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Longsleeves Winter Tour

2009-01-02T16:53:00.000-08:00

Humbolt Studios - Chicago, IL - January 9th
The Fahrenheit House - Fort Wayne, IN - January 12th
Caffe Paradiso - Urbana, IL - January 14th
Uncommon Ground (on Clark) - Chicago, IL - January 15th
Skinless Gallery - Kansas City, MO - January 16th
Fresh Produce Art Collective - Lawrence, KS - January 17th
Bela Dubby - Cleveland, OH - January 19th
The Brillobox - Pittsburgh, PA - January 21st
The Apostle K - Bloomington, IN - January 23rd
Lazy Daze Coffee - Indianapolis, IN - January 24th
The Brass Rail - Fort Wayne, IN - January 24th
The 509 - Huntington, IN - January 25th
TBA - Lansing, MI - January 27th
TBA - San Diego, CA - January
TBA - Los Angeles, CA - February

Tell everyone you know. Longsleeves will be on tour this month with none other than Ben Laatsch performing alongside him. Mark your calendars. You can find more info on tour dates at Longsleeves MySpace page.

Name Drop

2008-12-30T12:42:00.001-08:00

This past weeks issue of the San Diego CityBeat mentioned Longsleeves three EP project in editor Seth Combs 'Locals Only' column.

Also releasing his music via free download is troubadour James Musselman, who works under the name Longsleeves. He has released three new EPs of varying styles of music through his MySpace page and the Sixty Years War Recordings website. Read More...

Thanks, Seth.

Happy Holidays

2008-12-25T12:02:00.000-08:00

The crew at Sixty Years War Recordings would like to wish everyone the best into the new year...

Here's a special treat from C. Ray and Andrea Harvey of Wooden Satellites for your listening pleasure:

What Child

Wire Fraud

2008-12-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

Today is the release of Wire Fraud. The third and final free EP Longsleeves will be releasing this month. We hope you enjoyed all three and we encourage you to share these recordings with friends. Spread the word!

WIRE FRAUD
1. The Pull
2. Check The Phones
3. November
4. Television News
5. Reaching Back

DOWNLOAD FULL EP - 17MB (192kbps MP3)

Listen Live:

The Pull - Wire Fraud

Check The Phones - Wire Fraud

November - Wire Fraud

Television News - Wire Fraud

Reaching Back - Wire Fraud

Out Of Five

2008-12-20T17:28:00.000-08:00

Scott Shoger of NUVO did a short review of Lee Miles', Heathen Blux giving it four and a half stars out of five.

Heathen Blux is the kind of rough-hewn, roots-rock record that one might think was recorded in a log cabin in the woods far from the madding crowd. And reportedly Fort Wayne’s Lee Miles suffers from allergies to both food and people that have left him bed-ridden for years at a time and nowhere near a stage. But who needs live shows when you’ve got a four-track, banjo and guitar? Miles sometimes channels his predecessors quite obviously — heading towards Dylan parody on the archetypal list song “Catch a Snare,” Johnny Cash at the beginning of the standout “Deserters,” Gold Rush-era Neil Young on the similarly brilliant “Down at the Massacre”— but Heathen Blux stands on it own as a well-crafted, jaded and violent reflection on contemporary politics in unvarnished folk song. Read more...

The Rift

2008-12-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

Today is the release of The Rift. The second of three free EP's by Longsleeves that will be released throughout the month of December.

The Rift
1. HU
2. ON
3. MI
4. EE
5. SU

DOWNLOAD FULL EP - 14MB (192kbps MP3)

Listen Live:

HU - The Rift

ON - The Rift

MI - The Rift

EE - The Rift

SU - The Rift

Black Swamp

2008-12-09T13:38:00.001-08:00

Today is the release of Black Swamp. The first of three free EP's by Longsleeves that will be released throughout the month of December.

Black Swamp
1. Looky, Looky Yonder
2. Goodnight Irene
3. Beneath the Weeping Willow
4. Wildwood Flower
5. Mrs. James
6. The Riddle Song
7. Banks of the Ohio
8. Big Rock Candy Mountain

DOWNLOAD FULL EP - 34MB (192kbps MP3)

Listen Live:

Looky, Looky Yonder - Black Swamp

Goodnight Irene - Black Swamp

Beneath the Weeping Willow - Black Swamp

Wildwood Flower - Black Swamp

Mrs. James - Black Swamp

The Riddle Song - Black Swamp

Banks of the Ohio - Black Swamp

Big Rock Candy Mountain - Black Swamp

Magic Number

2008-12-03T12:45:00.000-08:00

This month Longsleeves will be releasing three different digital EP's for FREE via Sixty Years War. The records are all quite different and are the result of a well of creative energy during the month of November.

The release dates of the records all fall on the next three Tuesdays this month. You can listen to clips of two songs from each record on Longsleeves' myspace player.

Here is what you'll be listening to soon:

BLACK SWAMP - 12/09/08
1. Looky, Looky Yonder
2. Goodnight Irene
3. Beneath the Weeping Willow
4. Wildwood Flower
5. Mrs. James
6. The Riddle Song
7. Banks of the Ohio
8. Big Rock Candy Mountain

Black Swamp is a very stripped down folk record carried along by only vocals, autoharp and banjo. The album was hammered out in less than twenty four hours (minus one song which was recorded at an earlier date). It was tracked live in a small bathroom apartment in downtown San Diego, in the Gaslamp Quarter. All of the tracks are traditional folk songs, except for "Mrs. James", which is a cover of a song from Lee Miles' very first solo record, Bear.

THE RIFT - 12/16/08
1. HU
2. ON
3. MI
4. EE
5. SU

Made directly following the completion of Black Swamp, The Rift was completed in a week and is an eleven minute foray into drum and bass instrumental music. Many ideas about black politics of the 20th century and the ethics of Democracy and civil rights in both the US and abroad were inspirations for the record.

WIRE FRAUD - 12/23/08
1. The Pull
2. Check The Phones
3. November
4. Television News
5. Reaching Back

Collected from several archived, unreleased projects Wire Fraud spreads through three years of accumulated recordings. All songs are original compositions. Track three, features Ben Laatsch playing acoustic and electric guitar, as well as contributing vocal harmonies. The photograph on the cover of the record sleeve was taken by Mr. Laatsch as well.

More news concerning a proper full length release and an extended midwest tour by Longsleeves and Ben Laatsch will be forthcoming. Keep your eyes and ears peeled.

Soft Drugs

2008-11-28T23:03:00.000-08:00

Sean Smith of the Fort Wayne Reader did an interview earlier this month with Wooden Satellites. The article can be viewed here.

"My goal was and always has been to present situations and observations without putting too much spin on them,” C. Ray says. “That's why I try to write from first-person perspectives most of the time, it's easier to express feeling without trying to comment on it too much. With commentary you have something a listener can disagree with. With a situation, or pure feeling, honest description, I think it's easier to take at face value. So I try to find characters I can relate to even though they were in very different places and times than me, because I figure if I can relate to these characters' jealousy, indignation, self-loathing, and frustration and express that well-enough, other people should be able to as well. Read More...

Kowtow

2008-10-30T23:28:00.001-07:00

One of Longsleeves' tracks from his latest release, Constellation was handpicked for a compilation disc put together by Kowtow Clothing. The disc is the third volume in a series of compilations that are given away free with orders from the shop.

Kowtow is based out of Wellington, New Zealand and is dedicated to using only certified organic, free trade cotton in all of its garments. If you're interested in helping promote a small homegrown company that is equal parts conscientious and stylish, then go now and check out their shop.

You can also sign up for their mailing list and be entered to win all three compilation discs they've put out.

Be sure to check out their Music Blog as well, it's the way forward...

Thanks, Boofa!

The Aftermath

2008-10-17T16:51:00.001-07:00

Beautiful pictures of Wooden Satellites record release show courtesy of Drew at Fahrenheit128.com.

The Release

2008-10-07T11:03:00.000-07:00

Brother

2008-09-21T11:19:00.000-07:00

Lee Miles and the Illegitimate Sons performed this Friday at an outdoor bloc party event in Fort Wayne. Drew of Fahrenheit128.com was on hand to capture a number of beautiful photographs of the set. Thanks Drew.

Why Can't I Be Enough

2008-09-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today pre-orders are starting for Why Can't I Be Enough, the debut release by our very own Wooden Satellites!

$9.99 - Ships 10/18/08

Why Can't I Be Enough is an album meant to deal with the overlooked thoughts and emotions of Biblical characters. Additionally it seeks to find reconciliation between these and the same feelings of inadequacy and disappointment that echo throughout the modern age.

Musically it is a hybrid of acoustic songwriting and electronic music making, employing layers of guitar and analog synthesizers over electronic beats and textures. The songs have defined verses and choruses, but take time to examine timbres and combinations not often found in the pop world.

The band are also planning a big CD release show at the Pint & Slice in Fort Wayne on October 18th. Stay tuned for more info on that soon!

Further

2008-09-15T00:46:00.000-07:00

Just a note to readers and CD Baby users, both Heathen Blux and Pica are now available to purchase from CD Baby. If you'd like to buy direct from the artists, you can still do so by going to the Sixty Years War Shop. Also, keep an eye out for both releases to be available on iTunes in about a months time.

Plus

2008-09-11T01:04:00.001-07:00

Today we're pleased to announce the addition of local San Diego, CA folk musician, Evyn Oliver to the ranks of our record label. Evyn is currently recording his debut release for the label and will be embarking on a west coast tour in support of the yet-to-be-titled album.

You can listen to rough drafts of a couple of Evyn's songs on his Myspace to give yourself a taste. We'll have more from Evyn in the near future, so keep an eye out.

Those with a keen eye may also have noticed that Alabaster Fox has disappeared from our artists list and has been replaced with a band named, Wooden Satellites. We'll have some big news from them in about a week, if you haven't already caught wind of it.

Until then - visit the shop!

The Massacre

2008-09-03T14:33:00.000-07:00

John Hartman directed a video for Lee Miles' song, "Down At The Massacre" from Heathen Blux. Be sure to check out the video and if you haven't already you can pick up Blux in the Shop and we're also pleased to announce that it will soon be available on both CD Baby and iTunes.

Down At The Massacre from John Hartman on Vimeo.

Womb-Rock

2008-08-20T17:35:00.000-07:00

D.M. Jones reviewed Constellation. Here's a short excerpt from the article.

All instrumental and decidedly indie-centric, Constellation isn’t simply laptop Muzak. Sure, the tracks run together pretty much seamlessly, and there’s not really anything here in the way of verse/chorus/verse, but active listening reveals detail, the aural equivalent of a calm muddy stream you have to be submerged in to see that it’s teeming with life. The muted glitches and scratchy backgrounds that underpin all the songs establish sort of a foundation to the gauzy keyboard lines and pads – there are no sharp edges here. Read More...

Don't forget you can still purchase Constellation exclusively on the iTunes Music Store.

Eef

2008-08-11T17:35:00.000-07:00

Somehow it had slipped through our collective consciousness here at Sixty Years War that Lee Miles was playing a show this past Saturday with Eef Barzeley of Clem Snide.

Lee and his band The Illegitimate Sons rocked the house down and we have the pictures to prove it!

Thanks to Joel Faurote.

Listen

2008-08-10T15:52:00.000-07:00

Inquiring ears should definitely listen to audio clips of Kyle Morris' new release Pica as they've been uploaded just now. When you're done go to the Shop and pick up a copy or just click below!

Now Mama - Pica

Memory - Pica

Bleached Bones - Pica

PICA SYWR003

$9.99 - Ships 8/1/08

Pica

2008-08-07T18:50:00.000-07:00

Very quietly, with little fanfare our growing label has added an additional artist, Kyle Morris, to our ranks. His brand new record, Pica is being sold exclusively online here at Sixty Years War Recordings. We welcome Kyle to our imprint and his amazing first full length LP to our catalogue.
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We'll have sound clips and more information on the record very, very soon.

In the mean time be sure to follow this link for an introduction and interview with Morris. We've included a short excerpt below.

Welcome aboard Kyle!

[...] So, too, goes the list of things that Morris has 'ingested' along the way. The shortlist would be avant garde music and film, as well as the occasional episode of Dr. Who. He's also had to swallow his pride after two consecutive break-ups. Although it may be cold consolation, the record that came from those experiences is nothing short of perfect. While every singer/songwriter alongside Morris works with lyric and melody, it is what he has crafted with those simple tools that really set this album apart from many others. He has a very straight ahead approach with his lyrics, yet the melodies are nothing short of strange and inspired. Read More...

Dataperversion

2008-08-07T12:58:00.000-07:00

Sara at Clitora.org, a Wellington, New Zealand based music/culture blog, wrote a small blurb about Heathen Blux about a week ago. You can read her impressions of the record and listen to a couple of MP3 clips as well. Go check it out and tell her we sent you!

Heathen Blux serves well as his kind-of commentary on the way the world is heading these days. [...] But regardless of politics this is an incredibly solid folk album with hints of country on various tracks. If the first track can send shivers down my spine why don't you check it out? Read More...

Thanks, Sara!

Obscurity

2008-07-19T22:38:00.000-07:00

Ari Berenstein of 411mania.com accidentally stumbled upon Constellation in an intrepid search for new releases on iTunes at the beginning of the month. Here's what he had to say:

Longsleeves—Constellation: An album based off of constellations I gather. A lot of short tracks and short album, too out there for me. Read More...

Thanks Ari!

Keep it Neutral

2008-07-07T17:21:00.001-07:00

Save the Internet | Rock the Vote

Do It Yourself

2008-07-06T00:29:00.000-07:00

Sixty Years War artists, Ben Laatsch and Longsleeves will be performing a free show one week from today at Java Jones in San Diego, CA with both Toby Foster and A Drum And An Open Window. All humans are urged to attend.