On July 22nd, I got a call from my friend Max, he told me "Jeremy was taken by ambulance to the hospital for what they think was a heart attack on Tuesday Morning. He went into a comatose state and was without oxygen for 15 to 20 minutes. They induced hypothermia to stop any brain damage from happening." and then proceeded to get updates on him every other day, some good and some bad, but it looks like he is recovering well now and his brothers+girlfriend Kate started a GoFundMe to help with medical bills and recovery.
If you are unfamiliar with Jeremy (known to some as Jerry) He is a wonderful, soft spoken and brilliant artist known for his music under the name Yairms and his films, most recently a western that he filmed in the AZ desert tiled "La Bufa Dora" which was scheduled to premiere in New York this month but that has been delayed for obvious reasons. Anyway, If you are able to donate, share and/or spread the word on this GoFundMe that would be so helpful and would mean so much to me and everyone who cares about him. All sales from YAIRMS "Hope's Stable" cassette tape will go towards the GoFundMe until the goal is met as well. I'M GOING TO BE AWAY FROM MY COMPUTER FOR A FEW WEEKS. SO RATHER THAN TURN THE ONLINE STORE OFF AND HAVE EVERYONE WAIT FOREVER, I DECIDED TO DISCOUNT EVERYTHING IN THE STORE BY 35% 35% off sale!ALL ORDERS WILL BE SHIPPED OUT AT SOME POINT DURING THE SECOND WEEK OF AUGUST HERE IS WHAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN BUYING RECENTLY The new Fatty Cakes & The Puff Pastries self titled cassette sold out in less than 2 weeks and over a week before the official release date! They will have some copies available on tour later this month, if they are coming to your town, check them out! A second pressing is coming out this fall that will be unique from the first run. BUT in the meantime, We got some Fatty Cakes CD's now available! and they are on sale now for only $6.99! related records artists on tour!
I haven't played a show in front of a live audience since February, 2020. I am 90% positive I will be playing this show with Eichlers, Dynastic and Spicy Mayo this sunday though. Either opening or closing the show. I practiced today in the car while I was running errands and I feel pretty good about it. If I do perform, I will be wearing a mask because I am still very very scared of getting COVID-19. If you come to the show please plan on wearing a mask too. This summer in Phoenix has been the hottest summer in recorded history. We are averaging over 110 every day and the city is not really doing anything to help the unhoused population here. In fact they have done a ton of stuff to make it harder for these people to survive. That is why working with and for mututal aid groups is so important. My favorite local group is unshelteredPHX.
Here is a link to their venmo and gofundme if you want to make a donation Here is a form you can fill out, if you want to volunteer with them. I know amazon is garbage BUT if you are someone who uses Amazon and wants to order something off their wishlist to help the people who run this and the people they are assisting. Click here and order something! Or pick it up somewhere else and deliver it to them. Or you can also order a "Heat Is Murder" t-shirt from Related Records and 100% of the money from these shirts goes directly to them.
If you are unfamiliar with Fatty Cakes & The Puff Pastries... where have you been? It is the band that dreams are made of, queer, multi-racial, body positive, ACAB, punk band ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!! I have been courting this group for a couple of years now, hoping some day they would want to work with me and a couple months ago they hit me up "Hey we are almost sold out of our self titled LP and we are about to go on tour, would you be able/interested in doing a run of tapes for us?" I replied immediately "YES!" and put in an order for 100 tapes to be made that same week. These don't officially come out until July 22nd, But since they came a few weeks early, I am going to start shipping them out early... like probably next week. Episode 12 of The Best Friends Podcast features one of our all time favorite artist/musician/puppeteer - Panacea Theriac a.k.a. Miss Pussycat! Sadly we had a few technical difficulties and some of our conversation was lost but we still had a LOT to talk about! Miss Pussycat tells us about her time here in AZ working at Arcosanti, being a part of ‘titRex - a miniature Mardi Gras parade, and what it’s like being a traveling artist, making friends all over the world! We also spend a chunk of time geeking out on how much we love Miss Pussycat and how she ended up on our radar. Quintron also makes an appearance and to his dismay, Miss Pussycat shares their love story with us! Here are some nearly sold out items. (meaning there are less than 4 copies left.)
HAPPY FATHERS DAY!
Holidays and gender are bullshit! But I used to be in a hardcore/thrash/comedy/punk band that celebrated and mocked both of those things. I got a lot of mixed feelings about it but I still have a bunch of merch from when we were around. And for 1 DAY ONLY you can buy merchandse from the band at cost! No need for a coupon code or anything. Most things are only $2-$3! I literally make no money on this sale, just wanna get some of it out of my office. Please+thanks!
UNSHELTEREDPHX NEEDS YOUR HELP!
Unshelteredphx is collecting donations this weekend to raise funds to get some more tents for our houseless black femmes in honor of Juneteenth. If you donate $20 or more via venmo or gofundme > screenshot the donation > DM unshelteredphx the screenshot along with your shirt size > then they will make you a shirt with this sick ass print by long time friend / Phoenix legend and the best DJ I know - Djentrification.
**This is only available to people in Phoenix, because they arent mailing shirts out to people. But let this be a reminder that you can always purchase a "Heat Is Murder" shirt from me and all that money goes to unsleteredphx and I do mailorder at least once a week. I NEED HELP!
NEW BEST FRIENDS PODCAST EPISODE FEATURING JER!
New episode of The Best Friends Podcast featuring JER (aka Skatune Network!) I am just really excited about it because it's one of the funnest episodes we've ever done. PLUS it's Pride month! PLUS it's JER's birthday month! PLUS it's Juneteenth weekend!
THIS MONTH IS ALMOST OVER!
So there is only a few more weeks to order this sick ass mixtape of aggressive queer punk+hardcore music! I still have a handful of copies of the previous two mixtapes available too! All the money from the sales of these mixtapes goes directly to people who need this money that are not me.
IF YOU LIVE IN AZ...
There is this really fun show I am booking at The Trunk Space. It's the first show I have booked since February 2020 and will probably be the first show I attend since then too!
Eichlers makes this really interesting /fucked up ska music and the live shows seem very early 2000's solo party art project > which if you know me, you know I eat that shit up! Dynastic is like minimal pop punk with keytars - seems very best fwends. They are on tour with Eichlers and seem fun Spicy Mayo is one of, is not THE funnest live bands in Phoenix right now and I am so excited to see them live again. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for fans of ASOB, Skankin Pickle and/or Playboy Manbaby Presale tickets are only $10, otherwise you gotta pay $15 at the door! All the Fathers Day "Disney World" t-shirts have been shipped out and I put the remaining shirts up on the website, Available in sizes (but limited quantity) Small-5XL (no extra cost for bigger sizes!) And if you order within the next week you will most likely get it before Fathers Day on June 19th. I also put up all the demos, live recordings, discarded albums and out of print Fathers Day recordings up on the Fathers Day bandcamp page. These recordings will only be up for the rest of the month, then I will probably take them down again because a lot of it is REALLY ROUGH. In case you missed the last newsletter I sent out a couple days ago or the latest post on instagram, There is a new benefit mix tape made up of all queer artists that are tough as fuck. Let this be the soundtrack for your "pride month" and help an actual black/queer person get a new kidney! I still have a handful of the previous two mixtapes available too!
This is the fourth release in a series of mixtapes I am making to help 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 made from those sales will go to the person in need. This time all the money is going to Jade Fair Jade is a black artist and holistic health student, who needs a kidney transplant. If you want to donate directly to her, you can donate to her gofundme, Venmo: @jade-fair or paypal [email protected] This mixtape was organized/created with my friend Amber from the band Fatty Cakes & The Puff Pastries. It is comprised of all queer punk, hardcore and electronic music all of it is tough as nails and not for cissies. 30 Tracks in total // 62 minutes in length. This Benefit Mix Tape features an illustration of Divine and a few samples from John Waters film "Female Trouble" It comes in 4 different styles, all handmade by Ryan Avery If you have a design/color preference, just mention it in the notes to seller when checking out, if that design is still available, I will hook you up. IF YOU LIVE IN ARIZONA! You should come to this show in July! it's my first time booking/promoting a live in person show since February 2020! Fingers Crossed that things get better with the pandemic and I feel safe enough to attend! More info on the show and all the bands can be found here on the Shows page!
I finally got copies of the new Christian Family LP for the distro. For those of you that do not know, The Christian Family are a Gospel/Garage Rock duo featuring Daniel Shircliff (from the Freaks of Nature) and Ann Saletos (from Cherie Cherie), they played a handful of shows in Phoenix over the course of a few years and released a kick-ass 7" on Slope Records but then Ann moved to Los Angeles and Daniel focused more on the Freaks (and having a family) but in the meantime, they had this amazing full length just sitting on a cassette tape for years. I ripped the tape to digital for Daniel back in 2018 and when I started Heirloom Records in 2020 I begged him to let me release it but he knew it was too good for a simple free digital release and that someday the right label could/would want to have it pressed. And honestly, I am super happy he did because this record rules and it seems to be doing pretty well in the Garage rock scene. I have listened to this record already like a dozen times since it's release on streaming platforms a couple weeks ago. I can't get enough of it. I cannot recommend this enough! I still have 1-2 copies of the original 7" available too, if you want their whole discography. ONLY 5 DAYS LEFT!There are only 5 days left to pre-order a Fathers Day "Disney World" t-shirt! Offering something new for Fathers Day has brought up some interesting/tough conversations with myself and some others and I think this is the last time I am going to offer anything new for Fathers Day. So if you dig Fathers Day this is it, get what you can from the online store or discogs, because I am not going to be re-issuing anything from this band ever again.
This is the third release in a series of mixtapes I am making to help 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 made from those sales will go to the person in need. This time all the money is going to Nehei Sage
If you are involved in the queer/underground/rave/dance scene, you have probably met Nehei. She's a beautiful and incredibly supportive part of the community/scene in Phoenix. She is Hinono'eino (Northern Arapaho) / Trans / 2 Spirit and is about to be kicked out of her home at the end of the month, so she really needs funds to secure new housing before then. If you want to donate directly to her, you can Venmo: m1qua or Cashapp: $miquahjamezart This mixtape was organized/created with my best friend Emily. It features music from artists we have interviewed on the first 2 seasons of The Best Friends Podcast + artists we really want to interview on our podcast + artists/songs that just mean a lot to our friendship of over 20 years. The artwork/layout was designed and cut+pasted by me (Ryan Avery) and the liner notes were written by Emily. 22 Tracks in total in 62 minutes. This Benefit Mix Tape is going to be done a little differently though because I was only able to make a certain amount and half of those are spoken for already. So If we sell out before then, I can make more but they will not be the cool cut+past two color j-card version. We will see if we even need to go that far. PS: All Mixtape will come with a giant "Best Friends Podcast" sticker and a thank you card/photo of us. FATHERS DAY "DISNEYWORLD" T-SHIRTS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER! I am re-printing a small run of the Fathers Day "Disney World" t-shirts. This is by far the most requested t-shirt to get re-printed over the years especially since Fathers Day broke up in 2017.
These shirts are going to be printed by LBX Printing in Phoenix, AZ and will be shipped out before June 6th so everyone can get their shirt (hopefully) before Fathers Day (on June 19th) Every pre-order will also include a FREE Fathers Day Compact Disc or Cassette Tape! If there is a specific one you want, you can mention it in the note to seller, but no guarantee's on anything because I don't know what will be available. All of the profit from the pre-orders are going to the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence. More info on them here My partner and I recently decided to downsize our VHS and DVD collection to make room for more art and Dominion game boxes. I was going to list them all on ebay or etsy or something (which i haven't sold stuff on in years) but the more I looked into it the more upset I felt because they have so many bullshit fee's. So I finally decided to just list them all on the Related Records website. I finally listed them all just a few minutes ago, but I am thinking I might add some other stuff we are selling on here too like knick-knacks, art, kitchen stuff, vintage, clothes... I don't know. We'll see.
Here is some other stuff that sold...
This is the second release in a series of mixtapes I am making to help 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 made from those sales will go to the person in need. This time all the money is going to Gabriela Rivarde On March 22, Gaby Rivarde, her son Larry-José, and their two pups endured a catastrophic tornado that blasted through Arabi, Louisiana. Thankfully, everyone is currently safe, but the road to recovery ahead will be a long one. Their house was lifted off its foundation and moved 30 feet into their neighbor’s yard. Due to structural damage, the house is a complete loss. Gaby and her family are currently salvaging what belongings they can and trying to plan for their next move in this moment of transition. While everyone is physically safe at this time, they did have to visit the emergency room after the initial impact. Gofundme in case you wanna donate more or help spread the word. Venmo in case you wanna donate directly to Gabriela and her family This mixtape is made up of music from different "Bands" that typically consist of just 1-3 people who mostly don't play instruments. These types of artists were a really big part of the early 2000's indie/art/punk scene and were a huge influence on me. And while I know a big part of what makes these types of artists great is the live experience (which you probably missed because 90% of these artists arent active anymore) I hope the music still inspires you to make art too, even if you don't have any musical talent or friends that want to be in a band with you. Related Records artists featured on this mix tape are MOOEY MOOBAU's old solo project pre-moobau called GST MUGWUMP, TREASURE MAMMAL, JAMES KOCHALKA SUPERSTAR, and SPACE ALIEN DONALD 26 tracks total 62 minutes in length. Limited to however many copies are ordered. If you are under the age of 25+poor use the code YDNABTBIAB to get 50% off. Now I know you may be asking, "Why would you offer a discount on a benefit mix tape?" it's because I believe if you are young and poor, the music on this mix tape will inspire you to create something amazing and that's worth it to me. PLUS I am just gonna pay the other $5 for you. This shit is important! [/end rant]
Later Operator has organized a charity raffle to help the people who are stuck in Ukraine with some mutual aid materials. We got some friends in Poland who are getting supplies to these people right now and 100% of the money is going towards this. Each $5 donation = one raffle ticket to be entered to win the following:
That's a total $405 in credit from some amazing shops/artists! Enter as many times as you want, each raffle ticket gives you one entry. If you live in AZ...
I want to officially introduce you to the newest members of the Related Records Family! BARRY!!! from England! Their new 45rpm single "Neolithic Homosex b/w No More Boys" is finally here and it sounds amazing and you can pick it up here or here (if you live in the USA) or here (if you live in the UK) All the US presales went out today and the UK ones will be sent out as soon as the band gets their copies later this week
All the pre-orders for Related Records sweaters, t-shirts and tote bags have been mailed out and all the remaining extras have been listed on the website. If you missed out before, here is your chance to get one, limited sizes and colors available. Click the image below to see what's available.
New mix tape! This one features 19 tracks from (mostly) underground ska artists from 1962-2014. Limited edition of 20. The last ska mixtape sold out within 24 hours. So I suggest picking this now before it sells out. **puns not intended but accepted**
I also included an informational page where you can learn all about the 8 different family members. This will help you with deciding what family member to put on your new merch items! Click on the family image to see.
I did something this past week that I have put off doing since 2016... I finally listed the dead-stock CD's and cassette tapes from the old 1506 Trunk Space. Some people have already caught wind of this and bought up a grip of these, pretty much all of them are sold out by the labels and bands that put them out years ago. So this may be your last chance to get some of these
Here are some of my favorites that have a direct connection to some of the other artists on Related Records. But check out the DISTRO for everything else. I'm gonna speak candidly for a bit in this newsletter (ha! as if I am ever not writing every newsletter like a personal letter to a friend or some shit... ANYWAY!) I hate holidays... all of them, even my birthday most years. BUT some people who are close stressed to me recently that I should take holidays more seriously and as a "business" I could/should use this holiday season to try and boost sales or something. So this newsletter is going to be all about my Related Records holiday gift suggestions. And the reason this email is going out when it is, is because if you want to ensure you get something before "the holiday" you need to place your order before I go to the post office next on December 5th.
BUY 1 GET 3 SALE!I've done this before and people seem to enjoy it! So for the rest of the year 2021 I am offering these 3 different sales, which is a fantastic way to find out about new music or introduce someone else to some cool new music. OR maybe you have a loved one who just got a record, cassette and/or CD player and you want to give them a cool boost for their brand new collection! Or maybe you have that one super weird friend that has an 8-track player and you want to surprise them with a new (as in made in 2015) 8-track! Check out this hidden/under rated gem. VARIOUS ARTISTS "Dick" 8-TRACK I feel like the distro page is overlooked a lot and there is a ton of great stuff in there. Maybe there is only 1-2 artists on Related Records that you like, when was the last time you checked out their artist page to see if maybe I have added something related to them for sale? The artists that have the most items to choose from are
Did you know that there is a "Send as a Gift" feature on bandcamp? Well there is, and it's great! i've used it a handful of times to send friends a single or an album that I think they would like and tomorrow (12/03/2021) is the last Bandcamp Friday of the year and possibly ever. on Bandcamp Friday, bandcamp waves all of their fees and gives 100% of the money to the artists. It rules, and it has really helped a lot of artists get through the last 2 years because so many governments all over the world have done such a shit job of taking care of their citizens during the pandemic (Which is still a thing by the way, what the fuck?!) Anyway, I pay out the artists on Related Records twice a year for digital sales and the next time I pay everyone is coming up later this month, so if you already own something digitally, this is a great way to support your favorite artists and get them some money this month. Anyway, here is what people are listening to on the RR bandcamp
The Best Friends Podcast.My best friend Emily and I have been working on a secret project for the past few months and it’s finally a reality! @thebestfriends.podcast is here! Please go follow and listen. The first episode is up now and new episodes are coming out every 1st and 3rd Friday.
For those of you that do not know, Emily and I have been making art/performing together for almost 20 years now. She was a part of the foundation for many of the bands/projects I am known for like Fathers Day, Locking Your Car Doors, The Good Shows…etc since 2005 we have had this on again/off again performance art project called “The Best Friends” and this podcast is an extension of that. We are interviewing people we admire about everything but more specifically how their relationships effect the art they make and the lives they live. Podcast is currently available on SoundCloud and Bandcamp but will soon be available everywhere else people listen to podcasts. New Pre-Orders just went up for the another illustration from The Funny Uncles triple cassette album "Writin' Songs" This illustration is for their jingles for Burger King. The shirt is available in sizes Small-6XL and is available in White, Gold or you can pay an extra $25 to get it tie-dyed by Emotron. The Emotron is best known for his electronic/noise/performance art and lighting his dick on fire, BUT he is also an amazing tie-dyer and has been making a living since the pandemic creating beautiful tie-dyed works of art. Check out his Instagram account @trondyes.
The shirt is available in the online store or on Bandcamp Tapes have been a pretty big hit recently so I’m doing a sale on all tapes just for fun! 40% off all tapes with the code “tapesnotdead” for this week only! This includes the random tape boxes and vintage tape cases (filled with tapes!) AND includes the limited edition Gold LP version of the new Treasure Mammal album which includes a cassingle of “online dating”
I started this sale a couple days ago on Instagram and have already sold out of a few tapes and am running low on a handful of other tape releases. Go to the Tapes page to see whats left. Here are some of the more recent releases still in stock. Here are a few of the tapes that are gonna sell out real soon.
DISCOUNTED LOGO TEE'S
DISCOGS SALE!I lowered the prices on over 100 items on the Related Records discogs store. Mostly Indie, Punk and Noise stuff but there is really something for everyone I feel. Here are some of my favorites. K O R N SHIRT UPDATES!1. Shirts are ordered and will be shipped out sometime next week! So that means they will arrive safely in everyone's hands before the end of the month! woo hoo!!! 2. I ordered 1 extra K O R N shirt in every size in case you or your friend missed out, you can still pick up one here in super duper limited supply. DON'T FORGET!I still have some cassette bundle boxes for sale Available in bundles of -12 TAPES +VINTAGE CASSETTE HOLDER -15 RANDOM TAPES! -16 TAPES +VINTAGE CASSETTE HOLDER -20 RANDOM TAPES -24 TAPES +VINTAGE CASSETTE HOLDER -42 TAPES +VINTAGE CASSETTE HOLDER and!It's still hotter than hell in AZ and our houseless neighbors are suffering. All sales from either of these items goes to unshelteredphx which is a fantastic mutual aid group doing a lot to help these people with tarps, clothing, coolers and other necessities. Only a couple more tapes left! and still lots of shirts available thanks to my partner Sara from Later Operator! Sizes Small-3XL!
NEW RELEASE!Barry is a 4 piece queer-pop group from London. I was introduced to them from friends/label-mates The Pooches and The Slugs! and I instantly feel in love! the music they produce reminds me of that glorious pop sound that was so popular in the early 2000's but yet so incredibly unapologetic for their weirdness and queerness in the most refreshing and pleasant way! The official release date is in December but we are hoping the records will be here sometime between October-November, but with the way vinyl is these days WHO REALLY KNOWS! it sucks! (I was originally quoted as them being done by August, then October so...) ANYWAY! check it out here! and pre-order the 7". also be sure to download their first EP which came out on Permanent Slump records in 2019 LOW STOCK ALERT!The following items are almost sold out,
Pretty much since the beginning of the Related Records label, Dimitri and Ryan from world famous band Golden Boots have been big supporters of the label, and for the past 2 years they have had their own radio show in Tucson+the internet called "Burning Brain Radio" and on that show they have continuously played Related Records artists. They have asked me to come up with a solid 20 minutes or so of music for this upcoming episode on Saturday August 14th and I just wanted to mention here that I am real excited about it because it is entirely made up new and soon to be released music from Related Records. So if you want a sneak peek at what is coming next for Related Records, be sure to tune in. I'll post about it on instagram for sure when it happens.
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