Drive and Damon & Naomi RSD titles finally in stock!

Hey folks, we just got stock on the Drive soundtrack (picture disc version) and Damon and Naomi's "Wondrous World of...!" Many of you have been asking for these since RSD and we apologize for the delay, but they ARE here now!

RPM Live at saki with Blizzard Babies and Rod LaFleur!

Revolutions Per Minute's live episode from saki on Record Store Day is up now! Crack open a Little King and learn about bear hate, Canadian healthcare, our hosts' penises (we're assuming that's in there somewhere), stoner music picks and a live set from Blizzard Babies! All the best things!

saki newsletter 4/30/13!

How y'all doin' on this not-at-all-like-Chicago-weather Tuesday!? Oh... stuck at work? Yeah, us too. Well, the memories of this past weekend are kind of helping with our cabin fever. We had an awesome weekend with Creative Control on Friday, Jon Lindsay, Canasta, and Kathleen Judge's opening with Man Is Man on Saturday, and Scriptreaders on Sunday! 

Sleep? Who needs it! Well, maybe we do. We don't have anything planned until this Sunday which is weird for us. We don't even know what to do with ourselves until then! Maybe you should come hang out and listen to music with us all week. That'd be cool, right!?

Anywho, on Sunday we've got the final (for now) edition of Scriptreaders with scripts from Melody Kamali and The Late Live Show's Dan Ronan! If you haven't made it out for any of the Scriptreaders events this past month, they are a BLAST. Don't miss the opportunity to hear some of these scripts before they become big hollywood movies or mildly successful web series!

The next thing we have at saki after that is our Off The Record listening party for May. We'll have an announcement for that coming up very shortly. You're gonna love it!

Oh, and if you have a band and you'd like to play at saki sometime in May, or if you have any other ideas for cool/fun events we could host, shoot us a message!

Stay real, homies!

Upcoming events:

Sunday, May 5th @ 4pm
Scriptreaders! Reading scripts from Dan Ronan and Melody Kamali!

Tuesday, May 21st @ 6pm
Off The Record - May! 

Saturday, May 25th @ time TBA
Revolutions Per Minute live podcast!

Friday, May 31st @ 8pm
Creative Control w/ Joe McAdam!

Friday, June 7th @ 6pm
Opening reception of Potential Difference: New Works by Emily Haasch!

New releases @ saki 4/30/13!

!!! "Thr!!!er" CD and LP

Adventure "Weird Work" LP

Akron/Family "Sub Verses" CD and LP

At The Drive-In "Relationship of Command" CD

Aidan Baker with Plurals "Glass Crocodile Medicine" CD and LP

Cayucas "Bigfoot" CD and LP

Coliseum "Sister Faith" LP

Loren Connors "Departing of a Dream" LP

Cheick Hamala Diabate "Prudence" LP

Gravetemple "Ambient/Ruin" LP

Gruppo D'Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanzai "Musica Su Schemi" (feats. Ennio Morriconne) LP

Guided By Voices "English Little League" CD and LP

Hands "Synesthesia" CD and LP

Haxan Cloak "Excavation" LP

Rollin Hunt "The Phoney" CD and LP

Iggy & the Stooges "Ready To Die" CD

Mark Kozelek and Jimmy LaValle "Perils From The Sea" CD

Numerators "Dead" 7"

Pan American "Cloud Room, Glass Room" CD and LP

Secret Circuit "Tactile Galactics" LP

Ty Segall/Chad and the Meatbodies "LAMC Vol. 7" 7"

The Shivas "Whiteout!" CD and LP

Songs:Ohia "Hecla and Griper" LP

Colin Stetson "New History Warfare Vol. 3" CD and LP

Valleys "Are You Gonna Stand There and Talk Weird All Night?" CD

Weekly new release sale!

Each week saki will be offering a handful of new releases for 20% OFF! You can check the blog, Facebook, Twitter, or our newsletter, to find out which titles will be discounted. We'll choose 2-3 titles each week and they'll be discounted for their entire first week of release!

This week we're offering the new Pan American, Rollin Hunt and Aidan Baker with Plurals for 20% off!

Pan American - Cloud Room, Glass Room CD and LP

With percussionist extraordinaire Steven Hess (LOCRIAN) now a full fledged member, Mark Nelson and Pan American deliver their 1st new album since "White Bird Release" from 2009. Begun with the duo rehearsing for a series of shows, these songs were written together as a group to be played live. Bobby Donne (LABRADFORD, CRISTAL) plays bass on multiple tracks, further emphasizing the live band feel. Mark Nelson's deft production touches abound, while Hess shows a mastery of understated rhythms.


Rollin Hunt - The Phoney CD and LP

The oddly-charming, lo-fi RnB songster pairs up w/ Doni Schroader, who brings gorgeous production to this album. Orchestral arrangements and pyrotechnic studio wizardry, in an awesome synthese of organic and electric that's both warm and futuristic. Released on Chicago's Moniker Records!

Aidan Baker with Plurals - Glass Crocodile Medicine CD and LP

Aidan Baker brought British tour-mates Plurals to the studio with him. A gradual unfurling of intricate layers of sound builds and envelopes the listener over "Dead Foxes In The Street"'s 20 minutes, creating a warm and uplifting aural atmosphere. "Turning Children Into Mice" is a brooding, decidedly sinister beast, weaving a repetitive and increasingly dark threat, until it explodes into a hive of noise and then slowly and poignantly dies a hero's death.

Pan•American "Cloud Room, Glass Room" PITCHFORK 7.1

Pan•American's newest Kranky 2xLP/CD Cloud Room, Glass Room received a 7.1 on Pitchfork today.

Check out the big brains and their words:

"Like most of the material Nelson has released over the years, the primary takeaway from Cloud Room is a notion of the control he exercises over his work no matter where it takes him. He can work around the white-light loops that flicker through understated pieces like 'Glass Room at the Airport', or he can amass a towering stack of splintery discordance on 'Laurel South'. But there's always a sense of an assured hand guiding it all, bringing each part together to serve the greater whole. Even his wilder guitar pieces never reach the point where it feels like he's letting go and there's a sense of order being maintained, of advances being carefully spun through a strict framework. It feels good to be back here again, in a place that's become increasingly rare, but one flushed with a warm feeling of familiarity."

Kathleen Judge: These Roads opens this Sat, April 27th

These Roads: Posters & Prints by Kathleen Judge

Opening Reception: Saturday, April 27th. 7-10pm. Free

Live set by Man is Man

Hors D'oeuvres by: Katy Harington

BYOB

saki is thrilled to present These Roads: Posters & Prints by Kathleen Judge. 

These Roads showcases pieces that highlight places, landscape, light, and motion. A full perspective of Judge’s recognizable style will be on display through a combination of art prints and show posters. 

Kathleen Judge has worked in printmaking, animation, storyboarding, illustration, and created video projection artwork for touring bands and theater. She is well-known for her work within the music community, creating classic posters and album covers for the likes of Neko Case, The Hideout, Daniel Knox, Devil in a Woodpile, and more.

Judge’s hand-printed images and illustrations have been included in books such as Gig Posters - Vol. 1, Rockin’ Down The Highway, Rock Paper Show- Vol. 1, and Growing Up In Slavery, and she shares a Grammy Nomination with Neko Case for Best Recording Package for Middle Cyclone. Judge has created silkscreen prints since 2001 and recently has been developing video projections and theater work with One Degree Off, OperaMatic, and The Hideout. Kathleen Judge has shown her work around Chicago in spaces such as the Chicago Cultural Center, the City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower, Millenium Park, Chicago History Museum, Lill Street Gallery, Transit Gallery, Chicago Printmakers Collaborative, Chicago Tourism Center, A + D gallery, & more. She has also shown her work worldwide in cities such as Berlin, Memphis, Brooklyn, Brighton, Paris, Minneapolis, Savannah, and in the Netherlands.

The opening will also include live music from Man is Man. Capturing the souls of both the lost and the delusional within their intricately wound songs, Man is Man explores the interplay of melody and drama, rhythm and death, revolution and defeat with an unblinking eye.

Please join us Saturday, April 27th from 7-10pm for the opening of These Roads: Posters & Prints by Kathleen Judge. Enjoy a great night of fine art, live music from Man is Man, and enjoy food and beverages provided by saki. This event is FREE.

saki, founded in 2010, is Logan Square’s premier boutique record store, art gallery, and performance space.

Speck Mountain Kickstarting West Coast Tour

Speck Mountain are kickstarting their west coast tour in support of 2013 album Badwater. Thanks to all who have donated so far! Please take a second to check out their Kickstarter page!

12 May 2013 Lincoln, NE @ The Zoo Bar
13 May 2013 Casper, WY @ The Wonder Bar 
14 May 2013 Missoula, MT @ Ole Beck VFW Post 20  
15 May 2013 Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern
16 May 2013 Vancouver, BC @ The Electric Owl 
17 May 2013 Olympia, WA @ Le Voyeur 
18 May 2013 Tacoma, WA @ The Den 
19 May 2013 Portland, OR @ Valentines 
22 May 2013 San Francisco, CA @ Hemlock Tavern 
23 May 2013 Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Bar 
25 May 2013 Los Angeles, CA @ Permanent Records InStore 
26 May 2013 Phoenix, AZ @ The Lost Leaf 
28 May 2013 Fort Collins, CO @ GNU: Experience Gallery 
29 May 2013 Denver, CO @ Merchants Mile High 
30 May 2013 Omaha, NE @ Barley Street Tavern

This weekend at saki!

We've got a pretty crazy weekend in store and it starts tomorrow! Join us Thursday night at 9pm at The Logan Theatre for the very first Crap Shoot presented by saki and Everything Is Terrible. EIT picked the movie, we picked the comics, and it's a match made in heaven (at least the kind of heaven I want to go to anyway).

We're going to watch the not-quite-classic Flyin' Ryan while Joe McAdam, The Puterbaugh Sisters and Jeff Steinbrunner make fun of it. It's similar to the Punch Up series we've been doing at Lincoln Hall, but this time EIT picked the movie AND it's right here in our neighborhood at the lovely Logan Theatre. Stick around after the movie for some drinks in the Logan Lounge while saki's Adam and Caitlin spin some tunes.


Friday night we'll be hanging out back at saki after hours for the ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of our favorite show, Creative Control! We're so happy that we've been able to do this show for a year now and we think this one is going to be very special. The lineup is packed even more than usual! If you haven't been to a Creative Control at saki, this is the time to get on board!

On Saturday we've got a totally packed day with an Epitonic saki Session from Jon Lindsay and Canasta at 4pm and THEN the opening reception for Kathleen Judge's show, These Roads at 7pm! Man is Man will be playing a live set for Kathleen's opening and we'll have the usual accoutrement... you know what we're sayin'. Just come hang out at saki ALL DAY. As long as you can live off cheese, crackers and bite size veggies, you won't need to leave at all!

Sunday is another Scriptreaders! This is quickly becoming another one of our favorite regular series. We've had one every Sunday in April and we'll continue to have them on Sundays through at least May 5th! There are so many talented writers and comics in this city and we're going to keep bringing them to you with this series! Any fans of The Late Live Show or Creative Control would definitely enjoy this unique opportunity to hear some original and very funny scripts come to life. Come on out!

Used Buy!!!

Just got a terrific used buy - lots of excellent post-punk / industrial / new wave / hip-hop bits that we don't always see very often, including the items you see here!!! You should stop in - these probably won't be here very long...

saki newsletter 4/23/13!

Holy Record Store Day, that was nuts! We had a hell of a day and there are so many people to thank. We're going to skip listing them all here, but if you came out to shop, helped us out with promotion, played a live set, or helped out in any other way, you know who you are. You're all the best!

Well folks, life goes on! We've got a new event that we're doing at the Logan Theatre with Everything Is Terrible on Thursday called The Crap Shoot. It's similar to The Punch Ups we've done at Lincoln Hall but, you know, it's at The Logan and that place is the bees knees! Also, with EIT involved you know the movie is going to super ridiculous.

Friday night we've got a very special Creative Control. It's the one year anniversary! This marks exactly one year of Creative Control being our favorite thing ever, so that's pretty special. The lineup will be stellar as always. Bring your own booze and let's get silly.

On Saturday we've got a full day with an Epitonic saki Session from Jon Lindsay and Canasta at 4pm, followed by the opening reception of Kathleen Judge's art show, These Roads at 7pm! We've been working on getting Kathleen in here for a while now so we really can't wait for this one.

On Sunday we've got another installment of our new Scriptreaders series. Each Sunday (through May 5th) we're bringing in some of Chicago's most talented young screenwriters to work out some of their new material. The last two have been a blast with some really amazing scripts from Joe Kwaczala and Conor Sullivan. This Sunday we'll be Andrew Smrekers Untitles Cult Sitcom. We have no idea what that is, but know Andrew it's sure to be a good one!

Upcoming events:

Thursday, April 25th @ 9pm
saki and Everything Is Terrible present The Crap Shoot at The Logan Theatre!
Joe McAdam, The Puterbaugh Sisters and Jeff Steinbrunner heckle the movie Flyin' Ryan!

Friday, April 26th @ 8pm
The One Year Anniversary of Creative Control with Joe McAdam!

Saturday, April 27th @ 4pm
Epitonic saki Session with Jon Lindsay and Canasta!

Saturday, April 27th @ 7pm
Opening reception of These Roads: Posters and Prints by Kathleen Judge!

Sunday, April 28th @ 4pm
Scriptreaders! A reading of Andrew Smrekers Untitled Cult Sitcom featuring Joe Kwaczala, John Eisenrich, Andrew Smreker, Christina Boucher and more!

One more day to buy kites, mobiles, prints from "MORE LIKE AN OCEAN" gallery show

You only have until tomorrow afternoon to enjoy "MORE LIKE AN OCEAN: Windshowers by Mary Rothlisberger & Paul Richardson." We are so bummed to see this this work leave our space. It will make us feel a little better if it was going to a good home! We've got kites, mobiles ("windflowers"), prints, coloring books, or mini-kites still for sale. Each would make a great gift (Mother's Day, anyone?), art piece, or snail mail (coloring books are $6!). Come enjoy this gorgeous show for one more day.

New releases @ saki 4/23/13!

Waylon Jennings - Goin' Down Rockin': The Last Recordings LP
June of 44 - Four Great Points LP
Junip - S/T LP
Low + Dirty Three - In The Fishtank Vol. 7 CD and LP
Phoenix - Bankrupt CD, deluxe CD and LP
Laura Stevenson - Wheel CD and LP
Tortoise and The Ex - In The Fishtank Vol. 5 LP

Weekly new release sale!

Each week saki will be offering a handful of new releases for 20% OFF! You can check the blog, Facebook, Twitter, or our newsletter, to find out which titles will be discounted. We'll choose 2-3 titles each week and they'll be discounted for their entire first week of release!

This week we're continuing the sale on Disappears' Kone 12" and adding the new Phoenix and Low + Dirty Three In The Fishtank reissue for 20% off!

Disappears - Kone 12"

LIMITED EDITION OF 1000! Comes with download. Disappears take 30 plus minutes to stretch out into the void, get abstract and make something that's rare these days - music that asks the listener to listen. 2 different versions of "Kone" (the B-Side "Edit" ends in a lock groove to infinity!) plus one new cut to boot!

Low + Dirty Three - In The Fishtank Vol. 7 CD or LP

Low and Dirty Three collaborate on a truly amazing set of songs here - the combination of Low's open, desolate sound and the melancholic yet folky violin of Dirty Three's Warren Ellis inspired Low to indulge in a more crooning way of singing and to add banjo to the works.

***Sale does NOT include the gold vinyl RSD LP version!***

Phoenix - Bankrupt CD, deluxe CD or LP

Phoenix are back! After hitting the big time with the pure pop perfection of 2009's Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, the band took a few years to carefully craft a follow-up (as is their way). As the band puts it, "We wanted it to be really fluid and simple, like a sphere made of marble. You just see a sphere, but there's a guy who polished it for a year."

The State of the Vinyl Music Business

Cool new video for Carmen Villain's "Easy"

Flooding In Chicago: the REAL STORY with pictures.

My wife wrote this in response to our alderman's response to being prepared in this article:

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20130418/albany-park/chicago-river-locks-opened-avoid-repeat-of-2008-flood-along-north-branch

In response to the following "Ald. Margaret Laurino (39th) said the city would work to develop a flood plan for Foster Avenue, but she felt confident about the response to the floods. “We are a little more prepared this time,” said Laurino. “We’re sandbagging, they’re sending the fire department up and down streets, though they can’t force people to leave their homes.”

I live on the 4900 block of N. Saint Louis Ave where it dead ends at the Chicago River. When I purchased the condo it was not in a flood zone, and the last flood was in 1987. After the 2008 flood I have carefully monitored weather so I would not be unprepared again. On Tuesday I called Laurino's office to tell them that the neighborhood needed proactive help to prevent loss because the river was going to flood again to the proportion of 2008. First, I got bounced around between her office and another Ward office because my street is now in a new Ward. However, the new Ward wasn't fully transitioned so Laurino's staffer agreed to take responsibility. I told her that if the Alderman's office could advocate on our behalf for two things - opening the locks ahead of extreme high water and sandbags prior to the river overflowing the banks - that would mitigate the flooding to the neighborhood and the subsequent expense. The staffer dutifully took that down and even called me back to tell me the city had no sandbags available due to budget cuts. Comforting.

Ok, so they could have dismissed me as paranoid, but after NOAA issued a Hydrologic Outlook for moderate to major flooding on the North Branch of the Chicago River last night, a thing the NOAA have NEVER done, perhaps that would be the time to open the locks and prepare the sandbags. But, it was 10:30pm so it can wait till the morning. At 6am the river was at 8.22 feet. But, it had not yet spilled into the street, at least on my block. They could have started sandbagging, or left us with sand and bags at that time. At 6am I called 311. They said they would get someone from the city water department to call me back. No call. At 8:30am we had a torrential downpour of about another inch of rain. A city water person drove down our street and agreed with me that it was pretty bad and they were sending everything they had. No one showed up. By the time I gave up trying to sandbag our front door, etc. and left nature to its devices at 11am we saw a few police directing traffic on Ainslie, one firetruck blocking the way on Central Park at Argyle, and a lone tow truck removing flooded vehicles. 

The heavy rains and flooding are our new reality. The city shouldn't be working on a plan - they should have HAD a plan. 2008 was a wakeup call. 2010 was a dodged bullet. This time they should have been ready. The plan shouldn't be to wait until factors are beyond mitigation and to simply repair the damage at great time and expense. But then, that's my problem, right?

Check the pics below.  This is how "prepared" our alderman's office was.  These photos were taken within the same hour, not over the course of several hours. As you can see, no one from the City is helping out, (ahem), I mean "showing off how prepared they are to the residents to pay their salaries."

Revolutions Per Minute Podcast Taping at saki, Mar 30, 2013

Revolutions Per Minute Podcast Taping at saki, Mar 30, 2013, a set on Flickr.

Nicholas Rouley and Joe McAdam tame the lion.

Albert Brooks's Celebrity Impersonation Kit

as revealed to Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show 1983.

The Record Store Day After: New York's Iconic Bleecker Bob's Closes

Mitch Myers: What becomes of the vinyl faithful now that the Greenwich Village mainstay -- in business since 1967 -- has shut its doors?

For many of Bob's generation and their progeny, frequenting a record store was like hanging at Cheers, where everybody knew your name -- or loafing at the barbershop where an assortment of semisocialized individuals came together and agreed to disagree. But like most small businesses, a record store usually relies on one person to keep the enterprise going. Independent retailers can endure only as long as that one person is able and interested.

Read the rest, including Myers's unexpectedly nifty bin pick at Hollywood Reporter.

New Speck Mountain Film Collaboration, Unreleased Track, & Tour Dates

Ready for some more Speck Mountain? Following up on their most recent release Badwater (Carrot Top Records), Speck Mountain return with a new film collaboration for the album's title track and a new non-LP track Lies. A full slew of tour dates are also coming up including New York, Chicago, Seattle, and LA!

Renowned French culture and fashion magazine Purple premiered the film collaboration of Speck Mountain x Jem Goulding x Gael Foucher. They share a heartbreaking story about collaborator Gael Foucher and the process of how this film came together. Watch the video below. Read the full story here.

"A symbolic song sent to [Jem] Goulding by Speck Mountain...making the project one of fated synchronicity and the unknown." - Purple

Culture heavy-hitter PaperMag premiered a new, non-LP Speck Mountain track called Lies. The track will be available on iTunes later this week. Listen below!

"We're happy to unveil non-LP b-side Lies, which pulls off the old Velvet Underground trick (perhaps derived from Indian raga) of building tension between a battering-ram bassline and a one-note high-end drone." - PaperMag





Upcoming tour dates:

April 20 @ Reckless Records RECORD STORE DAY, Wicker Park, 2pm, FREE | Chicago, IL
April 26 @ Cameo Gallery w/ Lazyeyes and WIM | Brooklyn, NY
May 12 @ Zoo Bar | Lincoln, NE
May 13 @ The Wonder Bar | Casper, WY
May 14 @ Ole Beck VFW Post 209 | Missoula, MT
May 15 @ Sunset Tavern | Seattle, WA
May 16 @ Electric Owl | Vancouver, BC
May 17 @ Le Voyeur | Olympia, WA
May 18 @ The Den | Tacoma, WA
May 19 @ Valentines | Portland, OR
May 22 @ Hemlock Tavern | San Francisco, CA
May 23 @ Bootleg Bar | Los Angeles, CA
May 25 @ Permanent Records In-Store, FREE | Los Angeles, CA
May 26 @ The Lost Leaf | Phoenix, AZ
May 28 @ GNU Experience Gallery | Fort Collins, CO
May 29 @ Merchant Mile High | Denver, CO
May 30 @ Barley Street Tavern | Omaha, NE
June 3 @ Millennium Park w/ Sharon Van Etten | Chicago, IL

RPM podcast taping Saturday (post-RSD)!

Joe and Nick are coming back to saki for another live episode of Revolutions Per Minute! Come watch them be foolish and talk about music with Blizzard Babies after our in-store marathon on Saturday for Record Store Day!

Before you do though, check out the first live episode of RPM that we hosted a few weeks ago!

saki newsletter 4/16/13!

Gadzooks! Everything is crazy here in Record Store World, what with Record Store Day looming and all. Before we get into all that, we'd like to thank Implodes, Chris Hefner, DCASE, Provenance Food and Wine, Epitonic and Kranky Records for helping us make this past Friday's Off The Record with Implodes such a wonderful event! Recurring Dream has been on repeat around here for weeks and it just keeps better every time we listen. Stay tuned for details on next month's Off The Record with JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound! 

We'd also like to thank Joe Kwaczala and all of the folks who came out for the very first Scriptreaders at saki. We had a great time. Scriptreaders will continue every Sunday at saki throughout April and into the first week of May. It's a really fun opportunity to hear some new and often really funny work from local comics and screenwriters!

Ok, so hopefully you all know by now that this Saturday is Record Store Day. As always, we try to make RSD at saki as much fun as possible. Sure, we all want those limited releases, but what are you to do all day after you get that Liquid Swords box set!? Well, we've got an in-store marathon running from 1pm to 7pm (we'll announce the full lineup tomorrow with BV Chicago) followed by a short break and then another live taping of the Revolutions Per Minute podcast with hosts Joe McAdam and Nick Rouley and their guests Blizzard Babies!

That's just the meat of it. We've also got CHIRP Radio coming out to give away prizes from CHIRP, saki and a hand-picked number of other local stores and venues, through their CHIRP-Plinko game (you may remember it from last year)! CHIRP DJs will also be spinning in between the bands all day!

If you're one of the true record nuts who wake up early on RSD to line up in front of the store, we've got you covered! We open at 9am, but around 8:30 our friends from Santah and Gaslight Coffee Roasters will be serving complimentary coffee and playing a few songs for the true believers! It's our little way of saying thanks for coming out early on RSD. We hope you come and enjoy it!

For the most possible info on saki's RSD festivities, and what RSD titles we have in stock, check the RSD 2013 page on our blog!

Upcoming events:

Saturday, April 20th from 9am-10pm
Record Store Day! 

Sunday, April 21st @ 4pm
Scriptreaders!

Thursday, April 25th, 9pm @ The Logan Theatre 
saki and Everything Is Terrible! present: The Crap Shoot!

Friday, April 26th @ 8pm
Creative Control with Joe McAdam - One Year Anniversary show!

Saturday, April 27th @ 4pm
Epitonic saki Session with Jon Lindsay and Canasta! 

Saturday, April 27th @ 7pm 
Opening reception of These Roads: posters and prints by Kathleen Judge!

Friday, June 7th @ 6pm
Opening reception of Potential Difference: New Works by Emily Haasch!

New releases @ saki 4/16/13!

1939 Ensemble - Howl and Bite LP

V/A - Acid Mysterons Invade The Jackin' Zone: Chicago House Vol. 1 and 2 CD and LP (with graphic novel)

ADR - Chunky Monkey CD and LP

Anika - S/T CD EP

Aidan Baker - Already Drowning CD

Bardo Pond - Ticket Crystals LP

Barn Owl - V CD and LP

Bibio - Tout L'Heure 7"

Blank Realm - Go Easy CD and LP

Born Ruffians - Birthmarks LP

Catholic Spray - Earth Slime LP

Disappears - Kone 12" (20% off this week!)

Expo 70 - Virtually From The Unknown LP

The Feeling of Love - Reward Your Grace LP

The Flaming Lips - The Terror CD and LP (20% off this week!)

Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge - 12 Reasons To Die CD

David Grubbs - The Plain Where The Palace Stood CD and LP

Xander Harris - New Dark Age of Love LP

Heavy Hawaii - Goosebumps LP

Iron and Wine - Ghost on Ghost CD and LP (20% off this week!)

Jim Jam Gems Vol. 1 and 2 10"s

Harmony Korine - A Crackup at the Race Riots paperback book

Locust - You'll Be Safe Forever LP

Major Lazer - Free The Universe CD

Marquis de Tren and Bonny Billy - Solemns LP

Merzbow - Takahe Collage CD

Miles - Faint Hearted LP

John Parish - Screenplay LP

Rich Ristagno - What Would It Be Like To Be Rich

Frank Rosaly - Cicade Music CD

Scott & Charlene's Wedding - Two Weeks 10"

Micah Blue Smaldone - Ring of the Rise LP

Tiago Sousa - Samsara LP

Spacemen 3 - Performance (180 gr orange vinyl) LP

Tera Melos - X'ed Out LP

Thee Oh Sees - Floating Coffin LP

The Thermals - Desperate Ground CD and LP

Urinals - S/T, Sex, and Another EP 7"s

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Mosquito CD and LP

Zomes - Time Was LP

Weekly new release sale @ saki!

Each week saki will be offering a handful of new releases for 20% OFF! You can check the blog, Facebook, Twitter, or our newsletter, to find out which titles will be discounted. We'll choose 2-3 titles each week and they'll be discounted for their entire first week of release!

This week we're offering the new Flaming Lips, Iron and Wine and Disappears for 20% off!

The Flaming Lips - The Terror LP

Their 13th studio album is comprised of nine original compositions that reflect a darker-hued spectrum, along with a more inward-looking lyrical perspective. It's a bold and expressive journey that has evolved over their near 30-years, as we've come to expect the unexpected. Side D of the vinyl version features a remix.

Iron and Wine - Ghost on Ghost CD and LP

Fifth release from singer-songwriter Sam Beam, using the pen name Iron and Wine. The album was produced by Beam's longtime associate Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Califone, Fruit Bats) and follows 2011's Kiss Each Other Clean, which debuted at #2 on the Billboard chart to critical acclaim.





Disappears - Kone 12"

LIMITED EDITION OF 1000! Comes with download. Disappears take 30 plus minutes to stretch out into the void, get abstract and make something that's rare these days - music that asks the listener to listen. 2 different versions of "Kone" (the B-Side "Edit" ends in a lock groove to infinity!) plus one new cut to boot!

Get a portrait at Shake Shop on 4/27 and 4/28!

Stop by Shake Shop on 4/27 and 4/28 to get your picture taken with a beautiful handmade backdrop from Rob Karlic!

We'll see you there because this sounds like the best thing ever. Babies and pets encouraged! Except snakes. Don't you dare bring a snake you crazy jerk.

TONIGHT: Off The Record - a listening party with Implodes' "Recurring Dream"

Just a reminder, we will not have beer from Goose Island but you CAN B Your Own B!

We WILL have hors d'oeuvres from Provenance Food and Wine and Chris Hefner WILL be providing visual accompaniment to Implodes' set at 8pm!

Charles Joly on ABC News

Charles Joly, beverage director at the Aviary, stopped by ABC 7 News to discuss local distilleries and how he incorporates their products into his cocktails.

Handsome Family's Greatest Hits YouTube Playlist.

A long time coming. Enjoy.
Love,
CTR

Foxygen's Epitonic saki Session is up now!

Hot on the heels of Angel Olsen's Epitonic saki Session, here's Foxygen!

They were recorded on the same day as part of one of the best double-bill's we've ever had!

Enjoy!

Foxygen - Epitonic saki Session

saki newsletter 4/9/13!

Ok folks, we're going to be as brief as possible (read: typos out the arse) because Record Store Day is upon is and things are really heating up in the proverbial kitchen!

We'd like to thank Paul Richardson and Mary Rothlisberger for coming to town and setting up a beautiful art show for us. We had the opening this past Friday with a stunning live set from Ryley Walker. If you haven't picked up Ryley's 7" on Addenda. Do that TODAY! Paul and Mary's show will be up through the 26th. Come check it out before then. It's one of the coolest things we've had in our store to date!

On Saturday we hosted the dumbest, but also the most fun, event we've ever had. Show Me The Jerrys! was a celebration of Everything Is Terrible's completely ridiculous campaign to save all of the Jerry Maguire VHS tapes in the world from certain demise. They've collected about 5,000 copies of the Cameron Crowe *ahem* classic and we decorated our store with about 3,500 of those copies. There are a few hundred still here if you want to come check them out for some crazy reason... up to you! Thanks to all the EIT folks and to Natalie Jose, Katie McVay, Lisa Lauretta and Chad Briggs for providing the night's entertainment. We had way more fun than you probably think.

This weekend we've got our Off The Record listening party for April. This month we're celebrating Implodes' incredible new record (their best yet) Recurring Dream! The band will play a live set at 8pm with visual accompaniment from our mutual friend - filmmaker, Chris Hefner. After their set we'll play Recurring Dream in it's entirety and have a little reception for the band with food provided by Provenance Food and Wine! Like all of our events, Off The Record is FREE, BYOB and ALL AGES. Bring yo' kids. Bring yo' wife!

On Saturday, we'll be out at the CHIRP Record Fair selling the wares. Find our table and say hi to Karl and Matt!

Of course, the BIG deal this month is Record Store Day on the 20th. If  you've been to saki on Record Store Day in past years, you know we go all out! As always, we'll have an in-store marathon going for most of the day with Twin Peaks, Fake Limbs, Pink Avalanche, Radar Eyes and a few others we can't announce just yet! Check our RSD 2013 page on the blog for the most up-to-date info! We'll also have our friends from CHIRP DJing between the bands and helping us give away some cool prizes, in addition to all the usual freebies and exclusive Record Store Day titles. 

After all the hoopla dies down we're hosting another live Revolutions Per Minute podcast taping with Nick Rouley and Joe McAdam at 8pm! Their guests this time around will be Blizzard Babies who will sit in for an interview and play a short live set. If you missed our first live RPM at saki, the podcast just went up today! You can subscribe in iTunes or check it out at The Nicest Guys In Town site. Stay tuned for a lot more info on Record Store Day in the next few days!

Upcoming events:

Friday, April 12th @ 7pm 
Off The Record: a listening party for Implodes' 'Recurring Dream'! 

Saturday, April 13th
Find us at the CHIRP Record Fair!

Sunday, April 14th @ 4pm 
Scriptreaders! New and noteworthy scripts read by local comics and writers! 

Saturday, April 20th 
Record Store Day! 

Thursday, April 25th, 9pm @ The Logan Theatre 
saki and Everything Is Terrible! present: The Crap Shoot! 

Friday, April 26th @ 8pm
Creative Control w/ Joe McAdam: One-Year Anniversary Edition!

Saturday, April 27th @ 4pm
Epitonic saki Session w/ Jon Lindsay and Canasta!

Saturday, April 27th @ 7pm 
Opening reception of These Roads: posters and prints by Kathleen Judge!

New Releases @ saki 4/9/13

Implodes, Population and Acteurs at Empty Bottle tonight!

Tonight's show at the Empty Bottle is one of the best lineups EVER and it's FREE. You'd be a damn fool not to go - a FOOL!

Implodes record release show with Population and Acteurs

However, if you are foolish enough to miss it, you can still catch Implodes at saki this Friday for our April Off The Record listening party! The band will be getting some visual accompaniment from our mutual friend, the multi-talented, Chris Hefner! After Implodes' set we will play their new album Recurring Dream in its entirety for anyone who hasn't had the chance to hear it yet!

Off The Record is FREE and BYOB!

KEXP Music that Matters #350 :: Speck Mountain "Badwater"

If you're an avid listener of KEXP Music That Matters podcast, you may have noticed that Speck Mountain Badwater is featured up top as track #2! It's a solid playlist this week including Kinski, Bleached, Marnie Stern, and more. These tunes certainly do matter, and we hope you love them as much as we do!

Keep a lookout for a Badwater video collaboration with Jem Goulding & Gael Foucher that will premiere later this week.

Order the LP or CD of Badwater here.

Upcoming tour dates:
April 20 | Chicago, IL | Record Store Day @ Reckless Records Wicker Park | 2pm, FREE
April 26 | Brooklyn, NY | Cameo Gallery w/ Lazy Eyes and Modern Rivals
May 15 | Seattle, WA | Sunset Tavern
May 17 | Olympia, WA | Le Voyeur
May 22 | San Francisco, CA | Hemlock Tavern
May 23 | Los Angeles, CA | Bootleg Bar
May 25 | Los Angeles, CA | Permanent Records In-Store FREE
May 29 | Denver, CO | Merchants Mile High
June 3 | Chicago, IL | Millennium Park w/ Sharon Van Etten!

Weekly New Release Sale @ saki!

Each week saki will be offering a handful of new releases for 20% OFF! You can check the blog, Facebook, Twitter, or our newsletter, to find out which titles will be discounted. We'll choose 2-3 titles each week and they'll be discounted for their entire first week of release!

This week we're offering Implodes' Recurring Dream and The Postal Service's 10th Anniversary Edition of Give Up and Kurt Vile's Wakin' On A Pretty Daze (deluxe and regular edition) for 20% off!

Implodes - Recurring Dream CD and LP

With "Recurring Dream", Implodes breathes fresh air. Melodies that were once distant echoes are now suffused with energy & clarity of purpose, submerged rhythms now walk in the light of day. Implodes does not, however, eschew its heritage. Heaviness abounds. The band has not abandoned the crushing pressure of the deep, dark places. But "Recurring Dream" breaches the thin membrane that contained its previous efforts and preys unmolested in its new environment. Come see them at saki on 4/12 for Off The Record: Implodes' "Recurring Dream!"

The Postal Service - Give Up 10th Anniversary edition

It's been 10 years since this little project from BEN GIBBARD (aka DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE) and JIMMY TAMBORELLO (DNTEL) emerged from seemingly nowhere and began to burrow into the ears of anyone who came in contact w/ the band's infectious electro-pop. Originally released in '03 this deluxe reissue features remixes from the likes of MATTHEW DEAR and STYROFOAM, live performances, and covers by THE SHINS and IRON and WINE. Also, comes with a special postcard packet while they last!

Kurt Vile - Wakin' On A Pretty Daze

A 69-minute double album comprised of sweeping, expansive songs that are both very intimate and conversational. It is a timeless record that would have sounded great 30 years ago, sounds great today, and will still sound great in another 30 years. We've got the deluxe and regular versions!

New Releases @ saki 4/9/13!

James Blake "Overgrown" CD
Clothilde "French Swinging Mademoiselle 1967" LP
Geater Davis "Lost Soul" LP
Deadstring Brothers "Cannery Row" CD and LP
Deepchord "10/11/12 (remastered)" 3x12"
Lawrence English "Lonely Women's Club" LP
The Feeling Of Love "Reward Your Grace" LP
Fennesz "17.02.12" LP box
The Knife "Shaking The Habitual" LP
Land Lines "S/T" LP
Livids "Your House Or The Courthouse" 7"
Local H "Hallelujah! I'm A Bum" LP
Locust "You'll Be Safe Forever" LP
London Is The Place For Me Vol. 4 LP
London Is The Place For Me Vols. 5 and 6 CD
Mouthbreathers "Nowhere Else To Go" 7"
Paal Nilssen-Love and Terrie Ex "Gored Gored" CD
The Postal Service "Give Up" 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (comes with postcard packet while they last!)
Son Volt "Honky Tonk" LP
Vampire Weekend "Diane Young" 7"
Kurt Vile "Wakin' On A Pretty Daze" CD, LP and deluxe LP

Show Me The Jerrys! A work in progress.

Join us tonight for Show Me The Jerrys at 7pm!