HSAL #62, “Benjamin Mauch & Stilyagi”

RELEASE: HSAL #62
RELEASE DATE: February 3, 2023

AVAILABILITY: CASS / DIG
ARTWORK: courtesy of William Stichter
STREAM/DOWNLOADHSAL bandcamp

FFO: Jamie XX (A side), The Books (B side)

In a fortunate turn of events, HSAL found itself with some DIY inventory, including some blank cassettes, in the fall of 2022. Averse to squandering neat opportunities, we reached out to some friends to see about doing a split single. Benjamin Mauch, whose “Golden Bay Garden” still ranks as one of our favorite releases, took on the A side. Stilyagi, drinking the same potions that inspired his recently dropped, funky self-titled EP, took on the B side.

The physical copy of this single is magnetic tape housed in a clear shell contained in a “Maltese cross” style case. Each case has been printed by Grammy-nominated artist William Stichter.

New HSAL Sounds Are EVERYWHERE!

HONEYBRANDY

First off, today is the official release date for the new honeybrandy record, “Deaton Forestbrook“! You can now stream the entire thing (all 39 minutes & 20 seconds) wherever you’d typically listen.

We’re pushing everyone we know to stream/purchase the new single, “Not In Our City” this weekend! We think the message couldn’t be more timely. It features a speech given by Dr. Keith Anderson to the Lynchburg VA City Council in prelude to the formation of the Alliance for Police Reform. Help us communicate this example of powerful things going on in small towns all over our nation!

L.A. DIES

L.A. Dies, Spring 2020 (PC: Tori Goodman)

Earlier this month, L.A. Dies were featured on a benefit compilation whose proceeds will benefit the purchase and continued operation of mobile shower units for the homeless community in the city of Birmingham, AL. There are also hopes or hiring homeless neighbors to clean and maintain the showers. Their track, “A Year In My House” predicts further exploration into the darker pop sounds of HSAL #49

BENJAMIN MAUCH

Cover of “A (C)able Tethered To The Sky” (sefl-released, 2020).

Ever the composer, Benjamin Mauch just dropped a new album into the digital landscape. “A (C)able Tethered To The Sky” is a collection of pieces that Mauch wrote and performed using only the Novation Peak. All the trademark duality of bouncy melodies and contemplative tones you’ve come to expect from the Richmond-based artist are here. Proceeds from the purchase are being donated to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

It’s a new honeybrandy record!

HSAL #58: honeybrandy, “Deaton Forestbrook

RELEASE DATE: July 24, 2020

Joey and Nathan have been contemplating a record that mimics their live perfromances since dropping their debut LP – “Deaf Sharp” – back in 2017. The seasons since have found honeybrandy sharing stages with guitar focused acts (Andrew Weathers, Soporus) as well as acts that lean into electronic aether (Benjamin Mauch, Oahu). The duo studied, taking notes on various methods of composition and presentation.

Deaton Forestbrook” showcases both artists’ penchant for the balance of drone and rhythm. “Which Are Not Pronounced” and “Not In Our City” lean into programmed drum loops while “These Words” finds layer after layer of synth and lap steel swarming around meditative instruction. The entire back half of the release is a single long form piece that could easliy score a fever dream.

AVAILABILITY: DIG
ARTWORK: courtesy of HSAL
STREAM/DOWNLOADHSAL bandcamp

FFO: early Tangerine Dream, Emily A. Sprague, The Inward Circles

HSAL #57 Goes Farther!

GREAT NEWS! Our most recent compilation, “Isolation“, is now available on Spotify! Over the coming days, you’ll find it popping up on most every digital platform. Stream/share this one with everyone you know. We are all responding to this strange season in our own ways. Consider this collection from among the Commonwealth’s finest are soundtrack to the full range of emotion. Thanks for listening…

“Isolation” being recognized!

Since releasing last week, HSAL #57 has been streamed over 500 times! It’s been great to see/read the positive repsonse to this record. Over the weekend, the comp started showing up on radio playlists:

Where have you seen “Isolation” pop up? News feeds, podcasts or other streams? Let us know…Our sincerest hope is that it brings comfort to anxious ears and hope to heavy hearts.

Our latest compilation features tracks from Benjamin Mauch, Opin, From Overseas, Opin, Young Hierophant and many more!

HSAL #57 IS LIVE!

Given how difficult it’s becoming to readily acknowledge which day of the week it is any more, we went ahead and pushed HSAL #57 out this morning. Truth be told, we know what day it is (March eleventeenth, right?) – we just couldn’t wait to deliver this collection to you all. Birthed out of the myraid feelings isolation has caused / is causing, this set presents over an hour of introspective, contemplative pieces loveingly crafted by some incredible Commonwealth-based artists. Each act has not only provided music, they have written out what this season and this project has done in and around them. Take some time to read through the content with each track. Oh, the download comes with bonus material as well (extra track, videos).

Above all, we hope HSAL #57 will provide head / heart space to work through feelings and land at a posture of peace. There’s no need to fear. LOVE DEFEATS FEAR!

HSAL > COVID-19 (part two)

Spring is happening all around us! Regretfully, so is that pesky coronavirus. Your friendly neighborhood record label REFUSES to hand life over to an unseen force that threatens our very well-being. That said, we are also 100% on board with measures (be they responsibly insituted or culturally mandated) to stop the spread of said unseen force. Here’s the next installment in a series of posts to reinforce what the HSAL family is doing amidst the COVID-19 scare.

HSAL #57Various Artists, “Isolation

RELEASE DATE: April 17, 2020

Perhaps the most unnerving element tangled up in this historical moment is fear. Fear of the future. Fear of contraction. Fear of engagement. These things ought not be. As a community, we reach across technology to share art, which in most every case is an expression of love (directly or indirectly). In a season where multiple pressures were driving people away from each other, your friendly neighborhood record label worked with friends and family to collect recordings made during the COVID-19 scare (03/13/20 – ???). The result is this compilation of sounds primed for times of solitude and contemplation. Of the many emotions that reside in these sounds, may one thing ring true – LOVE DEFEATS FEAR!

AVAILABILITY: DIG (download comes with extra goodies)
ARTWORK: courtesy of HSAL
STREAM/DOWNLOADHSAL bandcamp

FFO: PAN‘s “Mono No Aware“,  Unseen‘s “Disquiet” Series, Past Inside The Present‘s “Healing Sounds

OAHU BOGO Action!

To celebrate Todd Webb‘s participation in the “On Scale” exhibit here in Lynchburg, we are running a special connected with his most recent musical affair, “Slow Waves & Simple Sounds“. From now until the exhibit closes on April 16th, purchase HSAL #53/54 (it’s a double CD set) at the regular price – $15 – and get any one of the following releases pictured below for free. Simply add a note with the catalog number of the release you want for free and we’ll include it in your order (we’ll cover the additional postage as well):

HSAL #52 – Graven Image, “Wayfaring Stranger” (CASS)
HSAL #41 – Ben Mauch & Oahu, “Phases” (CASS)
HSAL #38 – Steve Scott, “Cross My Heat” (CD)
HSAL #32 – Ben Mauch, “Golden Bay Garden” (CASS)
HSAL #31 – Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon, “Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon” (CD)
HSAL #25 – Ben Mauch, “For My Friends” (CASS)

HSAL #52 IS HERE!

HSAL #52 in a glossy black shell with a B&W J-Card.

The new EP from Blacksburg’s Graven Image is here! We’re shipping out all pre-orders on Tuesday. You can stream the entire thing at the bandcamp site or pretty much anywhere else (google, apple, spotify).

Physical copies can be purchased directly from the band or from the HSAL bandcamp. We are already down to only a handful of copies left in our inventory so don’t wait on this one. Swell ethereal drones a la Julianna Barwick or Richard Skelton.