Burnt Toast Vinyl will be closing on 20 December until 28 December. All orders for btv products will be shipped by the 20th in time for any Christmas orders, priority mail shipping is available for free on orders of 3 or more cds or for an additional fee for any other orders (just e-mail). Additionally, all orders over $30 will receive a free copy of Little Engines #2 (my treat) with their order, the fine journal of short stories released by our good friends at TNI Books.

Denison Witmer will begin recording songs for his next release, Philadelphia Songs, in February in Philadelphia with Scott French who previously recorded the bonus tracks for the re-release of Safe Away. Denison will also be recording with Don and Karen Peris of the Innocence Mission for a Christmas album to be released in the fall of 2002. Denison will tour extensively in March with Six Parts Seven (Suicide Squeeze), so everyone outside of the Philadelphia/Lancaster area, look for those dates to be announced soon.

Thanks for everyone who came out to see Ester Drang with Starflyer 59 on their tour through Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas in November. The Drang will be touring on the West Coast in March with Starflyer. Make sure your local CMJ station is playing goldenwest, if they're not already. Ester Drang will be releasing a 7" single on Belgium's Zeal records in the upcoming months. Zeal has released 7" for Early Day Miners, Rothko, Hopewell, and Sybarite and has upcoming 7" set for Sonna, Explosions in the Sky, and Unwed Sailor. Ester Drang will also be preparing material to a follow up full-length to be recorded sometime during the late summer/early autumn. There are plans underway for a summer European tour if everything works out properly. More details when they're available.

Burnt Toast Vinyl has released Unwed Sailor's debut ep, "Firecracker," as an extra thick red 7". It's available direct now and in stores in February through Secretly Canadian. Firecracker has been co-released in Europe by Milk & Honey (for Scandinavia) and Gentlemen Records (for Switzerland and the European continent), with additional distribution in the UK through Zeal Records. This is one of my favorite records and I am very excited to help make this a more international release. Burnt Toast Vinyl will also release Firecracker on cd in special Digipak packaging in early 2002. The cd will also be co-released internationally to make it very accessible for those in Europe.

Johnathon from Unwed Sailor and James from Ester Drang will be putting the finishing touches on the Circle of Birds ep which is a collaboration between members of Unwed Sailor, Ester Drang, and Lasso. The ep will be released on cd and 7" in the Spring some time, as soon as everything is ready.

Damien Jurado's Four Songs LP has been released and all pre-orders have been shipped. The LP ironically includes four songs on the first side, with the reverse being an etching featuring a short story by Adam Voith and artwork from Jeremy Dybash. The LP will be the first in a series of one sided LPs with jackets designed by Jeremy. Four Songs will be available from all fine indie record shops in February thanks to the kind souls at Secretly Canadian.

Additional artists have been confirmed for the one-sided LP series. Current participants include: Yume Bitsu, Neil Halstead (Mojave 3), Brother Danielson, T.W. Walsh, Unwed Sailor, Denison Witmer, Circle of Birds, Early Day Miners, Kind of Like Spitting, Ester Drang, and Brandtson. More details on actual releases will be unveiled over the next few months, but the series will continue on into 2003. Support unique vinyl and quality music by supporting the one sided LP series; vinyl is important to us, which is why it is part of the label name.

I was unable to bring the new Jetenderpaul 7" "A Casualty Too Serious To Afford" back from Norway, due to some unfortunate circumstances (Frode from Hype City had to work and couldn't come to Oslo). I'm anxiously checking the mail for their arrival. The six song 7" features a slight return to the short and quirky style that made Jetenderpaul famous and is released on Burnt Toast Vinyl in the US and Hype City Records in Norway. Pre-orders will be shipped as soon as the vinyl arrives.

The Trouble with Sweeney will be releasing a split 7" with Swearing At Motorists on Roof Rack Records in 2002. Each band will do a cover of the other band's material. Look for some late Winter touring to support Dear Life before the band starts to work on material for a follow-up release. If you have nothing to do on New Year's Eve, be sure to be at The Fire in Philadelphia for a night sure to please.

Members of Scientific have recently been on tour with The Colemans (Velvet Blue Music). The band will return to Seattle in February to finish up recording a full-length with Dave Bazaan (Pedro the Lion). Covers for the re-release of the From the Nest of Idea (10 song version) have finally arrived.

I'd like to give a fond farewell to our good friend at Absolom Records who has officially closed shop and to Austin's Silver Scooter, one of my very favorite bands who are playing their last shows this weekend (live bootlegs please, anyone!).