Pre-Order: Noun, Snakeskin, + TVO Picture Discs!
photos by William Bottini
Out July 13!
We are souped up to announce this limited series of picture disc EPs by the incredible Noun, Snakeskin, and TVO! All of the vinyl and cardstock sleeves were hand silkscreened by us at State Champion Records. Here’s what Marissa Paternoster, co-engineer of all 3 EPs, has to say about this special release:
“Within the microcosm of the State Champion Universe, there are many threads that tie these three releases together. The most pervasive and strongest thread has, was, and always will be friendship! These three beautiful records would have never come to life without the help of our friend Eric Bennett, whose patience and generosity provided us with many of the resources required to bring these songs to life. I think I can safely say this on behalf of everyone: we love you, Eric!
Eric and I engineered these releases at Lakehouse Studios in Asbury Park, NJ. Making records can be pretty boring - it’s tedious to prepare a session, and once setup is through you spend most of your time squirming in an ergonomic chair enveloped in the blue glow of the computer monitor. The best part of recording sessions is always when the band arrives and you get a moment to shoot the shit.
From what I recall, the Noun session was entirely uneventful with the exception of the amazing pizza Angie Boylan and I picked up from Santillo’s in Elizabeth, NJ. (I recommend a 1957 pie, well done, with a sesame crust.) Angie Boylan and I met roughly fourteen years ago when she played in her band(s) Each Other’s Mothers and Cheeky. After all this time, our enduring friendship is still going strong thanks to our shared love of pizza, playing rock music, driving sensible station wagons, and did I mention rock music?
TVO is a Philadelphia band featuring the one and only true-blue Jersey Girl Ali Donohue on bass. I didn’t know the other band members very well, so it was a joy to spend some quality time together. Some notable studio moments include the following: Finding Ali completely passed out on the floor of a darkened isolation booth, and Garrett maybe having a roach fall out of his shorts.
Snakeskin, otherwise known as Shanna Polley, is my favorite songwriter on the planet. We’ve been friends for about seven years going strong. I’m always excited to hear Shanna’s songs with full band accompaniment, and having listened to these three song’s demos obsessively, this session was no exception. The actual recording experience was a delight, and my most prevailing memory of it is walking down the street on lunch break to a boutique store in Asbury with a sizable gift receipt to purchase everyone bespoke scented soy candles. On that day, I felt like a very rich man.”