Esquerita ushers us into our 27th year as a label, gods willing. Let the loud sound abound!
This newsletter may come to you overly long and seemingly convoluted. It's the first time in eleven weeks that we've had a semblance of a chance to sort through mail -- it appears that the post office had been holding a bundle of our pre-Christmas mail for the past two weeks so we're seeing cards and letters from many of you for the first time. We're still unraveling well over a thousand emails, so bear with us.This first draft post will be edited and added to as days and weeks go on. Those of you who were involved in any of the benefits or in the work at the Red Hook warehouse or here at Norton HQ with the reclamation efforts, please get in touch. Send your memories and photos- we'd like tonever forget this phrase of record-dom for the future. We thank Elion at Dust and Grooves for his photographs from Red Hook and Jacob Blickenstaff for his photographs at Norton HQ. We have dozens of amateur snapshots and home vids already gathered, so if anyone cares to help tackle this document of nature vs. record culture, please make contact. This post is about thanking you all with your continued efforts to get the baby out of the salty bath water and back into the dance halls and record stalls where she should ought to be. This is scribbled by me, but the sentiments come from both Billy and myself. Forgive the maudlin nods ripped from Selby, Ellison, Lovecraft and EAP. In the midst of mayhem, the references persist.
With gratitude and friendship,
Miriam Linna & Billy Miller
Norton Records
Kicks Books
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Bell House, 149 Seventh Street, Brooklyn
The fair will run from 11AM-5PM but there is no admission after 3PM.
WFMU RECORD FAIR LINK!
Come visit the Norton tables and pick up the latest Norton wild wax, the complete line of Kicks Books (including Kim Fowley’s new LORD OF GARBAGE), rare 45s and albums, tons of reissues and our selection of Hurricane Sandy Survivor singles – great sounding Norton 45s with real hurricane label scuffs. It’s like having somebody’s watch from the Titanic.
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Harbinger Hurricane Marty. Who knew?
When the Norton Records warehouse went under the thunder of Hurricane Sandy on Oct 29, it looked like curtains for the "label with the able stable". Virtually everything Norton was baptized in brine-- sunk in nearly seven feet of salt water when Hurricane Sandy's tidal surge engulfed our waterfront Red Hook storerooms. Emotional shock and shudder aside, it should have been viewed as a total loss-- close the doors and walk away. It was, after all, a catastrophe, an Act of God. The Poseidon Adventure. The Year Of The Flood. Too big and insane to deal with.
The exodus from Red Hook after Hurricane Sandy– Frankenstorm Sandy, as she was cleverly tagged by media wombats that weekend—lasted forty days and forty nights, give or take, with an added full moon cycle to clear out the wreckage and not look back. It’s still impossible to comprehend the enormity of the storm-- its impact on our Northeast megalopolis in general, and the fearsome localized deathblow it struck into the homes, haunts and hearts of all hepcat Halloween cellar-dwellers west of the Gowanus.
For the past seven years, Norton Records has housed its stock in Civil War-era Van Brunt warehouses, which stretch an entire city block plus exactly 666 feet straight out into New York Harbor, a “walled city” dividing the waters of the Erie Basin and the Upper Bay. The buildings were designed so that ships could dock and unload directly into the vast storerooms, bringing in tea, coffee, spices, sugar-- a gamut of import dry goods. Almost 150 years after completion, the entire waterfront of New York Harbor fell prey to the insanity of Mother Nature. When Hurricane Sandy made landfall on October 29, she merged with an Arctic front and a rare weather condition called negative North Atlantic Oscillation. On top of it all, there was a full moon, sure to amplify high tide. Our section of the warehouse was set entirely within the massive structure—enclosed on all sides. There was no external entry into our ground level space. We were at least thirty feet away from the Erie Basin exit (which we had never used), and about fifteen feet from the street entrance. There was talk about the full moon exaggerating a possible surge, but when the winds started to blow the next day at our home office two miles inland, it honestly did not appear so severe. We’ve seen much harder rain and much wilder winds in the past. A tornado ripped down our street here one time, and uprooted a mess of big trees. That was scary. This time, there was no howling wind or even over-the-top torrential rain. It just didn’t seem So Bad. The fact that high tide came in after 8 PM meant it arrived under the cloak of full darkness— no one saw much of anything. Power along the waterfront went out quickly, and stayed off. No one saw the wall of water boring down on New York Harbor, via Red Hook, bashing through everything, including the heavy steel warehouse doors on Van Brunt Street, immersing everything in almost seven feet of seawater-- our space took in over 165,000 gallons of briney blue. The thought was complicated by the incomprehensible idea that seawater tanked in there for over six hours, ebbing with such ferocity that it tore steel shelving off stone walls, and catapulted furniture and drum cases and heavy boxes of books and records fifty feet back and forth within the 2200 square foot space, as though a… well, as though ahurricane had gone through it.
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The following morning, news reports told us that streets were closed, as were the bridges, the tunnels. They said don’t drive, that trees and powerlines are down. But we were antsy, and made it to Red Hook regardless, weaving through Cobble Hill and Brooklyn Heights into Red Hook.The streets were wet, with a bit of puddling, a few scattered branches. Then, as we closed in on Van Brunt, we saw that the water was in the street was getting deeper. We saw our steel gate doors from a block away, but at that point, the water was too deep to drive through. Our landlord was there, shaking his head. He told us to go in and look and then leave, because there was no power and it was dangerous. We went in with a flashlight, pulled the door open, and shone the light into the darkness. At first, I couldn’t understand what I was seeing. Was this our place? With the small beam, we could see torn boxes tipped and torn in pools of water-- as far as the eye could see. Everything, dead in a whole lot of water.
Quitting Norton was never an option. We could not leave stacks of shellac in that a cold, dark, waterfront tomb. Denominations of 7, 10 and 12 inch platters set for speeds of 33, 45 and 78 revolutions per minute, each capable of creating an Instant Party if only given a chance-- trapped forever in a sepulchre by the sea? We didn't need a chatty raven to set us straight-- we had to do something, anything. We put a call out to friends in the area who might be able to help try to pull records from the wreckage. Within hours, old friends, new friends, people we'd never met before, emerged from their own grim situations to lend muscle and hustle and gristle and sizzle in a massive effort to move thousands of tons of records onto higher ground.
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Design by Norton chief designer and bottle washer Pat Broderick. Stickers by our pals at stickerman.com
Limited ceiling fluorescents in the warehouse came on by Friday. In the midst of catastrophe, we had power. And, we had, every day, an increasing number of Nortonians coming to Red Hook with boots and rubber gloves, volunteering to lift and haul, to tow things out with their cars and trucks. Within a few days, we had crafted a plan with dozens of newfound helpers, to set up in the hallway of the building where we have our home office (yes, we have incredible, fantastic neighbors). Tables lined the walls, and people started stripping record albums that were towed in from Red Hook. A system evolved. One person cut the top right corner with a matte knife, another would pull the record out of the soaking wet jacket and sleeve, another would wash and dry, with a team of two or three others, then the records would be placed under freestanding fans and two dehumidifiers. It was tedious work, and constant. Everyday, different casts of people came in at various times to work, concentrating on the tasks at hand. Billy ran the show at Norton HQ - his recent foot surgery made it too dangerous for him to deal with wading around in the warehouse. Avi (Norton picker/packer and in-house artist) and I headed for Red Hook every day for weeks on endy, to meet up with a slew of guys and dolls who not once complained about the extremely heavy lifting, the wet and seemingly never ending task ahead of us. James from Yo La Tengo, we salute you for coming in that first day and toiling in the saltwater mines—we won’t forget when the fire department arrived after some kind of blown socket had shot a blast the size of a cannon ball through a wet mattress that some upstairs resident as storing the electrical room. At that point, we thought, oh boy, now a fire. It was horrifying to learn of the Breezy Point blazes that erupteda few days afterward, with salt water blamed for the electrical fire that torched an entire neighborhood.
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Photo: dust and grooves
Some volunteered their vehicles to transport wet boxes to Prospect Heights, some ran errands, some brought cans of gasoline down, when gas was unavailable in Brooklyn and our van ran dry. Thanks to all the drivers and to the people who helped park that crazy big U-Haul (Joe!!!). Our home office in Prospect Heights is located in an old school building, almost as old as the Red Hook warehouse-- it became a base of operations initially, for stripping, cleaning and repackaging the wax. For the past two months, two full moons since Sandy, the work ethic of people who came from near and very far, has erased and redefined the loss and fear and pain that came with the impact.
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| soaked by the sea, all of it. |
One day a teacher lady stuck her head in the door at the Red Hook mess, and asked if we needed help. In came a school bus load of girls and boys, all about 15 or 16 years old, all ready to bag and drag huge bags of waterlogged record covers and books. You see, everything made of paper was destroyed by the water. This meant every LP jacket, every 45 cover, every book… and thousands of jackets and sleeves that were stored there in boxes. They were all now, garbage. There was a need to dispose of as much unsalvageable material as possible so as to get at what we could save—the vinyl. Records were our only hope. Every compact disc that went under water was history. Thousands and thousands of CD's, pure unadulterated waterlogged garbage. Record boxes that were too smashed had to go. Routines were created and perfected daily. Every day, we were able to come up with newer, better, more efficient ways of handing the hundreds of tons of soaked records. The moving company that we sublet from let us use their sturdy plastic containers to move LPs and 45’s. It took eight weeks of daily labor to empty the warehouse.
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We rented a U-Haul truck. Then, another, to haul, and haul some more. On tap at Red Hook were Avi, Gigi, Charly, Neil, Josh, Evan, Daniel, Joe, Brian, Bobby, Andy, Jerry, Nancy, Ed, Ron, Scott, Sue, Cathy, Jon, Reyes, Cindy, Albert, Ron, James, Nick and Libby. Tim and his crew from Sundazed came in with a van to haul wet records back to Norton HQ. Jared from the Black Lips flew in after a gig in Texas to help out at HQ with the strip and dry in the hallways. Musicians like the Stompin’ Riff Raffs, Bloodshot Bill, Amy Rigby, the Paint Fumes, Daddy Long Legs, Jon Chalmers from the Church Keys and his wife and musical pard Sato, the mysterious New Surfsiders, neighbor Mick Collins, plus our A-Bones bandmates Bruce, Mark and Stan joined us, along with hundreds of volunteers. Just about every DJ from WFMU came by to work, even though the station had big troubles of their own- thank you all. Adam and Rob from Sony/BMG came in with a Spin-Clean record washer that took things to another level. Spin Clean ended up donating a dozen washers and gallons of record cleaning fluid, which put us into a new league. Photog friend Jacob Blickenstaff came in -- forever grateful to him for lending an ear when personal morale was at its lowest. Conservators Andy and Leah brought their expertise in restoring books and papers from water damage. Jonathan Tobin gave Billy a big pep talk about survival, he having gone through the ultimate peril nightmare a year earlier. The guys from Daptone came in and lifted wet albums by the score off the teetering steel shelves. Old pal Zoe came in from California to help sort a couple hundred Norton teeshirts that we'd dragged out of the warehouse sopping wet, lugged through the snow to the laundromat, and sanitized beyond all hospital criterion.
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As days went on, we started hearing from record people all over the world. Early on, we heard from the collector kings, Donn from Relic, Jerry from Jerry's Records, Louis Silvani form Times Square, Fred Bohn from the Attic, Jeff Miller from Wiley's Golden Oldies-- all commiserating and offering their encouragement for getting the show back on the road. Each had their own terrible flood stories, and each told us not to throw in the towel, no matter how wet that darn towel! Mickey Leigh called with words of support that we will never forget. Andy Shernoff told us never to give up. Howie Pyro with his regular pants-kickings. Paul Glavin and Paul Murphy with their don't-lose-the-faith morale boosters- thanks guys, your words were truer than true.
Efforts doubled down at home base, stripping, washing, drying, repackaging records. After forty afeighteen hour days, Lenny Kaye and Patti Smith gave us tickets to see PSG with Neil Young at the new Barclay Center down Flatbush. It was our first night out in those forty days-- thank you Link Cromwell and Patti! Jacob Blickenstaff surprised us with a DJ fundraiser with Mr Fine Wine and then Handsome Dick Manitoba cooked up a wild idea for an auction at his bar-- with raffle goods from friends and local businesses. Jacob held a second successful auction soon afterward. These hometown deals were the catalyst for an incredible series of free standing benefits, auctions, and DJ fundraisers that have followed in their wake. We went through the holidays, and into the first week of the new year, still with wet records messing with our minds.
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It was a grim situation. And it was so cold, so wet-cold. We were all layered down with sweaters and jackets and more sweaters, and always with the rubber gloves. One day early on Eilon from Dust And Grooves came in with a camera to document the mess, and he asked to take a video. He asked me to just say what I felt. I had just been doused with a bucketful of brown, dubious seawater that crashed on my head when I tried to pull down a container in another part of the building. I think I started crying just because I was so tired and frustrated. I should have been happy that friends were helping, that there was an attempt being made toward the light, but all I felt then, and for a long while afterward, was pain in my heart.
A news lady came in from a local TV station had been trawling Red Hook for distaster stories, and came in with her camera man to survey the damage. She asked, “Do people really still listen to records?” Nobody said anything in response. It felt like the next step was getting shoved into a burlap bag and flung into the canal. With a concrete block added, for sure results. Me, not Miss Newslady!
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The clock was ticking, could they all be saved. We had shifted from LP's to 45's in early December. They posed their own brand of difficult--- the removal of paper sleeves was daunting. And there were so many of them! Where the album work had gone through two major events- two massive record cleaning blasts at the amazing Brooklyn Bowl with celebrity DJ's spinning their wildest fare-- each event resulted in nearly ten thousand LP's getting clean! With the singles, we had one Buff-a-thon at the Bell House, on a freezing December night, and the work on then went on and on, morning til.. morning. Daniel became the relentless record stripper, peeling 2,000 records a day. We're writing this in the wee hours of Saturday morning, January 12. Today, Daniel will strip the last Norton 45. It is not the end. It is the beginning of a new start. In total, we managed to pull 20% of the LPs from the warehouse. Of the 45's, the percentage is better. Of the CD's, less than 5% remain, and that's what was here at home base when the waters rose in Red Hook. The work ahead is that of repackaging, and replacement. We need to make sleeves for the 45s and jackets from the LP's. We know that the books, the paperback collection, the posters and ephemera, are gone. It's tough for collector goons like us to take that lightly. But that's the least of it, when it comes to brass tacks. What counts now is movement foreward with gratitude to each and every person who took the time to work, call, write, spin records, send cabbage to remake a particular sleeve, rock n roll maniacs from across the globe. We had closed up shop for over a month, taking down the website entirely, not knowing what would remain as saleable. Today, as we reach the final wet record, we have an opportunity to read through the donations and accompanying comments, and we are touched by everyone's kindness, generosity, and heart. Please know that 100% of donated money goes directly into jacket and sleeve making, as we have over 200 LP titles and about 300 45 RPM titles, all needing jackets. Once get the Norton catalog back on track, there will be no stopping. This is our promise to you.
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We are truly grateful to everyone who has helped with their hands, and hearts , to those who have called and written with words of urge and influence, to the rockers who have sent cabbage and kudos to get record jackets and sleeves and more records printed and pressed, to the movers and shakers who have organized benefit concerts, raffles, and DJ blasts, to the fellow record labels, and record collectors, to Brooklyn Bowl and the Bell House for
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staging three massive wash-a-thons, resulting in thousands of records being stripped, washed, dried and packaged while DJ's blasted wild records, to musicans and writers, and all the manufacturers and suppliers who are working with us to get our wheels spinning at their usual well-lubed velocity, and also to our pal Nila who came and cooked every Tuesday for two months, giant spreads for all the workers, with next day leftovers to spare So many details were tackled by considerate, generous, quick thinkers-- THANK YOU, ALL!
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As a label, we are blessed beyond all imagination to have rock n' roll friends with hearts and souls bigger than what any hurricane that God or the devil could ever try to conjure. We love you all, and accept the challenge in bringing the label back to its pre-Storm tenacity. Thankyou for your magnitude and friendship. Nortonians, we salute you. Though the winds may blow and the seas may rise, the true spirit of rock n' roll is unkillable. You Nortonian wild childs are all truly the cool ones of this or any universe. Please stay that way.
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Watch for an update on Kicks Books-- the entire stock of Kicks went underwater at the Norton warehouse when Sandy hit. We are in the process of reprinting all titles as limited "Hurricane Sandy Editions", available for purchase in February alongside the formal world launch of the latest Kicks Books offering- LORD OF GARBAGE by worldwide icon KIM FOWLEY. Keep your eyes open for the grand ballyhoo.
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Dig this list of benefits and blasts, in descending order, starting with the big L.A. bash that’s coming up in April and ending with the very first November shindigs. Thanks to all the great people responsible for these shows and various fundraisers, and to the bands and DJ’s involved, and to everyone who attended and raised a ruckus. Thank you to our incredible, able staff, Avi, Gigi, Daniel, Charly, Nick and Neil. Thanks to Charlie, Adam and Jesse at the Brooklyn Bowl and to forever-pal Todd for getting the Bell House Buff-A-Thon together (and much more), to Pat at Rotodesign for his round-the-clock ingenuity, to Sid Griffin for buying hot lunches for volunteers on Sid Griffin Buys Lunch Day, to Mark and his crew at Spin-Clean in Pittsburgh, to all the volunteers, especially the cats with the highest attendance (Drew Redmond and Jeff Shore), to Tom and the incredible staff at Brooklyn Phono, to Beth and the gang at United Record Pressing in Nashville, to drivers Danny, Bobby, Joe, Nick, Andy Animal, Evan, Blair B, John C, to Adam and Rob at Sony/BMG, to Jason at the Orchard, to all the bands who played, to all the record lifters and scrubbers and buffers, to all the DJs and record moguls, to Mr Himmel for a boatload of pizzas on a heavily populated day, to people cooking, especially Nila who made massive and delicious dinners every Tuesday night. Thank you to Jim and Gillian (Mr. and Mrs The Hound!), Eddie G, Tom K, Andy S, Seth W, Mrs. Abramson, Stephen J, David G, Junichi N, Bloodshot Records, Michelle at Gearhead, Lucas at Roir, Rev Beat Man at Voodoo Rhythm, Jani-Markus H, Nancy G, Mop Top Mike, George P, Barry W, Todd L at Sweeney Todd's, Pete P, Mark Lamarr, John Himmel, Michael Downey (Figures Of Light), Luc Sante and his crew, James L, Mark G, Fabio at Ear Wax, John O, Chris H, Chris H, Mark R, Dan B, Don B, Sam B, Buck Ormsby and the Sonics, Cyril Jordan, Roy Loney, Sean L, Clear Spot NL, Tim Warren at Crypt, George M and the Kaisers, Leah and Andy, Russell Desmond, Wheeler Winston Dixon, Maraleen, Bill Whittington; Liam, Mel and David at Interfuel; Jackie, Nancy, Brian, Matt, Steve, Karen, Jon, Debbie, Freddie, Pat, Sam, Kevin; to the folks who brought their scrub-a-dub kids- Matt Hanks from Shorefire, Jeremy Tepper and Laura Cantrell, plus that energetic midwest couple with the hard working boy and girl; Eric C at Hollywood Book and Poster, Phil Schwartz at X-Bat, Little Michelle (who fed Norton hound Queenie for six months!), George G, Rod C, Cheryl A, Don and Barb V, Larry T, Andrea and Tim B and the Zodiacs, George, Vince and Jacquie, Rex, Coco, Mike, Pearl, Randy & Dale, DeWayne, Deke, Rob, Adam, Howie, Sandy, Amy , Marie, Rob, Stu, Eve, Kerry, Anne, Mike, Melissa, Gary, Joe B, Wendy C, Chris S and Black To Comm, Roberta B, Mike E, Andy S, to Heather and Holly and Eric who got the news out to the powers that be; to Ed Christiansen at Billboard, to Don H, John and Shelley at Golden Crest, Kim F, Jim S and YFF, Francisco in Spain, Pat and Tim H, Gina and Stephen C, Harlan E, Mickey Leigh, Terry Manning, Patti Smith and Lenny Kaye, countless others who have made a huge difference-- thankyou everyone. Major thanks for the supportive phone call from my old boss at Red Star, the inspirational Marty Thau. Look for updates as the first new sleeves appear and keep us posted with photos and updates on the shenanigans below and otherwise. We know there are other blasts in the works in the near future- we will keep you updated. Thanks again to all the movers and shakers in all capacities for the events listed below. THANK YOU!!
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Real Boss Hoss, Howie Pyro, and Deke Dickerson present... at the Echo! Thanks guys- as Stud Cole would say, "Loved you then like I love you now!"
The Echo
1822 Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA
12pm 'til 9pm
CONFIRMED BANDS:
THE UNTAMED YOUTH (first LA show in 15 years!)
THE PHANTOM SURFERS (with special guests)
THE LORD OF GARBAGE, KIM FOWLEY!
DEKE DICKERSON'S ALL STAR FRAT & GARAGE BAND
HAUNTED GEORGE AS HASIL ADKINS
THE GO NUTS
THE LOONS
THE SLOTHS (orig LA 1966 BFTG garage punk)
THE SOUTH BAY SURFERS
THEE CORMANS
THEE TEE PEES
Plus MANY MANY MORE TBA!
MARCH 22 BROOKLYN NY
RESCHEDULED FROM JAN 11 (SEE BELOW)
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Big Motor City benefit show in the works, reports Jeff Meier. Hentchmen are confirmed with lots more TBA-- stay tuned! This is gonna be a "smoker" as Andre Williams would say! Watch for an update on Andre's health in next newsletter- he is going GREAT-- called yesterday and said to tell everyone HELLO!
Venue and action TBA
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MELE
Organized by Time Bomb Records!
OPEN/START 18:30
TICKET: DOOR ONLY 2,000 YEN + DRINK
BAND:
THE 5.6.7.8'S
JACKIE & THE CEDRICS
THE GO-DEVILS
plus SECRET GUEST from 西宮
DJ:
KODAMA (TIME BOMB RECORDS)
JAMES (NIGHT BEAT RECORDS / OSAKA TWIST & SHOUT)
OKADA (OLD HAT GEAR / OSAKA TWIST & SHOUT)
GO FROM TOKYO (THE RIZLAZ / THE BASH)
INFORMATION:
TIME BOMB RECORDS 06-6213-5079 www.timebomb.co.jp
MELE 06-6634-1539 http://namba-mele.com
Facebook event link!
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BUFFALO BAR
259 Upper Street
London, N1
Organized by the boss jocks below:
COSMIC KEITH - Boparama/Boston Arms Rockabilly Club
RHYS WEBB - The Horrors/The Cave Club
NICK BROWN - Intoxica Records
BEN OLINS - Stag O Lee Preservation Society
ROBERT GREEN - Typical British Workmanship
+ THE DIDDLERS - LIVE!!!
You people dont need to be told to wear washable duds, as the spillover on this splash is guaranteed. All these guys are long time Nortonians- that's a threat, and a promise.
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CAKE SHOP
152 Ludlow Street. New York, NY
8pm (21+)
Obits celebrate their 5th Anniversary show as a Norton benefit at the fabulous Cake Shop with their friends in The Psyched, Flying Teeth & Entartete. Thanks you crazy kids!
More info:
Obits
http://obitsurl.com/
https://www.facebook.com/obitsband
The Psyched
http://psyched.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/WeAreThePsyched
Flying Teeth
members of Lycaon Pictus
Entartete
new project of Speck Brown (ex-Orphan)
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Quai Des Brumes @ 4481 St. Denis st, Montreal, QC
Starts at 9pm!
Thanks, Bloodshot Bill and your merry crew!!!!!
Performances by:
Jittery Jack w/ Miss Amy (ex- Raging Teens!)
(Wild Records)
Le Chelsea Beat
(Killer Diller Records)
..and lotsa wild toons to be spun in between sets, come on out and shake it, you know it's gonna be a blast and a half!!
A $10-15 donation is suggested.
All funds go towards helping rebuild Norton Records.
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MELODY INN
3826 N. Illinois St., Indianapolis
The incredible Dan O'Connell has taken maters into his own hands with this one- thankyou Dan and Indianapolanians!!!
Bands, DJs, Raffles!
Show starts at 10pm $5
Raffle Tickets will be $1 each or 6 for $5
All proceeds from the door and raffle will be going to Norton Records.
Line Up so far:
Cheetah Chrome (of the Dead Boys and featuring members of Rocket From The Tombs)
DEEZEN
Eddy Price (of Th'Empires)
DJ Jewey Ramone
DJ Twinkle VanWinkle
Sponsors for Raffles
Mary Weiss of the Shangri-Las
Theresa K Photography
The Sonics
Mike Hudson of the Pagans
Tim Kerr of the Big Boys and Jack O Fire
Gearhead Records
Riot House Records
Gloryhole Records
In The Red Records
WHISTLE Magzine
DoItIndy
Vibes Music
PunkRockNight
The Turntable Shoppe
Get Dirty Ceramics
Rocket Doll Revue
Irvington Vintage
More details to come! Stay tuned!!!
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ANTONE’S
213 W. 5th Street, Austin, Texas
8:30pm 'til 12:30am
When Mike Buck and his posse round up a crew of noise makers like this--- well, LOOK OUT! Thanks to all you excellent individuals and long time super pals and full-on Nortonians. You are simply, THE BEST! Someone save us a hippie sandwich from Shady Grove.
Eve & the Exiles
Freddie Steady 5
Homer Henderson
T. Tex Edwards
The Best & the Texas Mavericks
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The big benefit blast at the Bell House has been postponed until Mar 22 due to illness- we wish Greg Cartwright a speedy recovery from a bad case of the flu-- watch our news for a fresh date starring all these class acts who have recorded for Norton- the Reigning Sound, the Swinging Neckbreakers, Daddy Long Legs, and Piggies! Thank you all, and thank you Bell House and especially Todd A a/k/a T. Lance!!!!
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THE BLACK CAT
Sean Hissey, record nut and fab drummer for the Ambitions, organized this blast! Thanks Sean- and all you wax blasters! including KCP- like, WOW!
the DJs:
Baby Alcatraz
Mad Squirrel (Party Lights)
Tariq
Kid Congo Powers (The Cramps)
and Kevin (The Shirks)!
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CLUB HEAVY SICK
B1 2-27-4 Nishihara Shibuya-ku Tokyo
03-3466-1445
club@heavysick.co.jp
〈OPEN/START〉20:00 TILL DAWN
〈DOOR〉2,000yen+1D
This is a big one, people- Top Tokyo teens go wild-- thank you, friends... you are amazing!
LIVE:
THE 5,6,7,8'S
JACKIE&ENOCKY
THE RAYDIOS
THE GREAT MONGOOSE
SUPERSNAZZ
SATURNS
STOMPIN' RIFFRAFFS
THE FLY AND HIS ONE MAN GARBAGE
& GUEST
DJs:
RONNIE (THE 5,6,7,8'S)
FINK(THE RAYDIOS)
HIROSHI SEKIGUCHI
TAGO
WILD OX
DADDY-O-NOV
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THE TURF CLUB
Minnesota rocked! On this one-- huge thanks to all concerned! You guys live in a hallowed hub of loud soundness, and we feel privileged that you heeded an urge to blast forth like this- thank you!
Bands:
Cozy (Bubblegum powerpop on Hozac records)
The Shakin' Babies (like if the Crystals had tattoos and smoked weed)
Evil Bill (Northampton Massachusetts transplants first Minnesota show with the new lineup)
Also Travis Ramin will be spinning wax in-between sets
One more band TBA
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SESSION
Bonn ton roulet-- this city is crazy for the loud sound- thank you Jonah and all you crazy rockers in Bonn!Gerhard von Are Str.4-6, 53111 Bonn, Germany
8pm 'til 6:30am
LIVE!:
Jonah Gold and His Silver Apples (Bonn),
Mighty Mike (Mike from the Juke Joint Pimps as a one man band with his bike)
and special guests...
Havana Ragdolls (Cologne),
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DJs:
DJ Berman Machete (Garage Sounds all the way from Weimar),
DK and Eff (Café Bleu Modernists, Blow Up R&B),
Hank Strummer (Garage, Freiburg),
Maya Lansky and Vol Capone (NORTON Sounds ONLY)
Blow Up Bonn/ Bassy ( Berlin),
Col. D.Geil (Bonn Stomp, Bla),
Jonah (Blow Up)
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MONO CAFÉ BAR
10-12 King's Court, King Street, G1 5RB
7pm to 12am
Amazing loud sounds from up where the wolf bane blooms! To have been a fly on the wall for this star studded night- thank you all so very, very much!
Live sets from:
New Piccadillys
Los Tentakills
The Gus'n'Fin Ukelele Rock'nRoll Trio
& Secret Special Guests
Oh, and DJ Tigermask too
If you will save rock’n’roll, be here.
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ELBO ROOM
Norton kings Roy Loney and Cyril Jordan lead the pack in rock n roll MAYHEM! Thanks everyone for this killer blast-- what a scene. You all are THE BEST!!
Benefit for Norton Records, featuring:
ROY LONEY & THE PHANTOM MOVERS (Flamin' Groovies)
OVERWHELMING COLORFAST w/SPECIAL GUEST GUITARIST CYRIL JORDAN (Flamin' Groovies)
THE CHUCKLEBERRYS (All-star rockin' lineup feat. Russell Quan, Jay Rosen, David Kurtz, & Dave Seabury!)
THE TOMORROWMEN - Killer East Bay surf w/Ferenc Dobronyi & Danny Snyder!
DIRTY ROBBERS - An all-star tribute to The Sonics, featuring Paul Martin of 80's NYC garage rockers THE VIPERS, & members of THE HAMPTON WICKS!
RUE '66 (ex Cat Heads) - 60's French Pop Ye' Ye'
Special appearance by THE DEVIL-ETTES
- DJ's Ruby White and Sid Presley!
Poster by the great Dennis Loren! Signed prints available at the benefit!
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THE OLD BAR
4-76 Johnston St, Fitzroy, Victoria 3065
8:30pm
Off The Hip presents!
Featuring live sets from:
Midnight Woolf
Mesa Cosa
the Reprobettes
and Wrong Turn
Plus DJs:
Wet Wax
Packed Jetty
and Atlantis spinning Norton records all night!
This massive Australian shindig went into overdrive when the Pretty Things, on tour there for the first time in decades, called in and were added as headline bashers for the gig. Thanks everyone! The footage on youtube is incredible. Pretties, come Stateside soon! Thank you Mickster and Off The Hip records, who never cease to amaze with your attitude and cool!
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The Great Räng teng teng
Grünwälderstr. 6, 79098 Freiburg
9pm
Thanks to you Freibergers- among the first to jump and rally- plus it's the first ever Norton GALA-- thank you!
Norton Records Support Party at Dez. 15th at THE GREAT RÄNG TENG TENG, Freiburg!
SOLITARY LOTTERY, GREAT MUSIC, SENSATIONS!
Norton Records is the Place where a lot of the Vinyl was born that we spin for you at the Great Räng Teng Teng - so let's help them keep the faith!!!!
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SLABTOWN
1033 NW 16th Ave, Portland, Oregon
Doors at 8:30pm
FEATURING:
Beyond Veronica
The Satin Chaps
Suicide Notes
Paradise
The Pynnacles
Queued Up
Ex-GirlFriends Club
and more
DJ Web of Sound
Doors open at 8:30 / music starts at 9
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Magnolia Motor Lounge
3005 Morton St., Fort Worth, Texas 76107
Eight bands in one afternoon- that's one heck of a Cowtown Calamity! Thanks so much to all of you- Fort Worth is hallowed rock n' roll ground- we feel honored.
Lineup/Schedule:
1:00 DJ Jukeboxmafia
2:00 Casa Magnetica
3:00 Street Arabs
4:00 Ape Hangars
5:00 War Party
6:00 Oddlot
7:00 Year of the Bear
8:00 Dove Hunter
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THE BIGFOOT LODGE
3172 Los Feliz Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90039
Thanks to all you rekkid spinnahs-- amazing talent lineup! How did you get Sweeney and Pyro in the same room without starting a fire?
PSYCHOTONiC! presents...
NORTON RECORDS FUNDRAISER!
Special guest DJs:
• WES (Guerrilla Tacos)
• SWEENEY TODD (Sweeney Todd's Barber Shop)
• MICKEY WOLF (Boutique Primitive)
• HOWIE PYRO (Intoxica Radio)
• MONDO A GO-GO (The Boss-Tides)
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TRACTOR TAVERN
5213 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle
6pm
Jim Sangster, you are godlike. And your Seattle bratback are a bunch knights on a mission-- you are all incredible, all of you. There's something in the water up there in the upper left corner-- and it's pure rock n' roll. Thanks you so very much.
Young Fresh Fellows
Girl Trouble
the New Original Sonic Sound (members of Mudhoney, Girl Trouble, Tom Price Desert Classic, YFF)
The Fucking Eagles
The Tripwires
Less Than Equals
The MoonSpinners
The Basements
Thee Sgt. Major 3!
Trick Bag DJ's Miss Lilli & Brian, DJ Dollar Bin - Steve Turner, Tim "Purple" Hayes, Dj Self Administered Beat Down!!!
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LAUNDROMAT EXPRESSO BAR
382 St. George St, Moncton, New Brunswick
7pm
Great poster from great people-- among the first to rally. Laundromat expresso bars should be everywhere. Maybe we're in the wrong business. Love you guys and gals- you are the best!@
Norton Records Fundraiser. With local celebrity DJs. Donate what you can as cover charge. Profits from liquor sales during the event will also be added to the fundraiser.
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SALA SIROCO
c/ San Dimas,3, 28015 Madrid, Spain
10pm
Francisco has been a Nortonian and dear friend for decades- he organized this event with the all-star lineup and the great poster- and badges, too! You;re the coolest, Mr F- love you and your gang of noisemakers in mad, mad Madrid!
¡POR FAVOR AYUDA! Concierto-Fiesta BENÉFICA para recaudar fondos para Norton Records, que han visto su almacén de NYC destruido por el huracán Sandy y la subsiguiente inundación. Llamamos a todos los fans del rock&roll a asistir y apoyar a este sello legendario. Nadie (DJs, bandas, sala, etc.) cobra un duro. La totalidad de la recaudación irá Ãntegramente a Norton Records de forma inmediata. Abrirán el concierto los "rumble-maniacos" Chuck Wray, para dar paso a una "MADRID ALL-STAR ROCK&ROLL BAND", una auténtica maquina de rock&roll, twist, frat, surf, y garage con miembros de algunos de los mejores grupos de la capital. Además habrá varios pinchas de lujo poniendo mucha de la mejor música del sello Norton y otros. Durante la semana habrá habiendo novedades y seguramente habrá sorpresas, regalos y cosas asÃ. Madrid, Siroco, viernes 16. SOLO 10 euros!
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24 HOUR MUSIC MIX DOWNLOAD BENEFIT
Thanks to Ira, Georgia and James (YLT) and to Three Lobed Records for a fantastic new concept- selling six different downloadable benefit CD's during a limited 24 hour framework- it was hugely successful and a ton of fun. You guys (and super icon doll Georgia)-- THANK YOU!
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CRAZY TEENS ONLINE AUCTION
5th Street Vintage Market
Giant thanks to sassy Sylvia Porter, saxy Lars Espensen and superstar Dave Reynolds of the Crazy Teens for auctioning off a Crazy Teens one of a kind autographed band photo. Man, that was a CRAZY DATE! You guys are all... CRAZY!!! XXX and thank you!
Crazy Teens Online Auction Link!
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LIVE AUCTION WITH HAMDSOME DICK MANITOBA!
HDM organized a mayhem-filled auction at his cool East Village bar (Manitoba's!)-- people went home with records, monster movie posters, appliances(!), leather goods (!!), memorabilia, punk stuff galore, books, etc. Plus 200 white castle hamburgers were distributed! Thanks you HDM and your cool Manitoba's crew-- you too, Miss Zoe!
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THANKS JACOB BLICKENSTAFF!
Once again Jacob Blickenstaff steps up to the plate, delivering an astonishing array ot records and photographs. Amazing. Thank you, Jacob.
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at VIDEOLOGY Brooklyn, NY!
Dave the Spazz and his babe Nancy spent a lotta hours applying elbow grease to needy Norton rekkids here at HQ-- on top of all the radio action and cleanerizing, he dedicated his November film club meeting to Norton- thanks a ton to one of the best pals in the business- MONKEY BUSINESS!
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BOTANICA FUNDRAISER PARTY!
Thanks to Mr. Fine Wine and photographer extraordinaire Jacob Blickenstaff for turning Jacob’s 33-1/3rd birthday bash into a DJ fracas/benefit shebang with soul stirring 45s all night long. You guys are incredible, but YOU KNOW THAT!
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Superstar Marshall Crenshaw went OVERBOARD on his weekly show on WFUV Radio on this December day! Dig this Detroiter's selections of Norton material- thanks MC!!!!
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Record mogul G Minus Mark's podcast is a hilarious tip-o-the-sailor cap to Norton wax. Thank you GMM- keep the licorice pizzas spinnin' and know that we dig whatcha do!! Link to G Minus Mark!
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Fabulous DJ Joe Belock blasted three hours of Norton "sounds" with his usual inimitably great commentary, and called it the Norton 26th anniversary special-- it's archived so tune in to the show! Be sure to slot his weekly show into regular rotation! The Norton special includes a Mad Mike set- our hero!
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Garage Punk Hideout podcast features Norton on two shows-- check 'em on out! Thanks lads and ladies for the action!
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Burger Records of Fullerton, California will be issuing several Norton titles on cassette (those crazy kids!) starting with DADDY ROCKIN’ STRONG: A TRIBUTE TO NOLAN STRONG.
BURGER RECORDS INFO LINK!
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Our good friends at Montreal’s Squoodge Records have issued a great EP on the amazing Bloodshot Bill. All proceeds from this 500 copy run go to help our cause. Includes a crazy cover of I Saw Her First from our Kim Fowley series.
SQUOOGE RECORDS LINK!
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Keep an eye out for a reprinted version of the first issue of Kicks Magazine, not available since 1979. This bold venture comes courtesy of the fabulous Desert Island Comics of Brooklyn – THANKS GABE!
DESERT ISLAND LINK!
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