Checkered Past Records (USA)

LP (Album)

BL 6

CHECKERED PAST
0619843051751		 BIG LAZY - DEAR TROUBLE

On October 18, 2019, Big Lazy releases their sixth album Dear Trouble via Checkered Past Records. Dear Trouble dwells in the landscape of noir Americana. Big Lazy's music evokes seedy backrooms as well as big sky country with deftness and a cinematic clarity. With a nod toward classic guitar instrumentals and a fiery performance style, the new album captures the essence of the trio's legendary live shows. Dear Trouble features NYC luminaries Marc Ribot, Steven Bernstein, Peter Hess (Philip Glass ensemble) and Marlysse Rose Simmons (Miramar). Big Lazy has flourished for over 2 decades in New York City's downtown music scene. They honed their craft in iconic NYC clubs such as Tonic, The Knitting Factory and Barbès, and shared stages with Yoko Ono, The White Stripes and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. The band has been featured on National Public Radio and in June 2018 were honored with a radio retrospective by the Mexico City Ministry of Culture. Big Lazy has performed their signature noir and twang from the Whitney Museum of American Art to the Opéra de Lyon. Big Lazy founder Stephen Ulrich is the composer for the HBO series "Bored to Death" and the art forgery documentary "Art and Craft". "The Big Apple Crème de la Crème " Robert Christgau - dean of American rock critics

TRACKLISTING:  01. THE ONLIEST 02. DEAR TROUBLE 03. FLY PAPER 04. MR. WRONG 05. GIRL 06. DREAM FACTORY 07. RAMONA 08. SIZZLE & POPS 09. CARDBOARD MAN 10. SING SING 		LP
Alternative Rock
10/18/2019		   13.50
USD
CPR 30

CHECKERED PAST
0659696441712		 FIREWATER - GET OFF THE CROSS.. WE NEED THE WOOD FOR THE

FIREWATER was birthed in a Brooklyn basement in the long, hot summer of 1996. Depressed, broke and desperate, ex-Cop Shoot Cop leader Tod A tossed away a major label deal and a free meal ticket to launch what, at the time, was a crazy proposition: a punk band fueled by gypsy and klezmer melodies. FIREWATER stormed on to the scene as an unparalleled underground supergroup, boasting guitarist Duane Denison (Jesus Lizard), drummer Yuval Gabay (Soul Coughing), saxophonist Kurt Hoffman (They Might Be Giants, Ordinaires), drummer Jim Kimball (Jesus Lizard, Laughing Hyenas, Mule) and violinist Hahn Rowe (Hugo Largo). Originally released on NYC's ultra-hip Jetset Records, the band's seminal debut Get Off the Cross.. We Need the Wood for the Fire introduced and celebrated a new genre where Latin jazz, punk, world and rock music coexist and blazed a trail that many acclaimed acts would later follow. Checkered Past Records is honored to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of this landmark debut with this first-ever vinyl release. Featuring new handmade cover art by Tod A and an inner sleeve with complete lyrics, this LP will be on transparent purple vinyl in a highly limited pressing.

TRACKLISTING:  01. SOME STRANGE REACTION 02. BOURBON AND DIVISION 03. REFINERY 04. WHEN I BURN THIS PLACE DOWN 05. THE DRUNKEN JEW 06. THE CIRCUS 07. I AM THE RAIN 08. ONE OF THOSE 09. SNALE-EYES AND BOXCARS 10. MR. CARDIAC 11. HOLD ON, SLOW JOHN 12. BALALAIKA 		LP
Alternative Rock
08/25/2017		   16.00
USD
SPR 32

CHECKERED PAST
4059251414957		 FIREWATER - THE GOLDEN HOUR

Opaque orange vinyl. Full color jacket with new artwork by Tod A. Full color sleeve with complete lyrics. In 2005, Firewater's Tod A embarked on what would become a three year sabbatical through the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent and South East Asia. The journey Tod undertook would challenge him creatively in ways he couldn't have imagined in its planning stages. "I traveled overland starting in Delhi, India, across the Thar Desert, then through Rajasthan, onward through the Punjab, and into Pakistan," he recounts. "I had originally planned to continue overland through Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey, ending in Istanbul." But things didn't go exactly as planned. Along the way he was drugged, robbed, detained, and later struck down with severe intestinal problems. Travelers were disappearing along the road to Kabul. As Tod puts it, "I was forced to end my trip at the Khyber Pass on the Afghan border, due to general ill health and the unnerving likelihood of kidnapping." Recording with a single microphone and a laptop in his pack, he captured performances with a vast array of musicians across India and Pakistan--and eventually Turkey and Israel. Bhangra and sufi percussion would form the basis for the songs he wrote along the way--songs about the world he left behind ("This Is My Life", "Electric City"), politics ("Borneo", "Hey Clown"), and dislocation ("6:45", "Feels like the End of the World"). Tod's acerbic wit shines on The Golden Hour, elucidating both the beauty and the absurdity of the world.

TRACKLISTING:  01. BORNEO 02. THIS IS MY LIFE 03. SOME KIND OF KINDNESS 04. 6:45 (SO THIS IS HOW IT FEELS) 05. A PLACE NOT SO UNKIND 06. PARADISE 07. HEY, CLOWN 08. ALREADY GONE 09. BHANGRA BROS. 10. ELECTRIC CITY 11. FEELS LIKE THE END OF THE WORLD 12. THREE-LEGGED DOG 13. WEIRD TO BE BACK 		LP
Alternative Rock
06/04/2021		   16.75
USD

Compact Disc

BL 6

CHECKERED PAST
0888295897532		 BIG LAZY - DEAR TROUBLE

On October 18, 2019, Big Lazy releases their sixth album Dear Trouble via Checkered Past Records. Dear Trouble dwells in the landscape of noir Americana. Big Lazy's music evokes seedy backrooms as well as big sky country with deftness and a cinematic clarity. With a nod toward classic guitar instrumentals and a fiery performance style, the new album captures the essence of the trio's legendary live shows. Dear Trouble features NYC luminaries Marc Ribot, Steven Bernstein, Peter Hess (Philip Glass ensemble) and Marlysse Rose Simmons (Miramar). Big Lazy has flourished for over 2 decades in New York City's downtown music scene. They honed their craft in iconic NYC clubs such as Tonic, The Knitting Factory and Barbès, and shared stages with Yoko Ono, The White Stripes and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. The band has been featured on National Public Radio and in June 2018 were honored with a radio retrospective by the Mexico City Ministry of Culture. Big Lazy has performed their signature noir and twang from the Whitney Museum of American Art to the Opéra de Lyon. Big Lazy founder Stephen Ulrich is the composer for the HBO series "Bored to Death" and the art forgery documentary "Art and Craft". "The Big Apple Crème de la Crème " Robert Christgau - dean of American rock critics

TRACKLISTING:  01. THE ONLIEST 02. DEAR TROUBLE 03. FLY PAPER 04. MR. WRONG 05. GIRL 06. DREAM FACTORY 07. RAMONA 08. SIZZLE & POPS 09. CARDBOARD MAN 10. SING SING 		CD
Alternative Rock
10/18/2019		    8.00
USD
CPR 13

CHECKERED PAST
0640469001325		 FLATIRONS - PRAYER BONES

Imagine the lush pipes of a Patsy Cline or Brenda Lee, strapped to the back of a supple thoroughbred as it leans into the home stretch, breaks the tape, and bolts the fence...

TRACKLISTING:  01. HEAVEN HELP YOU 02. WILDFIRE 03. NEW PAIR OF SHOES 04. SO LONESOME 05. BAD SEEDS 06. BY YOURSELF 07. DEVIL LIVES IN DALLAS 08. HIGH LONESOME MOON 09. NOTHING 10. THREE CROSSES 11. HEARTS ON FIRE 12. CRAZY TRAIN 13. LULLABY 		CD
Country
02/09/1999		   10.00
USD
CPR 20

CHECKERED PAST
0640469002025		 GREAT CRUSADES, THE - DAMAGED GOODS

The Great Crusaders' songs tell stories of sadness, longing and clenched-fist optimism through blood-shot eyes and a halo of whiskey. They have drawn comparisons to such luminaries as Robbie Robertson, Nick Cave, Gallon Drunk, the Replacements and Tom Waits. 		CD
Country
11/21/2000		   10.00
USD
CPR 2

CHECKERED PAST
0640469000229		 HOUSE, TOM - THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS CHANGING

A self-described barroom singer, Tom's brutal, poetic lyrics are delivered with spare melodicism and a singular voice, and underpinned with subtle brilliance by his backing band (which includes the cream of Nashville's independent players and members of LAMBCHOP).

TRACKLISTING:  01. C'MON THROUGH CAROLINA 02. I GOT NEIGHBORS 03. NUCLEAR WINTER 04. I'M IN LOVE WITH SUSAN SMITH 05. KIND LADY 06. BABY I CAN'T ALWAYS DO RIGHT 07. A WOMAN AND A MAN 08. MOCKINGBIRD 09. I HAD A PLACE 10. SOMETHING IN THE WIND TONIGHT 11. THE DEEPEST PART THE DEEPEST END 12. SOIL OF THE EARTH 13. CORINNE 		CD
Country
08/12/1997		   10.00
USD
CPR 9

CHECKERED PAST
0640469000922		 HOUSE, TOM - THIS WHITE MAN'S BURDEN

Another dark, swirling masterwork, distilled from the strains of Appalachian music and beat poetry - when folks refer to Checkered Past as the "Fat Possum of White People", Tom House is the best of what they mean.

TRACKLISTING:  01. SLIPPING & DRINKING 02. OH LORD 03. SUNSHINE & SORROW 04. WHITE MAN 05. I ONLY KNOW (YOU'RE WHAT I'M NEEDING) 06. MANSBERGER 07. FLASH WENT THE LIGHTNING 08. A LONG LONG TIME AGO 09. TELL LORRAINE 10. AIN'T NO MAN 11. PALE MORNING LIGHT 12. WAITING ON YOU 13. TERRY MARTIN 		CD
Country
07/17/1998		   10.00
USD
CPR 15

CHECKERED PAST
0640469001523		 RED STAR BELGRADE - THE FRACTURED HYMNAL

Crushing guitars, plaintive ballads and a songwriter's worldview that can only be described as dark, dark, dark... "compelling, Uncle Tupelo-inspired country rock with a particularly savage lyrical bite" (Option Mag). 		CD
Country
05/04/1999		   10.00
USD
CPR 8

CHECKERED PAST
0640469100820		 SOULED AMERICAN - FROZEN

This is the sound of country music moving like molasses in February - or, rather, it's the sound of a band observing molasses in February and setting those observations to music. Souled American recorded this record (originally released in 1994 on the German label Moll) after the departure of its drummer and the remaining members' conscious choice to not replace him. Elemental to the extreme, the guitar, banjo, bass guitar, harmonica, and pedal steel are nearly stripped of their cultural musical associations and given a new sonic lease on life. The country twang in Grigoroff's voice (which often takes on the most heartbreaking Brian Wilson-esque falsetto) is so incongruous to the nearly ambient, sparsely textural guitar and bass sounds that are the framework for these songs, that one is forced to stop for just a moment more to reconcile the guitar sounds and patterns with anything resembling country or folk - but it's there. Frozen is gorgeous if you give it enough time to chill you to the bone.

TRACKLISTING:  01. FROZEN 02. SITDOWN 03. TWO OF YOU 04. RAIN DELAY 05. DOWNBLOSSOM 06. HEYMAN 07. BETTER WHO 08. LUCKY 09. HEYDAY 		CD
Alternative Rock		   10.00
USD
CPR 21

CHECKERED PAST
0640469002124		 SPANIC BOYS - TORTURE

Features the Spanics' hardest-rocking sounds to date, with their trademark close harmonies, screaming Fender guitars, catchy and clever original songs, and a straight-ahead devotion to American rock'n'roll. "A goldmine for those who already know the Spanic Boys as one of America's finest bands." (CMJ) 		CD
Alternative Rock
02/20/2001		   10.00
USD
CPR 7

CHECKERED PAST
0640469000724		 WOMACK, TOMMY - POSITIVELY NA-NA

Uncommonly open-hearted and intelligent songwriting is Tommy's gift, and he wraps it in guitar-cranked arrangements or strips it down to its confessional, bare-acoustic bones. "A sound halfway between 'Sweet Virginia' Stones and 'Achin' To Be' Replacements." (No Depression)

TRACKLISTING:  01. A LITTLE BIT OF SEX (4:19) 02. SKINNY & SMALL (3:30) 03. SHEILA'S ON THE ROAD (3:00) 04. SHE AIN'T SPEAKIN' TO ME (3:52) 05. SWEET HITCHIKER (3:25) 06. POSITIVELY NA NA (3:26) 07. CHRISTABELLA WILSON (3:34) 08. I DRANK TOO MUCH AGAIN (2:05) 09. JOHNNY BOUGHT A RING (2:22) 10. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO CHEETAH CHROME? (2:03) 11. I'LL GIVE YOU NEEDLES (3:15) 		CD
Country
06/09/1998		   10.00
USD