heaven & earth magic recording company

Hiss Golden Messenger’s Poor Moon will be released on the first of November by North Carolina’s Paradise of Bachelors record label. The first fully electric ensemble recording since 2010′s highly limited Root Work, Poor Moon represents both an elaboration and inversion of previous HGM efforts, proposing an America at perpetual sundown, wracked by devotion, wrecked by celebration. We are very proud of this album, and we hope that you will enjoy it.

To commemorate the release of the Poor Moon, we’ve come up with a pre-order structure by which you can ensure your vinyl copy of the album and also order two additional digital releases—Lord I Love the Rain and Plowed: Live in Bovina—not available anywhere else on this earth. Poor Moon is available only in a limited edition of 500 hand-numbered copies, so please consider reserving one now before they’re all gone.

Our $20 (plus shipping and handling) Oak Level pre-order guarantees you a copy of the Poor Moon LP, in addition to a digital download of the album on October 15^th, two weeks before the album’s official street date.

Our $25 (plus shipping and handling) Ash Level pre-order secures your vinyl copy of Poor Moon and an early digital download of the album PLUS an immediate digital download of the brand-new Lord I Love the Rain EP, a release that juxtaposes a selection of offcuts from 2010′s celebrated Bad Debt and the never-released HGM conceptual soundtrack He Wore Rings On Every Finger.

Our $30 (plus shipping and handling) Rowan Level pre-order ensures your copy of Poor Moon (with early digital download), the Lord I Love the Rain EP, AND an immediate digital download of the legendary but rarely-heard Plowed: Live in Bovina performance, originally taped on a hand-held recorder in Upstate New York in 2008.

Taken together, these three releases represent well over 100 minutes of new recordings by Hiss Golden Messenger.

For more details on these releases, and instructions on how to order, follow the link.

Please consider becoming a fan of Hiss Golden Messenger and Paradise of Bachelors on Facebook. As always, we are thankful for your continued support and encouragement. We could not do this without you.

HGM/PoB

All, You heard it hear first: The new Hiss Golden Messenger album, entitled Poor Moon, is mixed and damn near mastered. Featuring contributions and spiritual assistance from players Scott Hirsch, Terry Lonergan, Nathan Bowles, Hans Chew, Matt Cunitz, Yair Evnine, the Family Taylor, and a scad of others, Poor Moon treads a middle path betwixt Bad Debt’s soul isolation and Country Hai East Cotton’selectric rambles. It’s raw and immediate, and I’m proud of it. While details on the album’s release—convoluted as usual—are forthcoming, expect a vinyl edition of Poor Moon in the fall.

Friends,

Did you hear the good news? Monday, November 22^nd will see the release of the new Hiss Golden Messenger album Bad Debt via London/Tokyo-based record label and publishing house blackmaps. 

In addition, Heaven & Earth Magic Recording Co. will be releasing Bad Debt in an edition of 100 numbered vinyl copies, complete with lyric tracts hand letter-pressed by Lampyridae Press.

Bad Debt comes from ten dense acres of oak, cedar, and apple trees in Pittsboro, North Carolina, directly south of the Haw River. The house where it was written and recorded was built in the early 1970s by a hippie cohort that settled along Brooks Branch; though this may sound like some kind of brag, I offer this to explain just how cold it was last fall and winter, the time when the record was conceived; most hippies—except for the most famous one, of course, and probably a few others—are shit carpenters.

Bad Debt is about my God: That is, whether I have one, and whether there is a place for me in this world. It’s also about donkeys, snakes, betrayal, redemption, scarecrows, wandering and love, though anyone that listens to the words may wonder whether I’ve gone off the deep end for the Lord.

I don’t go to church and I am not saved. I can party too. I can do a saxophone now and again, bang the proverbial drum. Some of you know this.

Bad Debt was meticulously mastered by Anthony Puglisi. Brendan Greaves put together the beautiful artwork for the CD and digital version, and generally arranged all the artistic motifs associated with the album. Thanks are due to both of these gentlemen.

Although we’ll be selling vinyl copies, and possibly some Bad Debt CDs, through this site in a proper way soon, if you’re currently interested in obtaining a vinyl copy of Bad Debt (which will include an extra song), send me a note at hissgoldenmessenger (at) yahoo (dot) com with “Bad Debt vinyl” as the subject line to let me know you’d like a copy set aside for you. When I get them, I’ll notify you that they’ve arrived, and I’ll send along an invoice. Remember there are only going to be 100 copies, and I think they’re going to go fast.

There will be a slew of UK dates in February 2011. Please join us on Facebook, where we do our most regular communication. Onwards!

-Jai Lil ‘Slim’ Diamond 17 November 2010

Welcome to Hiss Golden Messenger’s first news and blues telegraph of 2010! Huzzah!

Root Work, a live album recorded for broadcast on WFMU by radio hero Irene Trudel, is done, and is making the rounds. Hell, it even appeared in John Mulvey’s great “Wild Mercury Sound” column for Uncut Magazine, alongside articles about HGM inspirations Ronnie Lane, Mighty Baby, Jack Rose, and Dennis Hopper (rest in peace, brothers).

Root Work is available digitally, and in a highly limited edition of 100 copies on vinyl. Every piece of vinyl has been handled by yours truly, and each copy is hand numbered. You can order yours HERE. Get them while they’re hot. And to those of you that ordered well over a month ago– thank you for your patience.

Okay. There is going to be a last minute solo Hiss Golden Messenger show at the Makeout Room in San Francisco on Tuesday, June 29th, at 8 PM. This is a free show, and will be done no later than 10 PM. Also playing is guitarist and songwriter extraordinaire Tom Heyman, a man who has forgotten more music than I’ll ever know. The address is 3225 22nd Street (between Mission and Valencia). Be there.

Also, there is a sweet HGM hookup with London/Tokyo-based record and book press Black Maps on the near horizon. I met Maps architect Stuart several years ago when he and Voice of the Seven Thunders’ Rick Tomlinson (along with brother Paul) stumbled drunk into my house, and then proceeded to wreck San Francisco for a good week. Stuart has now straightened up and is flying right– and is putting some truly amazing work out by all kinds of killer artists. We are psyched to be working together! More about this forthcoming collaboration soon.

And then– look at these amazing bags. Abby Martin, my partner in crime in our woodland chateau, makes these by hand. Aren’t they killer? No two are alike. Do yourself a favor and buy one.

And what are you into these days? Me, I like some Jimmie Spheeris (Isle of View is a holy mackerel of a record), some Mickey Jupp, some Wings. Ronnie Lane, of course. Gene Wolfe’s metaphysical torture rambles. And that latest Voice of the Seven Thunders platter is a goddamn doozy.

With love,

Slim Diamond, Hiss Golden Messenger

Friends,
Lots of Hiss Golden Messenger news & blues percolating in the pot! So whilst the summer thunderstorm yawps and rips through Eaglewing Estates and Mahavishnu rages in dire sympathy with the lightning and the rain, I here deliver the latest missive from HGM oblivion. Jumping in feet first:

I.    UPCOMING SHOWS

We’ve got a few shows on the near horizon.

Thursday, July 23rd @ Bruar Falls
245 Grand Street (in Williamsburg), Brooklyn, NY

Hiss Golden Messenger plays with Family Band and One Hundred Dollars. The cost is six dollars and we play first, about 8 PM they say. Get there early, stay late.

HANG TENDER

Saturday, July 25th @ Julian & Juliette’s Homeplace
Bovina Center, Upstate New York

This is our yearly epic ramble on a princely piece of land belonging to our friends Julian and Juliette. Responsible and dedicated parties are welcome. We share an all-day bill with P.G. Six, Meg Baird, D. Charles Speer & The Helix, Family Band, One Hundred Dollars, Joan, and The Disciples of Agriculture. This is a camping situation. More information is available HERE. Hippies semi-welcome. Just kidding, we’ll take all comers.

Anyone interested in finding out more about this event, drop me a line at hissgoldenmessenger at yahoo dot com.

Also: I would like to play some more shows. But where? Email me at the above address if you have any suggestions. Less interested in clubs, more interested in houses, barns, churches, and the like.

II.    FREE LIVE ASHEVILLE DOWNLOAD AVAILABLE NOW

On January 29, 2009, I played a solo show at the incredible Harvest Records in Asheville, NC, opening for natural born ramblers Matt Valentine and Erika Elder. This is a warts and all recording with it’s fair share of flubs, but there is something that I like about it. Simply cut and paste http://www.echo-magic.com/mp3downloads/Solo_Show_Asheville.zip into a new browser and go for it. Enjoy!

III.    TARASCAN HUMMINGBIRD T-SHIRTS

I’ve just finished a run of hand-dyed 100% cotton V-neck Hiss Golden Messenger shirts printed with the Tarascan Hummingbird for luck. These shirts are grey with a light tie-dye feel. Medium and large sizes are in stock now, small and extra-larges available upon request. Wash with like colors in cold water. Available for purchase in the Heaven & Earth Magic shop for the trifling sum of $13 plus shipping and handling.

IV.    COUNTRY HAI EAST COTTON NOW AVAILABLE DIGITALLY

Country Hai East Cotton is now available digitally through Amazon, iTunes, Lala, eMusic, and most other spots where music is sold electronically. If anyone out there is interested in writing a review of the record on one of these sites (or elsewhere), send me a link to the review; I’ll send you something good in return. I’m not sure what, but it’ll be good.

In other news, we’re just about done with an EP we recorded with Irene Trudel for broadcast on WFMU last summer. It’s a collection of live renditions of tunes from Country Hai, and it’s sounding solid. Expect it to appear in some form this fall via the Heaven & Earth Magic Recording Co.

Keeping busy down south with Mahavishnu Orchestra and The Crickets, Dominic Reeve’s Smoke in the Lanes and a whole mess of Charles Willeford. Keep it nice.

Your golden messenger,
Jai Lil Diamond
Heaven & Earth Magic Recording Co.

Plant `em in the spring, eat `em in the summer
All winter without `em’s a culinary bummer
I forget all about the sweatin’ & diggin’
Everytime I go out & pick me a big one

Homegrown tomatoes, homegrown tomatoes
What would life be without homegrown tomatoes?
Only two things that money can’t buy:
That’s true love & homegrown tomatoes
-Guy Clark

Hey All::

Midsummer’s Eve is here, and we’re celebrating at Eaglewing Estates with a homemade ginger peach pie and a couple bottles of the good stuff. And since the little one is asleep, I thought I’d also take a minute to spread the gospel on current Hiss Golden Messenger news and blues.

We’ve got some shows in New York coming up.

Thursday, July 23rd @ Bruar Falls
245 Grand Street
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
HGM with Family Band and One Hundred Dollars. The cost is six dollars and we play first, about 8 PM they say.

Saturday, July 25th @ Julian & Juliette’s
Bovina, NY
HGM with D. Charles Speer & The Helix, Meg Baird, P.G. Six, Family Band, One Hundred Dollars, Endless Boogie, Disciples of Agriculture, and Joan. This is an epic ramble on a princely piece of land, but you’ve gotta be dedicated. If you’re interested in finding out more about this event, drop me a line at hissgoldenmessenger at yahoo dot com.

Also, I just did an interview with my old pal Sarah Rogers at Amoeba Music in San Francisco, which you can read here. Whenever you’re in San Francisco, stop by Amoeba and give Sarah a hug for me.

Finally, for all overseas heads, two more incredible stores are carrying Country Hai East Cotton: Rough Trade in London and Norman Records in Leeds. If you want to buy a copy of the album, but don’t want to pay for shipping from NC, those are two more options (along with Piccadilly Records in Manchester, who recently nominated Country Hai as one of their records of the week). My sincerest thanks to my friend Rick Tomlinson (aka Voice of the Seven Woods), and his brother Paul, for facilitating this transcontinental business. Check out Rick’s music and Paul’s zones. Both truly amazing, and that’s no lie.

What are you up to out there? Please, drop me a line. Again, that address is hissgoldenmessenger at yahoo dot com. I want to hear from you.

Bringing you the nice dreams since 2009.

-Jai Lil Diamond

P.S. Not to put the scare on ya, but if you’re waffling about ordering a copy of Country Hai East Cotton, do it soon. We’re running out of these things.

Friends::
Hiss Golden Messenger’s Country Hai East Cotton, an album assembled by Scott Hirsch and myself over a period of three years in various studios, lofts, and farmhouses in San Francisco, New York, and North Carolina, is ready to be ordered and shipped!

As you’ve no doubt surmised, the album is out on our own label, Heaven & Earth Magic Recording Co. We started this label because we think it is important to control each step of the musical recording and dissemination process by ourselves; Scott and I could no longer reconcile leaving something so important to us in the hands of others.

Does the world need another record label? I suppose it depends who you ask. Obviously we think so. There is a place in the world for little people- like us-dedicated to making, spreading, and talking about thoughtful and deliberate work and, despite what the pundits say, there always will be. So there.

The miniature gatefold cover of Country Hai East Cotton was illustrated by our friend Nathaniel Russell, and printed on 100% recycled materials by Stumptown Printers in Portland, OR. The disk itself is encased in a woven inner sleeve, and the whole CD comes enclosed in a protective plastic outer sleeve. Country Hai East Cotton is limited to 500 copies, each one hand-numbered. Rest assured- if it’s your thing- that we have laid hands on every single one of these.

To order Country Hai East Cotton visit the “Shops/Downloads” page. You can easily order the disk there via Paypal for $14, plus shipping and handling. Alternately, you can obtain a digital version of the record; although it’s not mandatory, we ask that you consider making a donation- something between $5 and $10- in return for MP3s of the album.

I realize that Country Hai East Cotton will be easily obtained for free on a host of torrent sites and blogs very soon, if it isn’t already. That’s OK. We appreciate that. But, at the risk of sounding totally romantic and/or naive, we’re hoping that those who have heard HGM and like what we do will choose to spend a little money on a disk or download directly from us. And a word for armchair audiophiles: The actual disk sounds better. This is not opinion; it’s fact. More sonic information.

Also, if you prefer to buy a copy directly from a store, you can do that too. These fine establishments are all carrying Country Hai East Cotton.

Amoeba Music
6400 W. Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90028

Amoeba Music
1855 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117

Amoeba Music
2455 Telegraph Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704

End of an Ear
2209 South First Street
Austin, TX 78704

Waterloo Records
600A North Lamar Boulevard
Austin, TX 78703

Time-Lag Records
578 Congress Street, 2nd Floor
Portland, Maine 04101-3317

Aquarius Records
1055 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110

Harvest Records
415B Haywood Road
Asheville, NC

CD Alley
405C West Franklin Street
Chapel Hill, NC 27516

Sonic Boom
2209 NW Market Street
Seattle, WA 98107

Tequila Sunrise
525 W. Girard Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19122

Exiled Records
4628 SE Hawthorne Boulevard
Portland, OR 97215

Piccadilly Records
53 Oldham Street
Manchester, M1 1JR, United Kingdom

Rest assured, we have no idea what we’re doing. But as a small organization that cares very much about music, we’re trying our best. If you have suggestions about something we could do better, please let us know at hissgoldenmessenger at yahoo dot com. This is not a one way street; we encourage conversation, so get in touch.

We welcome all comers. We want to be friends. Help us do a better job. And we hope that you enjoy Country Hai East Cotton, because we’re proud of it.

These two characters are really doing it. Tell somebody.

Roll some inspiration,
Jai Lil Diamond