New vinyl pressing! Kalapana’s classic debut. Reissued on vinyl for the first time since the 1970s.

The paragon of 1970s pop paradise, Kalapana’s 1975 recording debut left an indelible mark on Hawaii. With its instantly recognizable cover art featuring the faces of the group’s four members — Mackey Feary, Malani Bilyeu, David John Pratt, and Kirk Thompson — the eponymous album presented 11 masterfully crafted songs, each purposefully poised to become a hit.

Following a successful concert tour of the Hawaiian Islands, the band moved to California in October 1975 to work on their first album, Kalapana. They already had an idea for what a great record should sound like. “We grew up listening to the Beatles, and every song on a Beatles record was a hit,” reflects keyboardist Thompson. “That was the standard, so we operated at that level.” And in the 1960s and 70s, the standard was incredibly high: groups like the Beatles, Tower of Power, Eric Clapton, Santana, Earth Wind & Fire, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, and Elton John filled the radio airwaves and record store bins. “In our heads, that’s who the competition was. We had to be just as good.” 

With nearly a dozen original compositions plus one cover song ready (Hall & Oates’ “When The Morning Comes”), the band laid tracks for guitar, bass, vocals, and keyboards. Their producer, LA-based Barry Alan Fasman, did the rest: arranging, conducting, hiring a bassist and drummer, adding strings and flutes and effects. His guidance and expertise helped the group create a musical masterpiece, both artistically and commercially. “The songs were all singles because the mindset was to be commercial and make them all good,” guitarist Pratt said. Released by the end of 1975, the album sold 125,000 copies in its first 16 months.

Kalapana’s success was not all positive, however. For decades, the band’s manager withheld royalties due to the band. It wasn’t until 2017 that Kalapana got its rights back, when Los Angeles-based music lawyer Evan Cohen served their former manager, Ed Guy, with a lawsuit on behalf of the band. Cohen succeeded, and the band’s newly formed partnership, Kalapana Music, finally owned its recordings and publishing rights.

As a band, Kalapana’s story is one of synergy, stardom, and naivety. Yet their legacy extends far beyond that, for they created a sound as unique as Hawai‘i itself. By blending soul, jazz, funk, pop, and rock into a singular expression inspired by modern Island life, their debut album helped shape stories and lives of Hawai‘i’s people in the 1970s and for generations to come. 

Available from Aloha Got Soul.

New Vinyl Pressing! Like some kind of time-hopping wizard with preternatural melodic sensibilities, M Ross Perkins is back with his sophomore full-length, E Pluribus M Ross. The album, his first for Colemine/Karma Chief Records, is another masterclass in home recording with 12 shimmering slices of purely perfect psychedelic pop.

In describing Perkins, it’s not wrong to namecheck Rhodes and Nilsson, but you have to expand that list of influences to include pop-rock visionaries like Brian Wilson, Colin Blunstone, and even John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Let’s also throw in the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Kinks as well. Perkins clearly learned plenty of helpful tips from these and other legends that made the late 1960s and early 1970s such a magical musical time, but he has charted his own singular path from the past and back again.

The hooks, arrangements, and overall sense of songcraft are as sophisticated as the work of Wilson and Nilsson, which is remarkable when you consider Perkins not only produced all of the musical arrangements but also played all of the instruments and sang all of the vocal parts on the album. Even more impressive, Perkins is able to evoke all of these iconic figures in his songs without resorting to psych-rock cliches or outright thievery. It’s an extraordinary balancing act, and what emerges is a shimmering tapestry of skillfully-woven musical threads, each harkening back to the past while simultaneously pointing toward the future.

So, take our advice and join Perkins on his magical mystery trip through time, E Pluribus M Ross, coming March 18th on Colemine/Karma Chief Records.

New Vinyl Pressing! Available February 11, 2022.

Over the course of the last five years, the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio have established themselves as the world’s premier funky organ trio. The organ trio, along with founder and manager Amy Novo, continues to devise the perfect blend of raw, passionate music and engaging industry practices. Through a firm partnership with label Colemine Records, the trio has garnered Billboard charting albums, sold out shows, tens of thousands of albums sold, and millions of streams. Lofty accomplishments for an instrumental organ trio.

Now, with permanent drummer Dan Weiss behind the kit, DLO3 is proud to present Cold As Weiss, their third studio album to date that finds them tighter than ever, and continuing to push funky instrumental music to a new generation of fans.

New vinyl pressing! Acclaimed Hawaiian singer Teresa Bright recorded a jazz-tinted album in 2005 with pianist/engineer Kit Ebersbach. Although the album was ready to be released upon its completion, the two decided to wait for the “right moment” to release it to Hawai`i and the world.

In December 2020, Bright received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hawai’i Academy of Recording Arts. The award came following a lifelong career spanning more than a dozen albums, numbers Na Hoku Hanohano awards, countless songwriting, arranging, and producing credits, domestic and international concert performances, plus a long list of Hawaiian language translations for peers near and far.

In anticipation of the awards ceremony, Ebersbach approach Aloha Got Soul with the suggestion to finally release Blue Skies, the 2005 jazz record they’d cut with studio veterans Dean Taba, Noel Okimoto, Rocky Holmes, Casey Olsen, and Sam Ahia, Jr. Together with the help of Bright’s partner, Derrick C.M. Llanos, we released ‘Blue Skies’ digitally in December 2020.

Blue Skies brings to life Teresa’s favorite standard songs alongside tunes that seems expressly written for her sultry voice. Bright’s original composition, “Sp-r-ing”, fits right at home in the collection.

We wish you and yours a peaceful holiday season! Gotta Groove will be closed on 12/24 and 12/31.

— The Gotta Groovies

New Vinyl Pressing! Sunset Motel is the second full-length album from Columbus, OH based garage rockers El Camino Acid. The album was recorded in July of 2020 in Chicago, IL and produced by Colin Croom of Twin Peaks. The album is a thoughtful and versatile blend alternative rock and power pop. The songs span a large dynamic range, from mid-tempo love songs to guitar-fueled head bangers. Grab it on transparent orange vinyl now!

New Vinyl Pressing! In 1996, a wet behind the ears Huntingtons recorded a selection of their favorite Ramones songs with the best and most ambitious intentions. Released as Rocket to Ramonia on the newly formed Burnt Toast Vinyl, it became a favorite of fans of the band, but not so much for the band itself. After a few years of dedicating themselves to becoming the best Ramonescore band they could be, it was painfully obvious to them that they’d made Rocket to Ramonia before perfecting the finer intricacies of the Ramones’ sound.

In 1999, the band selected a new batch of classics to cover and released them as File Under Ramones. 8 months later, Huntingtons were on stage with Joey Ramone at CBGBs playing an entire set as his backing band. 9 months after that, they were out touring Europe with Marky Ramone. 2 months later, they were back at CBGBs for another set with Joey. Flash forward to 2015, their guitarist and drummer were touring the country and eventually the world playing as part of CJ Ramone’s band.

Here in 2021, Rocket To Ramonia and Burnt Toast Vinyl are both celebrating their 25th anniversaries, and so began talks of a re-release of Rocket to Ramonia. But while it obviously remains part of the band’s history, it’s not something they were proud of, and there was little doubt that if given the opportunity, they could record those songs again and do them justice.

So that’s exactly what Huntingtons did!

Back To Ramonia represents 25 years of channeling the spirit and energy of Ramones. The attention to detail on every song is sure to be noticed and appreciated, paying the perfect homage to the founding fathers of punk rock.

New Vinyl Pressing! Soul Step Records continues to support and highlight the music scene in Cincinnati, OH. Their latest release takes us back to Ohio to present to you the unbelievably talented Lauren Eylise and her album, This Is Personal.

Lauren Eylise’s genre-defying music can only be accurately categorized as eclectic-soul, as an array of influences make up her sound while each song is born from lessons of the soul. Her commanding vocals and acoustic stylings exude an indie-folk style with R&B overtones that easily appeal to the energy of Pop music. And when armed with her full band, The Part-Time Lovers, the soul singer’s sound fuses funkadelic rock and electric blues. She is unapologetic, autonomously sensual and vulnerably transparent in her music and presence. 

Her resume reflects more than six years of work under her belt. As such, she has opened stages for the likes of Patti Labelle, Erykah Badu, Jidenna, Tank, and The Bangas Yasiin Bey, Talib Kweli, Train, John Legend, Matt Kearney, Raheem Devaughn, Tank, and many more. 

Lauren Eylise is for fans of SZA, Jorja Smith, and Solange. This Is Personal is like getting an audiobook of Lauren’s diary. Straightforward and honest songwriting that’s perfectly paired with romantic and lush musical arrangements. Once you drop the needle on this LP, you will get punched with Lauren’s soulful vocals. Sit back and enjoy the ride as you hear songs about love, good whiskey, and finding yourself.

Soul Step Records will be releasing the LP This Is Personal by Lauren Eylise to Soul Step Subscribers on Saturday, December 4th. 

The general public sale will begin on Monday, December 6th. The tracks on this LP can be found on streaming on all services right now. 

Happy Holidays!

Wow…what a year!  As always, it is a blur to think back about all of the amazing records we have pressed in the past year.  Thanks to all of our customers, vendors, and colleagues for working with us in 2022!

Here is a list of some of our favorite projects in 2022 (not in any specific order) – please be sure to check out as many of these as you can.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Gotta Groove!

2022 GOTTA GROOVE YEAR IN REVIEW LIST:

Mike Burrows
 
Fela Kuti – Zombie (Knitting Factory Records)
Fela Kuti – Upside Down (Knitting Factory Records)
Fela Kuti – ITT (Knitting Factory Records)
Fabio Frizzi with Riccardo Rocchi – Dark Chamber (Cadabra Records)
Al Festa – Zombie 4: After Death (Empire of Tombs)
Jeff Carney – Live Electronic Music (Lion Productions)
Truth and Janey – No Rest for the Wicked (Lion Productions)
Midnight Xpander – Marcia Bassett (Yew Recordings)
Horace Tapscott – Tapscott & Winds (Nimbus West Records)
Max Roach – Members, Don’t Git Weary (Real Gone Records)
East Coast – East Coast (Real Gone Records)
Marty Robbins – The Gunfighter & Other Ballads (Real Gone Records)
Chuck Armstrong – Shackin’ Up (Real Gone Records)
George Scott – Find Someone to Love (Real Gone Records)
Don Julian & the Larks – Super Slick (Real Gone Records)
Brian Bennett – Voyage: A Journey Into Discoid Funk (Real Gone Records)
Kalapana – Kalapana (Aloha Got Soul)
Charlie Megira and the Hefker Girl (Secretly Group)
 
 
Matt Earley
 
Calvin Keys – Blue Keys
Catfish Keith – Land of the Sky
Chris Lujan & Electric Butter feat. Andre Cruz – The Real Thing
Club D’Elf – You Never Know
Darren Jessee – Central Bridge
Dillard & Clark – The Fantastic Expedition
Doctor Bionic – The Invisible Hand
Don Julian & The Larks – Super Slick
Drayton Farley – A Hard Up Life
The Du-Rites – Plug It In
Evolfo – The Changer
Fela Kuti – International Thief Thief
Fela Kuti – Upside Down
Florida Street – Anthology Vol. 1
Formula 400 – Heathens
Fountains of Wayne – Out of State Plates
Fountains of Wayne – Traffic and Weather
Ghost Orchard – Rainbow Music
Glory Or Death Records – Friends & Family Vol. 2
Grateful Dead – Dick’s Picks Vol. 33
Hanzolo – S/T
John Alair – Cleans House
Dickie Landry – Solos
Dave Liebman – Trust and Honesty
Jesus Lizard – Shot
Little Feat – Oh! Atlanta
The Lost Souls – S/T
Lu$id – Just A Taste
Marcus Machado – Aquarius Purple
Melvin Van Peebles – Watermelon Man
Midnight Syndicate – Legendary Truth
My Dad Is Dead – Peace, Love & Murder
Night Owls – Versions
The Rabbits – S/T
The Vindys – Bugs
Say She She – Prism
Snake Toys – Champions of the Dark
Stone Witch – Order of the Goat
Tropa Magica – Exitos
Tony Williams – Play Or Die
Wasafiri – Klearlight
 
 
 
Michael Fanos (Well Made Music)
 
Parquet Courts – Content Nausea
Nnamdi – Are You Happy
Husker Du – Live at Jay’s Longhorn’s
Ghost Funk Orchestra – A New Kind of Love
Wendy O. Williams – Fuck’N Roll Live
 
 
Ren Harcar
 
Charlie Megira & The Hefker Girl: S/T
Fela Kuti: Zombie
The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World
Uno Lady: Single Rider
 
 
Dave Polster (Well Made Music)
 
Blasting Rod-Of Wild Hazel
Greensky Bluegrass- Stress Dreams B-Sides 7”
Team Bryce Foundation-A Season For A Smile Comp.
Powerman 5000-Tonight The Stars Revolt
Ghost Funk Orchestra-Nightwalker/Death Waltz
The Harlem Gospel Travelers-Look Up
V/A-Rat Race! (Peppermint Records Comp)
Trevor Something-Lost Love/Lost Memories
The Jive Turkeys-Bread & Butter
Melvin Van Peebles-Watermelon Man OST
The Vindys-Bugs
Max Roach-Members, Don’t Git Weary
Hearts Gone South-Mercy Of Your Tide
California Speedbag-Little Guns
 
 
Vince Slusarz (Sr)
 
As usual, limited to both what we shipped out this year to date and available listening time.  In no particular order:
 
Mary Gauthier- Dark Enough to See The Stars (30 Tigers)
Chas Cronk-Liberty (Renaissance)
Heavy Cat- The Return of Heavy Cat (Wax Mage)
GA 20-Crackdown (Colemine)
California Speedbag-Little Guns
Terrycloth Mother-S/T
Sweet Trip-Alura (Darla)
Booker T and the MGs- Complete Stax Singles Vol. 2 (Real Gone)
The Vindys-Bugs
Kalapana-S/T (Aloha Got Soul)
Brian Straw-Baby Stars/Dead Languages
Guided By Voices- Tremblers and Goggles by Rank (Rockathon)
Delvon Lamar Organ Trio-Cold as Weiss (Colemine)
Sarah Shook and the Disarmers-Nightroamer (30 Tigers)
Dillard and Clark-The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard and Clark (Intervention)
Red Dirt Boys-The Real Deal (Farm Team)
Gabbard Brothers-S/T (Karma Chief)
Bob Wills-Take It Away! – Best Of The Lost Transcriptions For Tiffany Music 1946-1947 (Real Gone)
Avett Brothers-6^th Avett Guild 45 (Ramseur)
Julianne Hatfield/Emma Swift-Lotta Love/Give Me Strength 7” (American Laundromat)
The Monkees-All of Your Toys/The Girl I Knew Somewhere 7” (Rhino)
 
 
Tim Thornton
 
Drew Daniel & John Wiese – Through Mazes Running
Front Line Assembly – Tactical Neural Implant
Jesus Lizard – Shot
Dickie Landry & Lawrence Weiner – Having Been Built On Sand
Lynyn – Lexicon
My Dad Is Dead – Peace Love & Murder / Pow!
Carl Stone – Wat Dong Moon Lek
Tall Dwarfs – Unravelled
Yeule – Glitch Princess

Lionlimb’s return delivers us singer-songwriter Stewart Bronaugh at the height of his artistic powers both visually and sonically. Angel Olsen describes “Spiral Groove” as an album about “what it means to endure your losses and the gift of being able to recognize the most real love in your life.” She speaks warmly of her former bandmate’s new album–a timeless, romantic collection of songs borne out of musician Stewart Bronaugh’s recovery from a neck surgery. Piano, cello, slide guitar and buzzing synth lines wind in and out comfortably over the course of this 31 minute album. Studded with stories of mortality, the challenges of addiction and sobriety, and the romance of a lifetime, “Spiral Groove” encapsulates all of our existential questions into tidy love songs. The name derives from a channel in the arm your nerves run through while simultaneously painting the picture of a needle dropping into a vinyl LP.

Written and conceived before covid-19, these songs were shaped by real-time feedback and the alchemy that happens when a group of well-seasoned musicians gather together. Bronaugh’s compositions found life in the hands of long-time collaborators Joshua Jaeger and Jonathan Sumner. Jaeger’s drumming is intuitive and full of care, creating space for the kind of cello and guitar riffs that flow like water. With Sumner’s rich bass playing following suit, they comprise a rhythm section that sets the stage for Bronaugh’s songwriting.

Available now from Bayonet Records.