News
NEWS.
Hear new songs from The 1984 Draft and Todd Farrell Jr. at Aversionline
Andy Ingram
Aversionline is premiering the new song from The 1984 Draft that appears on their split 7” with Todd Farrell Jr. You can listen to “Two Cow Barrage” and read some background from Joe Anderl concerning the new song, the band Two Cow Garage, as well as the new full-length coming from The Draft early next year.
Check out Todd Farrell Jr.’s “Can’t Sit Still” that previously premiered at Ghettoblaster Magazine while you are at Aversionline.
The limited lathe cut 7” is shipping now from BandCamp, as well as from the Poptek Shop.
Joe Anderl of The 1984 Draft Declares for a NFL Draft
Andy Ingram
In anticipation of a new album from The 1984 Draft, singer Joe Anderl has declared for a NFL Draft, or a soccer draft, or the Canadian Football League, or really any draft. Even though the 2022 Draft has now come and gone, Anderl still has a lot to offer.
You can check out his official declarations posted to YouTube at the links below. The new album “Best Friends Forever” has been recorded, mixed, and mastered and now just needs to be pressed.
The 1984 Draft "Best Friends Forever" coming in January 2023
Andy Ingram
The 1984 Draft have completed their next 11-song full-length record, "Best Friends Forever". The album is currently in queue at the vinyl plant in Canada. Expect the new album to be available on January 19 in the year of 2023.
The band once again recorded with Fred Vahldiek at Fredzoz Studio in Kettering, Ohio, who they first teamed up with for "Destination Breakdown". Vahldiek mixed the record. Chris Common mastered the songs and they can all be classified as hits.
Poptek is happy to be joined by Sell the Heart Records in California and Engineer Records in the UK to release these songs to as wide of an audience as we can reach.
Three Straight Weekends Live for The 1984 Draft
Andy Ingram
After a pandemic-induced hiatus from live shows for most of our Poptek artists, The 1984 Draft are back with three straight weekends of live shows. If you are around Dayton, Ohio, join us to remember how beautiful of an experience good live music is. Here is the information. Bring your mask, take your pick, or join us for all the rock/n/roll!
Saturday September 18- Free In-store performance at Blind Rage Records in Dayton with Unchipped (Columbus). 5 PM All-ages
Saturday September 25- Free outdoor show at Eichelberger Park in Huber Heights, Ohio. 6 PM All-ages
Friday October 1- Sweet Cheetah Publicity Anniversary Show with Extra Arms (Detroit), The Nautical Theme, The Color Fred. 9 PM $10 21+
New Ambient Music from Okay Lindon's Dustin Smith
Andy Ingram
Okay Lindon’s Dustin Smith has released a new blissful, ambient episode of sampled and manipulated Bulgarian choral music to help you relax amongst the chaos of the modern age. It’s shoegazey, it’s liturgical, it’s ancient, and it is weird.
In conjunction with Isaac Karns’ (former Pomegranate, Marble Garden Studio) Marble Garden Radio, “First Litany” is the debut episode in a series titled “Morning Prayer” where Dustin samples, twists, slows down, and adds instrumentation to what, in this episode, is a cassette tape recording from 1970 of the Svetoslav Obratenov Bulgarian Choir, conducted by Georgi Robev.
You can listen to this and future episodes on Mixcloud at Marble Garden Radio’s channel .
A (1984) Draft Day Sale
Andy Ingram
To help celebrate the 2021 NFL Draft, our own The 1984 Draft is throwing a sale in the Poptek Shop. Ten buck t-shirts, 15 dollar vinyl and sweatshirts, get in on the sale now and all the proceeds will fund the next album to be released on vinyl. The Draft are already booked to record the new album at the end of May with Fred Vahldiek at Fredzoz Studio.
The NFL Draft and the Draft Day Sale begin on Thursday April 29. The sale prices will last through the weekend or until we realize that our team’s general manager made a series of bad picks and set our team back a decade. Whichever comes first . . .
Popilation (Vol. 1) releasing this BandCamp Friday, April 2!
Andy Ingram
We are excited to announce a new compilation releasing exclusively on BandCamp this Friday April 2.
Popilation (Vol. 1) is a digital collection of brand new songs, side projects, overlooked songs, or never-before-released songs from the Poptek family of artists.
BandCamp will be waiving all their usual fees like they have been doing on the first Friday of every month. We plan to use all the funds from this compilation towards vinyl releases of albums we are working on right now (The 1984 Draft, Slow Rivals, Jill & Micah, Kris N., maybe more).
Here is the track listing:
1- Ruetschle “Mysteriously”- First new track from the Dayton faux-Brit poppers since 2006’s “Exotic Destinations”. Taken from the never finished “Color Theory” recording sessions.
2- Golden Orra “The Chord I Heard in My Dream”- Brilliant brand new song from the super talented, play-everything Alexander Scaglia. This song sounds so cool.
3- Slow Rivals “Ready For Love?”- Most recent release from this Seattle dream pop quintet. The dual vocals between Graham Travis and Lacey Brown adds a wonderful new dimension to their sound.
4- Kris N. & Lindsey N. “Shadyside, PA”- A beautiful love song with a beautiful chorus that can’t be played on the radio or around kids.
5- Okay Lindon “Baba O’Wiley”- Dustin, Erica, and Andrew’s catchy attempt to fight pandemic-induced isolation.
6- Joe Anderl “Silence Your Hymns”- The voice of The 1984 Draft writes and sings honestly about racism, being a friend, and being a father.
7- Arms Race “16 Candles, One Burn Victim”- Poptek has gone emo. This overlooked release features the sweet voice of Tim Anderl (Sweet Cheetah Publicity, brother of Joe), the usual crazy drumming of The Draft’s Justin Satinover, their friend Cole on bass, and Kris N. getting to play punk rock guitar. We wish this was a Poptek release.
8- Hangover, Ohio “Clumsy Handedness”- Art rockers Nick Satinover and Kris N. deliver really clever pop hooks buried in experimental sounds and rhythms.
9- Lost Friends “Fair Warning”- The Greek God of Style’s synth pop melancholy gets stuck on repeat in your memory.
10- April & June “Bristol Babes”- Sibling harmonies are the best. When the siblings are identitcal twins, expect even better.
11- The 1984 Draft “Counting Up”- Don’t overlook this B-side from “Destination Breakdown”. The Draft know how to put words to hard experiences and big choruses to rock songs.
12- Aberrant Wave “The Lost”- Eli Alban (The 1984 Draft) has a long-distance side project with Michael Head from North Carolina and it is wonderfully spacey.
13- Quaint “All The World Loves . . .”- Kris N, Chip Heck (The 1984 Draft), and Michael Malarkey (The Vampire Diaries) have been in a few bands together in their youth. Quaint was one of them.
14- Father’s Day “Father’s Day Prayer”- Joe Anderl and Kris N. are two great lyricists together in one band. Father’s Day can’t help but be great.
15- Las Golondrinas “The Art of Marriage”- XL427’s Andy Ingram has a dark and odd sense of humor. That comes out in the side project Las Golondrinas and the songs are ever so catchy.
A Mountain Devotional podcast from Jordan and Dustin from Okay Lindon
Andy Ingram
We want to support our brothers Jordan and Dustin in Okay Lindon as they launch a new podcast. The Mtn Dewvotional podcast is just two life long friends who work together in youth ministry and who love Jesus and Mountain Dew. We don't know how this podcast ended up in the "comedy" category because this first episode will change your life. And if your heart is hardened, then there is a second episode to turn your life around. Search "dewvotional" wherever you listen to podcasts and follow them on Instagram @dewvotional so you can find out when radical new episodes drop!
Gordon Withers play The Draft on Cello
Andy Ingram
In what began as a Christmas gift from one brother to another, punk rock cellist Gordon Withers, known for his albums of cello renditions of Jawbreaker and Jawbox as well as being part of the J. Robbins Band, Betwixt, Office Of Future Plans, and BELLS≥, has beautifully covered The 1984 Draft's "Honest".
You can hear it now streaming from Ghettoblaster Magazine.
Poptek is excited to release that brilliant gift to a wider audience with a limited lathe cut 7" featuring Withers' cello rendition of "Honest" backed by the original song taken from The 1984 Draft "Makes Good Choices".
Pre-order now in the Poptek Shop and expect the album to ship in the middle of March. The split will be available digitally from BandCamp starting February 5. All proceeds will benefit the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
Welcome Slow Rivals to Poptek
Andy Ingram
We are excited to welcome Seattle's Slow Rivals into the Poptek family as they unveil a new single today on Spotify and Apple Music.
You can listen to the beauty of a pop song, "Ready for Love?", here: Apple Music
and here: Spotify
We have known Graham Travis, Brian Ward, Lacey Brown, and Paula Best since they all were part of Graham Travis's debut, "Why Don't You Know Me Yet?" that Poptek released early in our history. After a long time away from music building their lives in Seattle, Travis got the band back together with drummer Justin Lamb and bassist Jesse Gantz to record and release the Slow Rivals EP in December of 2019. Now with Brown taking over for Lamb on drums as well as adding vocals, the band have emerged from a pandemic-forced silence with a new studio and now a new song with more to come.
You can stream their previous albums at their Poptek page.
Happy Release Day to The 1984 Draft! "Destination Breakdown" is out now.
Andy Ingram
You can stream or buy the new two-song EP from The 1984 Draft, "Destination Breakdown", now and today. Here is a series of links to help you celebrate:
Hear the two new Draft songs at The Big Takeover
Andy Ingram
The Big Takeover today premiered the complete "Destination Breakdown" EP, posting "Counting Up" with the previously premiered "Shame About Grace". The single releases digitally on Black Friday so hear the preview now!
Aversion Online Premieres New Song from The 1984 Draft
Andy Ingram
Our friends at Aversion Online have premiered a new song from The 1984 Draft, "Shame About Grace" along with an interview with singer Joe Anderl. "Shame About Grace" is the A-side from the upcoming "Destination Breakdown" 7". After you listen to the song come back and pre-order the limited 7" vinyl from the Poptek Shop. Or get it digitally now or when it releases everywhere on Black Friday November 27.
New 2-song EP "Destination Breakdown" from The 1984 Draft Out Soon
Andy Ingram
The 1984 Draft are releasing a new 2-song EP entitled "Destination Breakdown". The band made a quick stop at Fredzoz Studio with Dark Backward's Fred Vahldiek recording, mixing, and mastering two brand new songs, "Shame About Grace" and "Counting Up". The EP will release digitally everywhere on Black Friday November 27. A limited lathe cut 7" will be released as soon as we get them back (they can take a while) and is available for pre-order now in the Poptek Shop.
Jill & Micah Record Again
Andy Ingram
The duo started a new recording. That's all we got. That's the news.
Mensa Deathsquad remixed XL427. Out Now!
Andy Ingram
Kansas City's Mensa Deathsquad created a "Shoegaze Rollerdisco" remix of "Ideas", from XL427's recent album "Thee Attack". The single is out now from digital stores and streamers everywhere. Below are some links to find the song.
You can also get the limited run 7" vinyl from the Poptek Shop and BandCamp.
XL427 Mensa Deathsquad Remix coming September 24
Andy Ingram
Kansas City's Brandon Phillips is a talent masquerading under many names. Mensa Deathsquad is his electronic project. Through a connection with Sweet Cheetah Publicity, Mensa Deathsquad remixed a track from the recent album "Thee Attack" by the Dayton space pop band XL427. In a style that Phillips describes as "Shoegaze Rollerdisco", "Ideas (Mensa Deathsquad Remix)" is releasing digitally everywhere on September 24, which intentionally coincides with International Massacre a Mosquito Day, a made-up holiday that XL427's Andy Ingram celebrates every year to commemorate his struggle and survival from the West Nile Virus the singer contracted in 2010.
A limited 7" vinyl with the remix on Side A and the original on Side B is available to pre-order in the Poptek Shop now.
Joe Anderl (The 1984 Draft) solo record to raise funds for the NAACP
Andy Ingram
On Friday June 19, Bandcamp is donating all of its fees to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. In solidarity with that, Joe Anderl is releasing his final solo album, "I Love Joe Anderl", digitally for the first time on Bandcamp. Anderl will be donating 100% of the sales to the NAACP Legal Fund as well. This album was Joe's last solo record before The 1984 Draft came into being. If you have ever heard The Draft play "Moons Over Miller Lite", this album is where that song originated. You can listen now at the link below but be sure to purchase on Friday.
https://joeanderlandtheimaginaryfriendshipchoir.bandcamp.com
New Golden Orra Single
Andy Ingram
On July 10, 2020, Cincinnati's cute and oddball Golden Orra will be releasing another new single, "Demon". Look for it in digital stores and streamers everywhere. The single, of course, features former Floral drummer and Mary Kate and Trashley mastermind Alexander Scaglia. Again he is joined by Jimmy Rice on bass and Joey Cook (Joey Joesph, Pomegranates) recording, adding synths and tambourine. And if we can get even more indie rock geeky, Pomegranate and Sabbath Recording owner Jacob Merritt joins in on drums.
You can hear the single now courtesy of Poptek. You can pre-order it as well from your favorite digital retailer.
On that same day look for the previous Valetine's single "Can't Get Enough" available on streamers and in digital retailers for the first time.