The awesome NJ music blog *Speak Into My Good Eye* ran a dynamite feature today, covering Dromedary, our 20th birthday, Camelfest, and _From ’93 ‘Til Infinity_.

SIMGE is an excellent resource for NJ indie rock, something that’s been near and dear to us for 20 years. They’ve got some nice things to say about us, and they’re *also* streaming the new Yo La Tengo cover by Overlake _and_ the Teenage Fanclub cover by Jean Homme & the Broken Telomeres.

Check it out “here”:http://speakimge.com/simge-premiere-new-jerseys-dromedary-records-turns-20-celebrates-wtwo-shows-at-asbury-lanes-compilation-stream-it/

On October 22, Dromedary Records will release its latest album, *From ’93 ‘Til Infinity: A Dromedary Records Compilation*. The compilation, which will initially be available as a limited edition CD and digital download, is being released to celebrate the label’s 20th anniversary.

The album is a “tribute album” of sorts, but is slightly different in that the collection does not pay tribute to a particular artist or musical genre, but to a *year* – 1993. Each of the songs covered on the compilation was initially released in 1993 – Dromedary’s birth year.

“The time during which the label was being hatched was one of the most creative periods for indie rock,” explained Dromedary cofounder and owner Al Crisafulli. “As we brainstormed, wrote letters, designed ads, assembled CDs and 7″s, the stereo was always playing – and the music of that year has held up so unbelievably well. When the time came for us to celebrate our 20th birthday as a label, it only made sense to pay tribute to those artists who inspired us as we were getting started.”

The album art, which features photos of and references to many of the artists that have been affiliated with Dromedary over the years, also pays tribute to one of the records that inspired the label at the outset.

“I’ve always thought compilations were cool,” explained Crisafulli, “and none were cooler than the _Why Do You Think They Call It Pop?_ compilation on Pop Narcotic Records of Boston. It featured many of my favorite bands, and was absolutely beautiful in every way. In my mind, it set the standard for indie rock compilations. As we paid tribute to the bands that inspired us, I also wanted to acknowledge that record, and so we asked the cover artist Lauren Kelley to incorporate that compilation right into the artwork. There are all sorts of little, hidden tributes like that all over the record – in the artwork, the song choices, the liner notes, everywhere.”

The compilation album will be released in conjunction with the label’s annual “Camelfest” music festival, which will be held at Asbury Lanes on October 18 and 19 and will feature performances by many of the artists on the compilation.

Unlike most Dromedary releases, *From ’93 ‘Til Infinity* will receive a local release before it becomes available nationally. “We want our friends and biggest supporters to hear it first,” explained Crisafulli. “We’re so appreciative of all the people who have inspired us to keep putting out records over the years, we wanted to make something just for them. We’ll release it on a wider scale later this fall.”

The album’s track listing, which has been kept under wraps until now, is as follows:

1. *The 65’s* – “Precision Auto” (originally recorded by Superchunk)
2. *Cinema Cinema* – “50 Ft. Queenie” (originally recorded by PJ Harvey)
3. *Varsity Drag* – “Let’s Electrify!” (originally recorded by Versus)
4. *Penguins Kill Polar Bears* – “93 ‘Til Infinity” (originally recorded by Souls of Mischief)
5. *Overlake* – “From A Motel 6” (originally recorded by Yo La Tengo)
6. *d.smithsucks* – “Fuck And Run” (originally recorded by Liz Phair)
7. *Stuyvesant* – “Duel” (originally recorded by Swervedriver)
8. *The Anderson Council* – “Flavor of the Month” (originally recorded by The Posies)
9. *The Brixton Riot* – “Might” (originally recorded by Archers of Loaf)
10. *Jean Homme & The Broken Telomeres* – “Radio” (originally recorded by Teenage Fanclub)
11. *Picnic* – “Something I Can’t Have” (originally recorded by The Jesus and Mary Chain)
12. *Guy Capecelatro III* – “Supernatural” (originally recorded by Vic Chesnutt)
13. *Tiger Saw* – “37 Push Ups” (originally recorded by Smog)
14. *Flash Flood* – “Autopilot” (originally recorded by Seam)
15. *Riel* – “Noel, Jonah & Me” (originally recorded by The Spinanes)
16. *Dots Will Echo* – “Sandman” (originally recorded by The Mommyheads)

The label plans to debut the album at Camelfest, and will stream the album live on the internet in the next week.

Our friends at the NJ-based blog *United By Rocket Science* took some time to interview Al Dromedary about the label’s 20th birthday, the upcoming compilation, and Camelfest.

They’ve also leaked out a track by *Jean Homme & the Broken Telomeres*, an excellent cover of the classic Teenage Fanclub song “Radio.”

Who are Jean Homme & the Broken Telomeres? Well, long-time fans of the East Village noise pop scene will surely recognize the unmistakeable voices and twin guitar work of Lenny Zenith and Jim Santo of *Jenifer Convertible*. Astute ears might recognize the stellar drumming of local stalwart Paul Andrew (Ff, Shirk Circus, and about a million other bands), and the bottom end is held down by none other than Stuyvesant’s Brian Musikoff.

It’s like a Dromedary Family picnic.

Check out the interview “here”:http://unitedbyrocketscience.blogspot.com/2013/10/from-93-til-infinity-celebrating-twenty.html

*CAMELFEST MUSIC FESTIVAL OCT. 18-19 TO BENEFIT ROOTS & WINGS
In Celebration of its 20th Anniversary, Dromedary Records Will Bring 8 Bands Together at Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park in Support of Former Foster Youth*

Members of the New Jersey and regional music scene are coming together once again to support young adults who have aged out of the child welfare system in the Garden State, announced Dromedary Records, a Great Meadows-based independent record label. The effort will launch with *Camelfest 2013*, a two-day music festival to be held Friday and Saturday, October 18 and 19, at Asbury Lanes, the legendary venue in New Jersey’s Asbury Park.

Proceeds from Camelfest will benefit Roots & Wings, a nonprofit organization based in Mountain Lakes, N.J. Founded in 1999, Roots & Wings provides safe housing, educational support and practical life skills to youth who have “aged-out” of the child welfare system; for many, services are discontinued at age 18. Roots & Wings assists this high-risk population of disadvantaged young adults, helping them replace dependency with self-sufficiency.

Eight bands will perform during three shows at Camelfest. On Friday night, beginning at 9 p.m., *Wax Darts*, *The Coffin Daggers*, *Cinema Cinema* and *The Everymen* will take the stage. On Saturday night, again beginning at at 9 p.m., the lineup features *Overlake*, *The Brixton Riot*, *The Anderson Council*, and *Stuyvesant*. Admission is $10 per person for each show, with tickets available at the door. Attendees must be 18 to enter, 21 to drink. Asbury Lanes is located at 209 4th Avenue in Asbury Park

“In 20 years of hosting shows, this might be the most exciting lineup we’ve ever offered.” said Dromedary Records owner Al Crisafulli. “It’s a celebration of indie rock in New Jersey, and of 20 years of great music, and we decided this year we’d make it extra loud, just to prove that we’re not too old for this yet.”

In celebration of its 20th anniversary, Dromedary will be releasing From ’93 ‘Til Infinity, a compilation album featuring contemporary indie rock bands performing covers of indie rock songs initially released in Dromedary’s “birth year,” 1993. The compilation, which will be available on CD and digital download, features bands like Stuyvesant, The Anderson Council, and Cinema Cinema performing tracks from legendary artists like Liz Phair, Superchunk and Yo La Tengo. CDs will be available for purchase at the show.

The third annual Camelfest continues the label’s affiliation with Roots & Wings, as Dromedary has contributed to the organization each year since 2011.

“Because Roots & Wings is funded almost entirely by private donations and special events, support from individuals and organizations that work hard to put on events like this one are critical to our sustainability,” explained Kim Spangenberg, executive director of Roots & Wings.

“Often becoming suddenly homeless with no plan for the future, youth who phase out of foster care can find themselves alone with no one to depend on, leaving them at disturbingly high risk for dependence on welfare and unemployment, homelessness, unplanned pregnancy and incarceration,” she added. “Roots & Wings provides these young people the support they need to become successful, contributing members of society. Without the generosity of groups like Dromedary Records and its bands, Roots & Wings could not exist.”

For more information, visit the Dromedary Records website at www.dromedary-records.com or the Camelfest website at www.camelfest.com.

It’s been a year since the release of the stellar debut CD by *The 65’s*, _Strike Hard!_ and the whirlwind of acclaim and recognition that came with it. Since then, in-between gigging hard throughout the Northeast, the band has withstood a multitude of personal and professional hardships, including a lineup change, a devastating house fire, and a number of other issues.

The band has recently entered the studio to record the followup to _Strike Hard!_ and was kind enough to give us a taste of one of their new songs, “Holes Dug Deep.”

Singer/guitarist Joseph O. Pugsley and drummer John Steele took also took some time to answer a few questions. Here goes:

*What’s your impression about the reaction to “Strike Hard!”? In hindsight, are you happy with the record? Are you happy with the response?”*

JP: I’m extremely happy with the reaction to the record. We’ve gotten nothing but positive feedback and all of the reviews were overwhelmingly positive, supportive, and most surprisingly, quite reflective. I was taken aback a bit by some of them as you could tell the reviewers really listened to the record, enjoyed it, and seemed to enjoy writing about it. The compliments on our songwriting were probably the most appreciated and the shows have gotten more crowded as well, which is always a good thing. We worked really hard on this, and it feels really good that people seem to really enjoy it. I think we made a fine record.

JS: It’s funny how it started out and eventually how it ended up, sort of as a “side project” – two different studios over the period of a few years. The thing that took the longest was writing it, but it came together so quickly in the end, it had a great, immediate feel to it, a good spirit, “magic,” if you will.

*The band has replaced bassist Cindi Merklee, who has gone on to join Speed the Plough. Tell us about your new bass player.*

JP: Jeff Gashler is an old friend of mine that I played with in a few bands – c.i. infidels, The Dark Brothers, Blackberry Mohawk – he shows up, puts the time in, and plays great, so it was a perfect fit. Dan played all the bass on _Strike Hard!_ anyway; Cindi joined right as we were completing the record and did a bunch of shows with us, but the foundation of the band hasn’t changed at all.

*Last year, in the midst of the launch of _Strike Hard!_, Dan (Smith, bass player) had a devastating house fire. How did that set everybody back? What was lost? Was any recorded music recovered?*

JP: Dan lost everything in his home studio except for maybe a pedal or a mic here or there, and there was a significant amount of structural damage to his house. He was displaced for about six months. Somehow, he was able to remain enthusiastic about the band and continued to play all the shows and everything. There were some songs that were recovered, but since we were in the process of supporting the record and not really recording, there wasn’t much 65’s material to be concerned about. Not like that was a major concern anyway, I mean, a friend’s house got totally fucked and he was displaced, that was the issue. Band stuff is secondary.

JS: I agree, what Dan went through was horrible. 2012 was kind of a rough year on all of us; we were glad to see it go. Thankfully everything that was lost could be replaced and no one was hurt.

*How did the fire impact the band’s plans?*

JP: Like I said, band stuff is secondary to real life, and our main concern was for our friend and being supportive as best we could, so I never really thought about it in that respect. I’m happy to say that he’s back in his house and that his studio is up and running and better than ever, and we’ve been doing overdubs for the new record there. Aside from the fire at Dan’s, it’s actually been a really trying year for all of us. There have been serious relationship issues, family illnesses, and personal health issues as well. We’ve been through a lot, and I feel a lot closer to the guys, as they’ve been very supportive to me with some of the difficult things going on in my life, and I hope they feel the same about my support. You have no choice but to work around the unexpected; you can’t let it dictate the direction you take, you just take the twist and turn and get back on track as soon and as best as possible. Make tweaks if necessary but keep moving. If you stay in the muck too long, it’s on you, man.

*You’ve unveiled a rough mix of a new song, and it kicks ass. Are you in the studio now? What’s the plan? When can we expect to hear new music?*

JP: Thanks, glad you like it. We’re very pleased to unveil this rough mix of “Holes Dug Deep.” It’s a good representation of where the band is headed musically; we’re experimenting yet keeping the song structure intact. We hope everyone enjoys it. We’re in the studio and are really having a blast working on the new stuff. We are in the process of working on a couple of things. Here’s the plan:

We will be releasing a digital-only extended single/EP for the last single from _Strike Hard!_, for a song called “I Got You” very soon on Dromedary – March or most likely April – along with a new video for the song. We’re really excited about this, as it’s our last single from our first record and it’s a very personal song for me, one that a lot of people have said is the best song on the record.

We’re also pleased to be working with Brian Fitzpatrick again for the video. He did a great job with “Walk On Selfishly”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJXXQt05R64 and I can’t wait to see what we come up with for this one. He’s so talented on the visual end of things, something that’s foreign to me, so it’s really exciting to collaborate with someone of his ilk.

So the EP will be the first opportunity for people to hear new 65’s material. It’ll be a stripped down EP, with mainly acoustic tracks, including some really strong songs by Dan.

We’ve also got seven tracks down for the next full length record, which we plan to release in the fall or early winter, which so far has no acoustic tracks at all. It seems to be ending up a pretty loud, heavy record. So, safe to say there will be a healthy dose of new 65’s stuff out there to digest in the near future.

*What are the band’s plans for live performances to support the EP and the next record?*

JP: We will be performing more shows this time around, including some mini east coast tours to spots we didn’t reach last time – Boston, DC and others – but we’ll also return to spots we’ve already been to. We are making a concerted effort to reach out and do more DIY-type networking with other musicians and bands to collaborate and book strategically, in order to best serve all involved.

It’s this sort of collective effort that I think can really help us as well as other bands on Dromedary, and in the indie/punk scene of NJ to reach out and get more exposure. So if anyone is interested in working with us in any capacity, please feel free to get in touch. As the bands on Dromedary and others that know me are aware, I’m always working on something, putting together shows at different venues, benefits, acoustic gigs, all sorts of things – so we’ll continue, yet expand our approach in the process.

At the end of last month we mentioned that *The 65’s* were back in the studio, working on a few projects. First, we’ll be releasing a digital-only EP, with proceeds going to benefit a charitable organization that we’ll clue you in about soon. You can expect that EP sometime in the spring/summer.

Then, the band is working on the followup to last year’s fantastic LP _Strike Hard!_. Last month we played you a rough mix of “Holes Dug Deep,” a track from that album.

The band has also been gigging around the NJ/NY area, warming up for a rash of summertime shows to support the new record.

Til then, however, we’re proud to present you with a video reminder of the band’s debut album: “Are You Sick of Me Yet?”

And no, we definitely are not.

Check it out: