PEAPOD RECORDINGS

 Fall on the Honey Clouds available now!

06.16.2009
Available for mail order now, with eMusic, iTunes and other download services very soon. Songs clips and free downloads available here.

Make sure to download the Stars on 45 disco mix of the album:
Fall on the Honey Clouds on 45

Some recent press for the album:
The Bollard
The Phoenix

 Chriss Sutherland Worried Love Press

06.16.2009
If you haven't picked up Chriss' record yet, you really owe it to yourself to check it out. Here's some recent press:

New York Times
Americana UK
Your Flesh
The Bollard
Love and Mathematics // WZBC
The Phoenix
Velour Carpets for Lovers

Portland based [dog] and [pony] did a great job documenting the first Tower of Song Festival, including a terrific clip of Chriss performing John Prine's Angel from Montgomery.

 2009 Update // New Chriss Sutherland + more!

02.05.2009
Man, it's been a long time, but we've been very busy. We've got a ton of new releases planned for the first part of this year:

First up is Chriss Sutherland's Worried Love, the 2nd solo album from this founding member of Cerberus Shoal and Fire on Fire. Instrumentally more lush & dense than his amazing debut, Me In A Field, Worried Love features Fire on Fire members Caleb & Colleen (also Big Blood), Micah Blue Smaldone (who's latest album you should immediately pickup if you haven't, beautiful stuff) and Tom Kovacevic, along with Jerusha Robinson (South China/Brown Bird) and many other incredible players.

Chriss will be touring this March in support of Worried Love with the new 5-piece lineup of Brown Bird.

Huak have finished a new 5-song ep that will be out this winter. Check out a couple of the new songs on their myspace page.

Honey Clouds have almost completed work on the "studio" follow-up to last years Earl Grey Demos.

Dead End Armory are at work on the follow up to their debut full length Hope You're Good. Also look for an album compiling both of their debut eps very soon.

Brown Bird are also working on their follow up to The Bottom of the Sea, recording live in the studio with the new 5 piece band, plus Micah Blue Smaldone on upright bass.

We're very excited to release a compilation of Andrew Frederick's Cerf-Volantes recordings. Gorgeous finger picking and harmonies.

The former Brooklyn-based quartet Company will release their new album on Peapod, a combination of recordings from both Portland and NYC in fall 2008.

Hearts by Darts are hard at work on their follow up to their self-titled 2008 debut.

South China are doing pre-production for their debut full-length. Look for some experimentation ala Jeremy's solo project Drab Pony on this record.

And finally, Dan Blakeslee will be recording his long awaited country album, live in a Berwick barn sometime this summer.

Thanks!

 Peapod Festival at SPACE!

08.20.2008
SPACE // Saturday Aug. 30 // 8:00 (sharp!) - 1:00 // $8 // 18+

We're very excited about the first ever gathering of peapod recordings artists from all over at Portland's SPACE Gallery! The festival features many of Portland's favorite indie artists such as Chriss Sutherland, South China, Dead End Armory and Cougars Kill Cobras, along with the first ever performance from Baltimore's Hearts by Darts, a rare set from Berlin, Germany's The Hands of the Wrong People, and the first performance from Baltimore's Nord Express in over 10 years.

• 7:00 Doors open
• 8:00 Chriss Sutherland
• 8:20 Dan Blakeslee (Boston, MA)
• 8:40 Nord Express (Baltimore, MD)
• 9:00 Honey Clouds
• 9:20 The Hands of the Wrong People (Berlin, Germany)
• 9:40 Dead End Armory
• 10:00 South China
• 10:20 Hearts by Darts (Baltimore, MD)
• 11:00 Brown Bird
• 11:20 Huak
• 11:40 Nathan Halverson (Columbia, SC)
• 12:00 Cougars Kill Cobras

 peapod recordings at Renegade Craft fair!

05.15.2008
Stop by Ferdinand's booth at the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn this weekend for a free peapod sampler. All handmade with covers folded from a single sheet of 9x12 school paper. Say hey to Diane, Jen & Betsy while you're there! Oh, and Noah & Amy at Pinecone & Chickadee too!
We'll have a digital version up here after the fair. Thanks!

 The Hands of the Wrong People Spring Flakes out now!

05.10.2008
The Hands of the Wrong People's Spring Flakes now available for mail order! Thoughtful pop inspired equally by Scottish royalty such as Orange Juice & Aztec Camera and 90s style post rock from bands like Karate and Make Believe. iTunes & emusic coming soon...

 Brown Bird The Bottom of the Sea tour 2008

04.28.2008
Brown Bird's David Lamb will be on an extensive solo tour this spring / summer in support of the new album. Check the Brown Bird MySpace page for current dates & venues, and please contact us if you can help out with any dates he's trying to fill, or if you can help promote the shows in any other way (on-air interview, instores, etc.) If you haven't heard the new album, please check it out here.

 Muxtape!

04.27.2008
Check out our new Muxtape peapod sampler.

 New Releases

03.16.2008
Yes, they're finally here! Check the Brown Bird, Dead End Armory, Hearts by Darts, and Honey Clouds pages for audio clips, full mp3 downloads, ordering info and more. We'll have iTunes and eMusic download links in a few weeks. Also look for the Hands of the Wrong People album in April!

 Dead End Armory Videos

03.15.2008
baggage video
i hold live at the White Heart, Portland

 2007 Year End Lists

01.01.2008

Dan Blakeslee
Dan Blakeslee Myspace
Top Five Holiday Delights
1. Mexican Hot Chocolate
The first time I had Mexican Hot Chocolate was on December 22nd, 2007, and it was an instant favorite. My wife Kelley~Jaye was the brave one for ordering it
2. Egg Nog
Egg Nog is a must for me, I take mine with nutmeg... ZAP! POW! Great everytime!
3. Thumbprint Cookies
My family has been making almond Thumbprint Cookies around the holidays ever since I was wearing my one piece pajamas. I'm eating one as I type this.
4. Ribbon Candy
Ribbon Candy, how exciting! So many flavors, you're bound to find one you like, cool shape too!
5. Stevie Wonders "Someday At Christmas"
My favorite holiday record is Stevie Wonders "Someday At Christmas" from 1967. His honest delivery will make you believe every word.

Brown Bird
Brown Bird
Our top 5 Southern Eateries
1. Ali Baba Mediterranean Delites Atlanta, GA
everything you've ever wanted to know about Turkey's history, conveniently displayed on the wall, and awesome tabouli.
2. Nama Sushi, Knoxville, TN
heavenly sushi goodness, deep fried in true southern tradition.
3. Coppolas Deli, Richmond, VA
the best sandwiches we've ever put in our mouths.
4. Marys of Course Cafe, Winston-Salem, NC
great eggs, flexible menu, art-o-mat, extensive tea menu, and Mary knows everybody.
5. 97 Estoria Atlanta, GA
amazing bar food, heavy on the blue cheese, with DJs playing Roger Miller hits through blown speakers.

Nathan Halverson
Nathan Halverson
Music:
Tim Hecker - Norberg
Vieux Farka Toure - Vieux Farka Toure
Battles - Mirrored
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
M.I.A. - Kala
Roscoe Mitchell - Composition/Improvisation 1, 2 and 3

Rediscovered:
Matmos - The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of the Beast
Lappitites - Before the Libretto

Book:
Divisidero - Michael Ondaatje

Film:
No Country for Old Men - The Coen Brothers
The Darjeeling Limited/Hotel Chevalier - Wes Anderson

text:
a: at present
graph: ordinary
note: sealant

Wesley Hartley
Dead End Armory
Album:
Operation Motorcide, by Centro-matic. A true hero of a band.
Knife:
Stag handle lock blade, by Boker Tree Brand. A crazy man with a knife.
Movie:
We Are Marshall, McG Film. Staring Matthew McConaughey as Jack Lengyel.
Boots:
13" Traditional Western Imperial Calf (Antique tan brush off), by Nacona. Kick'em on, Kick'em off, and kick'em up.
Notebook:
Leaping Lion notebook, 5" x 8" booklet with lion pouncing a heart on the cover. 25 pages of school lined newsprint - recycled paper, Only at Ferdinand. Let the words flowit, and pretend to be a poet.

Ron Harrity
Honey Clouds and Peapod Recordings
5 frequented sites on the interweb
TapeOp Messageboard
Boing Boing
2 Point 8
Crooks and Liars
BLDG BLOG

Dominic Hislop
Hands of the Wrong People
not all things are from this year, but i either found or refound them in 2007:
songs:
bill callaghan -'sycamore' - from 'woke on a whaleheart'
antelope - 'game over' - from 'S/T'
make believe - 'sometimes i see sideways' - from 'of course'
shellac - 'kittypants' - from 'excellent italian greyhound'
sea and the cake - 'crossing line' - from 'everybody'

live:
make believe - cafe zapata, berlin, march.
battles - bowery ballroom, new york, april.
antelope - empty bottle, chicago, april.
the wave pictures - schokoladen, berlin, october.
dirty projectors - festsaal kreutzberg, berlin, november.

comedy:
'nathan barley' - tv sitcom series written by chris morris and charlie brooker and starring nicholas burns and julian barratt, 2005.
'why bother' - peter cook and chris morris (audio) series of 5 improvised interviews from 1994.
'blue jam' - radio comedy series (audio) written by chris morris, from 1997-1999.
'the mighty boosh' tv comedy series with noel fielding and julian barratt.
'still game' tv comedy series by written by and starring ford kiernan and greg hemphill.

movies:
'a crude awakening: the oil crash' - documentary directed by basil gelpke and ray mccormack, 2006.
'accattone' - directed by pier paolo pasolini, 1961.
'l'argent' directed by robert bresson, 1983.
'the discreet charm of the bourgeoisie' directed by luis bunuel, 1972.
'songs from the second floor' directed by roy andersson, 2000.

Trey Hughes
Honey Clouds
Cocktails
new fangled - 2 tsp cointreau, 2 dashes bitters, 2 oz rye or bourbon. build it up, add some ice. garnish: lemon twist, maraschino cherry.
sidecar - 2 oz brandy, 1 oz lemon juice, 1 oz cointreau. shake it up.
drinko de gallo - half a dozen small sweet tomatoes, 1/8 tsp salt, 1 1/2 oz tequila, 1/2 oz cointreau, 1/4 oz lime juice. muddle, shake with ice, strain. habanero slice if you feel like it. this one takes some time but it's tough to beat during the summer.
mint julep - 1 tsp sugar (dissolved in 1 tsp water), 2 oz bourbon, sprig or two of mint. muddle the mint with the sugar. add crushed ice then bourbon.
whiskey sour - 1 oz lemon juice, 1/2 tsp sugar (dissolved in 1/2 tsp water), 2 oz bourbon, 1 oz orange juice. shake and strain.

Ray Suhy
Baltic Sea and R2T2
Top 5 2007 Releases
1-Sigur Ros-Hvarf/Heim
2-The Bad Plus-Prog
3-Radiohead-In Rainbows
4-Nick Drake-Fruit Tree Boxset Reissue
4-Mingus Sextet with Eric Dolphy-1964 Cornell

Mandy Wheeler
Honey Clouds and Elf Princess Gets A Harley
Top 5 favorites of 2007
1. my two new cats, oliver and charlie- the way they pose for the camera, how they kick each other when they play, their almost immediate nicknames, "pigeon and squirrel", and the fact that they turned me into a cat lover.
2. dick vigeant's hand-made train sets and dick vigeant's very strong maine accent over at the narrow gauge railroad.
3. the way my new made in japan fender '62 reissue left-handed precision bass sounds being played through my new ampeg b15 fliptop amp at honey clouds practice.
4. cult maze, "35, 36." seriously. come on now. www.myspace.com/cultmaze
5. meeting the hartley's in texas.

Sean Wilkinson
Honey Clouds and The Bollard
Top 5 gifts I forgot to ask for from anyone but will still be upset upon failure to receive:
5. Underwear.
Seriously. I need more. I hate buying it. This was a golden opportunity squandered.
4. Backgammon board.
I've really wanted one for a long time. Even the nicer ones aren't that expensive. It would have made a great gift suggestion for someone.
3. Business Card Case.
I'm sick of my business cards getting bent corners. This is the kind of seemingly inane gift that thousands of people will receive this holiday season and promptly drop into the back of a dresser drawer never to be seen again. This could have been a distant relative's dream gift suggestion... "Really? He wants a business card case? Wonderful! I have 4 in the back of a dresser drawer somewhere."
2. iPhone case.
Again. Easy gift. I already spent the big money. It's your job to get the $15 case for the $500 phone. I've already watched in horror once as it slipped from my hand and skidded across the pavement. What was I thinking?
1. Flight of the Conchords DVD.
I haven't even seen all the episodes yet. I know I want to. I know I'll love them all and watch them multiple times. As it is, I've only watched on my laptop screen (or smaller). The DVD was available well before the holidays, I thought about buying it at least half a dozen times and stopped myself. I could have saved myself $20.

 More Recent Press

11.15.2007
Dan Blakeslee Lincoln Street Roughs
3hive
To The Dogs or Whoever
Americana UK
Portland Press Herald/Mainetoday.com
Newburyport Current
JC Lockwood (myspace)
Indiebloggen (Norway)

Trey Hughes Poplar Street Demos
Americana UK

Nathan Halverson Nurse / Shark
Portland Press Herald/Mainetoday.com

Nord Express Loveland 1995-2005
Said The Gramophone
Americana UK

Brown Bird
Hippo Press

 New Releases

11.15.2007
Mixing is underway on a few of the new releases we have planned, including Dead End Armory, Hearts by Darts and Hands of the Wrong People. Look for these in early 2008.

The Brown Bird Map Room Project photobook/CD is also under production, and we hope to have it out by the holidays. Brown Bird are currently on an extensive tour of the Midwest and East Coast. Definitely check them out if you have the chance. They're not only amazing live, but have a knack for bringing incredible bands together in whatever town they're in. Check their MySpace page for the full schedule.

 Recent Press

09.16.2007
Some recent print & web press:

The Label
Portland Phoenix

Dan Blakeslee Lincoln Street Roughs
songs:illinois
The Wire NH
Seacoast Online
Seacoast Online

Nord Express Loveland 1995-2005
Lunapark6
Everything's Swirling

 Dan Blakeslee CD Release Dates!

08.28.2007
Mark your calendars, palm devices or scraps of paper — Dan Blakeslee has announced a string of CD Release shows across New England that are sure to be incredible...

 Dead End Armory / Wesley Hartley

08.16.2007
Dead End Armory have been hard at work finishing their first full length CD —Hope you're good. Mixing should be completed in September, and we're very excited to announce that Peapod Recordings will be releasing it in mid December! This is separate from their improvised Map Room Project CD/book that should be available in late winter. Check back soon for audio clips and more info.

We also recorded a solo album by Dead End Armory's principal songwriter Wesley Hartley in a long, inspired overnight session at The Map Room. A beautiful mix of acoustic, electric, toy organs and first takes. Look for his CD in late winter/early spring.

 Brown Bird Map Room Project

08.16.2007
Mixing and mastering has been completed for Brown Bird's Map Room Project CD/Book, which should be ready for their tour in mid-September. The book will feature polaroids taken during the session by the amazing Mandy Lamb, and will include a CD of improvised music performed by Brown Bird at The Map Room during the weekend of March 17 - 18, 2007.

 Hearts by Darts

08.16.2007
We're also working on mixes for the debut album from Hearts by Darts, a relatively new band featuring Sei Petersen from legendary Baltimore shoegaze/noise bands Plow and Headless. Rough mixes are available on their MySpace page, and we'll have audio clips up in September. Look for the release in mid-December.

 Verlaines Tribute

07.25.2007
We love The Verlaines, and are planning on releasing a tribute CD in 2008. Definitely one of the reasons we wanted to start Peapod Recordings in the first place.

If you don't know The Verlaines, you really owe it to yourself to check them out. New Zealand band formed in 1981, on the legendary Flying Nun records. Less Velvets-y than many of their labelmates (I thought), they sort of combined the literate, sharp songwriting of a young Elvis Costello or Ray Davies with classical, punk and folk influences, all without coming off as pretentious. Start with Juvenilia (Singles/EP comp), Some Disenchanted Evening, or Bird Dog. Much of their stuff is out of print, but used vinyl & CDs are fairly easy to come by, and we also have a brand new album from them to look forward to later this year!

Doomsday. My introduction to the band, from the Homestead Human Music comp. Amazing bassline.

Death and the Maiden. Sort of silly video, but a classic Verlaines track.

 Map Room Project

07.25.2007
I've been lucky enough to have taken up residency in Anna Hepler's studio and gallery (The Map Room) from 01.01.2007 - 07.31.2007. In addition to recording & mixing a variety of projects, I wanted to try some kind of documentary style recording that might be a little more specific to her space. I ended up asking a variety of bands/musicians to come in, along with a photographer they were comfortable with to document the session. The idea was to write and record quickly & intuitively, and hopefully be able to have something documented that they might not otherwise have had the time or inclination to tackle. We had amazing sessions with Brown Bird, Dead End Armory, and Nathan Halverson, and are hoping to have Cult Maze and one other band come in before the month's end.

We're planning on releasing limited edition photobook/CDs for each session, with letterpressed covers by Martha Kearsley of Strong Arm Bindery, this fall.