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Promo Ends: July 31st
Enter to win a Surprises prize pack including a one-of-a-kind overdrive pedal built by Brooks Daniel Paschal, limited edition vinyl, a test pressing, and more. The new album Natural Disaster comes out everywhere on May 31st! Enter to win here and pre-order the album on limited edition vinyl to get an instant download of three songs, signed artwork, and a super sweet 4-piece Surprises button set!
Spartan Records teamed up with mixologist Andrew Schools to create the label’s first original cocktail: El Espartano. Check out the recipe below, as well as an exclusive interview with the mixologist about the inspiration behind the drink, a featured artist playlist, and photos and videos documenting the creation of the drink. Stay thirsty, my friends.
El Espartano
1 1/2 oz reposado tequila
1 oz lime
3/4 oz blue Curacao
1/4 oz cointreau
1/2 oz of simple syrup
1 barspoon of St. Germaine
Add ice to shaker. Shake, rattle, and roll, then pour over crushed ice. Garnish with Black Sea Salt. Enjoy!
What’s in an El Espartano? What’s the process for creating the drink?
I am not sure how most people create cocktails, but for me with the El Espartano, I was focused on a few things: the color, the look of the drink, and the flavors. I wanted the color to represent Spartan with the blue and black. Living in North Carolina, I might have subconsciously made it a little bit Carolina blue. Once I decided on that, I wanted to find a good flavor profile for summer time, and what's a better summer drink than a good margarita? I started with reposado tequila because that's a personal favorite of mine, and then I added lime and Cointreau, which are the usual suspects for a margarita. After that, I wanted to get the color right, so I went with Blue Curaçao which really brought this concept to life. I sampled quite a few and decided the drink was still missing something. I added in a bar spoon of St. Germaine, and to me that's what really took it over the edge. I think the slight floral notes really enhanced the overall beverage. When garnishing, I have always loved black sea salt, so it seemed like the right choice — but you have to be careful with it because too much will overpower everything else. I was really pleased with the end result and overall balance. The only real problem is it goes down too quickly.
How are the qualities of Spartan Records represented in the El Espartano?
Spartan Records represents a label that is putting out music they are passionate about. It's not bound by genres and is a free-spirited. They also seem to put a lot of time and attention into the quality of the vinyl and the releases. I hope I’ve captured the label’s character and attention to detail in the drink; I think I hit the mark, but you'll have to be the judge.
Is this something that can be made at home, or does it require some knowledge of mixology?
I had the everyday home bartender in mind when I was making this. I didn't want to use hard to find ingredients. I wanted anyone who wanted to try it to be able to pick up everything at their local liquor store. Creating the drink does not require any real knowledge of mixology and can be enjoyed by just about anyone.
What led you to bartending / mixology?
I have always been into cocktails and craft beer for as long as I can remember. There is one event in particular that really put me on a course to learn more about mixology. I was visiting friends in Denver several years back, and on one of the days, we did a distillery tour at Leopold Brothers which really opened my mind to what's possible with distilling. That same day we took a drive up into the mountains to a little town called Silver Plume, specifically to a bar in an old corner store called Bread Bar For lack of a better word, it was a magical experience for me. The space was incredible, and the way they handcrafted cocktails was eye opening to me. I would just give the bartenders a spirit I liked, and they would come back with the most delicious things I've ever had, every time. I knew this was an outlet I wanted to pursue, and once I got home my learning experience started.
What is the most vivid memory you have attached to a specific drink?
There is a bar in Charlotte, NC called Dot Dot Dot and the bartender Stefan had a drink on his menu called a Truffled Whiskey Sour. It was a traditional whiskey sour with truffled egg whites. When I tasted that for the first time, I had two thoughts — this is what a whiskey sour should be, and this is how you elevate something. That was a benchmark drink for me, and I try to capture that in anything that I create.
How would you describe your artistic process in crafting original drinks?
My approach can happen in one of two ways -- I think about flavors and flavor combinations a lot. Some of my drinks come from me just thinking whether certain ingredients would play well together and then starting the trial and error process. Another way I can create is to try something somewhere and come up with an idea about how to riff or do it differently. However, most of the time I'll be doing something non-cocktail related and an idea will pop in my head.
How could you compare the creative process of crafting original cocktails with making music?
I really find the creative process for me with cocktails and music about the same. I work when I feel inspired and ideas just come to me. It's nice for me to have multiple outlets and different ways to express myself.
Where is mixology heading?
I think mixology is heading down a good path right now. A lot of places are putting an emphasis on local and homemade ingredients and getting away from premixed stuff. I think it's becoming more of a community all the time with the bartenders guild, and everyone seems to be pulling for each other.
When you are sitting at home on the couch, what are you drinking?
I have been on the biggest Manhattan kick lately and trying out lots of variations of that. I love how few ingredients it has, yet how it is packed with flavor and delicacies. It's also very boozy, which I am a fan of. I can also find myself sipping on a Miller High Life or Coors Banquet at times, as well. It's not always about the fancy drink.
What are your thoughts on the nation’s growing interest in home brewing and home distilling? Is this a good thing, or leave it to the pros?
I have mixed feelings on this, but more in the craft beer world than in distilling. I think craft beer is becoming oversaturated in some places, and instead of having a couple breweries doing really good stuff, you now how have to sort through a lot of mediocre beers to find diamonds in the rough. I think eventually that will even itself out through competition with the best breweries surviving. As far as distilling goes, I think we can see that market continue to grow, and it definitely has not reached its peak yet.
Anything else you’d like to share about yourself or your work?
I do this because I love it and that's the important thing. Pursue what you are passionate about, keep learning, never be satisfied, and enjoy the process. You can check out my cocktails on Instagram at @bwc_cocktails and my latest music project Old Faith here.
We're so excited to premiere The Darling Fire's new single "The Constant" today at BrooklynVegan. The song comes off the band's forthcoming debut album Dark Celebration which is out everywhere on June 14th. The band is veritable mosaic of indie notoriety featuring Jolie Lindholm on vocals/guitar (The Rocking Horse Winner, Dashboard Confessional), Jeronimo Gomez on guitar (The Rocking Horse Winner, As Friends Rust), Steven Kleisath on drums (Further Seems Forever, Shai Hulud), plus Gregg Moore on bass and Matthew Short on guitar.
On "The Constant," lead singer Jolie Lindholm shares: "'The Constant' is about a protector's inability to rescue those he's attempting to save, because they don't want to be saved - an ineffective hero, who's left with no choice but to walk away."
Pre-orders for the album are available now on limited edition vinyl at the Spartan store and all orders include an instant download of two songs now.
The long-awaited new album from Surprises' Natural Disaster comes out everywhere on May 31st and we're excited to unveil the new music video for "Tell The World" today at PopMatters. Entirely self-produced, filmed and edited by Brooks Pascahl, the video is a testament to the DIY spirit of the album.
Of the video
Paschal says, "This was the first music video I made and it came after a few
failed ideas I had trying to make a video for another song. Doing it
myself, I knew that I had to master the basics of filming and editing. I
wanted to make a video that captured the performances but I didn't want
to get 'Brooks' fatigue. So the idea was simple, different colors for
different performances and back light all of the 'members' except for me
singing. That created the shadow effect. After I had the shots, it was
just a matter of editing it in a way that kept it interesting. My main
goal with the video was to capture the energy of the performance without
distracting from the message of the song."
Natural Disaster is available for pre-order now on limited edition vinyl at the Spartan store and all pre-orders include an instant high-quality download of two songs + exclusive bonus track "Natural Disaster" (A Capella)" on May
31st. The
first 100 pre-orders will also include a 12" x 12" lithograph autographed by
Brooks Paschal and a Surprises 4-piece
button set (limit one per order).
The new album from Charleston, South Carolina noise-punk agitators, Florida Man, Tropical Depression, drops everywhere this Friday! The album is a menacing slab of riffs and feedback that offers hardcore heaviness mixed with groove-laden noise rock menace, and today we've teamed with Revolver to premiere one more early taste in the form of "Rat On The Loose." Florida Man's music is innately aggressive but the band excel at injecting that pummeling sound with a surprising amount of memorable hooks. "Rat On The Loose" features a vocal performance that takes a few pages from the Ian MacKaye book of shout-singing, and a tambourine-fueled chorus as catchy as the guitars are biting. Revolver praised the song, calling it, "a blistering track that might best be described as Pissed Jeans with Spencer Moody from Murder City Devils covering Give, though other favorites such as Drive like Jehu come to mind on the urgent and furious track." Get the album on limited edition vinyl at the Spartan store to get an instant download of two new songs before Friday.
The band ill be touring in support of Tropical Depression all throughout the spring and summer, with the first run of East Coast dates starting this week. See full itinerary below.
05/03 Charleston, SC @ The Royal American
05/04 Columbia, SC @ New Brookland Tavern
05/09 Savannah, GA @ El-Rocko Lounge
05/10 Jacksonville, FL @ Rain Dogs
05/11 Atlanta, GA @ East Arcanum Studio
05/12 Athens, GA @ Hi-Lo
06/13 Richmond, VA @ Wonderland
06/14 Philadelphia, PA @ Pharmacy
06/15 Boston, MA @ Hong Kong
06/16 Brooklyn, NY @ Gold Sounds
06/17 Harrisonburg, VA @ The Golden Pony
06/18 Raleigh, NC @ Pour House Music Hall
Welcome to "Demons’ Discourse,” a new, episodic blog series featuring Zach Gehring from the band Demons.
In each installment of the series, Zach will share some thoughts on a topic related to the world of music and art. Readers will then be invited to respond via email to begin a dialogue on the topic. Select responses will be shared and discussed in future installments of the series. Zach will also share relevant media and an audio playlist inspired by the topic to create a fully immersive experience. The idea is provide a platform where artists and readers can push past the typical content that exists on band/label blogs and really dig into some substantive topics. The hope is that, as a result, some meaningful conversations will emerge.
So without further ado, let the discourse begin.
Demons’ Discourse #1 - “Selling Out”
We’re music fans, and we’ve all been involved in discussions about music and the topic of selling out. To be sure, at this point, the conversation is perhaps tedious and tired. The notion of selling out is almost an anachronism. I would argue that it doesn’t apply in any descriptive or categorical way to this current era of the music industries or cultures. Digital media tools, and social media platforms have radically altered the playing field and opened up a proliferation of avenues through which musicians and bands can maintain creative and business autonomy. The reductive framing of “selling out” is no longer a productive litmus because so much of the labor is placed upon the artist.
That being said, I think that there’s a symbolic dimension of “selling out” that still maintains a cultural influence, albeit indirectly — it still functions as a pillar of underground music culture, a culture that Spartan Records, despite our ambitions, is ultimately rooted in. And to be sure, it functions in mainstream music culture as well. I’m interested in why the residue of “selling out” is still relevant (yes, I do believe it’s still relevant), and why its various forms still inform our interactions and exchanges.
When we talk about selling out, we reveal an underlying shared idealism — a shared belief and recognition that music is crucial to our understanding of how we see the world, and how we think the world should be. I’m not trying to say that music can change the world - that’s naive. What I’m saying is that for people like us, music stabilizes us in a problematically unstable world. When we talk about selling out, we aren’t talking about money or bullshit notions of authenticity or being “real” — we’re drawing from a map world we’re imagining or remembering, a world we were once a part of that has since been colonized by everything it was immune from and opposed to.
British sociomusicologist and rock critic Simon Frith wrote that our opinions about music and artists are “almost always entangled with social explanations.” When we talk about the music we love, and the ideal environment in which it should be experienced - we’re talking about more than music explicitly, we’re talking about more than the record label it was released on, the producer, the way it was recorded, etc. (which are just symbolic stand ins for something larger and more abstract). Rather, as Frith goes on to claim, we are talking about “a more inchoate feature of the music itself, a perceived quality of sincerity and commitment” that is “ related to the ways in which we judge people’s sincerity generally; it is a human as well as musical judgment.”
Ultimately, what we are talking about are the subjective, ethical, and cultural dimensions that drew us to music in the first place - and we impose those values on specific symbolic manifestations of music culture - the song, the artist, the rock club, the labor and revolutionary potential of creativity, the shared fabric that centers around art and rooted in community. It works differently for each of us - but we all understand. We all get it.
Selling out is a betrayal of rules. We don’t agree on the rules, but we understand that there are rules - and our conversations, the shows we go to, the music we listen to and create, the strong opinions we have - it all informs the culture and moves it forward.
Additional media:
Check out this interview where Simon Frith addresses the notion of authenticity in popular music.
Also, check out the first Demons’ Discourse playlist, titled "Selling Out Sounds Great" - a collection of songs that deal explicitly with notions of authenticity from different angles - sincere appeals (Mineral, Tom Petty), sarcastic takes (Jawbreaker, NOFX), resentful takes (Lagwagon), wise takes (The Clash), and attacks in the name of authenticity (The Vandals, Propagandhi).
Don’t forget to respond here to continue the dialogue on the topic of “Selling Out.” Again, select responses will be shared and discussed in the next installment of the series.
Thanks for reading!
Surprises is the solo project of Brooks Paschal, frontman of beloved 00's emo group Sullivan, is debuting another new song off the upcoming album Natural Disaster which will be released everywhere on May 31st. Listen to the song at The Alternative and get two songs as an instant download when you pre-order the album on limited edition vinyl here! All early pre-orders also include a 12" x 12" lithograph signed by Brooks and if you mention "buttons" in your order notes, we'll throw in a limited edition 4-piece Surprises button set!
“I think the irony of “Tell The World” was that it marked the beginning of making this record, but it was written as a suicide note. Chris Cornell had just killed himself and it was a really dark time for me. I didn’t know Chris personally, and I hadn’t achieved what he had, but I felt like I could empathize with why he did what he did. The amount of pressure we put on ourselves is often times untenable, especially in this business. The highs are beyond our wildest dreams and the lows leave a void that is literally irreplaceable. I have never been suicidal, but I have felt the weight of what it means to try your fucking hardest while the world expects more.” - Brooks Paschal
Florida Man’s new album Tropical Depression drops everywhere on May 3rd and we’ve teamed up with BrooklynVegan to premiere the new single “Holy Roller.” Jam this hot number and pre-order the album on limited edition vinyl / picture disc here to get an instant download of two songs now! Don't miss the band wreak havoc up and down the East Coast in a few short weeks!
Upcoming Shows:
05/03 Charleston, SC @ The Royal American
05/04 Columbia, SC @ New Brookland Tavern
05/09 Savannah, GA @ El-Rocko Lounge
05/10 Jacksonville, FL @ Rain Dogs
05/11 Atlanta, GA @ East Arcanum Studio
05/12 Athens, GA @ Hi-Lo
06/13 Richmond, VA @ Wonderland
06/14 Philadelphia, PA @ Pharmacy
06/15 Boston, MA @ Hong Kong
06/16 Brooklyn, NY @ Gold Sounds
06/17 Harrisonburg, VA @ The Golden Pony
06/18 Raleigh, NC @ Pour House Music Hall
In anticipation of Surprises' debut release Natural Disaster, Spartan Records caught up with graphic designer / illustrator Sophie McTear to discuss the album’s stunning artwork. Below McTear walks us through the creative process, shares behind-the-scenes illustrations, discusses sources of inspiration, and even shares a playlist! Enjoy.
How did you, Brooks, and Spartan Records connect?
Spartan reached out to me on Halloween (spooky, awesome omen!) about a new record they were putting out. John, the owner and CEO of Spartan Records, told me he loved my illustrations and was working on releasing something with a band called SURPRISES. I was super interested, and from there our email creative process started to evolve!
How did the creative direction for the artwork evolve? Was there a defined vision going into the project or was it something that evolved organically?
John of Spartan and Brooks of SURPRISES had the perfect mix of a clear direction and vision they had in mind as well as the clear intention that they would like me to stay true to my style and my artistic vision. Personally, that balance helps me so much. Too much direction can become micromanagement, and not enough direction can be a bit daunting. I think that the direction that John and Brooks brought to the table helped me to evolve my idea and vision within my artistic style organically. We talked about a sort of “Where’s Waldo?” look, which really inspired my vision for the record cover art. It was so fun to add pinches of chaos, and little “Easter Eggs” that I’m hoping listeners enjoy.
I think I tend to have spurts of creativity and motivation. I like working with a client’s vision, powering through a sketch, and working from there. I’m definitely more of a sprinter than a marathon-er, or whatever that old saying is. I like to start something and finish something, so breaking the process into tangible goals really helps me. It was really fun to work with Spartan Records and SURPRISES on not only the big picture of the artistic vision and direction they were aiming for for the album, but also working on lots of different components of the package! It was exciting to be able to work on single covers, buttons, interior layouts, and more. It really exercised my ability to work on different types of projects within one central vision. I honestly really love hearing feedback from people that I’m working with, especially when it comes to something so personal like an album (especially a debut album!). This is their baby, and I want my art to translate perfectly to their vision, as well as my own personal vision.
Did the “Natural Disaster” concept resonate with you in any way?
Definitely. I’m constantly panicking about the state of our climate, our planet, and my role within the universe! I thought it was fun to bring a bit of comedy into something so dark. I liked that about Brooks’ lyrics too. They made me laugh, but they made me think too!
How does music inspire your design work?
I think music inspires a lot of what I do. There’s not a day in memory that I haven’t listened to music. I’ve been playing music since I was six years old, so music has always been huge for me (I play violin, and now I also play synth and sing). When I got a bit older I started to get into the DIY scene, emo and punk, and a lot of that really got to me. I felt like I could really connect to it. Especially when I am creating something for a band or a musician, I am definitely inspired by the music itself. I take time to listen to the music while I’m creating, and I think that’s part of why the art for this album has really worked with both my vision, SURPRISES’ vision, and Spartan’s vision. (Oh, and by the way, I’ve had “Natural Disaster” stuck in my head all day. Thanks, Brooks!)
Talk about your style, specifically the hand drawn “doodle” aesthetic — is this something you’ve always done?
I think that my style is constantly redeveloping itself, sometimes because of external factors (i.e. when I bought myself an iPad Pro, my style completely changed! Previously I had only been illustrating using graphic shapes because the only tool I had was my laptop’s mousepad), and sometimes because of internal factors. Sometimes I just want to try something new! In the past sixth months or so I’ve really invested myself into my artwork and my personal business and I’m so glad that I have! I think even within that amount of time my style has evolved. As far as the doodle style goes, I’m not sure it’s something I always advertised, but I think that I’m embracing it more. I find that when I am more candid and a bit less polished, people seem to love the emotion that I can express. I think we can all relate to the silliness and simplicity that doodles offer. I was definitely a doodler in school growing up, so it’s funny to think that this college dropout is earning some money for the things I used to get scolded for growing up.
What else inspires you as an artist / designer?
I’m definitely inspired by color in general, creating palettes, seeing beautiful color combinations in my everyday life. I recently moved to Tucson, Arizona (well, almost two years ago), and I’m very inspired by the nature I’m surrounded by… the mountains, the sunsets, the monsoons. I’m also really inspired by the other amazing artists that live in this city, the great friends and relationships I’ve formed. I also love graphic novels and comics, specifically ones through more “indie” publishers like Image Comics or Dark Horse Comics. I also love horror movies, and I like to think that a lot of my art has a sort of whimsical, fun approach to it combined with some darker and sometimes creepy themes.
Do you have a favorite individual illustration within the artwork?
I am really proud of the illustration that I did of Brooks! I’m honestly just beginning to get into portraits of people, so I was very stoked about how the portrait of him came out. I loved the icy blue colors we were working with. Originally this actually wasn’t even on our radar, but after seeing a portrait I had drawn of an awesome drag performer online, John suggested I try illustrating Brooks. I’m so glad he suggested that because it was one of my favorite parts of the whole series. I also really enjoyed the entire record covers, front and back. I really liked the back of the cover because of the colors I was able to use (lots of purples, electric greens, and oranges). I also incorporated aliens and a demon, so that’s pretty damn cool.
Are there any other particular projects, past or present, that you are especially proud of?
Honestly this probably sounds cheesy, but I am so proud of this project! I feel like I know John and Brooks and I have literally only ever communicated with them via email and social media. I am really proud of this team for putting this altogether. It makes me really excited to see my work on the pieces that I’ve helped create, but also to see my handwriting on music videos and promotional pieces. (Should I make a font?! I’m thinking about it.) Personally, I’m also really proud of myself for putting my all into my freelance business and my online store especially because I’ve been battling with chronic sicknesses these past four months or so. I’ve been working on putting my artwork out there, especially in Tucson, and I’m really glad I have, because I have met so many amazingly talented artists, musicians, and people here.
What else should folks know about you?
I guess just that I am always happy to hear about new freelance projects, especially for other musicians, artists, and LGBTQ+ folks! I am available on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Dribbble, and email at sophiemctear@icloud.com. Talk to me about a project you’re excited about, or just like, your cats or something!
Surprises has just dropped a music video for the new single and title track off the just-announced new album Natural Disaster which comes out everywhere on May 31st. Watch the premiere at Substream here!
An
impressively DIY effort, Paschal explains,
"Shooting a music video
myself was not in the plans, but I had a scheduling conflict with the
guy that was gonna shoot the video for this song and I just sat on it
for a while. I had a week open in my schedule and the gears started
turning. I took a stab at making a video for another song called "Tell
The World" and that kinda got me going. Two days later I shot a video
for another song and by the time I got to "Natural Disaster" I was ready
to try some crazy shit. The idea popped in my head and I went to attic
to find some old TVs. The challenge with the video was that I knew that I
couldn't sync four TVs at once. So I shot them individually, then used a
3 dollar phone app to splice the 4 shots together. It looked amazing,
but the app wouldn’t render HD so I had a good buddy of mine (Wes
Marvin) splice it on real editing software. That was really the 4 shots I
had to work with. While I was editing it, I tried to make my
limitations the thing that made it clever, so I decided to use the big
text for the choruses. I figured those were good words to smack you in
the face with."
Pre-order Natural Disaster on limited edition vinyl here. All pre-orders include an instant high-quality download of the single "Natural Disaster" and a full album download + exclusive bonus track "Natural Disaster" (A Capella)" on May 31st.
After releasing three successful LP’s with the fan-adored band Sullivan and dozens of solo tracks over the past ten years, songs seem to emanate from all levels of Brooks Paschal's consciousness. However, Paschal’s new project Surprises is something different. It is cathartic, it is reckless, and it is personal — a striking new narrative from a familiar voice. Natural Disaster is a concentrated amalgamation of all the driving, melodic, soaring, and fragile moments that made Paschal’s previous work so appealing, but with instincts driving all direction, we're thrust into a new and unchartered creative territory.
The debut album Natural Disaster will be released on limited edition LP / digital on May 31st and we're super excited to premiere the title track today at Atwood Magazine here! Pre-orders are available now and include an instant download of the
song. The first 100 pre-orders also include a 12" x 12" lithograph
autographed by Brooks. Pre-order
here!
Shy, Low returns to Europe this May/June! Don't miss them at the Dunk!festival and Post In Paris Festival as well as all across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, France, Netherlands, and Belgium!
05.15 - Copenhagen, DK - Vega
05.16 - Skien, No - Folque
05.17 - Gothenburg, SE - Sensus Gårda
05.18 - Malmö, SE - Charlie’s Burgers
05.19 - Berlin, DE - Schacht
05.20 - DE - TBA
05.21 - Dresden, DE - Fallout
05.22 - Hamburg, DE - Astra Stube
05.23 - DE - TBA
05.24 - Zurich, CH - Dynamo - Werk 21, Zurich
05.25 - Lyon, FR - Le Farmer
05.26 - Paris, FR - Petit Bain - Post In Paris
05.27 - Lille, FR - La Bulle Cafe
05.28 - Den Bosch, NL - Willem-Twee Poppodium
05.29 - Mainz, DE - Kulturclub Schon Schön
05.31 - Liége, BE - Kultura
06.01 - Zottegem, BE - Dunk!festival
06.02 - Duisburg, DE - Djäzz
06.03 - Kiel, DE - Medusa