Olde English Spelling Bee (fka Bobby J Records)

[err jordan]

weird label... just did a really huge trade with Ledford, got I think 9 of the LPs. Haven't gne through it all yet. Currently digging the Susan Alcorn pedal steel record, which is really really really mellow. Last night was the Twenty-six "This Skin is Rust" 2lp (on Bobby J), which I think is ("secretly") the first release by Johnny from Glass Candy (no disco included). Also played the Five Staracle Men, which I haven't made up my mind about (weird loops, kinda smegma-y???), and one of the 2 new James Ferraro lps, which I swear has the same song on it at least 5 times and sounds like the Residents.

Also Ledford did the one-off magazine/7" WHUMP in the 90s, closest thing to Bananafish I've seen... wish I could find some of the Bobby J tapes from the 90s..

yeah so obviously this is all rambling and I haven't come to any real conclusions yet... just curious if anyone has.

oh yeah, and of course there's the Portland Bike Ensemble Lp...

[dave quam]

hmm i didn't even really know that much came out on that label.

I got the bike ensemble record in high school in Portland...that record was really cool from what i remember but i haven't heard it in a while.

About 3 years later i found that same LP in Chicago weirdly too, so i got 2 copies of it


are they still in business?

[err jordan]

very much still in business. a lot of the newer stuff is listed here-
http://www.forcedexposure.com/labels/ol ... g.bee.html

Squim LP is totally great, can't believe I've lived in Portland for 8 years and never even heard of the guy.

playing the Bryan Eubanks/JP Jenkins split next....

[mudd]

yeah, OESB is still pretty active, i think 2008 was their busiest year. but i think the label is actually the work of two separate parties, only one of whom has the bobby j connection. i could be wrong about this, but that's my impression.

anyway, early on they did a bunch of mouthus related stuff, including a live album, a split with axolotl, and a split with montreal scuzzrockers cousins of reggae. and of course the portland bike ensemble, which is my favorite of the era. since then they did that jp jenkins/bryan eubanks split, the susan alcorn lp, some more obscure stuff (more cousins of reggae, pussygut, and squim) and now they've settled into some more familiar territory like zac davis, james ferraro, and robedoor.

great label, everything at least slightly surprising and always staying ahead of anything that might be a label aesthetic.

as for bobby j, there was a time when i thought i knew a fair bit about the label, but i don't really know what to think anymore. 26 was once upon a time something of a personal holy grail, but recently the wharehouse has been opened and copies are around. likewise 'for ever river buried', but that's pretty much all i've seen floating around. weird shit from austin before austin was famous for being weird.

m

[dave quam]

oh i forgot the JP/Eubanks was on that label, mr Jenkins gave me a copy a while back, that ones rad.

[peteswans]

oh yeah.. man.. that twenty six record is allright.. and yeah. it is 100% for sure Jonny J's first record.. all solo basement texas style..

there's been heaps of at least decent stuff on this label and it's own share of ULTRA CONFUSING releases.

I do really like the Mouthus records, the JP/Eubanks split, the Ferraro LPs, the PARA LP is good.. the Alcorn LP.. uh.. SQUIM is good.. total mystery man.. I guess Squim's been putting stuff out for years.. but this was his first LP. (oh Pat.. he'll play shows if you ask!)... Bike Ensemble is good..

He did a good job with the Yellow Swans/Gray Daturas collab double LP..

Todd's always looking for ultra weird new shit to put out... so.. if you hear anything messed up on the internet, you should email him.

[Dan Warburton]

the Alcorn LP.. uh..

was my record of the year for Wire in 2007

[Raglani]

Recently did a massive trade with this label. He send me a ton of stuff which really surprised me since I only had a few cds/cd-rs to trade. Everything I thought was quite engaging, esp the Alcorn and Ferraro discs. I had the previously mentioned YS related releases and the Axolotl/mouthus split. I'm looking forward to keeping up with this label.

[mudd]

new oesb!

*Artist: PORTLAND BIKE ENSEMBLE
Title: Live in Japan
Format: LP
Label: Olde English Spelling Bee
Country: USA
Price: $16.00
"In late November & early December of 2006 the Portland Bike Ensemble played a series of concerts in Japan - ten shows in seven different cities. This record features highlights from that tour. Side A is the complete performance from a buddhist temple in Tokyo, and on the flip are excerpts from shows in Fukuoka, Kitakyushu, and Kyoto. Limited edition of 200 copies, spraymounted covers." - Olde English Spelling Bee.

*Artist: STARVING WEIRDOS
Title: Blue Herons
Format: LP
Label: Olde English Spelling Bee
Country: USA
Price: $18.00
"Full-length vinyl release from northern California "free drift" unit the Starving Weirdos. Blue Herons features two side-long tracks: "Manila" and "King Radness On His Royal Swim", both choice selections of their expansive drone/improv sound. Deluxe gatefold silkscreened covers with art by Nate Nelson (of Mouthus/Religious Knives/Crazy Dreams Band). Limited edition of 470 copies." -Olde English Spelling Bee

from fusetron. the original bike ensemble record is pretty great, so this is good news.

m

[Joda]

Cool label.

I just heard about this one from Hitoshi Kojo:

Artist: KODAMA
Title: Turning Leaf Migrations
Format: LP
Label: Olde English Spelling Bee
Country: USA
Price: $17.00
"Kodama is the ongoing recording project of two well-known visual and sound artists - Hitoshi Kojo and Michael Northam - and this is their first widely available release as a duo. Recorded in various improbable locations whenever they crossed paths over the course of several years and then finally edited and assembled in a cluttered garage in the west side of Indianapolis. There is a decidedly more improvisational feel and crisp psychedelic aura to these recordings when compared to their other work and one can hear the influence of Ghedalia Tazartes in how the various recordings were stitched together. Limited pressing of 500 copies. Covers & insert printed on 2-color offset press with illustrations and design by Hitoshi Kojo." -Olde English Spelling Bee

[mudd]

oh heh, i guess that one is listed too, didn't spot the label.

m

[vanessa]

I have two cassettes of an artist called asrielle from bobby j but it's a fav and i'd like more. does anyone know of it on cd or available anywhere?

[mudd]

asrielle is (i'm told) the same person behind twenty-six and for ever river buried. he's in glass candy now, as mentioned upthread.

can't really say the other stuff is terribly similar, but it's worth hearing. there's a copy of the twenty-six album on ebay right now if you're looking to buy, but it shouldn't be too hard to find downloads around either.

none of his material is on cd as far as i know. there was talk of a cd edition of 'this skin is rust', but as far as i know it never happened.

m

[nhennies]

oh yeah.. man.. that twenty six record is allright.. and yeah. it is 100% for sure Jonny J's first record.. all solo basement texas style.

So someone knows who was behind the 26 record? Bobby J was a personal obsession of mine for a long time in the 90s but I never did find out who actually made that music. Any details? (EDIT: ahhh that's right, just realized I actually had heard before that it was weirdly the guy from Glass Candy who did it. Thanks, Google).

Also, is anyone still actually holding on to the claim that the "For Every River Buried" album wasn't made by the same guy?

[mudd]

try http://rootstrata.com/rootblog/?p=3064 for 'confirmation'? and i've nixed the picture from this post, but at some point todd from bobby j confirmed to me that "for every river..." and 26 were the same guy.

m