The Dangerous Summer/Weatherbox tour dates

Weatherbox have announced their first tour of 2012, and it's a doozy—they're headed out for the month of February as main support to the Dangerous Summer! Also on the tour are Divided By Friday and Ten Second Epic. Dates:

Feb 01 The Barbary Philadelphia, PA
Feb 02 Webster Hall New York, NY
Feb 03 Firehouse 13 Providence, RI
Feb 04 Tammany Hall Worcester, MA
Feb 05 The Space Hamden, CT
Feb 07 Planet Trog Whitehall, PA
Feb 09 Mojoes Joliet, IL
Feb 10 The Loft Madison, WI
Feb 11 Station 4 St Paul, MN
Feb 12 Vaudeville Mews Des Moines, IA
Feb 15 The Marquis Theater Denver, CO
Feb 16 Kilby Court Salt Lake City, UT
Feb 17 The Venue Boise, ID
Feb 18 El Corazon Seattle, WA
Feb 19 Branx Portland, OR
Feb 23 Jerrys Pizza Bakersfield, CA

And in super-exciting news, we're hoping to have the brand new Person L/Weatherbox split 7-inch out in time for this tour! The art has been approved; we're just waiting on the test presses from the plant. It's two brand new songs from each band, and they are seriously killer. More details coming soon!

Bookface, ahoy.

Are you on Facebook? Of course you are. And so are we! We'd love it if you found it inside yourself to "like" good ol' Youth Conspiracy Records by clicking here. We promise we'll repay you with delicious vinyl for years to come.

Speaking of which: YCR-005, YCR-006 and YCR-007 are all in the works. One is a classic album by a current Youth Conspiracy artist finally brought to life on vinyl; one is a 7-inch from a member of a Youth Conspiracy band's new project; and one is by a band new to the YCR family (but one who have hit the road with more than one of our bands in the past). Interest piqued yet? Details coming soon...

"Follow The Rattle Of The Afghan Guitar" out now

Weatherbox's new EP, Follow The Rattle Of The Afghan Guitar, is officially out today! You can pick it up at the following places:

DIGITAL
iTunes
Amazon MP3
Bandcamp

VINYL
YCR webstore
Shopradiocast

The band are hitting the road for a month starting this Friday, with the majority of shows alongside Sainthood Reps. They have copies of the new EP on vinyl, too, so make sure to hit up their merch booth! Dates:

10/7 - Tempe, AZ @ Venue 104  http://tktwb.tw/pdcILA
10/8 - Albuquerque, NM @ The Gasworks
10/9 - Denver, CO @ The Walnut Room http://bit.ly/pJ1Tsy
10/10 - Liberty, MO @ Detto's Barn
10/11 - St Louis, MO @ Cicero's *
10/12 - Madison, WI @ UW-Madison *
10/13 - Chicago, IL @ Casa Donde *
10/14 - Cleveland, OH @ Now That's Class *
10/15 - Lansing, MI @ The Loft * http://bit.ly/o2srCl
10/16 - Wilkes-Barre, PA @ Redwood Art Space *
10/17 - Allston, MA @ O'Briens Pub * http://tktwb.tw/pS6Epf
10/18 - Hamden, CT @ The Space * http://bit.ly/qkdAzn
10/19 - Montclair, NJ @ The Meatlocker *
10/20 - Baltimore, MD @ Talking Head Club at Sonar * http://bit.ly/rbYsI9
10/21 - Amityville, NY @ Broadway Bar *
10/22 - Washington, DC @ Subterranean A *
10/23 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Barbary *
10/25 - Morgantown, WV @ 123 Pleasant Street *
10/26 - Harrisonburg, VA @ The Blue Nile *
10/27 - Greenville, NC @ The Tipsy Teapot *
10/28 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade * http://bit.ly/nyCrxo
10/29 - Gainesville, FL ???
10/30 - Tallahassee, FL @ The Farside
10/31 - Orlando, FL @ TBA
11/2 - Austin, TX @ Emo's
11/3 - Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory http://bit.ly/rfotfo
11/4 - Dallas, TX @ The Prophet Bar http://bit.ly/9ffU7R
11/5 - San Antonio, TX @ The Ten Eleven

* w/Sainthood Reps

Stream the new Weatherbox EP now!

Because we love you, we're letting you stream Weatherbox's new EP, Follow The Rattle Of The Afghan Guitar, right this very second:

You can order your very own copy of Follow The Rattle Of The Afghan Guitar in the YCR webstore right now!

Weatherbox LPs are here!

Once again, the folks at Gotta Groove Records did an amazing job with this pressing. These records look just as awesome as they sound. I completely didn't expect there to be this many variants; please don't kill yourself trying to collect all of them! I promise they all sound the same.

Here's the official pressing info, broken down by color. Once all pre-orders ship, I will update the YCR webstore with what specific colors are left.

Red /84

Purple /83

Turquoise/dark blue /60

Translucent blue /55

Swamp water /55

Opaque green /50

Red clay /34

Black/grey mix /27

Ice blue /19

Doublemint /12

Pink /11

Mustard /9

Melted crayons /9

Cotton candy /2

Grapefruit /1

Iceberg /1

Inferno /1

(These aren't going into circulation, hence no photos)

Order your copy now in the YCR webstore!

Are you a secret Muslim?

Hear the new Weatherbox song, "Secret Muslim," right now by clicking here!

Pre-order Follow The Rattle Of The Afghan Guitar in the YCR webstore or at ShopRadioCast.

Weatherbox EP pre-order details!

On Oct. 4, Weatherbox's new EP, Follow The Rattle Of The Afghan Guitar, will be available on 12-inch vinyl and digitally. This six-song, 25-minute release was mastered specifically for vinyl by the incredibly talented Paul Gold at Salt Mastering, and is currently being pressed by the fine folks at Cleveland's own Gotta Groove Records. Starting tomorrow at 9 a.m. EST, you can pre-order Follow The Rattle Of The Afghan Guitar directly from the YCR webstore as well as from ShopRadioCast, who will not only have an exclusive mystery color of the vinyl but will also have a free Weatherbox patch for all pre-orders.

...but at least we'll be together in the end.

To describe today's news of the Felix Culpa breaking up as "sad" doesn't really do the feelings I have any sort of justice. I don't properly know how to explain how much this band, and Sever Your Roots specifically, meant to me. It was a little under two years ago that I found myself with the desire to do something more in music besides just write about it; I had kicked around the name "Youth Conspiracy Records" in my head for a while but really had no idea how or where to start. Then, in December 2009, Marky sent me their new record. I honestly, legitimately was flabbergasted. I always knew the Culpa were good; I had no idea they could be that good. And then it hit me: "I have to put this out on vinyl."

Flash forward barely a month, and we somehow managed to have Sever Your Roots in all its vinyl glory ready for the band's album-release show on Jan. 23, 2010, at the Metro in Chicago. (Sidenote: An enormous debt of gratitude goes out to Vince, Matt and the whole Gotta Groove Records crew who busted their humps to turn around 500 double LPs in under a month and over a major holiday, and even hand-delivered them to me on Jan. 22, the day before the show.) I spent the afternoon of the 23rd with the band, their friends and my girlfriend, watching Bio Dome on VHS and stuffing LP sleeve after LP sleeve. I'll never forget the excitement from the guys when they opened the first box we brought in (which conveniently happened to be the clear/black swirl vinyl). I felt so proud, like I had achieved something.

Every time I saw the Culpa, I was always left in awe. They truly were one of the best live bands I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing, from Joel's incredibly complex and melodic drumming to Tristan's unique bass tone and style, to Dustin's adept multi-instrumentalist chops to Marky's unbelievably intense, cathartic vocal performances. In all the times I've seen this band, never once did I see them phone it in. Amazingly, this energy and passion was just as present on Sever Your Roots, something many lesser bands lose in translation to the recorded medium. It is truly an honor to know that I had an extremely small hand in helping spread the gospel of the Felix Culpa, and I wish each member the best in their future endeavors (and openly invite you to come to me with whatever any of you do next, as I'll most likely put it out, no questions asked).

It's funny; today, the same day that the Felix Culpa announced their breakup, I picked up the test pressings for the new Weatherbox 12-inch we're putting out in October. As I sit here currently listening to these Follow The Rattle Of The Afghan Guitar tests, I can't help but realize that there is no chance I would be doing this had it not been for the Felix Culpa believing in me as much as I believed in them.

Thanks, guys.

PS: Not to turn this whole thing into some shilling pitch, but Sever Your Roots is still available in the YCR webstore; however, we have very few copies left and it's sort of a forgone conclusion that this record will not be repressed. So if you want it, now's the time to get it.

"so come on, come on baby
jump in, jump in with me
we'll swim or maybe we'll go down
but at least we'll be together in the end" --The Felix Culpa, "Apologies"

The Forecast book August shows

The Forecast are coming out of hibernation to play three shows in Illinois later this month, two of which will be opening for the Graduate's final shows. Dates:

8/19 @ The Hilton, Springfield, IL w/the Graduate (details)
8/20 @ The State Room, Quincy, IL w/the Graduate, Fielder (details)
8/27 @ Imago Dei, Peoria, IL w/Ghosts Of Old Giants, Eltoro (details)

The Forecast's self-titled LP is available now in the YCR store!

The Felix Culpa announce tour dates with the Dear Hunter

The Felix Culpa just announced a week's worth of shows alongside the Dear Hunter, O'Brother and Kay Kay And His Weathered Underground. If you're in the Midwest, do not miss this tour!


July 22nd - Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock
July 23rd - DeKalb, IL House Cafe
July 24th - Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
July 26th - St. Louis, MO The Firebird
July 27th - Covington, KY Mad Hatter
July 28th - Grand Rapids, MI Pyramid Scheme


Sever Your Roots is available on vinyl right now in the YCR store.

We're getting closer...

Brian and I have spent the night listening to the masters of the new Weatherbox EP. Here's proof of its existence:

Lacquers will be cut by the super-talented Paul Gold at Salt Mastering very shortly, and then the show will officially be on the road. Full tracklisting, album title, cover art, release date and alllll sorts of goodies coming soon. In the meantime, get stoked, because this shit totally rules.

4th of July mega-sale!

It's time for Youth Conspiracy Records' second annual Independence Day sale! Everything in the YCR store is 20% off from now until 11:59 p.m. EST on July 4. That includes the Felix Culpa, the Forecast and Heks Orkest! All orders will ship first thing on Tuesday, July 5.

Click here to go to the YCR store!

Please welcome Weatherbox to the YCR family!

I've been a huge, huge, huge fan of Weatherbox ever since the first time I heard The Clearing EP back in 2006. Over the past few years, I've seen the band numerous times (and in numerous lineups), and I'm still consistently blown away by how much raw talent Brian Warren has. I am extremely excited to announce that Youth Conspiracy Records will be releasing a brand new, six-song 12-inch from Weatherbox this September. It's being mastered right now, so expect a tracklisting, cover art and more updates soon.

If that's not enough, YCR will also be giving the vinyl treatment to Weatherbox's first album, American Art. This is one of my all-time favorite records, and I am so honored to be a part of bringing it to life on wax. It will be a double LP in a gatefold sleeve with new artwork, lyrics and liner notes left out of the original CD, as well as a digital download of an alternate version of the album never before available. Originally, the plan was to have this out in late summer but the release has been tabled temporarily so we can focus on getting the band's new EP out first. Ideally, it will be out before the end of the year, though!

Weatherbox will be touring this fall; dates TBA.

YCR bands on the road!

Both the Felix Culpa and Heks Orkest have some gigs scheduled in the next few weeks. Get yourself to these shows; both bands are incredible live! (I saw the Culpa twice in the same day at SXSW last week and came away loving them even more than I already do.)

THE FELIX CULPA
March 25th - Lansing, MI Mac's Bar w/Mike Mains & the Branches
March 27th - Cleveland, OH Now That's Class w/Bomb The Music Industry!, the Sidekicks
April 09th - Milwaukee, WI Miramar Theatre w/the Meteah Strike, Native, Into It. Over It.
April 21st - DeKalb, IL House Cafe w/The Appleseed Cast

HEKS ORKEST
March 25th - Washington DC Red Palace w/Pissed Jeans, Regents (ex-Frodus, Sleepytime Trio, Exploder) - $10, 8:30
March 26th - Richmond, Va Strange Matter w/Regents, Flechette - $10, 10pm

One-day sale!

Eveyrthing in the YCR webstore is marked down 15% TODAY ONLY! Jump on this, folks, as these records won't be marked down again for a loooong time.