In May of 2023 Related Records is going to be celebrating 10 years of being a record label! WOW! I know! incredible right?! I almost didn't make it! But this year I got a bunch of stuff planned and hopefully, all of these things happen! Anyway, here's this years tentative release schedule..

I listed a bunch of Test Presses for you obsessive vinyl collecting weirdos.

This 7" has literally taken years to complete and I am so excited it's finally ready for pre-order! Rocky (from Sweat Lodge / Turqouiz Noiz, Skinwalkers, Rocky's Frybread fame) has been playing and organizing shows with Shawnte Orion (Phoenix poet/photographer/artist who recently published the book "Gravity & Spectacle") for 20+ years now.

10 years ago Sweat Lodge recorded the songs featured on their side of this 7". They were going to be released by another "cooler" label that went out of business within a year or so but they at least got these songs and this cool music video out of it. Meanwhile they released their debut full length "2013" on Related Records and then got hit with a potential lawsuit from this other Sweat Lodge band made up of greasy, long haired, white dudes that only lasted 3-4 years before going on "indefinite hiatus" (aka break up!) So Rocky, Rachel and Adam changed their name to Turqouiz Noiz  > Adam moved away and Brendan joined the band and then they released 2 excellent LPs (Sweat Lodge + Pray For Rain) on Related Records.

Almost 2 years ago (20 months to be exact) I placed an order for these records to be pressed and due to there being less than 100 vinyl pressing plants, one of the major factories that does vinyl platting burning down, and major labels paying extra money to push small label releases back so their releases get top priority.... it took this long but they are finally here and look so beautiful!

The official release date isn't until the end of February, because we are still waiting on the finishing touches (jackets & stickers) but the turnaround time on those is just a few days-weeks so these will start shipping out probably in the middle of February.

​Now for the extra exciting news about this release! It looks like the original 3 piece lineup of Sweat Lodge will be reuniting for the album release show at Stinkweeds in Phoenix on Saturday, February 25th (more info on this show later, since we literally JUST confirmed this date with everyone) and then doing a week long tour up to San Francisco with Shawnte Orion! (more info on this as we get more confirmed dates, if you can help with some AZ [in like bisbee or flagstaff] and CA [in like los angeles, sacramento, fresno...etc] dates hit up Rocky on Instagram) and THEN Shawnte Orion is going to be performing in the Pacific Northwest and will have records and books and zines with him!

This is the sixth release in a series of mixtapes I am making to help benefit different people who are in need right now. Tapes will be available for only 1 month and at the end of that period of time, all the money ade from those sales will go to the person in need. This time all the money is going to Chazmier Tyler

Chazmier is a black, femme, community organizer, mother and farmer who has played in a number of bands in the Tempe/Phoenix music scene over the past 15+ years. Over the past two years she has been managing Drinking Gourd Farms, a micro-nonprofit rooted in food sovereignty for the Black community. Drinking Gourd Farms lost their funding recently and that means that the eight garden sites will have little care or die if no one maintains them, which is what Chaz is trying to do but cannot continue for very long without income.

If you want to donate directly to Chaz, you can Venmo or Cashapp her or Donate to the Gofundme she set up.

This mixtape is made up of Phoenix+Tempe based artists, all the songs on this mixtape were recorded between 2000-2010 (mostly 2005-2009) Spending the most formative years of my life in this music scene at this time is a very complicated feeling, kinda like living in AZ. This mix tape was inspired by a conversation I had with some friends recently about how the nostalgia we have for this period of time is covered in a sad cloud because the reason we were all making this music was because so many of us were poor, depressed, closeted, repressed…etc It was beautiful but harmful like the AZ desert.

Fans of bands that played at Modified Arts, the many art galleries on Grand Ave or house shows at this time should be excited about the artists featured on this mix. It was very hard to narrow down to fit this 60 minute tape.

Related Records artists featured on this tape include TREASURE MAMMAL, Rocky from TURQOUIZ NOIZ/SWEATLODGE old band SKINWALKERS, members of FATHERS DAY's short lived twilight-themed electro-punk band THE CULLENS, the short lived pop-punk band VIGILS and the short lived-post-UGGAMUGGA solo project by Tristan Jemsek GILMORE GRRRLS.
​
PLUS! very rare and hard to find tracks from Stephen Steinbrink's old bands BLACK FEET, FRENCH QUARTER & MY FERAL KIN, Preston Bryant's old band BUSINESSMAN'S LUNCH before he joined AJJ, a rare track from the original 2006 lineup of SOFT SHOULDER, a rare track from ANDREW JACKSON JIHAD that was previously only available on a local Shizz compilation and a bunch more stuff that I think is great.

THE DEBUT ALBUM FROM TURQOUIZ NOIZ IS ALMOST HERE!