Made my night last night after a long day at the office to get back to the valley and find the box HeavyPink records waiting for me on my porch, and today it makes my day to be able to let you know that as of Nov. 3, 2011, the latest project from T. Dallas Reed (Stone Axe, Mos Generator) is officially on sale!

Everyone who pre-ordered: Your packages are on the way. And for everyone else, click the Paypal button above or the cover image to go to the Maple Forum store and pick up your copy of the label’s rookie excursion into vinyl.

I know I’ve talked about it before, but for anyone who might have missed it, HeavyPink is Reed‘s foray into psychedelic walls of sound. The two cuts on the self-titled 7″ take his trademark songwriting ability to new places, sounding full and lush without being jammy or self-indulgent. He couldn’t stop writing catchy songs if he wanted to.

And in HeavyPink, it’s all him. It’s a solo project in the truest sense; Reed writes, plays all the instruments, sings, engineers the recording and sees it through from zero to vinyl. The result is a surprising turn from one of classic heavy rock’s most respected purveyors. This 7″ marks a new beginning for Reed, and I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of it in the small way that I am.

As always with The Maple Forum, the quantities are limited. We pressed 300 records, and I started with 125. Thanks to the pre-orders, there are currently 108 left, and as you can see above, all copies come with a sticker, a download card with an exclusive bonus track, and the high-quality vinyl itself. Thanks in advance for your support of The Obelisk, of The Maple Forum and of HeavyPink. More to come.

Click here to go to the official store of The Maple Forum.

Thanks to everyone who’s placed a pre-order so far for HeavyPink‘s HeavyPink 7″. I got the test pressing last week from Tony Reed in the mail and it sounds awesome. I think anyone who’s dug his work in Stone Axe or Mos Generator is really going to be into what he’s doing here. I am, anyway.

So, while I wait for the records to get here from the press, I just wanted to let everyone know that bundled with each copy of the 7″ — along with assorted stickers and other goodies Tony said he was going to throw in — there’s going to be a slip of paper with info on how to access a free download of “Flower and Song” and “There is a Light.” Not only that, but included in the zip file is the track “Long Live the Mellotron” — exclusive to the download only.

The whole release is pretty psyched-out, but “Long Live the Mellotron” gets the prize. Tony plays up the mournful side of the instrument and backs it with drums and choral sounds layered in. It’s kind of like Black Sabbath‘s “Supertzar,” but (obviously) with mellotron instead of guitar and some weirdo spoken parts. It’s a cool experiment that Tony, natural songwriter that he is, can’t help but turn into something cohesive.

Anyway, so you supportive souls who’ve already ordered the HeavyPink 7″, keep an eye out for that when your record comes in, and thanks as always. I’ve got 110 copies of HeavyPink‘s HeavyPink left for anyone who wants them. Buy using the Paypal button above or click here to go to the Maple Forum online store.

Click the PayPal button above or click here to go to the official Maple Forum store and place your pre-order now for the debut 7″ from HeavyPink — the latest project from T. Dallas Reed of Stone Axe and Mos Generator! Comprised of the two tracks “Flower and Song” and “There is a Light,” HeavyPink‘s first self-titled release finds Reed exploring a more psychedelic side of his songwriting.

Of course, Reed is known for a straightforward style — anyone who’s ever heard Stone Axe can tell you there’s no messing around involved — and on HeavyPink‘s first outing, he keeps the strong verse/chorus sensibility, but expands the tones. His guitars echo, his drums seem more spaced out, and his vocals on the chugging “There is a Light” emanate from some deep chasm of the soul. Fans of Reed‘s work and newcomers alike will I hope be as thrilled as I am at the direction he’s taking with HeavyPink.

And it’s very much him taking the direction. Reed plays all the instruments on HeavyPink‘s HeavyPink, and he recorded and mixed the songs himself at his HeavyHead studio in his native Port Orchard, Washington. It’s a huge sound, and all the better played loud. As always, I hope you enjoy it.

The 7″ marks The Maple Forum‘s first foray into vinyl following three successful CD releases. There are 300 total copies, of which I’m being given 125 to sell (and pre-sell, for those who don’t want to take their chances). Given the sold out prior Maple Forum discs and Reed‘s dedicated fanbase, I don’t expect them to last long. Price is $11 domestic, $13 international, and all 7″s will be carefully packed with bubble wrap in a padded envelope. Since the release is so limited, I don’t want risk any damage during shipping.

If you place your pre-order now, I fill out the shipping label with your info and send you the disc as soon as they come in, which should be another two or three weeks, tops. You’ll know as soon as they get here.

Thank you in advance for your continued support of The Maple Forum project and The Obelisk, and thanks to Reed for allowing me to help him spread the word on this new creative avenue. Here’s to good music.

Click here to purchase HeavyPink by HeavyPink.

Today I’m proud to announce that The Maple Forum will be releasing the self-titled debut 7” from the latest project of T. Dallas Reed (Stone Axe, Mos Generator), HeavyPink. The vinyl single is limited to 300 and features two brand new cuts, “Flower and Song” and “There is a Light,” exploring a rarely-heard psychedelic side of the Port Orchard, Washington, native’s songwriting.

Reed, who is notoriously DIY, played all the instruments on HeavyPink, sang himself, and recorded the material at his own HeavyHead studio. Fans of Stone Axe will be thrilled to discover that although he is working in a different style, the signature elements of Reed’s work remain intact, most pivotally that there’s zero bullshit involved.

He explains the project’s origins thusly: “Before Mos Generator took our hiatus in 2009 we were working on an album to be called HeavyPink. When the band shelved the project I decided to pick up the concept and use it as a tool to try different recording and writing techniques. I look at it as an experiment in heavy and beautiful music, like Master of Reality meets Pet Sounds, meets Into the Pandemonium all in one and produced by Phil Spector.”

Just prior to posting this announcement, I sent the forms back to have the 7” pressed, and I hope to have 125 copies in my hands to sell starting no later than Oct. 11. Needless to say, I’m thrilled to be associated with Reed, of whose work I’ve been a great admirer, and even more excited to have The Maple Forum as the outlet for his first outing with HeavyPink, which you can ‘Like’ on Thee Facebooks here.

The front and back covers are posted above (the back featuring the lyrics to “Flower and Song” and “There is a Light”) and in the weeks coming, I’ll have much more on HeavyPink and The Maple Forum’s very first foray into vinyl!

The hits just keep coming today with the news that my last copy of Dronolith by Blackwolfgoat sold on Saturday night! I’ve got the package here and I’ll drop it off at the post office tomorrow (it would’ve gone out this morning, but the CD was here at work), and then that’s it — no more Dronolith from me.

It’s been an absolute pleasure working with Darryl Shepard, the sole figure behind Blackwolfgoat. Dronolith turned out better than I could’ve hoped, and was hugely impressive for a one-man project, pushing drone into progressive builds and resulting in songs that felt like more than just self-indulgence. Recording live gave it a natural feel and Darryl knows what’s what when it comes to making a wall of noise. I’ve been lucky enough to see it first-hand.

Last I heard Darryl had a couple copies left, so you can get in touch with him via the Blackwolfgoat page on Bandcamp to see if that’s still the case, and Aquarius Records in San Francisco should still have some as well from the batch I sent them, but mine are gone. Thanks as always to everyone who bought a copy of the record, from the first to the last, and thanks to Darryl, Alexander von Wieding for his amazing cover art, to Scott Hamilton and Small Stone Records and to everyone who’s reviewed Dronolith or helped spread the word in any way.

Darryl will be playing with Milligram as they support Kyuss Lives! and The Sword in Worcester, Massachusetts, so if you’re up there, I’d definitely try to get tickets, as it should be pretty massive. As for The Maple Forum‘s next release, I hope to have some news from the Clamfight dudes in the next week or two, and we’ll take it from there with artwork, pressing the disc, etc. In the last couple days, I’ve also been talking to three other bands interested in working with the label, so 2012 seems to already be shaping up.

More on that as it develops, and in the meantime, if you didn’t get the chance to buy Dronolith, here’s the album stream Darryl set up. Thanks again.

I stopped by the post office on my way to work this morning and sent out a package to San Francisco mainstay/tastemaker shop Aquarius Records with 10 copies of Blackwolfgoat‘s Dronolith in it. Aquarius, who was kind enough to review the album a couple weeks back, had already sold out the batch Darryl “I’m the Only Dude in the Band” Shepard sent them, and wanted more. Considering that I’ve been to the store and generally dig what they do, I was more than happy to oblige. The discs will be in good hands and hopefully find good homes.

That left me with three, but as I was sitting here and writing this post, another just sold, which means I now only have two copies left of the album. If you want one, now’s the time. As ever with Maple Forum stuff, once they’re gone, that’s it. We only pressed 100, and they’re gorgeous, and I’m sad to see them go, but yeah, it’s time.

You can make a purchase through the official store of The Maple Forum or by using the Paypal button above, whatever you prefer. Just to remind, Blackwolfgoat is the one-man progressive drone outfit of Shepard, who has played guitar over the years for Milligram and Hackman, among many others and is a master of turning loops into massive barrages of noise. Dronolith was recorded live by Glenn Smith at Amps vs. Ohms Studio and features glossy gatefold digipak artwork by the fantastic Alexander Von Wieding.

Where most records categorized as drone stand still, Dronolith has movement within its six tracks, and I’m proud as hell to have helped with the release in the small way I did. I’ll have another update once the last two discs sell, which is imminent. Click here or the cover above to go to the store.

Clamfight know there’s nothing quite like a roadtrip, and that’s why — even as they prepare to hit the studio and put the finishing touches on their second album, Volume III (out this fall on The Maple Forum) — they’re headed down south with fellow mayhem-purveyors, Rukut, for a weekend of high-watermark bastardry. If you’ve yet to do so, be sure to see these charming rapscallions in the flesh.

Killer that I get news about Maple Forum bands on the PR wire now. Here’s the update that came in:

Philadelphia-area sludge thugs Clamfight are in the thick of recording their second full-length album, Volume III. After a long several days of laying down track after track of their groove-laden thunder at New Jersey‘s infamous Gradwell House Studios, the band have completed all of the rhythm tracks for the upcoming album and will return in August to hammer out the leads and vocals for the record, which will see release via The Maple Forum in the Autumn months.

In the meantime, the crew have confirmed several new local live attacks taking place this week, as well as a quick run of the Carolinas with New Jersey-based cohorts Rukut late this month.

Clamfight Live:
07/16 JR’s Bar Philadelphia, PA w/ Rukut, Blue Aside, Bitchslicer
07/17 Mojo 13 Wilmington, DE w/ Blue Aside, Lor, The Walking Ghost
07/29 DIVEbar Raleigh, NC w/ Rukut, The Black Tie Operation (free show!)
07/30 The House Simpsonville, SC w/ Rukut, Black Hand Throne