Kill Rock Stars is very excited to announce that on April 6, 2010 they will be adding Elliott Smith’s Roman Candle and From a Basement on the Hill records to their catalog.

Roman Candle is Elliott Smith’s first solo album and was originally released on Portland’s Cavity Search Records in 1994.

Roman Candle had quite an impact on Slim Moon, Kill Rock Stars’ founder: “In 1994, I had been asked to be on this five-person solo-act tour called Pop Chord with Tammy Watson, Carrie Akre, Sean Croghan and Elliott Smith. The first night at the Crocodile in Seattle, I didn’t pay too much attention and people talked all thru Elliott’s set. Sean Croghan got up next and said “all of you people who just talked through Elliott’s set are bummed because you just missed something very very special.” The next night of the tour, at The Bottom Of The Hill in San Francisco, I listened very closely to Elliott’s set, and it was basically one of those life-changing moments. Instead of watching the rest of the performers, I went out to the tour van and popped Roman Candle into the player, and listened to it on endless repeat for the rest of the evening and beyond. It completely blew my mind. I have never heard music as heartwrenchingly, gut-checkingly honest, intimate, and wise – before or since.”

Roman Candle has been remastered for the re-release by Larry Crane, editor of Tape Op Magazine and archivist for Elliott’s family.

Larry explains, “The intention that I had was to make the album more listenable. I felt that a lot of the guitar “squeaks” were jarring and very loud, and that many of the hard consonants and “S” sounds were jarring and scratchy sounding. I felt by reducing these noises that the music would become more inviting and the sound would serve the songs better. When I went to Roger Seibel‘s SAE Mastering, he proceeded to equalize the tracks a small amount and to make the volume slightly louder. We never tried to make this CD as loud as current, over-limited trends, but just to match the volume of the rest of Elliott’s KRS catalog in a graceful way. Please note that none of this album is “remixed” from the master tapes – it is still composed of the mixes Elliott created himself.”

Kill Rock Stars will also be releasing Roman Candle on vinyl for the first time in the U.S.

From a Basement on the Hill was released posthumously in 2004 on ANTI- records.

With the addition of these two records Kill Rock Stars is now the home for all of Elliott Smith’s independent releases: Roman Candle, Elliott Smith, Either/Or, From a Basement on the Hill, and New Moon.

To celebrate the addition of these amazing records KRS are giving away a free, previously unreleased song entitled “Cecilia/Amanda.” It was recorded at Jackpot! Recording Studio in 1997 by Larry Crane. An earlier version of this song was initially written and recorded by Elliott’s high school band, Stranger Than Fiction, and was known as “Time is Ours Now.” “Cecilia/Amanda” is a reworking of that song with almost completely different lyrics.

.“Cecila/Amanda”

Elliott Smith’s back catalog is also on sale until January 4 in KRS mail order and on iTunes.

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It looks like The Thermals will once again be teaming up with Chris Walla, indie power-producer extraordinaire and guitarist for DCFC, for an anticipated September 2010 release on Kill Rock Stars.

Since 2002, The Thermals have consistently churned out authentic, snot-nosed, un-fussed, tri-chord punk pistols that fire with a shot from the hip kind of glory. Walla, who has previously worked with the beloved Portland-based punk rock rascals, producing Fuckin A in 2004, will be setting up camp with The Thermals at the Jackpot Recording Studio in Portand, OR.

This will be the fifth LP from The Thermals and the first with new drummer Westin Glass on board. Keeping Walla in the family means we can look forward to another classic from these bruisers.

The Thermals: website | myspace | interview | @ monolith 2009 | @ the slowdown

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