New Jersey – With the exhausting demands of the everyday life and gradual decline of that which was The Record Industry, music lover and friend Al Crisafulli put down his beloved Dromedary Records back in 2000. Dromedary, for a time, (through much of the nineties, actually), was an indie rock hotbed and issued releases from such notable local heroes as the Mommyheads, cuppa joe, Footstone, Godspeed, and more.
Now, Crisafulli, for some unknown reason, finds this, the very worst time in the history of the industry, the very best time to re-engage his undying passion for indie rock and resurrect Dromedary. Dromedary Records will re-launch as a label on January 4, 2010, located online at http://www.dromedary-records.com.
Like letters to and about a long lost love, Al has been religiously posting dispatches on a blog for the past year at http://dromedaryrecords.wordpress.com. The blog features thoughts, opinions and anecdotes, memories of triumphs and failures, peaks and valleys, complete with a cast of illustrious and colorful music-making characters, some of whom are still around and some who have long since passed from his life, music-making and sadly, the world.
“Over the past year, writing the blog and seeing the response it’s gotten, my passion for doing it has been rekindled,” said Crisafulli. “and even though the music industry has taken a hit over the years, there’s still a thriving underground. So after some prodding from our friends, and some real soul-searching, we’re going to get some good old, guitar-based indie rock back out there for people to hear.”
If you’ve been lucky enough to keep up with the blog, you start to understand life through the eyes of a hopeless music lover who, like many of us, was forced to consider a workaday life of which music was not a part. So, we get our fix where and when we can. For Al, it was Dromedary. There were luckier ones, ie: for Gerard, it was Matador, for Jonathan and Bruce, Sub Pop, but Al’s story is the everyman story and it’s told remarkably well with passionate, funny, frustrating and totally relatable installments that, at once, make you want to start a record label and, well, really not start a record label… but a few reads in and you understand why it is so important for Crisafulli to see if this thing called Dromedary Records still has legs. We’re guessing it certainly does.
Dromedary intends to start by re-releasing many of the titles it initially released when it was an active label in the 90s. “We’ll make them available digitally, so the people who loved the music then can get their hands on it again.” The label also plans to issue other, previously-unreleased material from its heyday, as well as new music from current indie rock artists.
So with that, Dromedary’s initial release will be a digital copy of NJ’s now-defunct power punk luminaries’ Footstone’s 1994 single, “Wobbles From Side To Side,” plus one additional, previously-unreleased track. The recording will be made available for a limited time for free download from the label’s official website: www.dromedary-records.com.
Dromedary will then follow on February 2, 2010 with a digital-only release of Footstone’s acclaimed, Lippy CD (originally released in 1995). The album will be available in all the leading internet retail stores, including iTunes.
And a rare and special treat for those in and around NYC/NJ: on Saturday, February 6th, Maxwell’s in Hoboken will play host to a Dromedary relaunch show which will include a reunion set from Footstone, along with sets from The Dark Brothers and a reunited Friends, Romans, Countrymen.
Friends and fans of Dromedary Records can surely expect more events and releases throughout the new year.
For more information, please contact Perry Serpa at Good Cop Public Relations. Phone 718 846-0518 or email: perry@goodcoppr.com