02/11/07

*** BRUNETTES UK PRESS ***

23/02/07

*** THE RUBY SUNS ***

Ryan and Amee from the band have been interviewed by BBC Six Music presenter and stand-up guy Phill Jupitus - http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/phill_jupitus/

To hear the interview, click on Phil Jupitus' show from Wednesday. The Ruby Suns featured at about 9.30: if you press the "skip forward 15 mins" button 10 times, then click the "skip forward 5 mins button" once, you'll be in the midst of the first song they played.. the interview follows.

The Ruby Suns have added to their European dates, check out the upcoming shows page.

09/01/07

*** THE RUBY SUNS ***

The Ruby Suns have received rave reviews in the UK following the release of their album on Memphis Industries (home of The Go! Team and Dungen). Here are a sample:

"Remarkable" (4 stars out of 5) - The Guardian
"A real melodic potency" (4 stars out of 5) - Independent On Friday
"Harmonic Genius " (4.5 stars out of 5) - The Sun
"Sparkling multilayered sunshine pop" (4 stars out of 5) - Uncut
"Astonishingly good" (4 stars out of 5) - Mojo
"Poppy, Sun-Kissed and strangely addictive" (4 stars out of 5) - Boys Toys
"This album lets the sunshine in (4 stars out of 5) - Independent on Sunday

Full reviews from some of these publications are now available on our website on the Ruby Suns page.

*** VOOM ***

Look out for Voom's brand new, wonderfully-crafted video for 'Beautiful Day' on screen's later this month.

*** ED CAKE/PYE WARMER and SHAFT ***

This has got to be one of the must-see gigs in February with Ed Cake showcasing his new band, Pye Warmer, which includes a group of amazing local musicians: - Shaft and Pye Warmer, Thursday 8th Feb, Schooner

*** THE BRUNETTES ***

The Brunettes are preparing to emerge from months of recording and are currently auditioning drummers. Anyone who thinks they have what it takes to top previous drummer, Ryan McPhun, on the skins and on backing vocals should message the Brunettes via myspace.

Check out the upcoming shows page for the latest gigs.

17/10/06

Nominations for Lil Chief acts at the 2006 bNet New Zealand Music Awards are:
Pop Track of 2006: The Ruby Suns - There Are Birds, The Reduction Agents - Urban Yard, Voom - B Your Boy
Best Vocalist: James Milne/Lawrence Arabia
Best Producer: James Milne (Reduction Agents/Lawrence Arabia)
Breakthrough Artist of 2006: Lawrence Arabia
Song Of The Year: The Nudie Suits - Bright Lights, Voom - B Your Boy
Artist Of The Year: James Milne (Reduction Agents/Lawrence Arabia)

Vote online at http://www.bnet.co.nz ! Online voting closes 5pm Friday 1st December 2006

20/09/06

The Ruby Suns have signed a 2-album deal with UK label, Memphis Industries, who release bands such as the Go! Team, the Pipettes, Dungen, and Field Music. The band's first self-titled album will be released at the end of this year in the UK through Memphis Industries and in Europe through V2 (under the name "The Ruby Suns" rather than "Ryan McPhun and the Ruby Suns"). In September, Ryan did a show in Melbourne with a pick-up band of locals including Gus from Architecture in Helsinki and Jamie from the Raylenes (the Raylenes also played). Back home, the Ruby Suns are taking part in a national tour as part of "A Low Hum" at the end of October and then supporting Animal Collective in Auckland and Wellington in November.

09/09/06

The 2006 APRA Silver Scroll Award

We are pleased to tell you that James Milne (AKA Lawrence Arabia) has been announced as one of the finalists for the 2006 APRA Silver Scroll Award, NZ’s most prestigious songwriting prize. James has been nominated for his song 'The Pool' from the Lil Chief album "The Dance Reduction Agents". Excellent news!

Full details on the APRA web site.

PLUS The Nudie Suits play the last ever gig at the Odeon Lounge:

The Reduction Agents: "The Dance Reduction Agents"

DYLAN, THE KINKS, THE BYRDS, THE BEACH BOYS AND THE REDUCTION AGENTS? AUCKLAND BAND EARNS ITS PLACE IN THE POP PANTHEON

For anyone who hasn't been to one of their amazing live shows over the last few years, The Reductions Agents are fronted by the multi-talented James Milne (AKA "Lawrence Arabia"), and also includes fellow Lil' Chief artiste Ryan McPhun. As well as fronting The Reduction Agents, James played bass and guitar with The Brunettes for the last few years, and toured with the band on their 2005 support slots with The Shins and Rilo Kiley. He also contributed the song "You Beautiful Militant" to The Brunettes "Mars Loves Venus" album. And now, finally, he's releasing TWO brand new albums at the same time. "The Dance Reduction Agents" is a fantastic collection of pop songs, which bear strong comparison to the songwriting of The Kinks' Ray Davies in it's brilliantly observant lyrics and great pop hooks. The album contains the student radio hits "80s Celebration", "Urban Yard" and "The Pool", and perhaps the catchiest song of the year and future hit "Waiting For Your Love".

Lawrence Arabia: "Lawrence Arabia"

SKEWED LO-FI EXPERIMENTALISM WITH A PURE POP HEART

The second album from the pen of James Milne, and a co-release with Honorary Bedouin Records, this album explores the more experimental qualities of James' songwriting, without ever losing a handle on what makes a great pop song. Features "Talk About Good Times", "Half The Right Size", "Emperor Penguin Colony", and 10 other tracks of skewed melodic pop genius. You won't be disappointed with this one.

Voom: "Hello, Are You There?"

A HEARTBREAKING WORK OF STAGGERING GENIUS

Buzz Moller is one of the most prolific songwriters you'll ever meet. As a young man he left his career as a stockbroker during the share-market crash of the late 1980's. Since then he has hosted a kids show on the local student radio station, worked as a plasterer, and recorded hundreds of incredible pop songs in his bedroom. "Hello, Are You There?" is the second full length album from Buzz's band, Voom, and their first release since 1998. With a huge amount of material to choose from, this record has songs which were recorded on 4-track as he was becoming disillusioned as a stockbroker, to very recent material, all pulled together to create something of a concept album about a relationship - the ultimate indie break-up album if you will. And it works wonderfully. Ranging from up-tempo power-pop to sad, slow songs of heartache and despair, this is a beautifully produced album from a unrecognized genius, and a band who just keep getting better and better.

Shugo Tokumaru: "L.S.T"

LUSH PSYCHEDELIC POP FROM JAPAN

Lil' Chief's first international signing! Shugo Tokumaru's 'bedroom music' has been lavished with praise from media outlets such as London's WIRE magazine and the influential American music website, Pitchforkmedia.com. "L.S.T" is Shugo Tokumaru's second official album,and is a heady mix of guitar, ukulele, musical saws, wind up toys, and other elaborate effect-makers. If you are familiar with his stunning debut, "Night Piece", "L.S.T." still shares the intimate atmosphere, elegant melodies and chamber-music-like harmonies that defined the former, but has a somewhat fuller (though no less appealing) sound, which highlights Shugo's growing confidence of an artist as songwriter and sound designer. By trying to chugdown the thick soup of decades of pop music history, Tokumaru's music has turned out to be the dynamic pop expression of the next generation. The best way to describe the beauty of Tokumaru's musical world might be to call his sound works, 'the High Llamas of the night-time'. Shugo has performed with some of the biggest names in indie music, including Animal Collective, Jens Lekman, Mount Eerie (the Microphones), Why?, Jeff Hanson (Kill Rock Stars), Joan of Arc ... the list goes on and on. Previously only available in Europe and Japan, the Lil Chief edition of " L.S.T." comes with a bonus disc of exclusive b-sides, and interactive material including a beautiful game in the vein of Samorost based around the album artwork, a remix game, full lyric translations and more!

Shaft: "Down At Your Life"

SECOND ALBUM FROM LEGENDARY AUCKLAND ROCK'N'ROLL INSTITUTION

It took Shaft the best part of 12 years to release their first full length album, 2004's "Open Sesame", so the two years gestation of "Down At Your Life" is nothing short of miraculous! Featuring 10 fantastic soulful rock'n'roll songs from the pen of living legend Mr. Bob Cardy, this is the perfect Saturday night record. Bob has a incredible way with words, and his lyrics are some of the wittiest you'll ever hear. Stephen Malkmus, eat your heart out! Shaft have had something of a revolving lineup over the last decade and a half, and the personnel on this album includes various members of The Boxcar Guitars and The Situations. This current lineup brilliantly complements Bob's songs, with a tight rhythm section and backing harmonies. On a song like "Pacific Ocean", you could swear it was the Velvet Underground's Doug Yule singing BV's! And here's an interesting piece of trivia: on his sole visit to New Zealand in 1992, Kurt Cobain apparently spent a few hours tracking Bob's former band The Axemen's Flying Nun LP "Derry Legend", and included some of their songs in mix tapes he used to make, a fact verified in Kurt's published journals.

You can listen to songs off these albums on our jukebox (you need Flash Player 8 installed) here, or if you are a Last.fm user, you can listen to nearly every song off every album here.

The Brunettes:

After completing a successful tour of the US supporting Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Jonathan Brunette has returned to New Zealand to put the finishing touches on the new album. In the meantime, you can keep up with the band through their website and myspace page.

Videos on the Internet:

The Ruby Suns did a surprise show at a local library and we have YouTube proof on our myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/lilchiefrecords
The Nudie Suits also now have their latest video on YouTube, which is linked to their myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/nudiesuits
(you may also find some live footage of them on YouTube, if you have a quick search)

Australian Distribution:

We have begun to make our titles available in Australia through Reverberation Records, so hopefully this should make all our releases (including the latest Brunettes EP) easier to get over there.

The Nudie Suits are celebrating the release of their new album, "Sweetacres," with two shows:

The Nudies will be playing never-before heard songs such as the album title track, "Sweet Acres," so don't miss the opportunity to see the band at its best.

Ryan McPhun & the Ruby Suns

Ryan McPhun is coming to America with his excellent and exciting band the Ruby Suns. They are playing the South by South West Festival in Austin, Texas then will embark on a tour of the West Coast venturing inland as far as New Mexico and Denver. The tour will culminate in what will surely be a triumphant return to Ryan's hometown of Ventura CA. A quality Lil Chief Band, the Ruby Suns include a number of members who travelled in the Brunettes touring party the length and breadth of North America last year. They play their own special brand of pop music that has been described as "melodic", "melancholic" and even "unhinged". You can always listen to them on their own myspace page.

The Brunettes are pleased to announce that after years of scraping together change from under the couch cushions, touring in borrowed vans, pasting up their own photocopied posters, playing shows without monitors or sound people, driving all night and sleeping on floors - they have finally signed a record deal with a US record label…. Sub Pop Records!

Sub Pop Records are based in Seattle, Washington and their current roster includes some of the major names in American Pop Music – including the Shins, the Postal Service, Sleater-Kinney, and Wolf Parade.

Jonathan Poneman of Sub Pop Records says: "Having shimmied, curtsied and barnstormed their way into the hearts of North America, I was left no choice but to sign The Brunettes. That's not to say that I am anything less than overjoyed. I am, in fact, thrilled! But it's their unerring ability to captivate, both on stage and in the studio, that inspired me to purchase their souls. Oh, I mean that inspired me to sign 'em to Sub Pop. Seriously though: I'm so excited to be working with The Brunettes. These youngsters know how to - in the words of a beloved pop band from my youth - shake some action!"

Currently Jonathan Bree and Heather Mansfield are recording the new album in the New York. Following the Brunettes extensive US tours earlier this year they have remained there and will return to New Zealand in summer when the Brunettes will play The Big Day Out as well as tour Australia.

In March 2006 with the recording complete they will return to North America and plan to tour there as much as possible.

The Brunettes first release on Sub Pop Records will be their third album and it will be available in the US in August 2006. The Brunettes earlier recordings Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks (2002), The Boyracer EP (2003), Mars Loves Venus, (2004) and their latest EP When Ice Met Cream (2005) will also be available in North America through Sub Pop Records.

Ryan McPhun & the Ruby Suns

After a successful tour of Christchurch, Dunedin, and Wellington, the Ruby Suns have returned to Auckland to play this weekend with Ghostplane (Sat Nov 5th at the Odeon Lounge). They also have a show planned at that same venue for Dec 10th so Auckland fans will have two chances to catch up with this road-hardened band (well, Ryan's van driving skills have been improved at least).

The Reduction Agents and the Nudie Suits

These two bands are playing a show at the King's Arms in Auckland on Nov 17th. Both bands have nearly completed their new albums, though we are currently planning to hold off the release of these albums until February 2006 so that we can relax and go to the beach every day in the meantime.

Shaft

Bob Cardy is playing a show with his new back-up band, the Situationalist Experience (which includes the entirety of local band the Situations) at the Odeon Lounge on Nov 19th. The Nudie Suits will also be playing, so the foot-stomping and yelling will go on all night!

We are pleased to announce that the brilliant Brunettes EP "When Ice Met Cream" is now out in stores around New Zealand, and is available to both New Zealand and International customers through this website. Furthermore we are taking preorders for Ryan McPhun's "Ryan McPhun and the Ruby Suns" album, which will be out in stores around New Zealand next week. An album release party is scheduled for Sept 10th, see the upcoming shows section for details.

Ryan has returned from the Brunettes tour of the US in order to promote the release of his new album under the name "Ryan McPhun and the Ruby Suns" An album release party is scheduled for Sept 10th, see the upcoming shows section for details.

James, Ryan, Harry, and Amee have now returned to NZ. Heather remains in NY, while Jonathan is in LA preparing to record a new album. Back home, James is putting the final touches to a Reduction Agents album, while Harry has formed his own Carter-Family-esq group, "White Collar Hollar."

We now have someone helping us with orders from within the US and we have therefore reduced our prices, see our overseas shop section for details. We plan to reduce prices for Canadian customers too soon, we promise!

The Brunettes have been invited to join the Shins on their American/Canadian tour in April. See the upcoming shows section for details.