Store Update: Soulside - Washington DC 1986-1989

Soulside - Soulside - Washington DC 1986-1989

A complete history of Washington, D.C. punk band Soulside as told through photos, flyers, and ephemera compiled by drummer Alexis Fleisig. The book is a tribute to the people who made that journey possible and a chronicle of the great eye-opening experiences those moments brought to the band and others.

The Make-Up's "Save Yourself" back on LP 10/4

On October 4th, The Make-Up will reissue their long out-of-print album Save Yourself on LP through Black Gemini Records and Dischord Direct. Originally released in 1999 on K Records, Save Yourself was recorded at Pirate Studios in Washington, D.C. by Brendan Canty. The album has now been remastered/recut and will be available on both black vinyl and also in a mail-order-only limited edition plum-color. Pre-order the record now via our site or the Dischord Bandcamp page.

Hammered Hulls S/T single out 8/9

On August 9th, Dischord will release the debut single by Hammered Hulls, a new D.C. band with Mark Cisneros (guitar), Alec MacKaye (vocals), Mary Timony (bass), and Chris Wilson (drums). It includes three songs that were recorded and mixed in one day at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, VA with Ian MacKaye and Don Zientara. You can listen to the A-side, "Written Words," here and pre-order the record via our site and Bandcamp.

The Messthetics "Anthropocosmic Nest" LP out 9/6

On September 6th, The Messthetics -- Brendan Canty, Joe Lally, and Anthony Pirog -- will release their second full-length, Anthropocosmic Nest. Recorded throughout 2019, it includes 11 songs that more perfectly capture the trio’s current live dynamic, complete with improvisational tangents, abstract experimentation, and sprawl. The record is available for pre-order right now via our site and also via the Dischord Bandcamp page.

The Messthetics are also currently on the road playing dates throughout New England, Canada, and the Mid Atlantic. Find more information and ticket links here.

Store Update: Cigarette

Cigarette - Light Blues

Light Blues is the long-in-the-works debut LP by DC-based quartet, Cigarette. Tuneful, moody, and pastoral songs with slow tempos and gallons of reverb. Recorded by Devin Ocampo (Faraquet) and mixed by Ben Green, the record follows the self-released Gush EP (2012) and a single, Warm Shadows/Love's Mirror, for Sister Polygon (2015). Recommended.

Store Update: Mourning [a] BLKstar

Mourning [a] BLKstar - Garner Poems

Ten compositions by Cleveland, Ohio's afrofuturist/neo soul collective, Mourning [a] BLKstar. A blend of lo-fi experimination, hip hop production, and call and response melody performed by a group that -- depending on the performance -- includes three singers, two horns, guitar, and two drummers. Released by Washington, D.C.'s Electric Cowbell Records in 2018.

J. Robbins' solo debut "Un-becoming" out 5/31

This spring, Dischord will release J. Robbins' first-ever solo LP, Un-becoming. J. has been the guitarist/singer and primary songwriter in several bands since the early ’90s, including Jawbox, Burning Airlines, Channels, and Office of Future Plans. For the bulk of that time, he has also been active as a recording engineer/producer, working with musicians from around the world at his Baltimore-based studio, The Magpie Cage.

Un-Becoming came together in short bursts of activity spread out over the long stretch between 2016 and 2019. On 11 of the LP’s 12 songs, J. is joined by Pete Moffett on drums, Brooks Harlan on bass, and Gordon Withers on cello and guitar. The record is available for pre-order now on our site and also via the Dischord Bandcamp page.

Skip Groff (November 20, 1948 - February 18, 2019)

To say that that Dischord Records wouldn’t exist had it not been for Skip Groff isn’t really a stretch.

It was Skip that took The Teen Idles to Inner Ear Studio back in 1980 to record what would become Dischord #1 and it was Skip, having gone through the process with his own Limp Record label, that walked us through the steps of getting a record pressed. The very fact that he had his own label was a huge inspiration to a bunch of DC kids who had no idea how the music industry worked or that the ability to create records would be within our reach. And it was Skip’s record shop, Yesterday and Today, that first sold our records and it was Skip’s trust in us and belief in the label that led him to lend us money to press records when we were completely broke.

Making the trip to his shop became an instant ritual for young punk rockers like those of us who were discovering a new universe of music and culture in the late 70s and early 80s. Y&T blew our minds. The breadth of Skip’s knowledge about music, especially music from the 60s, was staggering and to this day I’ve never met any other person who, given a song title, was more able to name the artist, composer, producer, label, and year of release. He used to say that, while impressive, this talent didn’t really have much of a practical application outside of the record shop (for instance, try putting a fire out with that sort of information), but I don’t think it was merely a party trick. In my mind it something akin to proof of a higher power.

Skip clearly sought and found joy in music and it was through the vernacular of music that he empowered so many to experience the same.

Skip, we love you!

- Ian, Jeff, and Dischord Records

Autoclave's S/T LP out 4/5

On April 5th, we will release Autoclave's discography as a single LP for the first time ever. This 12” combines the band’s 7” and 10” singles as well as two extra demo tracks. The music has been remastered from the original tapes by TJ Lipple and cut for vinyl by Bob Weston at CMS. You can pre-order the record now via our website and Bandcamp page.

Formed in 1990, Autoclave lasted for one year and played only a handful of shows. In 1991, the quartet released a three-song 7" on the "DisKord" label -- a joint effort between Dischord and Olympia, Washington's K Records. The band's second release was a posthumous 10" that came out via Billotte's label, Mira Records. Autoclave was Christina Billotte, Mary Timony, Nikki Chapman, and Melissa Berkoff.

Store Update: Des Demonas

Des Demonas - Bay of Pigs b/w Skrewz

Two new tunes by Washington, D.C. all-star garage rock crew, Des Demonas. Features members of Hammered Hulls, Foul Swoops, and Kid Congo Powers & the Pink Monkey Birds. A-side "Bay of Pigs" is an organ drenched derge that evokes The Fall or, maybe, a Jonathan Fire*Eater deep cut. At any rate, it's an excellent addendum to the band's debut LP, which arrived last year via In the Red Records.

Store Update: Indian Summer (DC/VA)

Indian Summer - Cherry Smash

Four songs by late 80s Northern Virginia/DC punk quartet, Indian Summer. While these songs were put to tape in 1989 by J Robbins, this is the first time they have been available on vinyl with an additional demo. Though short-lived, the band was a regular in the local all-ages scene in 1988 and 1989, playing Merrifield Community Hall, Arlington Women’s Hall and many a punk house party, a Positive Force show at d.c. space, and some of the first all-ages matinees at the Safari Club. Members would go on to join Chisel, Pelt, and Edsel.

Jawbox announce 2019 shows

This summer Jawbox -- J. Robbins, Kim Coletta, Bill Barbot, and Zach Barocas -- will reunite to perform a number of US tour dates. This will be the first time that the band has performed together since appearing on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon in 2009 and their first proper shows since 1997. The sets will draw from most of their discography with an emphasis on the Robbins/Coletta/Barbot/Barocas recordings, especially ​For Your Own Special Sweetheart​ and ​Jawbox​,​ albums which mark the peak of their creative and performative time together. You can find the complete itinerary at the band's website and also via our tours page.

TK Echo S/T EP out 1/25

TK Echo is a new band with Chris Richards (Q and Not U), Fiona Griffin (Et At It), Josh Blair (Supersystem), and Aaron Leitko (Protect-U). We are helping them to release their debut 3 song digital EP on 1/25. You can pre-order the tracks and hear the song "Fade My Mind" via our Bandcamp page.

Store Update: The Mercury Program, Salad Days

The Mercury Program - A Data Learn the Language

A reissue of The Mercury Program’s much-loved double LP, A Data Learn the Language. First released in 2002, the record went quickly out of print on vinyl and has remained extremely hard to find. Now reissued by Lovitt Records, this version has been recut by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service and pressed on 180 gram black vinyl with a gatefold sleeve. Warm, melodic, minimalist instrumental music with a dialed-in rhythm section.

V/A - Salad Days Soundtrack

A companion to filmmaker Scott Crawford's DC punk documentary, Salad Days, gathering music from the film as well as era-appropriate works by Marginal Man, Government Issue, Black Market Baby, Jawbox, United Mutation, Holy Rollers, Swiz, Fire Party, and Kingface.

The Messthetics announce UK/EU tour dates

Early next year, The Messthetics will head to the UK and Europe for two weeks of dates. In March, the band will travel to Knoxville, TN to perform as part of the Big Ears Festival. A complete list of the band's forthcoming shows is available here.