October 20, 2009

MAD Dragon Records' Philadelphia-based band The Swimmers will release their second album entitled "People Are Soft' on November 3rd with a release party at Kung Fu Necktie (1248 N. Front St.) presented by WXPN and Y ROCK radio. The Swimmers took a different approach to producing the new album and they started by building a home studio from the ground up and recording the album on their own. The results are an album of intensely personal songs. "It was a very focused and isolated time in the studio, and much of the grit was in the mixing process," said lead singer and songwriter Steve Yutzy Burkey. "These songs were darker and more intricate than the last record, and they demanded a very refined sound." "People Are Soft' will be available for purchase on iTunes or through the bands MySpace page and those attending the November 3rd release party will receive the CD for free.

MAD Dragon will also be releasing a compilation CD with Italian independent record label Tea-Kettle Records. This summer, Carla Zerbi, founder of Tea-Kettle Record, spent four weeks at Drexel working alongside faculty and students from our Music Industry Program. "The Transatlantic Current,' due out October 27th, will feature eight tracks from each label's roster. Tea Kettle artists include: Isabel at Sunset, House of All, Home and Billie Vision & The Dancers. MAD Dragon artists include: Hoots & Hellmouth, Andrew Lipke & the Prospects, The Swimmers and Twin Thousands, the most recent addition the MDR label. The record will be available as a free download for a limited time after the release at www.bandcamp.com.

Hoots & Hellmouth has just announced their fall line-up which includes a "Harvest Tour' of regional farms, celebrating community supported agriculture and farm markets. "Harvest Tour' stops include Carlisle, Phoenixville, Morrisville, Shavertown and Philadelphia, PA as well as Berkley Springs and Washington, VA. A nationwide tour will follow, headlining with artist William Elliott Whitmore. For a complete list of tour dates and venues, visit Hoots' MySpace page. In addition, WHYY-TV's program "On Canvas' will broadcast a recording of a Hoots and Hellmouth performance from WXPN's Free @ Noon series on November 18th at 8 PM and November 22nd at 2 PM. It will also be available online starting November 19th.

DETAILS:

• The Swimmers' People Are Soft CD Release Party
• November 3, 7 PM
• Kung Fu Necktie, 1248 N. Front St.
• $10 for advance tickets, includes a free CD!