[ALLY048]  JEFF JOHNREY “EXTENDED STAY”

Now, we could not be more excited about this (digital) release.  Catalog #048 will be home to Jeff Johnrey “Extended Stay,” on July 31st, 2012, as it brightened the Jensen home for the first critical months of this year.  We are so happy be bring it to you.  And, we’re hopeful about a physical release of this record, so stay tuned.

John Jeffrey (aka Jeff Johnrey) is currently on a US/Euro tour w/ Yukon Blonde. Check for dates and locations here. And click the cover to order their incredible sophomore LP.

Yukon Blonde “Tiger Talk”

One man, two names, and he is coming to Sunset Alliance. John Jeffrey is the bass player for Yukon Blonde, one of the best bands in North America. From Vancouver, Canada, Yukon Blonde is sweeping the globe in support of their new record Tiger Talk, a follow up to their self-titled LP. (Which happens to be most underrated albums of the last decade!  One listen to Brides Song and you’ll know what we’re talking about!) But what the world doesn’t know is that John Jeffrey has been traveling the globe with something up his sleeve.  That something is his debut record “Extended Stay” by Jeff Johnrey.

ALLY048 Jeff Johnrey “Extended Stay”

The moniker given to his project gives accurate insight into his instrumental album.  In it, one will find a layered density of contradictory moods.  There are moments that feel dark and sparse, and others that are light and playful.  What peeked our interest most in Extended Stay was its ability to soothe while remaining identifiable.  The songs attach themselves to ones psyche and make an emotional home, every track feeling like personal experience.  After each listen, the songs become more attractive and comfortable, while remaining provocative.

We just love this record.  (Dave said that during his final semester in college this Spring he relied on John’s record to lift his spirits especially during the stress of midterms & finals.) We haven’t had this kind of musical contribution on our label since The Player Piano’s Satellite or Rajiv Patel’s Of Black Water.  Dave practically begged John to let us add this to our catalog, as we have been emotionally attached since we first heard the demos. We are so proud and happy to include Jeff Johnrey in our alliance and look forward to his Extended Stay.

Prospective release date: July 31, 2012.

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Sunset Alliance asks for our allies to come together for Joel Marquard in his bout with testicular cancer. Joel is the brainchild behind Gospel Claws and The Through & Through Gospel Review (available thru Common Wall Media).  This week the Phoenix New Times reveals Joel’s story: Joel Marquard of Gospel Claws Takes on Testicular Cancer (With His Friends).

As many of us know, Joel has received treatment for his cancer and things are on the up and up, which is fortunately allowed Gospel Claws to begin work on their new album.
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Of course, Joel’s health and state of his family is of greatest concern, so we’d like to invite our allies to this show in support of Joel. (You’ll see the line-up is as good as it gets.)

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If you are unfamiliar with Joel’s solo project you can download his haunting and brilliant solo record here: The Through & Through Gospel Review. You’ll see that there is much to love and fear in our friend Joel Marquard.

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*Update, AZ Central also ran a story.

Art For Starters is the solo project by David Jensen. After Before Braille (Aka, AB “After Braille”) and a musical hiatus, Jensen came back with an album inspired by latter-day Before Braille experiences.  It was titled “Drugs Made My Favorite Bands, Drugs Ruined My Favorite People.”  There was a track recorded for the double-album called “The Bone Stopped the Bullet,” but it was left off to be later added to a split release with Facing New York, though it was never materialized. (FNY later split into Happy Body Slow Brain and Wallpaper)

The Phoenix New Times featured the project after Jensen had pieced together a live band with Ashley Taylor, Brad Cole, Chad Martin, David Marquez and Ree Boado. (Which had earlier reincarnations that never played live with Rajiv Patel, Loren Brinton and Spencer Reed.) The live band members hailed from local favorites Fivespeed, Batter the Drag, Colorstore, Sweet Bleeders, Dearspeak, and others.

To make a short story even longer, The Bone Stopped the Bullet was debuted on the released on The Shizz compilation “AM or PM – I Don’t Know” (review) released by Shizz Records and later made permanently available on the second Art For Starters released “Mark So Made.”

To get to the point of the story, the inspiration for the song & title came from Homer Simpson’s response to his concerned son after getting shot during an ill-fated duel in an episode titled “E-I-E-I-D’oh!“, from Season 11.

Inspired by a cheesy “Zorro” movie, Homer begins slapping people with a glove and challenging them to duels (with the victims giving Homer whatever he wants instead of accepting the challenge), but when a real Southern gentleman accepts Homer’s request for a duel, the Simpsons run off to the old farm Homer lived in with his parents (as seen in the season six episode Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy) and breed a dangerously addictive but successful tobacco/tomato hybrid called “tomacco”. Just when they are about to gain a hundred million dollars from the hybrid, dangerously addicted animals ruin their plan. Homer proceeds to duel, only to get shot in the arm.

The exchange goes as follows…
Colonel: Ooh, where are my manners :shoots Homer:
Homer: OOOOOwwww! OOOW!
Bart: Are you okay, dad?
Homer: I think so. The bone stopped the bullet.
Lisa: Dad, this might be one of those things you should go to the hospital for.
Homer: After pie!

Stream the hilarious sound bite here (or in its entirety)
Download Art For Starters’ The Bone Stopped the Bullet here or here

ALLY039 - Art For Starters "Mark So Made"

XYZEBRA shocks the world & reunites for 1 nite only. Sat, June 2.
Loyal Wife & Beninem support this grateful occasion. (#nobots)
Sweetcakes provides cookies. Cover pays for airfare & sound.

more deets

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David J. of Novi Split is playing The Trunk Space tonight (May 31st) in Phoenix w/ his fabulous band CMG & WE ARE THE NIGHT
Show details

(left to right: Sam Hardwig, Spencer Reed, Ashley Taylor, David Jensen, Blake Kimball.)

“Before Braille’s David Jensen Returns With New Band Loyal Wife”  By Serene Dominic

How to measure loyalty, commitment, devotion?

In the case of David Jensen, of Sunset Alliance Records and guiding light behind Before Braille, Art for Starters, and now Loyal Wife, his dedication to music can be physically measured in the form of actual compact disc inventory, shrink-wrapped and stacked up, in the attractive shed behind his Mesa home. Standing watch over all this product is a cutout of Eminem’s head peering ominously from the window.

“The sheer number of unsold CDs I have requires someone with vast multi-platinum experience,” Jensen wryly observes, “so I asked Eminem to guard them for me. So far, he’s done too good of a job, as unfortunately none of them have gone missing. I’ve printed 55,000 CDs through Sunset Alliance and my own bands. I have 3,000 in my shed. Two thousand of those are attributed to Before Braille breaking up suddenly. Another year of touring would have brought a zero sum.” [Read the rest]

Read the rest of the Loyal Wife interview online or in print w/in the May 10th publication of the Phoenix New Times. (Feature authored by Serene Dominic.)

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Next Show:
May 12, 2012
Sail Inn (Underground Cities CD Release)
26 S. Farmer Ave.
Tempe, AZ 85281

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David J., the fine young fellow who makes incredible records under the name Novi Split will be playing guitar for MOBY on “The Tonight Show w/Jay Leno” Thursday, April 26th.  Tune in and see what magic looks like when it’s visible.

^Novi Split as a two-piece.^

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UPDATE:

This Saturday, April 21st marks the 6th annual Record Store Day.  Zia Records will be releasing their 6th compilation of what they believe to be the most promising music in Arizona called “You Heard Us Back When.”  Loyal Wife and Art For Starters will be featured on the comp with some other great bands such as Gospel Claws,  Dead Wildlife, and Snake! Snake! Snakes!

Also, Stinkweeds will be distributing 300 RSD bags (free) and each one will have a Sunset Alliance release in it! Happy Record Store Day!

Don’t know anything about Record Store Day?  Well, we don’t believe you…but feel free to click the link below.

Mr. Fantastical’s pseudonym is Jason Corman, just as Superman’s innocent day-time persona is Clark Kent.  The major difference is, Jason Corman hangs out around knives, blood and guts when he’s not being superheroic in his studio.  Clark Kent barely got his hands dirty with newspaper.

With this story, The Arizona Republic gives the public a look into Mr Fantastical’s day to day slicing and chopping, but for those of us ‘in the know’, we are already quite familiar with his ham hocks & guitar strings.

Every ‘First Friday’ Beninem lays down a freestyle.  He sits at his computer and writes for only a couple minutes, uninterrupted.  Whatever comes to mind is what he puts down.  Here’s Ben’s April ‘Autistic Flow’ unedited…

Joining Beninem’s Freestyle today is D’Talks (Beninem’s studio producer)…

Thanks to so many supporters this record has become an reality.
Now, go buy it from your favorite online source.  Our recommendation is bandcamp or stinkweeds.
The band is excited. We are excited. Are you excited?

Loyal Wife “Faux Light” will be officially released April 3, 2012.  The album can be pre-ordered through loyalwife.bandcamp.com for digital and physical copies.  T-shirts are also available for order from the Loyal Wife bandcamp page.

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Loyal Wife will join Art For Starters on the Zia Records annual compilation in celebration of Record Store Day.  Zia chose “Cut the Rope” to be featured on the compilation to be release April 21st.  Support your local record stores on that day!

Local Arizona record store chain, Zia Record Exchange has invited Art For Starters to be a part of their next compilation installment, “You Heard Us Back When, Volume 6.” The track they chose was “Diction (The Beverly Hills Song),” which can be found on the Art For Starters album, “Mark So Made.” As with the previous releases of this series, it will available on Record Store Day, April 21st in limited quantity for only $3 (all proceeds go to Zia charities).  This is the second time Zia has selected Art For Starters to be on their compilation…We hope you enjoy this comp as much as you did Volume 5!

“My thoughts seam to be turning into knots from lack of expression.Ive fealt so much heartache from not being able to break free from the chains that hold me back.Im runing around trying to find this rythem with words that hit the masses break open peoples glasses.Its hard to see the cross wind in the mind but all never get pined down.All give them all that I got while taking a chance that my pants wont fall down before they get buckeld tight.You now everything is gona be alright when lasting fame becomes the game when nobody sounds the same.Its not about what you persue its about everything that you do to keep yourself bright.Will keep it going by freshioning up the wall by spraying what we can tell they see it fall into there mind.Yeah thats how it has be done even when the sun hits you on the run of your life.What is that you say live for another day alright you got it.Here I am busting this slam without any jam to gel it together.Its a beast I say the least imagine they irony of this deadication when its hot for other will not hit this without geting phased first.” -Beninem 3/2/2012  (Autistic Flow Series #4)

Support Ben - click his album cover
(All proceeds go to Ben Shill.)

Every person will receive a free cd @ the door.
$10/8 in advance. ($5 for KickStarter Backers) *see if you are on the list

Go [LIKE] the Loyal Wife Page for ?s/comments/etc.
#stoked.