In late 1992, we received a demo tape that contained eight clever, well-written indie pop songs that showed more promise than any band we’d ever heard. Filled with pop sensibility, intelligent lyrics and the occasional crunchy guitar passage, *cuppa joe* enriched our lives with some of the most lovable indie pop we’ve ever heard, producing dozens of wonderful songs before breaking up in 1999.

Our first cuppa joe release, “meanings,” came from that demo tape and was featured on our (awful) 1993 debut compilation, _Nothing Smells Quite Like Elizabeth_.

Later that year, we released our first-ever seven-inch vinyl record, a three-song EP from cuppa joe called _busy work_ that helped put both Dromedary and cuppa joe on the map as a growing source for high-quality indie rock songwriting. _busy work_ also featured “bottlerocket,” probably the most popular individual song to ever be released on Dromedary (which, at the time, we billed as “the best song ever written” – which might actually be true). _busy work_ sold out of two pressings.

In 1994 we released a full-length debut CD from the band called _nurture_. The _nurture_ CD became our best-selling release up until that point, its 13 songs a shining example of the writing prowess of singer/guitarist doug larkin, coupled with the band’s exceptional ability to augment those songs to the point where they created a micro-indie masterpiece. The album was years ahead of its time, foretelling of a day when bands like Neutral Milk Hotel would rule the indie rock landscape.

After the release of _nurture_ the band produced a number of self-released recordings, and put out another 7″ on a small, Midwestern indie. Singer doug larkin and drummer/illustrator steve spatucci collaborated on the outstanding late 90s zine _Science Geek_, and eventually, the band and zine faded away as priorities changed.

Now, we’re proud to announce that we’ve teamed up with the guys from cuppa joe to make their music available to you once again.

Keep on the lookout for the _busy work_ ep, which we will release digitally on the Dromedary website for FREE DOWNLOAD in the near future. And then, we’ll be releasing a brand-new version of _nurture_, complete with previously unreleased tracks and an updated, remastered version of “sitting limit.”

Stay tuned!

The re-launch of Dromedary Records has been covered in a few cool online music sites over the past week. We’re posting them here, so you can read them all!

The day after our launch, we were the lead story on the “Sonic Scoop”:http://www.sonicscoop.com/?p=2749 website. What a great way to kick off the label.

Just a few days ago, our good friend Jim Testa of the legendary _Jersey Beat_ zine and website wrote a “feature story on Dromedary”:http://www.jerseybeat.com/ to coincide with our launch and with Footstone’s February 6 show at Maxwell’s.

Way back in 1992 when we first started, Jim was the first music journalist to do an interview with us, so it’s only fitting that he be the first music journalist to do an interview for Dromedary rev2.0.

And yesterday, the fine folks at _Blurt Online_ wrote what’s probably the best feature on Dromedary that there’s ever been. “Check out this story”:http://www.blurt-online.com/news/view/3224/ which as of this writing is still on the Blurt home page.

Thanks to these great sites for helping us spread the word!

Don’t forget – Footstone will be reuniting for their first show in ten years on Saturday, February 6 at “Maxwell’s”:www.maxwellsnj.com in Hoboken.

If you were part of the New York/New Jersey indie scene in the late 90s, this is big news. If you weren’t, come see what made the band so special.

They’ll be joined on the 6th by a reunited Friends, Romans, Countrymen as well as the Dark Brothers. FRC was another great NY/NJ indie band, two members of which have gone on to form the great band Stuyvesant with Ralph Malanga from Footstone. The Dark Brothers feature Josh Silverman, formerly of Bar/None recording artists Shirk Circus.

Should be a fantastic evening – hope to see you all there.

Here’s a clip of Footstone performing live at a private party this past September, the night that started this whole ball rolling.

Friend of Dromedary and cocktail genius Tom of “Tom’s Cocktail Journey”:http://cocktailjourney.wordpress.com/ was cool enough to write about us on his blog this week. Better yet, he invented a cocktail for us!

Tom’s new cocktail is called The Dromedary, the recipe for which he’s posted on his blog. For the benefit of our own readers, I’ll post it here as well – it’s a tequila drink, which makes it fun.

# 2 oz Gran Centanario Tequila anejo
# 0.5 oz Demarera simple syrup
# 0.75 oz lemon juice
# 2 dashes Fee’s whiskey barrel aged bitters

shake and strain into a martini glass
garnish with a lemon twist

I realize we all like the boh here (“boh” is Footstone’s word for “beer,” and if you’re going to come back here often, you’ve got to learn that word), but for those days when you’re required to drink a grown-up drink, now you have one.

And don’t forget to visit “Tom’s Cocktail Journey”:http://cocktailjourney.wordpress.com/. It’s another one of those personal blogs that’s absolutely worth reading, as Tom takes us through his life, cocktail by cocktail.

Prost!

Back during the band’s prime, you could find Footstone stickers all over the New York/New Jersey area, and in every city they played. Inside club bathrooms, stuck to the bar, on lightposts and toll baskets, that ubiquitous Footstone logo wallpapered any surface that the band and its fans could find.

Now it’s time to bring back the Footstone sticker.

And we’re offering *big prizes* to the person who can “find” a Footstone sticker in the most unique place.

Don’t have a Footstone sticker? No sweat. You can pick one up dirt cheap in our “merch store”:http://www.zazzle.com/footstone_bumper_sticker-128176386661047298, or you can sign up for our mailing list and we’ll send you an original, *vintage* Footstone sticker for free!

We’ll select winners based on the coolness of the picture and its location, and we’ll post them online for everyone to see.

Winners will receive *a copy of every record and CD we released in the 90s, along with a bunch of other stuff we distributed.* Basically, if we can dig one up, the winners get a copy. Let us see those stickers!

*PLUS,* each winner will receive a *FREE* high-quality MP3 download of the upcoming Footstone re-issue of Footstone’s _Lippy_ CD!

To enter, simply take a picture of a Footstone sticker in a unique location, and email it to info@dromedary-records.com.

Time to start looking for those stickers!

Dromedary Records is pleased to announce that New Jersey’s favorite power pop, slop rock quartet *Footstone* will be reuniting for _one night only_, on Saturday, February 6, 2010, at their old haunt, “Maxwell’s”:http://www.maxwellsnj.com/, at 1039 Washington Street in Hoboken, NJ.

Their first public show together in more than ten years, the band will feature the classic lineup from their mid-90s heyday. Always a band with a reputation as a ferocious live act, Footstone will be taking the stage to support the reissue of their classic 1995 CD, _Lippy_.

Also joining the band will be garage rock trio The Dark Brothers, as well as a special performance from a reunited Friends, Romans, Countrymen.

“Tickets will be available online soon”:http://www.maxwellsnj.com. Get them quick, they won’t be available long!