Cool Rainbows First Single!

Way back in March, we at Lil Chief Records were excitedly talking to everyone we knew about our newest signing Cool Rainbows.

Cool Rainbows is the new project of Djeisan Suskov, former frontman of Nova Echo, and Trees Climbing Trees. He also happens to be a bit of a genius in the studio. But like all studio geniuses, he does tend to get a bit obsessed with sonic noodling when it comes to his own work. This is probably why half-a-year has passed since we last mentioned his upcoming debut.

HOWEVER, the time has come and we've finally managed to squeeze a single out of him. Perfect timing to ease you all into summer with the melodically-hypnotic sound of 'Southern Summer Sun'.



"Southern Summer Sun" is the first single from Cool Rainbows first album - the upcoming Lil' Chief release "Whale Rocket" and is now available as a pay what you like download.

And while you're downloading that you may as well have a browse at the Lil' Chief online store, because we're having a Christmas sale - buy any 4 items get one free!

New Pikachunes Music Video!

Lil' Chief Records is proud to premiere the new Pikachunes music video for his student radio hit 'Nervous'. The video was filmed on location in Manhattan during his stay in New York earlier this year and was made by Doug Schachtel who has also directed other video clips in NYC for The Brunettes and The Go Team.



If anything is going to send Pikachunes careening into mainstream consciousness it's this song accompanied by this video - much like Princess Chelsea's Cigarette Duet video which seems to be confusing people all over the world at the moment.

The Eversons Vote For Act!

As election day in New Zealand draws near, those more politically minded of us are updating their facebook statuses and twitter feeds with sincere and educated political opinions. While much of the genius online rhetoric we see tends to hinge around the National vs Labour debate ("John Key sux guys vote Labour if u dont ur right wing cos he cant even shake hands did u see that youtube clip lmfao lol" etc) one party that seems to have been lost in the online shitstorm is the ACT party.

The Eversons are taking their online political mission to a new level by releasing new single "Vote For ACT" as a free download in the lead up to this months elections.



CLICK HERE for your free download!

If you are unsure about the principals that ground the mission of the ACT party please find below some key points I have taken directly from the ACT website ( http://www.act.org.nz/ )

The principal object of the ACT Party is to promote an open, progressive and benevolent society in which individual New Zealanders are free to achieve their full potential and smoke 420.

According to our constitution, the ACT Party shall promote, develop and pursue policies and proposals which:

encourage individual choice and responsibility and the pursuit of excellence in all fields of human endeavour and smoking 420;
enhance living standards for all New Zealanders through sustainable economic growth and international competitiveness and smoking 420;
enhance choice and diversity, and raise standards of achievement in education and smoking 420;
ensure that all New Zealanders have access to quality health care and have security in retirement and smoking 420;
maintain social and economic support for those unable to help themselves and who are in genuine need of assistance in smoking 420;
provide for the nation’s security and the protection of individual lives and property and smoking 420;
explore and implement practical and innovative ways to protect the natural environment and smoking 420;
maintain sound economic management, including (but not limited to) a balanced government budget, price stability and a free and open market economy for smoking 420; and
limit the involvement of central and local government to those areas where collective action is a practical necessity for smoking 420.


Even if you are not a supporter of the ACT party The Eversons encourage you to have an open mind and to do your research on all political parties involved in the New Zealand Election - for unlike the US Elections things in New Zealand are not as black and white as they seem.

Speaking of the US Elections, I may as well take this opportunity to post a recent campaign video for US Republican Candidate Herman Cain who has used tobacco smoking as a marketing tool to increase his appeal amongst young republicans and working class americans.

Lil' Chief Loses It's Vinyl Virginity

We at Lil' Chief Records are very excited to announce the loss of our vinyl virginity after nine years of dealing only with plastic!

Pikachunes self titled LP and Princess Chelsea's Lil' Golden Book are the first two Lil' Chief Releases in this exciting new format.





They have been pressed by United Record Pressing in a very special limited run and are now available for order direct from the Lil' Chief online store.

We figured that since we're going all the way we may as well get adventurous so have pressed Pikachunes in limited edition white vinyl and Lil' Golden Book in limited edition gold vinyl. You can look forward to more Lil' Chief Vinyl releases in the coming months!

United Record Pressing have kindly posted some great photos of the vinyl making process!

Pikachunes & Princess Chelsea are currently in Brooklyn, New York after completing a host of East Coast dates and are about to perform at CMJ Music Marathon.

Remaining East Coast dates are as follows:

Pikachunes

October 18 - Le Poisson Rouge, NY (CMJ Music Marathon, 7.30pm)
October 22 - Kennys Castaways, NY (CMJ Music Marathon, 9pm)

Princess Chelsea

October 16 - Dekalb Markets, Brooklyn
October 18 - Le Poisson Rouge, NY (CMJ Music Marathon, 6pm)
October 22 - The Local 269, NY (CMJ Music Marathon, 7pm)

Princess Chelsea has also dropped a new single from Lil' Golden Book, 'Too Fast To Live' - a Skeeter Davis inspired ballad about the perils of drinking with a music video that will be a welcome relief to people who like using the word 'juxtaposition'.

Too Fast To Live has been released as a digital single complete with a free downloadable B-Side "After The Moment" - which is a cover of a song by California based Craft Spells available on their album Idle Labor.

The Eversons Release Hyacinth Girl Music Video!

Ever since Split Enz released the music video for "Six Months in a Leaky Boat" the idea of a New Zealand band or artist filming themselves in a nautical vessel (or something a lot more modest) has been a solid go to. Perhaps not as popular as NZ car based videos but just as, if not more classy.

The Eversons brand new music video for Hyacinth Girl follows this fine kiwi tradition, showing the world what can be achieved with some coloured paper, snips, and sticky tape.



The clip is made by Lucy Zee and features an intricate plot involving a shipwreck, giant cat masks (that may or may not be depicting Winston Mogwai Nikkel) and the disappearance of guitarist Christopher Young.

The track is taken from the brilliant debut E.P. which has been tearing up the broadband charts ever since Lil Chief released it free on our website earlier this year.

There are still a very limited number of physical copies of the e.p. available direct from Lil' Chief!

The Eversons are currently working on their debut album scheduled to be released on Lil' Chief Records early next year and gearing up for a European Tour to follow!

If you haven't heard the buzz about these lads yet here is some nuggies of media for you...

Sunday Star Times
"Every song here rules." Four stars.

The Corner
"Young is maturing as one of the country’s best guitarists."

Boy Attractions
"The Eversons are the latest in a long line of NZ bands (The Clean, The Chills, The Verlaines) that are well-schooled in the art of infectious, well-crafted hooks."

Finest Kiss
"Impeccable pop hooks"

The Last Remark
"One of my favourite NZ bands of 2011. Lyrical genius I say."

Earmilk
"The Eversons answer a question that isn’t often asked: What happens when you mix The Beach Boys with early 90s alternative rock? The answer is surprisingly good. It’s like the first time I dipped marshmallows in chocolate syrup while I had the munchies."

Upcoming Live Shows:

Wednesday October 5 - San Francisco Bathhouse with St. Rupertsberg
Saturday October 22 - Mighty Mighty with T54 and The Boxcar Rattle

Pikachunes & Princess Chelsea East Coast Dates

Pikachunes & Princess Chelsea have gone "overseas" and are holing up in the wonderful neigbourhood of Fort Greene in Brooklyn this spring (or fall if you're in the US) awaiting a farewell performance to take place during CMJ at NYC’s Le Poisson Rouge club.





Both artists released their albums Pikachunes & Lil' Golden Book respectively stateside in the US, September 6th.


Princess Chelsea and Pikachunes Live - East Coast USA

09/07 Brooklyn, NY @ Union Hall Lips, Mighty Moon
09/10 New York, NY @ Cin-M-Art Space (43 Murray St.) David & Goliath Music Festival, 930PM (Princess Chelsea only)
09/14 Baltimore, MD @ The Depot
09/16 Brooklyn, NY @ XPO 929 w/ Supercute!
09/24 Philadelphia, PA @ The Fire Philly Film & Music Festival (Princess Chelsea only)
09/30 New York, NY @ Pianos
10/07 Brooklyn, NY @ Goodbye Blue Monday w/ Preston Spurlock, Ching Ching
10/18 New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge CMJ 2011

with more dates to come!

Princess Chelsea & Pikachunes Farewell

Princess Chelsea & Pikachunes are off to New York City for a few months and will play a farewell show together Friday 19 August at the Golden Dawn in Auckland.



Princess Chelsea will be on at 9.30, followed by Pikachunes at 10.30 - doors are at 8. Mr Crawley suggests you get there early to avoid queues and "upsets".




If you haven't got it yet, you can download the colab 'Castle on a Cloud' here on soundcloud

Pikachunes feat Princess Chelsea - Castle On A Cloud by princesschelsea

US dates for Pikachunes and Princess Chelsea to come soon!

New Wet Wings Music Video

Wet Wings have a new music video for You're Not - my favourite track from their album Glory Glory.



Video directed by Tom Hutchison

The Gladeyes have a new music video!...and an older one!

Gwen Norcliffe of the Gladeyes has made a wonderful montage to accompany their song "Exploding" pieced together using archive footage. The track is taken from their recently released second album "Shadows Explode".

Also well worth checking out is the music video that the Gladeyes made for "One Million Kisses" off their debut album "Psychosis Of Love". It stars Lil' Chief's own post master general Mr Lawrence Mikkelsen and his year 10 media studies class from Selwyn College, Auckland.

The Cosbys, Shaft, Princess Chelsea, $norgazzzm

THIS SATURDAY - 23RD JULY - KINGS ARMS

It's been too long, my friends. The Cosbys are back where they belong... on Cosby Street, with Another Kind of Magic to be Speechin' about so you can Keep On Livin' in the knowledge that we Certainly Love You, and you know Whose Girl (or boy) you are... We're doing this Because Of You!





Joined by Shaft - a rock'n'roll sensation who have reigned supreme in Auckland since before Princess Chelsea were mere children, and before $norgazzzm's parents had even bonked. Should be a real giggle!

Door sales only dudes, ten bucks, cool?

New Release: Wet Wings - Glory Glory

Lil' Chief Records is proud to present the debut album by Wet Wings - Glory Glory.

Wet Wings are the newest addition to the Lil' Chief roster. Lucy & Darian are Christchurch natives now based in Wellington. Together they craft intimate, layered and complex electro acoustic songs with elements of both folk and chamber pop. They have been described as both “beautifully misty/haunting” and “positively glowing”.


You can purchase Glory Glory digitally direct from Lil' Chief, Amplifier, or on iTunes.
Physical copies are available direct from the Lil' Chief Store or from your local record store!

Wet Wings will be playing Auckland and Wellington album release shows in July.



If you'd like to keep up do date with Wet Wings on the web, they can be found on their website, Facebook and Twitter.

New Music Video by The Eversons!

The Eversons have filmed a video for their song 'I'm a Conservative' - shot by The Eversons and edited by Blair Everson. Like any good pop music video should, it features them chilling out in front of a cool car. The Eversons will be driving this beast to a town near you soon.

You can download a copy of their e.p. for free here or order a physical copy here.

Join The Eversons on the web

Twitter
Facebook
Tumblr

Wet Wings - Feeeel It

We are pleased to introduce our newest signing - Wet Wings.



Wet Wings is Lucy and Darian.

Together they layer harmonies and melodic hooks over
skittish guitar, ghostly keyboard lines, and atmospheric samples.

While Wet Wings are a very new band, they have already have some very nice things written about them - “beautifully misty/ haunting” (on the Pitchfork-curated Altered Zones), “The kind
of harrowing incantation carried by worried and cloudy strings” (Delicious Scopitone, bizarrely translated from French), and “positively glowing” (Rose Quartz).

'Feeeel' it is the first single from Wet Wings’ forthcoming debut album, Glory Glory which we will be releasing on July 4. Foreshadowing the cavernous jubilation of the album, 'Feeeel It' conjures the supernatural with equal parts hope and skepticism. We are pleased to offer ‘Feeeel It’ as a pay-what-you-like single.

'Feeeel It' is accompanied by this beautifully shot video made by Johnny Lyon and Sophia Jenny.



Wet Wings debut album 'Glory Glory' is now available for preview and pre-order.

New Princess Chelsea Single, B-side & Video

"The Cigarette Duet" is the new single from Princess Chelsea's album Lil' Golden Book and features guest vocals and guitar from Jonathan Brunette.

Somewhat of an anomaly on the album - Princess Chelsea ditches the synths and cinematic orchestration and instead dishes up a catchy 60s style pop duet reminiscent of Nancy & Lee.

B-Side “Positive Guy Meets Negative Man”, is a more off-beat slightly ridiculous duet with bandmate Brad Fafejta (TeenWolf / Lil’ Golden Book album artist). It’s lyrics are co-written with Brad, and this song first popped as an interlude during early TeenWolf shows. It is also possibly the first song to combine hard-core style screaming with a pretty chamber pop arrangement.

You can obtain Cigarette Duet / Positive Guy Meets Negative Man as a single on the Lil’ Chief Bandcamp or on Itunes.

We are also pleased to premiere the new music video for Cigarette Duet, featuring an utterly sensual bad-boy guitar solo that rivals Slash’s epic jam in the desert during Guns N' Roses "November Rain" music video.

Princess Chelsea's Debut Album Out Today!

Today Lil' Chief Records is proud to present the debut album by Princess Chelsea - Lil' Golden Book.

It's been nearly three years in the making and features a 15 page Little Golden Booklet designed by bandmate Brad Fafejta.

Early reviews have been positive with the Sunday Star Times naming it 'album of the week' and aptly describing it as 'when cute meets creepy'.
Graham Reid has called it 'mischievous and sharp' and the NZ Herald has likened it to "growing pains in the happiest place on earth".

New Zealanders - you can pick up a copy at your local record store!

And those of you who are reading from overseas - you may order your cd copy from the Lil' Chief Store (with a free download) or obtain it digitally on iTunes or on the Lil' Chief Bandcamp page.

Lil' Chief will be looking to expand it's horizons in the coming months pressing some of your favorite Lil' Chief albums on vinyl.

Lil' Golden Book will be our first vinyl release and will be released later in the year on pink vinyl!

Ooh and there's two album release shows as well...

Gladeyes Album Release Wellington

We are playing our final show this Friday the 29th of April with St. Rupertsberg at the Mighty Mighty in Wellington. Come Along!

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Shadows Explode Out Now!

Today we are proud to present The Gladeyes latest record - "Shadows Explode".



Once again our favourite girl group has come up with something really special for you. It was recorded over six months as spring gave way to summer toward the end of 2010. In contrast to its predecessor, which was the product of a decade's worth of writing and two years of production, Shadows Explode is less laboured, and has more in common with the long string of hand-made and home-recorded EPs which make up The Gladeyes output through the 2000s.

Have a listen here. It's also available on CD at our Lil Chief Store and digitally on iTunes.

Don't forget that the first of the band's two release show is tonight at 5/1 Cross Street, Auckland!

A Free Gladeyes Single!

The Gladeyes are well known for their sweet pop melodies with a sinister edge. 'Honey Pie' (the first single from new album 'Shadows Explode" (out on Lil' Chief on 21 April)) takes that lead, with it's ominous 60s bass line (think the Walker Brothers doing Summertime), gently riffing guitar and sweet girl vocals delivering the tragic story of love gone awry.

The Chief is kindly offering 'Honey Pie' as a pay what you like download.



The Gladeyes are performing their last ever Auckland show and celebrating this albums release on Thursday night this week – at 5/1 Cross Street, $5 on the door and it’ s BYO.

the Gladeyes Album Release Party

Our new Album Shadows Explode comes out this Thursday! And we are having an album release party at 5/1 Cross Street. It's going to be our last ever show in Auckland so everyone should come along......... $5 on the door and BYO!

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Two New Releases Out Today!

Lil' Chief Records is very proud to release today the debut E.P. by The Eversons!



Recorded inside a storage unit, and a tidy five tracks long (including the new single 'Creepy'), this E.P. has no filler - and we here at Lil' Chief believe that this is as strong a debut as a 'Boodle Boodle Boodle' or 'Champion Versions'.

You can pay what you like for the digital release but for those of you who still like to have something to wrap your frail indie fingers around - a very limited run of CD copies are also available from the Lil’ Chief Store. It's also available through iTunes and Amplifier.

The Eversons E.P. release show will take place on April 16 at Whammy Bar in Auckland.

Also today we are pleased to officially release the second single from Princess Chelsea’s upcoming album.



‘Ice Reign’ is now available on iTunes, Amplifier or direct from Lil’ Chief. The album, Lil' Golden Book, will drop on May 2nd, but you can pre-order a copy today.

Upcoming Releases + a Freebie

At Lil Chief Records, it never rains but it pours. Over the next few months we will be putting out four new releases - three of them by new artists!

First up, we have The Eversons - a new group from Wellington, who produce witty, punchy guitar-based pop tunes. This is the new project of Mark Turner (Little Pictures), though now he's traded in his roland sample pad for a guitar and taken his music more into the territory of The Modern Lovers and Pavement. You can get an idea of their sound today with their free-to-download cover of the Disasteradio song, “Gravy Rainbow.”
This will be followed up by The Eversons EP, released on CD and through our website as a free download on April 11th.



Only two weeks later, we have the new full-length release from The Gladeyes. Sadly the band will go on hiatus soon after this with singer/guitarist Jade Farley leaving for Stockholm, so this album and the accompanying shows will be local audience’s last chance to check them out.

On May 9th we have the release of Princess Chelsea’s debut album, Lil’ Golden Book. This is the solo project of Chelsea Nikkel (TeenWolf) and showcases her layered, multi-instrumental sound. Her music embraces both orchestral and electro elements, while remaining firmly footed in well-crafted pop melodies.

We are also overjoyed to announce the signing of Cool Rainbows, the new project by Djeisan Suskov (Trees Climbing Trees). Cool Rainbows debut album is nearly complete and due for release in June/July.

love

the Chief x

SPRING BREAK + DISCIPLES OF MACCA + PIKACHUNES LIVE IN WELLINGTON!

Spring Break is a new project featuring the sensual Ryan McPhun of the Ruby Suns and the utterly ravishing James Dansey of the Sneaks.

They look and sound like this:




Disciples of Macca are the ultimate Paul McCartney tribute act, playing classic solo Paul McCartney and Wings hits such as "Coming Up", "Band on the Run", "Jet" and many more. Featuring members Paul, Paul, Paul, and Linda (possibly all established artists on Lil' Chiefs roster) their very rare live performances are always, engaging.

And if you're completely mental and haven't seen Pikachunes live yet:

Pikachunes Debuts New Song on 95bfm

Andrew Tidball from Cheese on Toast is will be taking the one and only Pikachunes up to Charlotte Ryan's most excellent slice of radio heaven this week - on Thursday 10 March to debut a brand new song - that's not on the album - and at the time of writing this hasnt even been titled yet - and is presently being mastered by the one and only Timmy Schumacher.


Thursday, March 10 · 10:00am - 12:00pm (NZ PACIFIC)

Morning Glory, 95bfm

Overseas listeners may stream at www.95bfm.com

For those of you not already familiar with this boy wonder, you should probably check out this.

the Gladeyes on Balcony TV

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