January 16th, 2021

Mason Lindahl – Kissing Rosy in the Rain

Ltd Ed of 500 LPs

“He can flip deftly between dense arpeggiated picking and stark, singular chords : “Sky Breaking, Clouds Falling” and Deep Wish” open with what almost resembles an unplugged Glenn Branca.” – WIRE

Mason Lindahl is a guitarist and composer based in New York City. His finger-picking style is largely influenced by minimalism and classical music. He grew up listening to folk and country music in Northern California, where he was first taught to play the guitar by his father.

Kissing Rosy in the Rain was recorded in Oakland, California and Brooklyn, NY with Lindahl’s longtime friends – Jay Pellici (Dilute, 31 Knots, Natural Dreamers) Robby Moncrieff, and Ben Greenberg (Uniform/Hubble).

A word from Tompkins Square’s Josh Rosenthal :

Over the past couple of years, I’ve found myself gravitating towards a certain kind of music. It was happening before Covid, but Covid accentuated it. My interest in this sound probably originates from my love of Terry Riley. It’s not limited to “drone,” or “ambient” sounds. It’s more about an artist staying in a zone, not caring about variation for variation’s sake, content with an artistic statement that doesn’t move from its core. I like that. I also think there’s something courageous about it. Recent examples of “it” are albums by Daniel Schmidt, Kali Malone, Luke Schneider, and Steve Tibbetts’ masterpiece, Life Of, which I wrote about for Aquarium Drunkard – each with its own sonic solar system.

And if you follow Tompkins Square’s catalog, there are some examples of “it” – notably, music by Richard Skelton (A Broken Consort) and Ran Blake. Of course a lot of the acoustic guitar music I’ve released falls roughly into this space as well.

So when my old friend sent me Mason Lindahl’s Kissing Rosy in the Rain, I saw it as yet more serendipity, a sense of things falling into place for a reason – something I have experienced so many times with the label over the past 15 years. First, I love the way it came to me. When I started the label in 2005, I needed a place and a person to help me record stuff. We recorded Max Ochs and Bern Nix in my friend Carter Matschullat’s apartment on St. Marks Place, formerly The Dom, where the Velvet Underground used to play. Carter never sent me any music to listen to until Mason. And when I heard it, I immediately loved it. Something in the Spanish guitar reminded me of Leonard Cohen. There were sonic artifacts all over the recording like little Easter eggs. The music was desperately sad and dark, but somehow uplifting and hopeful. I just loved it.

Mason has done it. He has created his own sonic world.

And it is his alone.

JR

Technical notes ::
Mics: Neumann U48/Lucas C1/DPA 4006
Forgot what mic we put on the amp, but the amp was a Gibson Falcon. Preamps are mostly Neve 1073 and 33114, maybe a Millennia pre or Ampex 351 or DW Fearn, as well. Prob also some weirdo Stromberg-Carlson tube pre that sounds crazy. Compressors were prob Retro Sta-Level, 1178, neve 33609, Distressor, LA22? That filter that Robbie went crazy over is an Allison Labs passive filter.
Limited Ed LP : TSQ 5760

December 1st, 2020

Robbie Basho – Song of the Avatars : The Lost Master Tapes

Robbie Basho – Song of the Avatars : The Lost Master Tapes – A 5 CD set. All tracks previously unreleased.

Robbie Basho (1940-1986) is widely regarded as one of the progenitors of what’s commonly known today as American Primitive guitar. Growing up in Maryland alongside neo-traditional guitar explorers John Fahey and Max Ochs, Basho’s path would take a decidedly different turn, bringing Hindi, Indian, Japanese and Native American musical traditions into his work. His albums for Takoma and Vanguard have left an indelible trail of influence across generations of musicians, from William Ackerman and Pete Townshend to Ben Chasny and William Tyler.

Liam Barker first became aware of Basho having purchased Tompkins Square’s reissue of Venus in Cancer, released in 2006. This led him on an incredible fact-finding expedition, unraveling the many layers of mystery surrounding Basho’s life and death, all deftly compiled and depicted in his documentary film, Voice of the Eagle : The Enigma of Robbie Basho.

During the research process, Barker came across a large cache of unheard Basho tapes recorded throughout his career, ranging roughly from 1965-1985. By arrangement with Basho’s Estate and the original custodians of the tapes, Tompkins Square is set to release Song of the Avatars : The Lost Master Tapes, a 5CD set of previously unreleased material, on December 4th, 2020. The set includes notes by Barker, Henry Kaiser, Steffen Basho-Junghans, Glenn Jones and Richard Osborn, as well as many unseen photographs.

Selections from Song of the Avatars : The Lost Master Tapes vinyl LP was exclusively available at independent record stores worldwide on September 26th.

TSQ 5715 – Robbie Basho / Song of the Avatars : The Lost Master Tapes (5CDs)

Tompkins Square is distributed by INgrooves/Universal and Revolver in NA, Cargo UK for Europe

September 4th, 2020

NEW LABEL MERCH !!

Tompkins Square Label’s 15th Anniversary is next month ! To celebrate, we’re rolling out some exclusive merch directly to our fans : A baseball hat, and a hoodie, both with our classic label logo designed by Grammy-winner, Susan Archie. We’ve only made one shirt – about ten years ago – so this is special stuff !

(US Orders Only for now due to limited postal access)
Hoodie : $30.98 + $15 Priority Mail = $45.98
Hat : $16.98 + $10 Priority Mail = $26.98
For both, combined shipping is $20

Simply add it up and pay using this PayPal link

Thank you for your support, as always !

Specs on hoodie :

Comes in only one size : LARGE

Black Full Zip Sweatshirt embroidered with the Tompkins Sqaure insignia, made by Bella+Canvas. Environmentally and Ethically produced, 100 % Sweatshop and Cruelty Free.

7 oz., 52% Airlume combed and ringspun cotton, 48% polyester fleece
32 singles

Features:
Retail fit
Unisex sizing
White cord drawstring
Full-zip closure with white taping
Kangaroo pockets
Ribbed cuffs and waistband
Sideseamed
Pre-shrunk

Specs on hat :

Yupoong Snapback, adjustable

August 5th, 2020

Duck Baker – Plymouth Rock : Unreleased & Rare Recordings, 1973-1979

Tompkins Square has just released a new compilation by legendary guitarist Duck Baker !

Plymouth Rock : Unreleased & Rare Recordings, 1973-1979

Spotify

Apple

Amazon

The album is a companion piece to our 2018 release, Les Blues Du Richmond : Demos & Outtakes, 1973-1979.

July 10th, 2020

Mossy Kilcher – North Wind Calling

Mossy Kilcher’s 1977 Private Press Double-LP ‘Northwind Calling’ available via every digital platform, worldwide !

SPOTIFY

AMAZON

Over the years, unearthed folk records by lost sirens have made their way beyond hardcore collectors into the collective consciousness of the indie music-buying public: Vashti Bunyan, Linda Perhacs, Sibylle Baier, Tia Blake, Connie Converse, to name a few.

One such artist recorded a self-released (and now, very expensive) double LP in 1977, issued under her name at the time – Mossy Davidson – mainly for her family and friends. What sets Mossy Kilcher apart from the other Lost Women of Song is that she is from . . . Alaska. And the album is a love letter to the land outside of Homer where her family built a homestead and lived as pioneers beginning in the late 1930’s, and where she resides to this day.

Some may remember the Kilchers from a reality show, ‘Alaska: The Last Frontier,’ which premiered on Discovery Channel in December 2011. A musical family, the Kilchers also produced Alaska’s most successful recording artist of all time, Mossy’s niece, Jewel. Jewel lived with Mossy at Seaside Farm in Homer as a teenager. “Jewel would be my horse-riding sidekick, helping me out on the farm,” Mossy said. The two performed together on a televised Christmas special filmed in Nashville in 2016.

Musically, ‘Northwind Calling’ is fascinating all on its own, even without the backstory. The gentle accompaniment of 12 and 6-string guitar, harmonica, banjo, flute and piano is so sympathetic and exquisitely placed. Mossy’s reedy woodwind of a voice is full of feeling and seemingly untainted by and firmly outside the era’s commercial singer-songwriter machinery or conventions. A tinge of unintended psychedelia and natural sound effects take it all over the top.

Tompkins Square’s Josh Rosenthal made a special trip with his daughters to Homer last summer and spent time with Mossy at Seaside Farm. It was an unforgettable experience, and the beauty of Mossy’s album coupled with the natural surroundings and Kilcher Homestead – it all came together. Tompkins Square is very proud to bring this album to many more ears – in Alaska and all around the world!

June 19th, 2020

Josh Kimbrough – Slither, Soar & Disappear

BUY

Josh Kimbrough is a fingerstyle guitarist and composer from Chapel Hill, NC. For the last 15 years he’s been a core member of the NC collective, Trekky Records (Lost in the Trees, Phil Cook, Sylvan Esso). He learned to play by studying Freddie King instrumentals and Fernando Sor classical guitar exercises. Josh has teamed up with producer and bass player Jeff Crawford (The Dead Tongues, Big Star’s Third) for the first full length under his own name. Slither, Soar & Disappear is an intimate and immersive song cycle inspired by the natural world, fatherhood, and the joy of solitude. On it, small ensembles of double bass, flute, strings, mandolin, banjo, and drums adorn his nylon and steel string guitar work.

Casey Toll – bass (Jake Xerxes Fussell, Nathan Bowles Trio)
Jeff Crawford – bass (The Dead Tongues, Big Star’s Third)
Andrew Marlin – mandolin (Mandolin Orange)
Peter Lewis – drums (Skylar Gudasz, Loamlands)
Leah Gibson – cello (Bowerbirds)
Bobby Britt – fiddle (Town Mountain)
Wilson Greene – banjo (Mipso)
Rachel Kiel – flute

May 28th, 2020

Dave Miller’s “brainy feel-good vibes”

“Dave Miller has a penchant for melodies that stick with you, in a good way. His latest album provides the joy and the lift we all need right now– through his bad ass guitar playing, a myriad of unexpected shifts reveal a brilliant sonic universe.” – Mary Halvorson

BANDCAMP

Guitarist and composer Dave Miller (Greg Ward’s Rogue Parade, Dustin Laurenzi’s Snaketime, Joe Policastro Trio, Algernon, Ted Sirota’s Rebel Souls), has been a prominent fixture in the Chicago music scene for nearly two decades. His last record, Old Door Phantoms (ears&eyes Records), hailed by Audiophile Audition as “the multi-genre instrumental album of the year”, as well as “a complex and beautiful piece of work” by New City, explored themes of nature, spirituality, and the human condition through the lens of an instrumental psychedelic garage rock band.

Echoes of Neil Young’s Crazy Horse and guitarist ‪Marc Ribot‬ continue into Miller’s new album, Dave Miller, though he has expanded his focus to now include detailed arrangements and more refined production techniques. With the opening of Miller’s new recording studio, Whiskey Point Recording (co-run with ace pianist/engineer, Dan Pierson (V.V. Lightbody)), Miller’s music has become even more alive and exploratory. Beautiful mellotrons collide with fuzzed out guitars over swampy drums and non-ironic bongos, as if ‪Brian Wilson‬ got into a bar fight with The Meters and ‪Link Wray‬ before realizing they were kindred spirits, with Miller composing the score. Miller’s music, above all, aims to create its own utopic universe where all the cool music coexists.

Dave Miller – guitars
Matt Ulery – fender bass (Wild Belle, Greenleaf Music)
Dan Pierson – keyboards (V.V. Lightbody)
Devin Drobka – drums (Field Report)
Juan Pastor – percussion (Howard Levy, Fareed Haque, Miguel Zenón)
Mikel Patrick Avery – tambourine (Joshua Abrams Natural Information Society, Theaster Gates)
Mike Harmon – fender bass (track 4)(V.V. Lightbody)

Dave Miller appears on Ryley Walker Presents Imaginational Anthem vol 9

April 28th, 2020

The Guitar Music of Wall Matthews, vols. 1-6

Guitarist Wall Matthews is surviving member of experimental 70’s collective, Entourage. Sampled by Four Tet, their name whispered in reverence through the decades, Entourage forged bold musical ideas on their two rare ’70s Folkways LPs. Tompkins Square released ‘Ceremony of Dreams : Studio Sessions and Outtakes, 1972-1977′, in 2018 to wide acclaim. ‘Spine River : The Guitar Music of Wall Matthews, 1967-1981′ is a collection of unreleased or obscure music by the master guitarist. This volume will be released as a limited edition LP, along with five other digital volumes of Wall’s music, chronologically mapping his career.

A sampler is exclusively available on bandcamp. All six volumes can be heard in their entirety on every digital platform worldwide by searching ‘The Guitar Music of Wall Matthews.’

March 13th, 2020

WALL MATTHEWS – Ltd Ed (500) LP

BUY the LP

Wall Matthews – Spine River : The Guitar Music of Wall Matthews, 1967-1981

Guitarist Wall Matthews is surviving member of experimental 70’s collective, Entourage. Sampled by Four Tet, their name whispered in reverence through the decades, Entourage forged bold musical ideas on their two rare ’70s Folkways LPs. Tompkins Square released Ceremony of Dreams : Studio Sessions and Outtakes, 1972-1977, in 2018 to wide acclaim. ‘Spine River : The Guitar Music of Wall Matthews, 1967-1981′ is a collection of unreleased or obscure music by the master guitarist. This volume will be released as a limited edition LP, along with four other digital volumes of Wall’s music, mapping his entire career, all out April 10th.

Praise for Entourage :

“A three-hour stream of instrumental riches, whether you’re looking to find samples or get lost in a trance….These 30 tracks alternately conjure the ecstatic minimalism of John Cale and La Monte Young, the billowing clouds of Arvo Part, the aleatory intrigue of Derek Bailey, and the strange guitar beauty of Sandy Bull” – Pitchfork

“As seriously as they clearly took their playing, the music never lost its sense of playfulness and joy” – PASTE (8.7/10)

“This is essential and irresistible vintage American weirdness.” – All Music Guide (4.5)

“…it’s transporting stuff.” – Rolling Stone

“Erring between Alice Coltrane-esque spiritual jazz, Steve Reich’s minimalism and stunning instrumental folk, Ceremony of Dreams highlights 30 tracks from a fiercely creative period between 1972 and 1977 that did not appear on the two Folkways albums released at the time.” – Vinyl Factory

“New age gongs, drones, sax, pastoral guitar, scraped violas … Think Third Ear Band’s druid rock meets early Popol Vuh with the obvious chops of a less slick Weather Report”
- Record Collector (4 stars)

February 10th, 2020

NEW : SAM BURTON

Sam Burton is from Salt Lake City, now based in Los Angeles. After several years circulating homemade cassettes on labels like Chthonic and embraced by blogs like Cassette Gods, Sam has recorded his first proper debut album with producer Jarvis Taveniere (Purple Mountains, Allah Las, Real Estate). Due in mid-2020, the LP will be preceded by two limited edition 45s. The second will be available on coloured vinyl exclusively for Record Store Day in the UK. The first 7″ includes “I Can Go With You” b/w “I Am No Moon.”

BUY 7″