råpunk, Sweden) - $7.00
Golden Axe - Kill 'Em Allah (Heavy Leather, US) - $15.00
Gorilla Gripping - s/t (5 labels, France) - $6.00
Government Warning - Executed (No Way, US) - $4.00
Government Warning - No Way Out (No Way, US) - $4.00
Haunted George - Shotgun In My Mouth (Solid Sex Lovie Doll, Italy) - $20 - black cover
Haunted George - Shotgun In My Mouth (Solid Sex Lovie Doll, Italy) - $20 - white cover
Haunted House - s/t (Eat, US) - $4.00
Hell - Typical Shit (Pink Pentagram, US) - $6.00
Holy Shit! - Jazz Phase (Trigger-on-the-Dutendoo, US) - $6.00
Homostupids - Brutal Birthday (My Mind's Eye, US) - $6.00 - orig.
Homostupids - The Glow (Richie, US) - $6.00 - orig.
HRT - Confrontation (Who Cares?, France) - $5.50
Inepsy - See You In Hell (Feral Ward, US) - $4.50
Johnny Vomit & the Dry Heaves - Recorded in Corinth, MS 1984 (Solid Sex Lovie Doll, Italy) - $10.00 each or $18.00 for both versions
Kieltolaki - Kuolema Systeemi (Feral Ward, US) - $5.50
Killer's Kiss - s/t (Rehab, US) - $4.50
Krig I Hudik - s/t (Feral Ward, US) - $4.50
Krossa - s/t (D-Takt & Råpunk, Sweden) - $7.00
Laybacks - Beer 7" (Roku, Finland) - $5.00
Lamps - s/t (Solid Sex Lovie Doll, Italy) - $10.00 each or $18.00 for both versions
Lapinpolthajat - s/t (4 labels, Finland) - $7.00
Lautstürmer - Audioplague Outbreak Alert (Black Seeds, Malaysia) - $7.00
Lasters - Allergic to Your Face (Bat Shit, US) - $4.50
Leaders - s/t (Point Wrex, US) - $5.00
Les Hulks - s/t (Unrecording Records, France) - $7.00
Linda Blair's Abortion - Won't Stay Dead (Who Care's?, France) - $5.50
Los Monjo - Mexicanos al Grito de Mierda (Solo Para Punks, Spain) - $6.50
Los Monjo - Cerdos (Todo Destruido, US) - $4.50
Lysol S.S. - s/t (Death Exclamations, US) - $7.00
Maggots - Let's Get Tammy Wynette (Discourage, US) - $6.00
Makabert Fynd - s/t (Flat Black, US) - $4.50
Male Nurses - s/t (Deranged, Canada) - $5.00
Mob 47 - EP (Havoc, US) - $4.50
Much Worse - Absolute Nightmare (No Way, US) - $4.50
Negative Lifestyle - s/t (Bat Shit, US) - $4.50
Night Terrors - Feel Me (Penetrator, New Zealand) - $6.00
Nitad - Nu Börjar Minnena Komma Tillbaka (No Way, US) - $4.50
Nitad - Ge Oss Mer (No Way, US) - $4.50
No System - Dead Bands Tell No Tales (No Way, US) - $4.50
Nuclear Cult - Better Nightmares (Warm Bath Label, US) - $4.50
Nuclear Family - s/t (Loud Punk, US) - $5.00
Omaisuusvahinko - s/t (3 labels, Finland) - $6.50
Omaisuusvahinko - Sotaa Maailmaa Vasta (Roku/Ratbite, Finland) - $6.50
Os Estudantes - Perdão EP (Todo Destruido, US) - $4.50
Pindrivers - Head Banger Gangsta Youth Vol. IV (Goodbye Boozy, Italy) - $6.00
Poor Choice - Teenage Love is Beautiful (Eat the Life, US) - $5.00
Putas Mierdas - El Punk No Quiere Paz Quiere Diversion (Todo Destruido, US) - $4.50
Putas Mierdas - La Nacion Mas Pobre (Adelante Discos, US) - $4.50
Raised By Wolves - Motorcycho (Ken Rock, Sweden) - $6.00
Repoman - Quality Time EP (Knifey Spoony, Australia) - $6.00
Riistetyt - Kahleet (Havoc, US) - $4.50
Saboteurs - s/t (Going Underground, US) - $4.00
Seger Liberation Army - 2+2=? (Big Neck, US) - $3.00
Selvhenter - s/t (Exploding, Denmark) - $8.00
Selvhenter - To Fingre I Kudden (Darlige Hår Liv, US) - $4.00
Sexaphone - Fuck Your Space (Yakisakana, France) - $6.00
Sick Mormons - Why Does Shit Keep Falling From the Sky? (Gummopunx, Netherlands) - $6.00
Sista Kriget - 8 Track Horror (D-Takt & Råpunk, Sweden) - $6.00
Sotatila - Vituiks Meni (Havoc, US) - $4.50
Southside Stranglers - Too Much TV (Grave Mistake, US) - $4.00
Spazz - The Jeb EP (boot., ??) - $6.00
Sucked Dry - s/t (Eat the Life, Pass Judgement, Forward, US) - $5.00
Takes - s/t (Ditchwater, US) - $5.00
Teenage Warning - s/t (Who Cares?, France) - $5.50
This Damn Town - s/t (Solid Sex Lovie Doll, Italy) - $10.00 each or $18.00 for both
Thomas Function - s/t (DNH, US) - $6.00
Thurneman - Luggsliten Evnad (PukeN'Vomit, US) - $4.00
Trashies - Let it be Trashed (Out of Order, US) - $5.50
Tres Delicias - s/t (Big Black Hole, Spain) - $6.00
Un Quarto Morto - Annusarsi, Scegliersi, Lamentarsi (15 labels, Italy) - $5.50
Under Al Kritik - Insomnia (Exploding, Denmark) - $8.00
Upstab - W/ Report (Even Worse, Netherlands) - $5.00
Vagina Boys - s/t (Ken Rock, Sweden) - $5.50
Valium Kiharat - Kierre (3 labels, Finland) - $6.50
Valium Kiharat/Seksihullut - split (3 labels, Finland) - $6.50
Video Disease - s/t (Square Wave, US) - $5.50
Vile Nation - s/t (Even Worse, Netherlands) - $5.50
War of Destruction - Normalisering EP (Hjernespind, Denmark) - $5.50
Whole in the Head - Reclaim Your Future (3 lables, UK) - $6.00

Whole in the Head - Them and Us (6 labels, UK/US) - $4.50
Wrists - Freak of Natures (die Stasi, US) - $6.50 - white and black vinyl
Ydinperhe - s/t (Oy Kaupalliset Levyt, Finland) - $8.00
Yhteis Kunnan Ystavat? - Porojen Maa (Roku/Moshpart, Finland) - $7.00 - both colors vinyl available

7" COMPILATION
No Bullshit Vol. 4 - Citizens Patrol, Anti You, Born Bad, Civic Progress, Logic Problem, Violent Arrest, Insomnio (No Way, US) - $4.00

10"
Red Mass/Strange Attractor - split (P.Trash, Germany) - $10.00

12"
A.I. - Arming Rebellion With the Sound of Hearts (Feral Ward, US) - $10.00
Alters - s/t (Adelante Discos, US) - $10.00
Ääritila - Ennen Huomista, Tänä Päivänä (Feral Ward, US) - $10.00
Battletorn - Reflect the Filth (Mad at the World, US) - $10.00
Brain F(not equal to) - Sleep Rough (Sorry State, US) - $10.00
Brainbombs - Burning Hell (Skrammel, Sweden) - $18.00
Career Suicide - Invisible Eyes (Feral Ward, US) - $10.00
Cat Party - s/t (Flat Black, US) - $10.00
Cheap Tragedies - Vol. 1 (Mad at the World, US) - $11.00
Cheating Hearts - s/t (Goodbye Boozy, Italy) - $14.00
Chosen Few - Joke's On Us (Going Underground, US) - $10.00
Chronic Sick - Cutest Band In Hardcore (No Way, US) - $10.00
City Sweethearts -Sleeping Through Modern Times (P.Trash, Germany) - $14.00
Civil Victim - No False Hope (Loud Punk, US) - $10.00
Complications - s/t (Feral Ward, US) - $10.00
Crude - 1999 (Feral Ward, US) - $10.00
De Høje Hæle - Skal Vi Aldrig Videre? (Hjernespind, Denmark) - $15.00
Deadsunrise - s/t (7 labels, Finland) - $12.00
Delta Force II - Chuck Norris and the Colombian Connection (Nightstick Justice, Finland) - $12.00
Demon's Claws - Live in Spring Branch, TX (Hook or Crook, US) - $14.00
Dillinger 4 - Live On the BBC (540, US) - $12.00
Diavolo Rosso - Never Follow (Sabotage/Prügelprinz, Germany) - $12.00
Direct Control - Mortality (Feral Ward, US) - $10.00
Double Negative - Daydreamnation (Sorry State, US) - $10.00
Dry Spell - s/t (No Way, US) - $10.00
Equalities - On the Streets (Loud Punk, US) - $10.00
F - Mess You Up/You Are An EP (PukeN'Vomit, US) - $12.00
Gas Chamber - s/t (Warm Bath Label, US) - $10.00
Germ Attak - Curburos (Loud Punk, US) - $10.00
Germ Attak - Cruxshadow (Loud Punk, US) - $10.00
Gewapend Beton - 17 Until We Die (Attack/Hate, Germany) - $12.00
Giftgasattack - s/t (D-Takt & Råpunk, Sweden) - $17.00
Gorilla Angreb - Bedre Tider (Feral Ward, US) - $10.00
Government Warning - Paranoid Mess (LaVida es Un Mus, Spain) - $12.00
Government Warning - Paranoid Mess (No Way, US) - $10.00
Hard Skin - Same Meat, Different Gravy (Feral Ward, US) - $10.00
Hatred Surge - Deconstruct (Rescued From Life, US) - $10.00
Haunted George - Panther Howl (Hook or Crook, US) - $14.00
HERDS - s/t (Fashionable Idiots, US) - $10.00
Isterismo - Discography (540, US) - $11.00
Juggling Jugulars - 80 Million Barrels (Kämäset Levyt, Finland) - $12.00
Juggling Jugulars - Salute No One (Kämäset Levyt, Finland) - $12.00
Kaaos - Ristiinnaulittu Kaaos (Havoc, US) - $10.00
Kieltolaki - Massahypnoosi (Feral Ward, US) - $10.00
Käpykaarti - s/t (Sarasteen Pienmuovi, Finland) - $16.00
Kvoteringen - Samhällets Förrädare (Feral Ward, US) - $10.00
La URSS - Product (Todo Destruido, US) - $10.00
Libyans - A Common Place (Sorry State, US) - $10.00
Lieutenant - s/t (3 labels, US) - $10.00
Makabert Fynd / Glöm Da! - Split LP (Sorry State, US) - $10.00
Marked Men - On the Outside (Dirtnap, US) - $10.00
Masshysteri - s/t 2nd album (Feral Ward, US) - $10.00
Meanwhile - Reality or Nothing (Feral Ward, US) - $10.00
Meanwhile - Remaining Sight: Silence (Feral Ward, US) - $10.00
Meanwhile - The Road to Hell (Feral Ward, US) - $10.00
Meatlocker - s/t (Regurgitated Semen, Germany) - $13.00
Morne - Untold Wait (Feral Ward, US) - $11.00
No Funeral - s/t (Wands, US) - $12.00
Nuclear Family - s/t (Loud Punk, US) - $10.00
Neuroottiset Pelimannit - Diskografia 2LP (Kämäset Levyt, Finland) - $20.00
Out Cold - Goodbye Cruel World (Mad at the World, US) - $10.00
Pahaa Verta - s/t (Bad Hair Life, US) - $10.00
Patriots - The Guilty Walk Free (Punk, US) - $8.00 - bent corner
Pist - Ideas Are Bulletproof (Havoc, US) - $10.00
Raspberry Bulbs - Nature Tries Again (Hospital Productions, US) - $15.00
Raw Power - Screams from the Gutter (Toxic Shock, US) - $8.00 - bent corner, colored wax
Running For Cover - Dark Well (3 labels, US) - $9.00
Secret Prostitutes - Nevermind the KBD, This is A.D.D. LP REPRESS - $16.00 ppd in USA
Selfish - Cause Pain (Feral Ward, US) - $10.00
Shitty Limits - Beware the Limits (Sorry State, US) - $10.00
Sloä Knivar - Ingen Klas, Ingen Stil (Skrammel, Sweden) - $20.00
Social Circkle - City Shock (No Way, US) - $10.00
Sokea Piste - Ajatus Karkaa (Kämäset Levyt, Finland) $14.00
Sur-rur - s/t (4 labels, Finland) - $14.00
Sur-rur - Liikuu Kivipinnoilla Asumuksenaan Laatikko (3 labels, Finland) - $14.00
Systematic Death - Systema Six (Feral Ward, US) - $10.00
Über Krøppling - Foot Fucked 12" (Death Exclamations, US) - $16.00
Under Al Kritik - s/t (Bad Hair Life, US) - $8.00
Valse Triste - Madon Luku (Kämäset Levyt, Finland) - $10.00
Varukers - One Struggle, One Fight (Havoc, US) - $10.00
Vaaska - Ruido Hasta la Muerte (540, US) - $11.00
Vicious - Alienated (Feral Ward, US) - $10.00
Vivisektio - 1984 (Roku/Höhnie, Finland) - $12.00
Warcry - Not So Distant Future (Feral Ward, US) - $10.00
Wasted Time - Futility (Grave Mistake, US) - $10.00
Whatever Brains - s/t (Sorry State, US) - $10.00
Willful Neglect - Justice For No One (Havoc, US) - $10.00
Women - No Reasons (Resurection, US) - $8.00
Ydinperhe - s/t (Bad Hair Life, Finland) - $12.00 - yeah, it was released in Finland, US copies are imported
Yleislakko - Kuka Pelkää Politiikkaa? (Räkälevyt/Woimasointu, Finland) - $12.00

WHOLESALE STUFFPrices listed as retail/wholesale. Wholesale is 5 or more copies of whatever is listed below. Mixing is fine. I can trade Bad Hair Life releases only.
De Høje Hæle - Skal Vi Aldrig Videre? (Hjernespind, Denmark) - $15.00/$12.00
La URSS - Product (Todo Destruido, US) - $10.00/$8.00
Pahaa Verta - s/t (Bad Hair Life, US) - $10.00/$7.50
Under Al Kritik - s/t (Bad Hair Life, US) - $8.00/$6.50
Women - No Reasons (Resurrection, US) - $7.50/$5.50
Ydinperhe - s/t (Bad Hair Life, Finland) - $12.00/$9.00

Ydinperhe - S/T LP

2011-05-19T16:38:00.005-05:00

The Ydinperhe LP is matrix number LN-006. I had originally wanted to press 500, but the band wanted to do 700, so we collaborated and it wound up a joint venture. BHL covered the cost of 500 and the band's label, Hakaniemi Hardcore, did the extra 200 plus 33 over run. There is a total pressing of 733. All LPs are on black vinyl and are 45 rpm.

I had heard of this band through Pahaa Verta and was an instant fan. After all, fanhood is why I am doing this. I was very lucky that they were willing to work with me and they have been tremendously supportive and this partnership has taught me a lot. I hope there will be more to come. Thanks YP!

The band wanted to do the pressing in Europe, since that is where most of the records would most likely sell. This has really been the case with every BHL release, including the Secret Prostitutes; sales are mostly in the EU. For this pressing, we used Flight 13 Duplication in Germany. Every step of the production was done through them. They were easy to work with and F-13 is the mirror of professionalism. The test presses arrived quickly and the production of the actual records was only about two weeks from the time we approved the test presses. Everything was clean and the the quality was top notch.

Of the 733 LPs, 200 came to the US. As for the cost of shipping to the US from Germany, it was 350 euros for the 200 LPs. These were double boxed and responsibly packed for shipping. The pressing plant did a very nice job of it. The downside to this is that it adds up and the records aren't as cheap as I would like. This is just an unavoidable fact of it. For me, in the USA, to fairly work with a foreign band, the sale price is probably going to hurt. I find to speak of such high prices and profit in punk is about like speaking of safe sex in a Southern Baptist Church; it's taboo. Vinyl punks, this maybe the dusk of our time; extincted by gas and tax. Too bad that some folks don't recognize that profit is necessary to make the free stuff, like stickers and buttons. Also, profit is necessary to be prepared for the ever-increasing costs associated with doing this. It is reality. Funny to me is that a few of the complaints I've heard have come from people who weren't alive when prices were cheap. Back to it, the rest went to Helsinki. The shipping for 533 LPs to Helsinki from Germany was about 150 euros. We also paid a VAT (tax) for the Finnish customs and that was about 19% of the value for the records that went into the country. I have to say that Flight 13 worked this out for us and saved us some money here, not much, but they made a great effort and it's appreciated. We will have copies on tour with us this summer on the east coast. The tour dates are listed below. You can check out tracks here:

http://ydinperhe.bandcamp.com/

I know I tend to ramble about the costs, but my intention when I began doing this was to try and give some insight to newbies like myself and let them know what I have experienced with what I have done. I always welcome any advice and suggestions. If anyone can direct me to the cheapest (not crappiest) way of getting records out, please write. I am always happy to hear from people.

And before I forget, this record RULES!

Secret Prostitutes - Nevermind the KBD, This is A.D.D.

2010-07-09T23:45:00.005-05:00

The Secret Prostitutes - Nevermind the KBD, This Is A.D.D. album was the fifth release for Bad Hair Life Records. The matrix number for this is LN-005. This LP was a pressing of 400 copies, all on black vinyl. It was completed in April 2010 and released in June 2010.

The mastering and pressing for this was done together with LN-004, the Pahaa Verta LP. Mastering was done in Belvidere, Illinois at Prairie Cat Mastering. The vinyl was pressed in Dallas, Texas at A&R Record and Tape Mfg. I cannot say enough kind words about either of these places and both come with the highest recommendation. Future BHL releases will pass through their halls.

The delay in this project was "what kind of artwork do we want?" The original idea was spraypainted jackets with only the logo. I was happy with that idea, but wanted the song titles to be known. Artwork for an insert was created with a photocopier. After that, we changed our plans and were going to have the jackets screenprinted at a local printer. As the weeks went by it became clear that this was not going to happen. The original idea then came into fruition. The artwork I created became the LP inserts and with the help of Adit (singer/drummer of Secret Prostitutes), Corey (my 14 year old son), Chris (Death Exlamations Records main man), and Matthew (No Talk basser), the jackets were spraypainted in various fashions and formats. There was no plan behind the production - no count of styles, designs, types, variants, colors, - no "first 50" or "first anything". I have read that there is a "limited" version of this LP. Please note that THERE IS NOT!! I should mention here that the insert sleeves come in yellow, white, and green. I'm not sure which color the sales clerk at Office Max made first...I read somewhere else that it was "yellow". I have more photos in Photobucket, but can't figure out how to find them without logging in.

For the inner sleeves, I chose to use plastic. I like these over paper because they do not scuff the wax. When I check out my oldest records, the ones that look the best are in plastic sleeves. The plastic inners I bought were from Square Deal Music in California. They are on the web and also have an ebay store. These things stand up well and do not crumple up when you slide them into the jacket. The cost is about 11 cents per piece, which is about 5 cents more than the cheap paper sleeves you get at the pressing plant. The extra cost here is definitely worth it.

Since the Secret Prostitutes are a local band, I had no shipping to pay! If you read the other posts, you may know how dear shipping is to me. I must write that I offered Josh, the guitar player, the 20% that I give to bands, but he only took 10 copies for each member! That left me extra copies to sell and send for radio and review. The money will go back into BHL and hopefully another Secret Prostitutes project. This kindness will always be remembered!

I guess that's it. Look for more this coming winter.

Pahaa Verta - s/t LP

2010-06-08T20:16:00.006-05:00

This is the second full length release for Bad Hair Life Records. It is matrix number LN-004. This is a pressing of 500 LPs with 100 on yellow and black mixed vinyl.

After hearing the band's "VVVV" 7" that was released on a conglomeration of Finnish labels, I jumped at contacting the band about doing a release here in the States. This was in the summer of 2009. We had originally hoped to release the record in winter of '09, but the band had only recorded the tracks in December of that year and I received them in January 2010. I was completely blown away! So, we made a new deadline for May 2010 and actually met it.

I should note that this record was mastered and pressed side by side with The Secret Prostitutes - Never Mind the KBD LP. The mastering was done by Prairie Cat Mastering in Belvedere, Illinois. I have now had three projects put to laquer here and have been extremely happy with everything. I recommend Prairie Cat to anyone. The pressing was done in Dallas, Texas by A&R Record and Tape Mfg. One more place I will always go to for pressing. It also makes a nice day trip to pick up the vinyl and gives me a chance to listen to a few hours of truckin' music without any complaints.

The jackets and inserts were done by Imprint in Florida. Once again, the service was fast, helpful, and friendly. I used the glossy UV finish for the jackets this time. The frustrated character on the cover made me think of flourescent lights, clinics, scrubbed tile floors and walls, and sanitariums. I thought a shiney surface would look the part. The writing on the background says 'hauskaaonkuunohta'. This is not the album title.

Here is the shipping and customs part. I shipped the records 50 at a time in 14 in.^3 boxes. I don't know for certain, but more than 50 seems like it would get too heavy for the record jackets on the bottom and potentially cause problems such as flattening the spines. I don't want this stuff damaged by me being a half ass. Anyway, the boxes shipped for about $150 each. That was with the USPS and using the international priority option. I made the decision to NOT put pressing receipts and extra paperwork in the boxes. I only used the post office's customs form. In addition, I had marked these as 'gift' and put a value of $5.00 per LP on the forms. The band told me that Finnish customs asked about the other paperwork, which I chose to leave out, but gave the band the records anyway and the cost of customs tax was $68 (compare that to Denmark!). ALL HAIL FINLAND!!

The greatest part of doing this LP was working with the band! They have been some of the easiest and nicest folks to work with. I look forward to hearing much more output from them in the future and hopefully be able to release some more myself.

Under Al Kritik - self titled LP

2010-01-15T20:39:00.007-06:00

This is the first LP release for Bad Hair Life. Call it LN-003. The work began on this during the late summer of 2009 and was completed two weeks before Christmas. This was a pressing of 1000 LPs on standard weight vinyl. There are 900 black vinyl and 100 clear vinyl with black injected into the mix. The records were pressed at A&R Record and Tape Manufacturing in Dallas, Texas. They did a fantastic job and were very helpful. I was lucky enough to get a tour of their pressing plant when I drove up to pick up the vinyl. I can not recommend them enough! The mastering was done by Prarie Cat Mastering in Belvidere, Illinois. This was another service I will use again.

I chose to use poly-lined paper sleeves for the inners. I bought these from Bags Unlimited and had them shipped to the pressing plant. I buy a lot of old records from thrift stores, and have always liked the way you can read the center labels through the plastic middles. Strange I suppose, but this was my way to pay homage to all of the forgotten records in junk stores everywhere.

The jackets and inserts were made at Imprint Indie Printing in North Venice, Florida. I had gone into this whole project wanting to use the tip-on jackets, but the cost was more than I could chew. My dilemma was making sure the wholesale price was low enough. I used the 20 pt. weighted paper and had a matte UV finish applied. The jackets came out very nice indeed. During this time, I had some trouble with the colors in the artwork I sent and had no way of correcting it, since I have no graphics software nor experience with it. Fortunately, the folks at Imprint very generously made the correction I needed and the printing began. I learned during this time that the jackets are actually assembled in Montreal, Canada. After a fast trip from Canada, the jackets arrived at my house on a day that we had about 7 inches of snow...very rare for the Houston area.

Now I hate shipping! I tried Fed Ex first. The person working at my local Fed Ex location was not very interested in helping me out. The rate she quoted me was $435 for each box and the lowest rate she could offer was $345 per box if I waited three weeks to send them. I had packed about 50 LPs into each box and had four boxes to send. The boxes each weighed in at about 35 lbs. I decided to try the USPS, since I had a feeling that I would be paying customs taxes after the shipping costs. I wound up sending two boxes international priority, each for $129.

Here is the tricky part: I kept waiting for the band to receive the boxes. Then, two days shy of four weeks, I got notice that the records were in Denmark. The Danish customs wanted 1281 DKK for each box. So, this was another $500! With these two boxes, I had included the pressing plant information on each box. I decided to leave the pressing plant information out of the third parcel and simply indicate on the customs form a value of $5.00 for each record. I had no problems this time. My belief is that the customs officials charged me about 20% of the total pressing on each of the first two boxes because they read the pressing plant information and taxed the entire quantity twice without giving it any thought. But, who the hell really knows? It could be a simple matter of who was on duty at the time.

I knew that sending the records would be expensive, but I never knew what to expect with the customs...still don't. Regardless, I am very happy with this record and believe it is the responsibility of this label, myself, to make sure the bands receive their records.

I hope this information about shipping is helpful to someone who reads this and has not dealt with it before. The customs tax is the tricky part because it is hard to tell what the cost will be. I would recommend doubling your shipping estimate to account for customs. With the addition of shipping and customs, the cost of this release is somewhere between a purely domestic record and an import. Maybe I could call it an export.

I can't complain. I am doing what I want to do and that is the number one thing. The band is great, the record is great, and I am proud of the work we did on this.

Anyone with advice on international shipping, please feel free to give it. I am always happy to hear peoples ideas.

10-4.

Secret Prostitutes - Mati Di Moskow 7"

2009-11-25T16:59:00.012-06:00

The Mati Di Moskow 7" was to be the second release for Bad Hair Life, but it was actually preceded by the Under Al Kritik LP. This 7" is a split release with some friends of mine who have a real record label called P. Trash Records. Peter and Suzanne's label is located in Bielefeld, Germany. They also run a fantastic and reliable distro.

The matrix number for this release is P. Trash 56/LN-002. The sleeves for this record were made at Hamlett Printing Services in Nashville, Tennessee. I would recommend them to anyone needing basic paper sleeves for their records. We wanted a sleeve that was simple and in the spirit of the late 70's/early 80's KBD style, without having to make them by hand. After having the sleeves made in the USA, I shipped them to Germany, which is where the vinyl was pressed in December 2009.

Peter asked me to create some special artwork for the screenprinted version of this record. He usually does this for his P. Trash Club. I found some artwork on the internet and created the basic layout with glue, scissors, Sharpies, and photocopiers. A friend of mine here in Houston cleaned everything up with InDesign, or maybe it was Illustrator. The screenprinting was done in Germany.

To do something special for my part of this project, I decided to have 100 copies done on red vinyl. The total pressing is 800. Of that, 700 are black vinyl and 100 are red vinyl. To make it more complicated, 120 have the special screenprint sleeve. The red vinyl version comes in the regular sleeve. The screenprints included black vinyl.

I made some goofy inserts to go in the records for mailorder and to distros. These are small adverts for Bad Hair Life Records, nothing to miss.

The record release show was with Dean Dirg, who began a US Tour in Houston in March 2010. Since the record had already been 'released' we called it a record 'celebration' show. By this time, the music for the LP was already in the works...

Selvhenter 7"

2009-11-24T22:15:00.008-06:00

The first release for Bad Hair Life was a 7" for the Danish hardcore punk band Selvhenter. The release number is LN-001. There are 400 of these and all are black vinyl. The mastering and pressing were both done by United Record Pressing in Nashville, Tennessee. The sleeves are glossy, fold over and single sided. These were made locally at Ink Spot Printing in Pasadena, Texas. The insert lyric sheets were made at Office Depot. I also made the center labels with photocopiers at O.D. Since my computer is old and slow, and since I have no experience with computer graphics software, I end up making most things like I did 20+ years ago.

This is Selvhenter's second release. Their first was on a Danish label called Exploding Records and was a pressing of 300 copies. I really like that record and it is worth finding.

This is a great first release for me. These guys were totally supportive and enthusiastic, and the experience left me wanting to work on some more releases.

Why?

2009-11-24T19:28:00.000-06:00

I decided to give this a try for communicating to everyone interested the ongoings of this sluggish record label/hobby. I guess I will also try and use this as a format for helping anyone who may be in the same position I am in and hopefully my trial and error can be of some benefit to someone out there. While I do regard this as primarily a hobby and like to make a lot of fun of it, I realize that the bands who rely on me to do this deserve my best effort. So for them, I treat the work involved as a serious matter.