Cavetone Records Brings Halloween Record Release Party, Free Music to Dry Grounds Brewing Company

“Good things take time” is one of all-vinyl label Cavetone Records’ many unofficial mantras. In keeping with this mantra, Cavetone is finally coming to Kentucky on October 27 to celebrate a record release nine years in the making.

The independent Charleston, Illinois-based label has always operated on a different wavelength. Back in 2009, when digital recording, stereo mixing, and internet playback dominated recorded music, Cavetone was defiantly recording music on analog equipment, mixed monaurally, and released music exclusively on vinyl.

“I decided it would be fun to get some Cavetone bands together for a four-band split record that uniquely chronicled what we were doing,” said Cavetone founder Scott Walus. “That’s how Monofesto Vol. 1 came to be.”

Monofesto Vol. 2 sees four contemporary Cavetone bands zeroing in on Halloween with original songs in different, esoteric styles. Scott and Keri’s band, the seedy pop duo known as The Ex-Bombers, contribute an occult but infinitely catchy powerpop song; one-man band Bowling Alone summons a dark swell of shoegaze; folk punkers Apathy Wizards belt out a raucous and cursed sea chantey; mysterious band Shaded Sound smashes haunted krautrock and post-punk together in a mad science experiment.

“People really liked the first Monofesto and we always intended to do more of them,” said Cavetone president Keri Cousins. “But we got caught up with life, work, and other releases, so the second Monofesto sort of fell by the wayside. We would have people occasionally ask about it, but we wanted to come up with a really good theme to warrant a second one. Halloween ended up being the perfect theme.”

Not content to release this long-awaited follow-up without a proper party, Cavetone looked to Paducah, Kentucky for a venue befitting such a special occasion: Dry Grounds Brewing Company.

“We passed through Kentucky and played a few truly excellent shows there, so Dry Grounds was at the very top of our list,” said Walus. “We just love playing there. They also brew some of the best beer I’ve ever had, which, let’s be honest, is a reason of its own.”

The Halloween Monofesto Release Party continues the label’s long-standing practice of free live music with a solid, two band bill of labelmates. The raw and intimate dark-wave cabaret of The Ex-Bombers (Charleston, Ill.) will revolve with the melodic, reverb-soaked post-rock of Bowling Alone (DeKalb, Ill.) throughout the night.

While it took nine years for Monofesto Vol. 2 become a reality, this record release party and pre-Halloween celebration is one night only.

The live music begins at 8 p.m., open to ages 21 and up, and free of charge. Dry Grounds Brewing Company is located at 3121 Broadway Street in Paducah, Ky.

Facebook Monofesto Release Party Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/249979892281255/

About Cavetone Records

Cavetone Records is a vinyl-only record label from Charleston, Ill. and the purveyors of 100% analog madness. Cavetone began as an all-analog recording studio in 2005, released its first record in 2008, and has slowly but steadily been churning out top-quality records ever since. Cavetone releases all-analog recordings which are recorded and mastered to open reel tape without the aid of any digitization. While the label releases a variety of esoteric genres, it follows more of a punk DIY business model of Dischord or Lookout! in the 1980s, operating as a not-for-profit and allowing bands complete creative control. Cavetone Records can be found in independent record stores throughout the United States (and on enlightened turntables everywhere).

Why Vinyl (and Only Vinyl)?

Listening to music is a profound experience without equivalent. Vinyl enhances this experience through its sound quality, its rituals and its unique physical presence. Sonically, all analog records envelop a listener with a sound that only improves with volume. Record listening rituals provide a necessary space away from a world cluttered with screens. The record collection itself tells an individual’s life story on a format that will never be obsolete and the records themselves will physically outlive their caretakers. No other format provides this experience at such a reasonable price per album. Since 2008, we have released only vinyl and distributed through independent record store. Our wholesale and retail prices remain what they were before the vinyl resurgence.

Why 100% Analog?

Nothing on this planet sounds better than the combination of tubes and tape. Open reel tape captures amazing amounts of sound in real time. Recording analog changes the manner by which musicians perform a song (relying on technique and feel rather than post production) and mixing analog imparts a human touch and added warmth to the process. Mastering records from analog sources is an absolute necessary for maximizing the sonic potential of records. Since 2005 we have been tracked and mixed to open reel, the tapes are then used to cut our lacquers.

Also included in this analog philosophy are Cavetone Records’ live music events. Cavetone has a long history of successfully running showcases of original music without a cover charge in throughout the Midwest. The latest free-of-charge Cavetone show is the Halloween Monofesto Record Release Party at Dry Ground Brewing Company in Paducah, Kentucky on October 27.

Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cavetone/

Instagram: @cavetonerecords

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx6hRV4YsFxqxF6ySfeAYQQ

Website: http://www.cavetonerecords.com/