Sun River: "Dawn Patrol"

All music Twelve Hides/Ben Tweddell 
Electric guitar (S) Buck Curran

Deir El - Malak (with Buck Curran of  Arborea)

We're proud to announce the first solo album from Papir guitar player Nicklas Sørensen coming out February 19!

While there’s certain similarities with the records Nicklas has created with Papir it quickly becomes apparent that this is something quite different. “Solo” begins and ends with the instrument the Copenhagen native fully masters by now: the guitar. Throughout the album his main instrument is being explored as a generator of otherworldly, esoteric sounds as well as a compositional tool and - perhaps most importantly - a transmitter of pristine, cascading melodies.

There’s a peaceful, savory quality to the record that manifests a musical maturity. With help from the rhythm section of Papir as well as Causa Sui’s Jonas munk, who also recorded the album in El Paraiso Records’ new studio, Nicklas has created a wide, shimmering sound that seems to allude to a multitude of different styles and traditions. Considering that Nicklas is best known as a hard rocking guitar player with a knack for improvisation it’s perhaps surprising that his inclination for pattern-based minimalism, blissed-out ambience and experimental british “oceanic” music from the 1980s and early 1990s dominates throughout this set. This is the kind of record that rewards repeated listens - each listen revealing new layers in the architecture of sound. “Solo” is an affable, slowburning album where each component is given its own space and place to gently unfold and work its magic in the mind of the listener.


Nicklas Sørensen: "Solo3"

Nicklas Sørensen: "Solo5"

Imaginational Anthem Vol. 8 : The Private Press
Out September 16th on 2LP vinyl (ltd, 500) / CD / DL

8th volume of Tompkins Square label's acclaimed acoustic guitar series focuses on impossibly rare private press recordings 1968-1995.

Tompkins Square label presents the 8th volume of Imaginational Anthem, the acclaimed series focusing on acoustic guitar, particularly in the American Primitive vein.

Since 2005, the series has revived interest in old masters of the genre while also giving many folks their very first taste of artists like William Tyler, Steve Gunn, Cian Nugent or Daniel Bachman.

Volume 8, compiled by hardcore record collectors Michael Klausman (former used LP buyer for NYC's recently shuttered Other Music) and Brooks Rice, features some of the best and most obscure private press guitar records virtually no one has heard. In fact, so-called guitar soli expert, Tompkins Square owner Josh Rosenthal, had never heard of a single artist on the comp (except for Perry Lederman, whose track was Josh's sole contribution to the collection). "Just goes to show what a bottomless pit music discovery from the past continues to be. There's just no end to all the riches from past decades."

Amidst the obscure entries are bits of rock-star lore; Joe Bethancourt was supposedly given a sitar by an admiring Jimi Hendrix, and Perry Lederman was reportedly responsible for teaching Bob Dylan how to fingerpick. But the true joy of this collection is derived from discovering incredible acoustic guitar performances completely lost to time. Until now.

Explore the series : http://www.tompkinssquare.com/releases.html


Imaginational Anthem vol. 8 : The Private Press

The Secret Forces Of Nature by Gary Salzman ('68) from IA vol. 8 : The Private Press

From: Basket Full of Dragons: a Tribute to Robbie Basho Vol. 2
Recorded and Mixed by Ben Tweddell, September 2014 Somerset, UK.
Ben Tweddell: Acoustic Guitar, Bass Guitar, Tambura, Electric Guitar, Drums and Percussion 
Tiffany Williams and Lydia Thistle: Vocals 
Written by Robbie Basho, arranged Twelve Hides/Ben Tweddell



Basket Full of Dragons: a Tribute to Robbie Basho Vol. 2

California Raga

Twelve Hides - California Raga

'New Moontide' from 'Immortal Light', the debut solo album by Buck Curran (of Arborea) on Obsolete Recordings/ESP-Disk' 12 July 2016
words and music © 2016 Buck Curran/Arborea Music 

Soon we ride beneath the sky draped in red 
To the West we fly, visions arise and blood on fire 
Voices coming through, in waves as black as the sun 
Symbols, shooting stars at the edge of night 
Lead the way to the sea 

Swimming in the New Moontide 
Swimming in the New Moontide 
We're coming through in waves, You and I 

Soon we ride through darker forests and fields of gold 
Through mountains we climb 
Our eyes ablaze our heads on fire 
Voices coming through, in waves hungry like the wolf 
Symbols and artifacts at the edge of night 
Ever leading the way to the sea 

Swimming in the New Moontide 
Swimming in the New Moontide 
We're coming through in waves, You and I 
We're coming through in waves, You and I
credits
from Immortal Light, track releases July 12, 2016 
Buck Curran - Vocals, Acoustic Guitars 
Shanti Deschaine - Backing Vocals 
composed, produced, recorded, mixed, by Buck Curran 
mastered by Harris Newman 
cover photo of Pluto courtesy of NASA 

Immortal Light

New Moontide

Buck Curran - New Moontide

'Sea of Polaris' from 'Immortal Light', the debut solo album by Buck Curran (of Arborea) on Obsolete Recordings/ESP-Disk' 12 July 2016
Instrumental

Buck Curran - Acoustic Guitars, Electric Guitars, Flute
composed, produced, recorded, mixed, by Buck Curran
mastered by Harris Newman
cover photo of Pluto courtesy of NASA

Sea of Polaris

Buck Curran - Sea Of Polaris

'River unto Sea' from 'Immortal Light', the debut solo album by Buck Curran (of the duo Arborea) on Obsolete Recordings/ESP-Disk' 12 July 2016
Instrumental inspired by two rivers...one in Maine and one in Ireland

Buck Curran - Acoustic Guitars
composed, produced, recorded, mixed, by Buck Curran
mastered by Harris Newman/Grey Market Mastering, Montreal, Canada
cover photo of Pluto courtesy of NASA

River Unto Sea

Buck Curran - River Unto Sea

From: Basket Full of Dragons: a Tribute to Robbie Basho Vol. 2
Recorded and mixed by Shahar Yardeni at Anova Music Studios. 
Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Cymbals and Vocals: Yair Yona. Electric Guitar: Barry Berko 
Written by Robbie Basho, arranged by Yair Yona
More info about this recording, please visit http://yairyona.net/new-recording-khalil-gibran-robbie-basho/

Yair Yona - Khalil Gibran (By Robbie Bahso)

** Richard Crandell's new album 'Then And Now' is now available via every digital service, worldwide ! **

Bandcamp : https://tompkinssquare.bandcamp.com/album/then-and-now

Buy Richard Crandell's 1980 private press LP reissue of 'In The Flower of Our Youth' : http://www.tompkinssquare.com/richardcrandell.html

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Eugene-based guitarist Richard Crandell's 1980 private-press LP
In The Flower of Our Youth is one of our favorite rainy day / road trippin' solo guitar records. Reissued on Tompkins Square in 2008, it captures the aura of the Pacific Northwest in unique and powerful ways.

Crandell's struggle with Essential Tremor moved him toward the mbira (African thumb piano), and he recorded on the instrument for John Zorn's Tzadik label. But Richard has returned to the guitar at times. Then And Now is comprised of material recorded over the past 25 years, some recorded this year, all previously unreleased.

Here is Richard's own take on the new album, Then And Now :

"Most of these recordings were discovered about five years ago. They were recorded on a DAT recorder in the '90s. "Road Trip" was in standard guitar tuning, capo on the 2nd fret, inspired by my 50-state 'American Friends' tour. "Funk Dat" (love the blues), "Haley Suite" (love Bach) and "Route 22" (love Tennessee) were tuned in DADEAD, capo on the 2nd fret. "Over/Under" (love John Fahey) was in dropped D tuning with the capo on the 2nd fret. "V-Blues" (love Scott Joplin) was in DADGAD, capo 2. It was the only tune which I've written that has a modulation by "brute force."  "American Friends" was my 12-string rendition of a Bill Bartels' classic, reflecting his Virginia roots. "Swallowtails" was a solo 12-string version of a duet which I wrote in the early '80's. I like my foot-tapping on this one. The duet was originally on Oregon Hill with Bill Bartels. "Unknown Lament" was a 12-string piece from the same album. This solo version has a unique coda. "Down to Earth" was recorded 3 years ago. and was written in CGDGBE, a tuning which Tim Danforth showed me. The last tune, "Cinema Verité", was recorded a couple of weeks ago, on Kyle Lindros' ukulele. It is my only uke composition. Kyle's dad Billy, named it, as well as In The Flower Of Our Youth and many of my other tunes. English is my second language. Music is my first. Especially rhythm. Enjoy!"