EARLY SUMMER 2023

WHOLE LOTTA' BAKIN' GOING ON...

Hola amigos - lest there be any misunderstandings I am referencing the weather in Texas not some reality show kitchen competition or over consumption of cannabinoid products. After an unusually wet and mild spring the inevitable has arrived and the temperature in San Antonio was 107 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday (about 42 degrees Celsius.)

There are a lot of things going on and after almost a year and a half of trying to get the basic aspects of the Corn Pound going it's time to return to the business of the label. We've got many projects in the literal and virtual oven down here - a new full-length studio album from Hamell On Trial, the full-length debut album by Houston alt-country shoegazers Jane Woe, a VERY high profile tribute album that I cannot reveal much more about at this very moment but one that I imagine many of you will be wowed by, a new Harvey McLaughlin album for the winter, a new Hickoids album which will include some of our recent digital singles alongside material recorded in Barcelona, Tupelo and San Antonio, and, of course, the long-suffering Davy Jones 'Boot Legs' box-set and one very special item listed below...

BandCamp is holding their Fourth Annual Juneteenth Fundraiser today and donating 100% of their share of sales to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. In that spirit we've made several of our out-of print, legacy CD samplers available for the first time on BandCamp and will donate 30% of our net sales on all items sold via BC until midnight you local time tonight to the same cause.

That's all for now. We'll have another newsletter out in another ten days or so.

I DO humbly appreciate your continued patronage, support and interest.

Thank you.

Jeff Smith/Saustex et cetera

Saustex legacy samplers now available via BandCamp!

Over the past fifteen years we've handed out or mailed out well above 7,000 Saustex label samplers on compact disc for free. It hasn't been cheap but it has been an important part of aiding the discovery process to help fans connect with the artists we work with. And while there is no genre or geographic specific thread that applies universally to these artists we do feel there is a common thread of authenticity that they share. To that same original end we've newly made four of the older, out-of-print samplers made available for streaming or purchase via BandCamp - dig in!

Stream or download 'Spring Things' Saustex 2010 label sampler via Bandcamp

Stream or download 'Saustex Variations' Saustex 2014 label sampler via Bandcamp

Stream or download 'The Saustex Variations Volume 2' 2015 label sampler via Bandcamp.

Stream or download 'The Saustex Variations Volume Three' via Bandcamp.

Churchwood 'Johns 2:22' lathe-cut

We've got something very special for you today, a new hyper-limited edition lathe-cut tribute to Evan Johns by Churchwood. Churchwood's connections to our departed friend Johns run deep. The lathe-cut comes in edition of 37, is on a 7" square piece of plexiglass and features 'Moonshine Runner' and 'Taking Care of My Home'. We have 13 available for mail order.

Stream, download or buy lathe-cut of 'Johns 2:22' via BandCamp.

SOME QUICK NOTES TO OUR VALUED MAIL-ORDER CUSTOMERS

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS NOT ADDRESSED HERE? EMAIL JEFF.SMITH(AT)SAUSTEX.COM

SAUSTEX RECORDS AT BANDCAMP

NEW AND RECENT RELEASES

The Krayolas drop new single and EP

'King Of Pop'

"Imagine the early Kinks on holiday at the Neverland Tombs." That's how the Krayolas describe the title track of the new five-song dispatch, 'King of Pop.' Electric guitars, bass and drums frame the latest story lines, whether it's a hallucinogenic cab ride gone wrong or a love story gone bad. A pop-punk shout-out to Goffin-King via 'Pleasant Valley Sunday' and an anniversary remix of a Coolest Song in the World radio favorite bookend the fun. All of it blasting out loudly from a remote garage in suburbia just a stone's throw from Alamolandia.

Top picks: "Pleasant Valley Sunday" and "King of Pop."

STREAM OR DOWNLOAD THE KRAYOLAS 'KING OF POP' VIA BANDCAMP

STEVIE TOMBSTONE'S '7:30 A.M.' DIGITAL REISSUE VIA BANDCAMP

Saustex is happy to announce the digital-only reissue of Stevie Tombstone's late 2003 full-length debut '7:30 A.M.' This record was not only the first Saustex release but also the album that put Stevie on the map as a solo performer with extensive airplay on the Sirius XM Outlaw Country Channel.

It's now available again for the first time in a couple of years with a bonus track version of '7:30 A.M.' featuring the Texas Tombstones.

Stevie and the record deserve a lot more play than they're getting in this very brief pitch. Please give it a listen if you're uninitiated or it's been a while and check out Stevie's more contemporary material on Bandcamp.

STREAM OR BUY '7:30 A.M.' VIA BANDCAMP

NEW JOECEPHUS AND THE GEORGE JONESTOWN MASSACRE ALBUM

'SNOWBLIND IN THE RISING SUN'

Joecephus and the George Jonestown Massacre drop new album 'Snowblind In The Rising Sun' on Saustex Records

Hard-working Memphis rockers Joecephus and The George Jonestown Massacre released a new album of originals recorded in Tupelo titled 'Snowblind In The Rising Sun' via Saustex Records on CD and major digital platforms on Friday October 21st, with vinyl following as a Black Friday release (vinyl has arrived and is ready for immediate shipment.)

The new album of all original material draws lyrical inspiration from both the band's travels and the dystopia that is America in 2022. Musically the new volume occupies a space at the crossroads of punk blues, Southern rock and heavy metal. The first single from the record is the uneasy chuckle of 'Voices'.

If you're a regular reader of this newsletter you'll recognize the band’s name from their previous Saustex charity-oriented tribute releases feting Nazareth, Johnny Cash and Black Oak Arkansas - all made with a stunning array of guest stars including King Buzzo, Jello Biafra, Shooter Jennings, Mick Harvey, Warren Ellis and Blayne Cartwright to name just a few. They've also racked up airplay on Sirius XM's 'Outlaw Country' Channel and toured regularly up until March 2020 when a West Coast tour came to a screeching pandemic triggered halt, and a fall 2021 trip was scuttled after several members came down with the Covid Delta variant.

The band just completed a tour of the Southeastern US with The Legendary Shack Shakers that had several unavoidable cancellations in Florida because of the recent hurricane. They remain unbowed and are planning a more expansive spring 2023 tour.

STREAM, DOWNLOAD, ORDER CD OR LP JGJM 'SNOWBLIND IN THE RISING SUN' VIA BANDCAMP

NEW RELEASES!

NEW CHURCHWOOD ALBUM '6: THE BOULE OUI' OUT NOW!

Churchwood is destined to be remembered as one of Austin's all-time greatest acts even if they're not a household name. With a scintillating stew of guitar interplay, buoyant yet driving and diverse rhythms, other worldly lyricism and an unbeatable live show -- they are the apex. On this newest release, as the title suggests, they take a slight detour through bayou country.

Not much I can say about this brilliant band I haven’t said before so I’ll paraphrase a conversation I had with Harvey McLaughlin not long ago “They’re the kind of band that make you jealous…not in a bad “Why do they get so and so?” sort of way but you listen to or watch them and think wow, that’s everything a rock band can be…sophisticated and well executed music and lyrics that is not pretentious in spite of its over-achievement.”

So yeah…he’s a fan, I’m a fan and if you dig in you may well be too. It’s a honor to work with these guys.

STREAM, DOWNLOAD OR ORDER CD CHURCHWOOD '6: THE BOULE OUI' VIA BANDCAMP

THE KRAYOLAS NEW LP 'HAPPY GO LUCKY'

The Krayolas

‘Happy Go Lucky’

Box Records and Saustex bring you the second archival release from San Antonio‘s Krayolas. Contemporarily the band is often heard on Little Steven’s Underground Garage on Sirius XM and these lovingly restored recordings will take you back to the dawn of the MTV era...brimming with excitement and possibility the band folded Latin R&B, Motown and the poppier side of their sixties chart-making heroes into their already well defined garage and power pop sound with the help of the legendary original West Side Horns. Imagine Dexy’s Midnight Runners debut ‘Searching For The Young Soul Rebels’ if rendered more slickly by Texans as a starting point. Fully half the tracks were culled from 1982 masters that were thought lost for good and now see their first release.

The limited edition Neon Orange LP in gatefold package is sure to be one of the most collectible records of the year.

VINYL AND CD ARE AVAILABLE FOR IMMEDIATE SHIPMENT. FULL DIGITAL RELEASE ON FRIDAY JULY 1st.

STREAM, DOWNLOAD, OR ORDER LP OR CD - THE KRAYOLAS - 'HAPPY GO LUCKY' ON BANDCAMP

CHECK OUT BILL BAIRD'S IN-DEPTH SAN ANTONIO CURRENT COVER STORY ABOUT THE BAND AND RECORD HERE