The latest from *Cathedral Ceilings*, _I’m A Band!_, premieres today over at “New Noise Magazine”:https://newnoisemagazine.com/premiere-cathedral-ceilings-im-a-band/.

Regarding the lead track, “Hamilton Circuits,” singer/guitarist Ralphie says “I was a math major for a bit, but couldn’t get past differential equations because I’m an idiot. But I love the idea of a math rock song that’s not ‘math rock.’ I mean, Nicky and Tommy could do math rock, but I would just get lost and bored.”

Lost and bored is definitely not something that’ll happen when you dig into these two tracks, just about four minutes between the two of them. Quick bursts of heavy pop, you can pick it up on the digital format of your choice, or, if you act quickly, you can snag a limited-edition lathe-cut 7″, “here”:https://dromedaryrecords.bandcamp.com/album/im-a-band

We missed a week of covers from *Smallpox* due to various busy-related issues. So this week we’ll bring you TWO different covers – one, of the Bruce Springsteen classic “I’m On Fire,” and a second, of Peter Gabriel’s “Red Rain.”

Of Springsteen, singer/guitarist Daniel Smith says “One of the worst things about telling people you’re from Jersey is that everyone automatically assumes you like Bruce Springsteen. And when you tell them that you actually sort of hate the guy, they look at you like you have leprosy or something. But the thing is, even someone you can’t stand is still capable of writing a great song. Anyway, I tried to make this one ugly, sort of fantasized about him sitting there, listening to it and hating this version.”

Smith continues “I liked Peter Gabriel a lot when I was growing up, but didn’t really want anything to do with him in high school. The reason being, the people who liked Peter Gabriel when I was in high school were generally assholes. Eventually, though, I figured out that I actually always liked Gabriel – I just didn’t like assholes. In this case, if we’d taken these covers a little more seriously, you’d be listening to a cover of ‘Mercy Street.’ But again, we were inebriated, so now you get ‘Red Rain.’ And it’s pretty fucking messy. Maybe one of these days I’ll get around to that ‘Mercy Street’ cover.

Listen to both tracks “here”:https://dromedaryrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-covers-album. You can buy them for a dollar each, or you can buy the whole album for $18, and get the covers (there are 14 as of now) as we upload them every other week, plus the bonus tracks that we add from time to time.

The latest track from Smallpox’ _Covers Album_ is a cover of the Ryan Adams song “Come Pick Me Up.”

Daniel Smith explains “One day, I’m at the Garden State Plaza (NJ shopping mall) and bump into a dear friend that I had lost track of years back. We exchange numbers and get in touch later that day to make plans. That night, I go over to his place, and we sit out back with a bottle of Jameson and he asks me if I’d heard of Whiskeytown. I had heard of, but hadn’t actually heard them, which was kind of by choice. Truth was, the whole alt-country/no depression thing didn’t really interest me much. Then, he played me _Strangers Almanac_.”

“Had Bob and I taken recording these covers even a little seriously, we probably would’ve recorded ‘Avenues’ or maybe ‘Houses on a Hill.’ But since we were pretty much inebriated, you get ‘Come Pick Me Up’ instead.”

The eleventh track we’re offering as part of _The Covers Album_ by Smallpox is a reimagining of the 1985 track “Voices Carry,” by ‘Til Tuesday (one of our favorite songs as well). Dan Smith of Smallpox opines on the song:

“March of 1985, ‘Til Tuesday releases their first single and there begins my lifelong “thing” for Aimee Mann. That same summer, a girl with the same hairdo from Paterson, NJ, of all places, moves into my neighborhood and ends up becoming one of the best friends I’ve ever had. And the thing is, we’re both sort of in love with each other but were too dumb to actually say it.”

As is often the case with stories like this, it takes a macabre and sad turn. “Fast forward to April ’87, I finally work up the nerve to tell her,” Smith continues, “and literally the day I’m going to call, her sister calls me to tell me that she died in a car accident. God sure has a wicked sense of humor sometimes.”

As you might be able to tell, each of the tracks featured on _The Covers Album_ comes with deep personal meaning from far in Smith’s past, each contributing to his own musical vocabulary, which you can hear on Smallpox’ album _For A Girl_ (Eyeball Records), or on Dan Smith’s Dromedary release _Groping For Luna, Vol. 1_

You can get “Voices Carry” for just one dollar “here”:https://dromedaryrecords.bandcamp.com/track/voices-carry, or pick up the entire album for $18 and have immediate access to each song as we upload them every other week (plus extras).

New Noise magazine was kind enough to premiere the video for “Snowglobe,” by *Sugar Fight*, calling the track “a wistful meditation on leaving the city, with melancholy that is belied by a joyful pop-punk melody and walls of guitar.”

You can read their comments “here”:https://newnoisemagazine.com/video-premiere-sugar-fight-snowglobe/?fbclid=IwAR0t8eY0ak-avGymBDTHjsRV3CLKEHhRkKQ4i-8tAULoHyRQM8VLq_3LKvw

Watch the video here:

We’re thrilled to announce our first project with musicians from New York’s Hudson Valley: a brand-new single by *Sugar Fight*.

Initially conceived as a songwriting exercise by bassist Mark Lerner, the pandemic power pop project quickly evolved into something greater, as area musicians climbed on board to make the sugary sweet songs a reality. In addition to Lerner, drummer Lukas Lerner (Brass Orchid), guitarist and studio wizard Chris Maxwell (Skeleton Key, Gunbunnies and his own solo career), and vocalists Frank McGinnis and Peter Naddeo (Archipelago) signed on, and the result is an outstanding three-song single (two originals and a cover) that we’ll be releasing on May 7.

The songs will be available digitally in all formats (including streaming), as well as via limited-edition lathe-cut 7″, the latest in our series of gorgeous handmade plexiglas picture discs.

You can preorder the discs now at our “webstore”:https://dromedaryrecords.bandcamp.com/album/snowglobe