We at Vinyl Collective and Suburban Home are excited for the 4th of July weekend and wanted to share that excitement with you, our friends through music. Starting today, July 3rd and ending on Monday, July 6th, your purchase over $50 will get you $10.00 off your subtotal and your purchase over $100 will get you $25.00 off.

The purchase must be made between July 3rd and July 6th and the purchase must be completed between these dates (money order is not accepted as a payment option).

If you are spending over $50, use the coupon code AMERICAFYEAH and you will receive $10.00 off your subtotal.

If you are spending over $100, use the coupon code TEAMAMERICA and you will receive $25.00 off your subtotal.

Have a safe and fun 4th of July weekend. I will be in New Orleans for one of my closest friend’s bachelor party. Wish me luck, this will be my first time to New Orleans.

Please retweet/share this post. Thanks for your support of what we do.

1 PORTUGAL THE MAN The Satanic Satanist” LP yellow w/ orange swirl vinyl 123 copies
2 BROADWAY CALLS “Good Views, Bad News” LP opaque green vinyl VC exclusive color 113 copies
3 THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM “The ‘59 Sound” 7″ (RE-RELEASE) 102 copies
4 SHOOK ONES “The Unquotable A.M.H.” LP 87 copies
5 OFF WITH THEIR HEADS “Live at the Atlantic Volume: Two” 7″ yellow vinyl VC 85 copies
6 DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE “Something About Airplanes” LP re-issue 84 copies
7 BOUNCING SOULS “20th Anniversary Series: Volume Two” 7″ 83 copies
8 CHUCK RAGAN/ BRIAN FALLON “Gospel Songs” 7″ black vinyl 74 copies
9 CHUCK RAGAN/ LOVED ONES split 7″ blue vinyl 71 copies
9 BROADWAY CALLS/ RIOT BEFORE split 7″ no idea purple/grey vinyl 71 copies
11 THE RIOT BEFORE “Fists Buried In Pockets” LP blue vinyl 61 copies
12 LUCERO “Nobody’s Darlings” LP 180 gram vinyl 50 copies
13 CLASSICS OF LOVE “Walking In Shadows” LP clear vinyl 48 copies
14 NONE MORE BLACK “This is Satire” LP black vinyl 38 copies
15 MONEEN “Hold That Sound” LP white vinyl 37 copies
16 AGAINST ME! “The Original Cowboy” LP 36 copies
17 JAWBREAKER – Dear You 2xLP 33 copies
18 JON SNODGRASS/ CORY BRANAN split LP moon colored vinyl 29 copies
19 AUSTIN LUCAS/FRANK TURNER “Under the Influence” 7″ 26 copies
20 FALCON “Unicornography” LP 25 copies
20 AUSTIN LUCAS/ THE TAKERS split 7″ frosty blue vinyl 25 copies
22 AMERICAN STEEL “Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts” LP 24 copies
22 12” Record Jacket Sleeve. Fits over album jacket. 24 copies
24 IN THE RED/ANCHOR DOWN/BASTARDS OF YOUNG/DRUNKEN BOAT split 7″ r cherry cover 23 copies
25 THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM “Great Expectations” 7″ import 21 copies
25 AUSTIN LUCAS “Somebody Loves You” CD 21 copies
27 LEMURIA / OFF WITH THEIR HEADS “Under the Influence Vol 7″ 7″ purple/red 20 copies
28 BAYSIDE “Shudder” LP solid red vinyl 19 copies
28 POISON THE WELL “III/ III” 7″ tan/black marble vinyl 19 copies
30 FRANZ NICOLAY “Major General” LP blue vinyl 17 copies
30 ANDREW JACKSON JIHAD/COBRA SKULLS “UTI Vol 6″ 7″ 17 copies
30 DILLINGER FOUR “DoubleWhiskeyCokeNoIce” PINT GLASS 17 copies
30 Suburban Home SHOTGUNATOR black 17 copies
34 V/A “Champions Of Sound 2008″ dbl 7″ clear vinyl 16 copies
34 THE MENZINGERS “Hold On, Dodge” 7″ olive green vinyl 16 copies
34 BOUNCING SOULS “20th Anniversary Series: Volume One” 7″ red vinyl 16 copies
34 KEVIN SECONDS/ MIKE HALE split 7″ clear blue vinyl VC exclusive color 16 copies
38 SCREECHING WEASEL “Wiggle” LP gatefold red vinyl 15 copies
38 MURDER BY DEATH / AMANDA PALMER split 7″ 15 copies
38 LEMURIA / OFF WITH THEIR HEADS “Under the Influence Vol 7″ 7″ white/pink 15 copies
38 OFF WITH THEIR HEADS “Live at the Atlantic Volume: Two” 7″ white vinyl 15 copies
42 V/A “Carry The Torch: A Tribute to Kid Dynamite” dbl LP white vinyl 14 copies
42 TEENAGE BOTTLEROCKET “Total” LP 14 copies
42 THURSDAY “Full Collapse” LP solid brown vinyl 14 copies
42 MURDER BY DEATH / WILLIAM ELLIOTT WHITMORE split 7″ 14 copies
42 CHUCK RAGAN/ LOVED ONES split 7″ black vinyl 14 copies
42 BROADWAY CALLS “Be All You Can’t Be” 7″ Color 2 Blue vinyl 14 copies

I am honored to bring you our July Label of the Month, Magic Bullet Recordings. Magic Bullet has put out so many incredible bands since their beginning in 1996 including Boy Sets Fire who “peer-pressured” Brent into putting out their first album. Since that first release, they have released records from a diverse number of bands from This Will Destroy You, Austin Lucas, Doomriders, Golden City, Boris, Ringfinger, and later this year, they will begin reissuing the Christie Front Drive catalog (stoked for this, used to see CFD back in the mid 90’s). Magic Bullet was started and continues to run on D.I.Y. ethics. And in their 13 year history, the label has long been releasing vinyl. Brent was kind enough to discuss what he looks for in a band, why he puts out vinyl, thoughts on variants, and much more.

Also worth noting is Magic Bullet’s recent announcement that they will be giving away much of their digital catalog away for free through a partnership with gimmesound.com who shares ad revenue with labels and artists for their legal, free downloads.

Thanks Brent for taking the time to answer these questions. Everyone please take a second to check out the feature, check out the label, and hell download some of their tracks for free.

VC: When did your label start? What inspired you to start the label? Where is your label based? Do you do the label full time? What don’t most people know about you/your label?
MB: The label started in 1996 out of my sophomore year apartment at Penn State. I was inspired to start the label when some buddies named Boy Sets Fire peer-pressured me into it (in order to put out their first CD). It’s currently located out of Fredericksburg, Virginia and it is my full-time “job.” Judging by the mail/demos I receive, I’d say most people don’t know that it’s a DIY/punk-rooted label run by a singular dude hanging out at his house. Thus, it’s really funny when people send EPK’s… or when bands I work with go get a manager or three and have them try to play “fake music industry” with me.

VC: What active bands are on your label?
MB: The latest releases have come from Loser Life, Golden City, Disappearer, Golden Holy, Boris, This Will Destroy You, Lymbyc Systym, Ringfinger. Upcoming stuff includes stuff by Integrity, Forensics, the Paper Chase, Kaospilot, and more. This year I’ll also reissue the Christie Front Drive discography, Jesuit discography, and Engine Kid discography.

VC: Why do you press vinyl? Do you collect vinyl?
MB: I’ve never really thought about it. It’s just something that I’ve always done since starting the label. Vinyl has always been an important part of the DIY/punk/hardcore scenes, so there was never a second thought about it. The fact that I grew up listening to my dad’s LP’s exclusively probably helped shape that too. And yes, I have a pretty excessive collection of my own after all these years. I have a “listening room” set up solely for playing records.

VC: What do you look for in a band? Have you ever signed a band from a demo? What advice do you have for bands trying to get your attention? What band or bands would you kill to work with?
MB: I’ve never gone for a “label sound.” I’ve always just put out whatever moves me to do so. Generally speaking, I tend to work with guys and girls that are funny people who like to party. Those are the best people in the long run. If you can hang out with a band and immediately hit it off, it’s going to work out. I really enjoy looking at album covers of stuff I’ve done and just getting immediately flooded with awesome memories of hanging out and playing with all these people.

Advice for getting my attention? Presentation and lack of pretension. I like seeing a band’s whole “vibe.” I don’t give a shit who you “shared the stage with.” I want to see artwork, read lyrics, and be blown away by the music.

Bands I’d kill to work with… I can honestly say that I’ve been lucky enough to already be in that position (aside from the killing). Christie Front Drive is one of my favorite bands of all time, so I’m bouncing off the walls as we’re planning out all the reissues. And the hardcore kid in my is circle-pitting over the Integrity stuff that’s coming up. Too many bands to name… I’m sure that many more good things will come along the journey.

VC: What manufacturer(s) do you press your records through? Do you recommend them?
MB: I’ve been at United Record Pressing since day one. I recommend that people use plants close to their homes. It saves a ton in terms of the natural resources burned up in shipping. Plus, it keeps jobs and industry in your region.

VC: What release is your best selling record? How many has it sold?
MB: Probably the Boy Sets Fire “This Crying, This Screaming, My Voice is Being Born” CD, which is the first thing I ever put out. It sold many tens of thousands… I guess in some ways you could say that it’s all been downhill from there? Ha.

VC: There are lots of opinions with regards to pressing numbers and number of variants with vinyl. I personally prefer to press 1,000 copies initially over 2 variants (300 of one and 700 of another). What is your thought on number of variants and pressing numbers? How about with represses?
MB: I just go with whatever the band wants. If they don’t have a preference, I’ll take a look at the band and what I perceive to be their audience (as well as the color scheme of the artwork) and work something out that way. For some of the more “serious” bands, it would just seem kind of weird to do anything but black or simple solids. As a collector/listener, I personally prefer black on everything in my personal collection. So I tend to have at least some of the pressing on black. I guess it’s a case by case basis. Generally speaking, I try not to go too overboard and keep it classic/simple… I feel like to much hoopla over the variants and splatters, etc. can detract from what we’re really trying to push: the music itself.

VC: Who handles your distribution?
MB: Naturally, Vinyl Collective has been helping out. Thanks Virgil! I like doing a lot of mailorder, so I push that a bit. Dischord handles a lot of store sales. I’ll also be working with some friends via a new thing called ILC. Overseas, Shellshock takes care of a lot of UK/EU sales and Disk Union brings stuff into Japan.

VC: What do you see as the future of music sales?
MB: Give it away for free on “officially licensed” sites, have corporate America foot the bill via movie trailers and commercials that the consumer sees while waiting for their downloads. The end user pays nothing, the label and bands get ad revenue.

VC: What is your stance on bundling mp3 coupons with your vinyl? Do your releases come with mp3 coupons?
MB: I’m way into it. Consumers are way into it too. Anybody who’s not doing this currently needs to catch up or sink.

VC: If you could tell the world to buy one release on your label, which one would you tell people to purchase? Why?
MB: That’s really a tough one since there’s around 125 things to pick from. I’m thinking Majority Rule’s “Interviews With David Frost” LP. Solely because it serves the functions of reminding me of a very pure and exciting time in my life while holding up musically.

Thanks.

ANCHOR ARMS “Milligrams” 7″ black vinyl

This is the first release by one of our favorite bands, Anchor Arms. They self-released this 7″ out of an edition of 1,000 copies and after the 50 they sent us are gone, this record will pretty much be history. The pressing is all on black vinyl and if you haven’t already done so, put this band on your radar. They are on Kiss of Death after putting out some killer records on Fail Safe and if you are into what Kiss of Death or No Idea puts out, you will love this band.

PELICAN “Ephemeral” LP black vinyl

So as the confusion drags out, I have some news. Although Southern Lord had told me that we would be getting a color of vinyl that wasn’t the color they were selling on their site, after we received a box of black vinyl, we had to ask what was up. Southern Lord said that there were issues at the pressing plant and as a result we will be getting gold vinyl for all of you who pre-ordered the color vinyl. Hopefully you didn’t also order that from Southern Lord. We also have copies on black vinyl now so if you already have gold and want black, we can swap it out. We have the black vinyl in stock and they are ready to ship. I was told we would have the gold vinyl late this week or early next week. So sorry about all the confusion. We will hopefully have all this resolved by week’s end next week. Get the black vinyl though if you have not ordered copies yet.

We got in a bunch of great records this week and here are 2 notables. The Farewell Continental is pretty crazy because from what I understand, they took a 10″ picture disc, cut down the sides and made it into a 7″ square record. That had to have been a super pain in the ass. The edges are a bit rough, but the audio is intact. The Anchor Arms’ debut 7″ arrived yesterday and it looks like these are the last 50 copies besides a few copies here and there with a few different distributors. We will be posting it shortly so make sure you get this and the Farewell Continental; both will be gone before you know it.

JON SNODGRASS/ CORY BRANAN split LP sun colored vinyl
JON SNODGRASS/ CORY BRANAN split LP moon colored vinyl
JON SNODGRASS/ CORY BRANAN split CASSETTE

Friends, we are so excited to share with you this split recording from Jon Snodgrass and Cory Branan. Jon should need no introduction as he has been writing and recording some of the greatest records with Drag the River, Armchair Martian, and on his own. Cory is one of my favorite singer/songwriters not on Suburban Home and am so honored to be able to put out this record. These 7 songs were recorded in Colorado with Jon and Cory playing on each other’s songs. Cory contributes 3 originals, Jon contributes 2 originals and 2 covers. The record is absolutely amazing. I hope you enjoy the stream and if you do, please consider sharing it with a friend. Post it on your blog, on Myspace, and if you don’t mind, please retweet this.

Remember that there is no CD version of this release. We are only doing LP, Cassette, and digitally. The LP and Cassette come with a download coupon. The LP is out of an edition of 1,000 copies (500 on Sun Colored Vinyl, 500 on Moon colored vinyl) and the cassette is out of an edition of 200 copies. For the time being, you will get a poster with your purchase. We have the cassettes in stock and will have the vinyl mid week next week. Get this before they are all gone.

I am excited to share with you our July 2009 Vinyl Collector of the Month, Cory Pelc. Cory has been mailordering from Suburban Home since the early 2000’s, but I have gotten to know him so much more since he has been dating our very own Seabron Ward. And for those of you wondering, it isn’t because he’s dating Seabron that I have considered asking him to be our vinyl collector of the month, it actually deterred me from asking him until now because I didn’t want people getting the wrong idea. I picked Cory because it has become obvious over the past year that Cory is passionate about vinyl and as you read on, you will see that, too. I actually learned a lot about Cory’s wide taste in music from this feature and hope you read on as Cory explains his love for the format, records he would love to own, what he would like to see pressed on vinyl, his recent purchases and more.

Thanks Cory for taking the time to do this feature and thanks for supporting independent music.

VC: Your name and the city you live in.
CP: My name is Cory Pelc and I live in Colorado Springs, CO. I post on the message board as buddhistzombie.

VC: How many records do you own?
CP: I have over 500 records including some my parent’s records that they let me commandeer into my collection.

VC: Why do you collect vinyl?
CP: I have a bleeding heart for vinyl. My childhood memories consist of Huey Lewis melodies and Deep Purple riffs played on my parent’s old Technics turntable. My parents are music enthusiasts and definitely passed that on to me. Mostly I collect vinyl because when CD’s were really dying out, the labels I once respected for putting out heartfelt, dedicated music (Victory, Nuclear Blast, Relapse, Ferret, Vagrant, Rhymesayers, Century Media, Equal Vision) started re-releasing material with one or two more bonus songs and “making of” DVDs to make an extra buck. It wasn’t cool to buy a CD and a couple months later, have to buy it again to get a couple bonus tracks. Going back to vinyl made it fun to shop at a store or from independent labels. My college town was tiny so it was cool to look through “all nine” of the new records that came in every two weeks. I am a big merch junkie too. It’s cool to buy vinyl from bands as they come through town because they usually have tour editions or special covers (not to mention it help’s the band) and I think that shit is just cool.

VC: What was the first record you remember purchasing with your own money?
CP: The first records I remember buying were at a local record shop where I picked up Chubb Rock and 2pac, Kurtis Blow, Ohio Players when I was about 12 and into R&B and hip hop. I started collecting in the last few years as everyone was wanting an IPOD, I was wanting more value in music, more solid albums with good listens all the way through instead of $0.99 downloads of the hit singles. I remember when I really started collecting I picked up Boysetsfire – The Day the Sun Went Out and Thrice – Artist in the Ambulance from some dude on eBay. I was hooked after that.

VC: What is your most prized record in your collection?
CP. I don’t have any one prized record but a handful that get spun a lot more than others. I listen to my Shelter records a lot, Most Precious Blood, Shipwreck AD, Have Heart, Botch and Black Flag continue to be my favorites but the new Irepress is amazing. I love to listen to a lot of O Pioneers, Defiance Ohio, Andrew Jackson Jihad and a lot of the folk punk coming out these days as well.

VC: What release would you like to see come out on vinyl that hasn’t yet been released?
CP: Irepress’ self released album Samus Octology would sound bodacious on vinyl. The new Gorod album Process of a New Decline deserves some wax treatment. Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution’s A Call to Arms would be nice but is highly unlikely to ever get pressed.

VC: What is the most you have spent for a record?
CP: The most I have spent on a record is $75. I recently purchased the Return of the Living Dead OST on a picture disc from some dude in Japan on eBay. I’m not sure what it goes for but I have never seen one go up before so I jumped on it. It is totally worth it for the additional sound bites from the movie that are not on the standard release at the beginning and ending of each track. The Cramps, TSOL, The Damned, and Tall Boys. You can’t go wrong with this purchase.

VC: What out of print record would you kill to own?
CP: I am always on the lookout for “Second Stage Turbine Blade” from Coheed and Cambria. Another record on my radar is Have Heart’s “The Things We Carry.” I need to get around to picking up a whole handful of old Eek A Mouse on Greensleeves Records and most of the Moon Ska releases. I’m not a variant collector but would love to get a copy of the Hatebeak/Caninus Split 7″ to complete my Caninus discography.

VC: Your last 5 records that you purchased?
CP: Youth of Today – Can’t Close My Eyes LP
POS – Never Better 2XLP on clear
Return of the Living Dead OST pic disc LP
Repo Man – OST LP
Zao/Through and Through Split 7″ on red