Little Hits is a Record Label!
The Shebangs - Maybe Yes, Maybe No
(Little Hits Records 45, 2007)
The Shebangs are absolutely an inspiration to everyone who has unwisely neglected their rock and roll dreams. Three thirty-something women (Vocalist/bassist Tamyra Heim, Guitarist Anne Tangeman, Drummer Kit Cole) decide to learn instruments and form a rock band because…well…because they’d always wanted to. After a few get-togethers and some flailing about, the band discovers that bassist Tamyra Heim, drawing on years of fandom/obsession, writes spiffy little garage toons, and sings ‘em well too. A token boy (Bret Dillingham) is added to beef up the guitar sound. Anne leaves to pursue other interests. Gigs are played. Mo’ better songs are written.
Summer 2005. On a day that has seen a number of severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings, the Shebangs play a very sparsely attended gig at the Booby Trap in Topeka. Trust me, you’d a’ liked to been there. Relaxed and confident, the band rips through a batch of Heim originals and cool covers (Saints, Nasty Facts). Meanwhile, Jon stands in the audience, thinking that this is about the most punk rock thing he’s ever seen and grinning so hard his face hurts. When they launch into “Maybe Yes, Maybe No,” Jon realizes that this cannot be the best of all possible worlds unless and until the Shebangs have a 45 out.
A few months later, in an abandoned beauty shop in Kansas City, Chris Wagner readies his trusty eight-track tape machine (and mono mixdown deck) and the Shebangs plow through a few beers and songs. Chris tweaks and conjures, and a fine time is had by most. A few weeks later Jon, Kit and Chris mix at the same beauty shop until, due to a heater on the fritz and high temperatures in the teens, their fingers can no longer move. One more session with Peter Buxton fine-tuning the mix, and we’re ready to go.
Then a long wait ensues as Jon drags his ass for months. I’m sure most Little Hits watchers are familiar with this kind of thing.
But we’re not here to dwell on the events of the past. We’re here to celebrate the arrival of Little Hits LH45-01. And I do mean celebrate. “Maybe Yes, Maybe No” with its cool R & B shake and freakbeat-inspired guitar solo hearkens back to the 60s, but ultimately remains tough and timeless rock and roll. The flip, a cover of the Saints “A Minor Aversion,” is just as stunning; a cool folk-punk arrangement, and a rather amazing vocal performance by Tamyra Heim.
I’m proud of the Shebangs. I’m proud of this record. It sits in my drawer right between 45s by Sandie Shaw and the Sheep (AKA the Strangeloves). That seems eerily appropriate.
This record is available for $3.50 postage paid in the US, $6.50 worldwide. Inquiries can be made at the address on the “About” page. Please buy this so I can do another.
After a lengthy hiatus, the Shebangs again return to the Lawrence stage with a show at the Jackpot on February 3 with the Time Flies + band to be named later.
Disclosure statements. The drummer, Kit Cole, is my wife. Kit and I often play cards with Bret and his wife, Aimee. Tamyra and I sometimes have beers and talk about the Church and Echo and the Bunnymen. The Time Flies is my new band.
-Jon Harrison
frankenslade said,
January 22, 2007 @ 10:15 pm
Very cool. Congrats! The new design is looking great, and it looks like the kinks are getting worked out. Rock on, Little Hits.
ib said,
January 23, 2007 @ 7:13 am
Brilliant! thanks for posting. The label design does look very cool and suitably retro, and the track sounds great ; like Patti Smith with serious bubblegum attitude and a real garage to stutter and roll around in. Good luck with the upcoming gig.
Mike said,
January 23, 2007 @ 10:18 am
“This record is available for $3.50 postage paid in the US, $6.50 worldwide. Inquiries can be made at the address on the “About” page. ”
I fear I’m missing something obvious. I’ve searched the blog for about five minutes, and I can’t find the link to the “About” page. Could someone post the link or tell me where to look?
Thanks!
Jon said,
January 23, 2007 @ 11:18 am
Mike-
There have been a number of glitches lately. The “about” page seems to have disappeared. You can contact me at jonhar@sunflower.com. I apologize for the inconvenience.
best,
Jon
Cobalt said,
January 23, 2007 @ 12:33 pm
Wow, that’s cool. Who’s doing your record presing and labels? Does it cost much?
Jon said,
January 23, 2007 @ 1:34 pm
Cobalt-
The records were mastered and pressed at Nashville Record Production. The Labels were printed by Dave Hamlett in Nashville. I can supply contact info if anyone needs it.
I didn’t want to do a picture sleeve, as that would add 60-100% to the cost of the venture, so I tried to give it a distinctly retro look to make it interesting. I wanted the labels to have a look that would excite you if you were flipping through a pile of sleeveless battered 45s at a flea market.
I also wanted the vinyl to have a flat edge. These things are important.
350 records should have been about $600, but I had to have it mastered twice. The first mastering job did not have the cheap, tinny, AM radio sound I wanted. I communicated my desires to the mastering engineer, and he was able to give me what I wanted. So it was a learning experience. (Get a reference acetate BEFORE you have test pressings made up.)
Stewart has done this before as well so perhaps he has something to add?
Best,
Jon
Bill Koch said,
January 24, 2007 @ 9:22 am
Good call on the mastering decision with the AM radio sound as I’m not sure the song would’ve worked as well otherwise. That being said, this is a great song.
Andrew said,
January 26, 2007 @ 2:16 pm
Absolutely perfect that it clocks in at 2:53, the optimum length for a hit single.
2fs said,
January 28, 2007 @ 11:46 pm
Hell, I’ll buy it. As for Stewart’s experience with having records (and CDs) pressed…ooh boy, I’ve heard it before (I think I have the complete Flamingo catalog) and…remember those old Warner Bros. cartoons where the character gets angry and steam comes out his ears and he turns bright red and nearly explodes?
Stewart said,
January 29, 2007 @ 3:10 am
Well, to be fair, that was ONLY with the CD pressing. My experiences with United Record Pressing — which I think Jon said is where his guy used to work — were always great: very friendly people, did the job on time and on budget every time.
Jeff Hayes said,
January 29, 2007 @ 2:09 pm
Congrats on getting this together, Jon - pretty exciting stuff. And it’s great to have Little Hits back on a regular basis; I was worried it’d been lost for a while there. Which explains why this is approximately the 27th comment I’ve contributed in the past ten minutes…
dunpottee said,
September 27, 2007 @ 2:58 pm
i ve heard abt ur records and im interested in joining ur record label and i already ve my own music which i sang my self.i will really appreciate if im goving the opportunity.
lawrence said,
February 27, 2008 @ 7:16 pm
am looking for advise and opinion from you am a upcoming Artist
The Recordchanger said,
March 15, 2008 @ 11:02 am
I just got the single from the Bomp website (www.bomp.com) with a batch of other singles, and thought it was the best of a very good bunch of records. I hope there’s more to come.
Azad said,
October 2, 2008 @ 12:12 pm
This is refreshing music… the music and the band’s name remands me “she wants revenge”