Now-Again Records

Update: Stark Reality “Acting, Thinking, Feeling” LP/CD/Digital Out NOW; Free MP3….

Acting, Thinking, Feeling: the Stark Reality’s complete works is out NOW on 6LP/3CD box set/digital. See pics and grab a free MP3, below!

That’s right: there were some delays, but we’re happy to announce that our Stark Reality Acting, Thinking, Feeling box set is now out in all formats – LP, CD and digital. You can see pictures of the LP and CD box set below, and if you want to buy the album digitally you have two choices: you can buy the albums a la carte at iTunes (link below), Emusic or your favorite DSP, or you can subscribe to Now-Again Deluxe at Drip.fm and the entirety of the set as a signing bonus (email us for details). As we noted before, you can download the un-edited version of “All You Need To Make Music,” restored from a brand new master tape transfer (like the entirety of our set) below.

Download: Stark Reality “All You Need To Make Music (Full Version)”
Subscribe Now to get “Acting, Thinking, Feeling” via Now-Again Deluxe at: https://drip.fm/nowagain
Buy: Stark Reality Discovers Hoagy Carmichael’s Music Shop on Rappcats
Buy: Stark Reality Roller Coaster Ride on Rappcats
Buy: Stark Reality Acting, Thinking, Feeling on Rappcats

RIP: Billy Ball – Indianapolis Funk Legend, Leader Of The Upsetters

We’re sad to report the passing of Naptown funk legend Billy Ball, whose three funk masterpieces “Tighten Up Tighter,” (on King Records) “Sissy Walk” and “Popcorn ’69” (on his self-funded Apollo) were three of the first licenses that Egon brokered in the late 90s. Ball, whose tenure with his ever-changing ensemble The Upsetters lasted from the mid-60s until his death, was one of the first artists lionized in the Deep Funk scene of the early to mid 90s. But when Egon tracked him down in an Indianapolis dive bar where he was playing with long term guitarist Clint Jones (he the one behind the every present wah-wah that made Ball’s Apollo release so in demand, and also sadly deceased), a patron made it a point to question why “anyone would care about this damn Chuck E. Cheese music.”

Well, the answer is now obvious, as Ball’s music has outlasted the Deep Funk fad: his Apollo release still commands upwards of $4000 in private sales and at auction and is regarded as one of the finest 45s in the independent funk canon. Egon included “Tighten Up Tighter” on his Stones Throw anthology The Funky 16 Corners; both sides of Ball’s Apollo release can be found on our Soul 7 box set.

Thanks to Jason Yoder, who visited Ball at his home in the mid 2000s and archived the early-70s photo you see above.

Link: Billy Ball obituary in Indianapolis’s Nuvo Magazine
Download: “Sissy Walk”
More: Interviews with Billy Ball and Clint Jones by Egon and Jason Yoder

Egon on Tour With Madlib: Madlib Medicine Show Asia Tour 2013

Egon leaves today for a two week Asian tour with Madlib: three dates in Japan and three dates in Asia. While there’s little chance of finding any of the groovy psychedelic records from the farther reaches of the old Chinese empire while in Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu, there’s a good chance of a report back of funky finds from the ground in Tokyo. You saw what happened last time.

Photos to come.

Feb. 15: Tokyo at Sound Museum Vision
Feb. 16: Nagoya at Mago “Audi”
Feb. 17: Osaka at Grand Café
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Feb. 21: Beijing at Yugongyishan, Beijing, Dongcheng district, Zhang Zizhong Road 3-2.
Feb. 22: Chengdu at Chengdu East Telecast Hall, East Music park, Jianshezhi Road, Chenghua District.
Feb. 23: Shanghai at The Shelter, 5 Yongfu Road.

From The Vaults: Heliocentrics “Joyride” (2005) EP

To us, life without the music of the Heliocentrics seems barely worth living, but we figured that not everyone who’s picked up on this label knows the breadth of this psychedelic UK ensemble. So, over the course of February, we’re presenting the Heliocentrics Now-Again catalog – and some unreleased gems – to our subscribers at Now-Again Deluxe.

There will be three installments, with the final issue being the “from the vaults” release pictured above: Joyride, which will only be available via Now-Again Deluxe. The four tracks from this EP that the Heliocentrics turned in in 2005 were recorded in the early part of the ’00s, and are alternate versions to the final versions that appeared on their Now-Again debut, Out There . The versions are all quite different – note the ending portion of “Distant Star,” omitted from the final album, the flute lead on “Haunted House” and the Middle-Eastern flavored psych – and the Jimmy Swaggart vocals! – from the original “Joyride.”

13 Degrees Of Reality is scheduled for an April 16th release date on CD and LP and to be made available at Now-Again Deluxe in March.

More Info: About Now-Again Deluxe
Subscribe Now: https://drip.fm/nowagain

Rhythm Machine – Rhythm Machine (Deluxe Edition)

Rhythm Machine’s mid 70s soul/funk opus is expanded here with previously unreleased tracks. This band sprung from Indianapolis funk legends (and Egon’s Funky 16 Corners impetus) The Highlighters’ proverbial ashes. James Boone and James Brantley, determined to make a go of it as a show band, assembled another high-energy group of musicians to record three singles and an LP over the course of a seven year span. This album is full of charm – featuring synth-lead ballads, danceable Kool & The Gang styled funk, and snappy soul music. It’s one of the highest regarded albums in the independently-issued soul/funk canon and we’re pleased to present the definitive version now.

Download: Rhythm Machine – Rhythm Machine (Deluxe Edition).