ELEVEN THIRTY RECORDS

	THE ALARM As The Alarm continues into its 25th year, the band still commands worldwide attention since its formation in 1981 by lead singer and guitarist, Mike Peters. The Alarm have scored hit records in each of the three decades since, 16 Top 50 U.K. singles, a host of successful albums and over 5 million sales worldwide. The band's most recent chart success of 2004 was the controversial hit single "45 R.P.M." "45 R.P.M.," originally released by The Poppy Fields [a pseudonym for The Alarm], entered the U.K. charts at number 27 and immediately became the subject of an international news story. The furor centered on the fact that The Alarm's identity had been kept hidden from the media and instead a stand-in group of 18 year old... more »
	CONCRETE BLONDE Johnette Napolitano -- Vocals, bass Jim Mankey -- guitars Gabriel Ramirez-Quezada -- drums Ever since rising out of the post-punk scene of mid-'80s Los Angeles, Concrete Blonde has followed the road less traveled. Whether it's the old-school college favorite "God Is A Bullet" from 1989's Free, the surprise left-field hit "Joey" of 1990's Bloodletting, the Latin influences of the band's breakup album Mexican Moon, or their dark reunion with 2002's Group Therapy, the group has clearly defined its own musical path. With Mojave, their newest album, Concrete Blonde provides a musical postcard from the edge of civilization, where lonely strips of asphalt wind their way... more »
	COWBOY MOUTH As Mardi Gras festivities get underway in New Orleans this February and the city proves to the world, and itself, that it is rising up and ready to celebrate the joys of life like never before, the Crescent City's favorite homegrown rockers Cowboy Mouth will release their long awaited new album, Voodoo Shoppe (Eleven Thirty Records). For these four unrelenting emissaries of New Orleans music and spirit, the timing for the release is, if not symbolic, appropriate now more than ever. For more than 15 years, the members of Cowboy Mouth have embraced, embodied, preached and shouted at the top of their lungs the joys of their hometown, sharing a slice of Mardi Gras heaven with fans around the... more »
	AJ CROCE A.J. Croce Who Is Adrian James Croce and Why Should I Put Him In My Ears? The international music scene, like a menu of infinite pancake choices, can overwhelm you with its endless, dubious promises of fulfillment. Seedling Records recording artist A.J. Croce knows how you feel. He doesn't want you to fill up on empty carbs or predictable music. A.J.--considered "one of our greatest young songwriters" by David Wild of Rolling Stone--wants your ears satisfied, like they just ate the best pancakes ears ever ate, and with his tasty singing, songwriting, and musicianship, A.J. delivers. I know what you're wondering: can A.J.'s music be categorized as easily as it can be digested? Consider... more »
	TANYA DONELLY Tanya Donelly has the kind of rock resume that might induce seizures in record store clerks across the country. After forming the immensely influential art-rock outfit Throwing Muses with her stepsister Kristin Hersh while in high school, Donelly went on to found The Breeders with ex-Pixie Kim Deal before leading her own hugely successful group, Belly, and releasing four acclaimed solo albums. "We were fourteen when we started," Donelly says of Throwing Muses. "Yeah, it was fun. That was 1981. No... 1980. Good God." The Breeders, first formed in 1990 as a side project centered around Kim Deal's songwriting, featured Tanya's expanding and impressive guitar work, but the lush pop melodies of her own songs finally came to the... more »
	THE GOURDS Austin, Texas' The Gourds have never been much on sentiment. Since the band started defining Gourds Music, as it has come to be known, with Dem's Good Beeble in 1997 and the quirky Stadium Blitzer in 1998, they have chugged through America fueled by music and a near-pathological need for a good time. And while songwriters Kevin Russell and Jimmy Smith have written the most dense, reference-laden country songs of the last 10 years and almost single-handedly made a place for deep thought in a genre of "Honky Tonk Badonkadonks" they have, for the most part, shied away from the tear-in-my-beer ballads that made country music a commercial powerhouse over the last 50 years. But on this go-round with Noble... more »
	HOTHOUSE FLOWERS Hothouse Flowers are a band with a history, certainly - and very definitely a presence and a future. The story is what legends are made of: from busking on the streets of Dublin in 1985, to attracting the attention and assistance of Bono and U2's Mother Records; creating a huge buzz with their expansive, passionate brand of Irish-rooted rock'n'soul; being named "The Best Unsigned Band In Europe" by Rolling Stone, signing a deal with London Records. Three albums, world tours, adulation; the whole nine yards. Then in 1994 they decided to take a year off and try to tame the whirlwind that had become their lives -- a year which turned into several as they rediscovered their families and their lives, and explored a variety of... more »
	JOSH JOPLIN You might remember Josh Joplin. A couple years back he was signed to Artemis Records and contracted as a Jive songwriter. Folks enjoyed his records. They were produced by fancy guys with big names who liked to play with knobs. He was making a living. And he was making "hits." But he wasn't making himself happy. Until one day, he went to do some laundry. While making the 10-minute walk through his Brooklyn neighborhood, Josh came across a small group of people watching a man playing guitar on his stoop. At one point, the man noticed Josh and asked if he'd like to join in for few songs. He did, and it reminded him why he loved to play music. And no -- it was not to craft glossy pop songs for a multi-national music conglomerate. more »
	TOMMY KEENE The Story So Far... In 1984, a six-song platter of pop perfection titled Places That Are Gone (Dolphin) put Tommy Keene onto the CMJ charts and atop the Village Voice EP of the Year poll. Blatantly romantic, unapologetically melodic, bittersweet but absolutely invigorating, Places That Are Gone was the sort of record that you could put on before you went out on a Saturday night, or sit around and mope to if you didn't feel like facing the world. It still stands as a powerful statement, not only establishing Tommy as a unique singer-songwriter but also as a guitarist with a sound as distinctive as Pete Townshend or Johnny Marr. These days, unless you're a vinyl junkie, you'll have to listen to the Places... more »
	MARIA MCKEE Fresh off her first live album ever, Maria releases the record her fans have longed for since 1993's You Gotta Sin to Get Saved. Peddlin' Dreams is a return to form for the charismatic former frontwoman of Lone Justice. Over the years, McKee has been feted as the queen of alt-country and her dynamic style and ability to seamlessly switch from plaintive, personal ballads to searing, soulful torch pleas has drawn comparisons to luminaries like Emmylou Harris and Janis Joplin. Direct, intimate and vulnerable, Peddlin' Dreams is an exploration of McKee's affinity for American music, drawing from influences such as Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Tom Waits and Bob Dylan. McKee has taken the long way home in a rich... more »
	DAVID MEAD A letter from David Mead about Wherever You Are..."A good friend of mine recently discovered eleven rolls of undeveloped film in a cluttered drawer in his kitchen. Upon having them developed, he was surprised to find that the pictures dated back ten years. He described the surreal sensation of seeing old details of his life from a new perspective; stills from a movie he thought had ended a long time ago. The songs on Wherever You Are are taken from a full-length album that was recorded in late 2002. It documented the end of a long love affair I had with New York City and was slated to be my third release with RCA Records. Stephen Hague (New Order, Blur, Pet Shop Boys) agreed to the task of molding a large... more »