There’s nothing cooler than making a record with old friends!

Years ago – maybe 1994 – we walked into the old Under Acme club on Great Jones St, a place we visited and did shows frequently back then. The band onstage – a Columbus, Ohio group called Moviola – had all the things I loved about DIY rock: great songwriting, a swampy groove, and most of all, a homemade, sort of back porch quality that was so endearing.

I bought whatever music they had for sale, and fell in love with their track “Lookin’ In,” which I played incessantly for months. I struck up a pen-pal friendship with the band’s drummer, Ted Hattemer (who now plays bass for the band), and occasionally begged them to let me put out a record on Dromedary. We stayed in touch over the years, first by sending each other records back and forth in the mail, then through occasional emails, finally on Facebook. I bought every record, played them on the radio, posted them on social media – loving every step of their trajectory as a band.

During that time, the band grew and matured – the best description I’d read of them was something to the effect of “Moviola evolved from being one of the best indie rock bands in the country to being one of the best roots rock bands in the country” – their music steeping in the flavor of so many great midwestern indie bands, their songwriting growing to reflect the patience and wisdom that comes with getting a little older.

Last year, Moviola came out to Catskill to participate in Dromfest ’24 – it was so great to see them all, and we had so much fun at the show, it was great to see them live for the first time in 30 years. And now, to announce something we’ve been dying to do for decades – the band’s next album, Earthbound, will be released on Dromedary August 29 – the first day of Dromfest ’25.

It’s an excellent record, and we’re thrilled that Magnet magazine – also long-time fans of the band – will be premiering the first track, “Slage Wave.” You can preorder it today on our web store. Give it a spin and check it out!