happy holidays from wampus multimedia

Independent-minded artists and fans,

No doubt few of us will ever ache with nostalgia for 2009. (Just sayin'.)

The good news is the music "business" is re-emerging as a simpler, more transparent mechanism for representing and compensating artists. The residue of the old system is circulating through the sewers of Los Angeles. The major labels are like sports agents now, leveraging soft-drink endorsements for their clients.

As The Clash once sang, "Coke adds life where there isn't any."

Somewhere out there a kid is sitting on a sofa in her parents' den, strumming a Stratocaster copy without an amp, and warbling under her breath about the sad state of affairs in her middle-class, suburban world.

She is hurtling toward the playlist on your [descendent of the iPod] in 2020.

We'll be there to amplify it. We hope you will be, too.

--Mark Doyon, Creative Director, Wampus Multimedia

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Hungry iPod? Feed it.

http://wampus.com/catalog.html

The Crowd Scene / With Complete Glossary for Squares

Melancholic optimism that sings of life's oblique obstacles and simple wonders. "A solid two-part-harmony outing of sugar-free chamber-beat pop." --PopMatters ///// CD Baby / Amazon / iTunes.

the matthew show / february

An idiosyncratic work at the intersection of documentary and classic pop. "An amazing album... and some of the most intelligent and powerful rock songwriting you’ll find." --Wildy's World ///// CD Baby / Amazon / iTunes.

tvfordogs / Starling

Classic rock drenched in early-'70s guitar tones meets the immediacy of modern hi-fi. "Ear candy with every refrain." --MuzikReviews.com ///// CD Baby / Amazon / iTunes.

The May Bees / Drop Little Boy

Apocalyptic rock-club thrash with a maple-syrup coating. "An explosive mixture of precision pop craftsmanship and torrents of gut-busting guitar." --Jason Warburg, The Daily Vault ///// CD Baby / Amazon / iTunes.

Various Artists / Hurry Home Early: the Songs of Warren Zevon

Emerging artists interpret the literate, modern songcraft of the poet of Gower Avenue. "This collection deserves space in the collection of any Zevon fan." --Ron Davies, Splendid ///// CD Baby / Amazon / iTunes.

Various Artists / After Hours: a Tribute to the Music of Lou Reed

The story of an artist unencumbered by popular expectations, yet... popular. "A must-have for any fan of Reed, or for anyone who just likes quality, original music, smartly produced, played very, very well." --Fleabomb.com ///// CD Baby / Amazon / iTunes.

Various Artists / If I Were a Richman: a Tribute to the Music of Jonathan Richman

A wildly entertaining ride through the repertoire of one of rock's most original and eclectic songwriters. ///// CD Baby / Amazon / iTunes.

Neil Luckett / Radio for Cats

Stripped-down and immediate, chills up the spine. "Luckett creates an individual sound that looks more into his mind and soul rather than the minds of others." --Wes Barker, Amplifier ///// CD Baby / Amazon / iTunes.

Various Artists / Wampus Multimedia: Modern Rock & Modern Folk

Original music for films and multimedia projects. "This label is making very few mistakes." --Eric Saeger, Skope Magazine ///// CD Baby / Amazon / iTunes.

Kowtow Popof / Exalted Headband

Rock, electronica, classical, and folk in a mélange of moody pop. "Rich, rather spooky and quietly expansive." --Jason Warburg, The Daily Vault ///// CD Baby / iTunes.

Johnny J Blair / Grateful

Offbeat, sunny pop full of irreverence, romance, and bittersweet spirituality. ///// CD Baby / Amazon / iTunes.

The Crowd Scene / Turn Left at Greenland

Shimmering trans-Atlantic pop refracted through a lens of the Kinks, the Left Banke, Television, and Elliott Smith. "Absolutely worthwhile, and a good sign for the future of British pop." --Matthew Greenwald, All-Music Guide ///// CD Baby / Amazon / iTunes.

Alice Despard / Samsara

The until-now rare first solo disc from the founder of Washington, D.C.'s Hyaa! "Beautiful." --The Doubtful Palace ///// CD Baby / Amazon / iTunes.

Alice Despard / Push Me Pull You

The comeback album -- honored in the Village Voice "Pazz & Jop" poll, now to be honored by your stereo. "Lush, ethereal country-rock may seem a curious concept, but this local singer-songwriter manages to combine heaven and earth in 11 songs that are both mysterious and urgent." --Mark Jenkins, The Washington Post ///// CD Baby / Amazon / iTunes.

Johnny J Blair / Fire

Immaculately crafted pop 'n' roll with a streak of gospel-inflected, blue-eyed soul. "For anyone with a little imagination, intelligence, and a sense of humor, not to mention a taste for the exotic." --Brian Quincy Newcomb, CCM Magazine ///// CD Baby / Amazon / iTunes.

The Simple Things / President Foushee

Virginia roots-pop outfit returns with a best-of as solid as a pop rock. "It's the upbeat tunes that catch you.... Nicely done." --Raw 42 ///// CD Baby / Amazon / iTunes.

tvfordogs / Roller

Melodic, crunchy, and already under your skin. "Carries on the tradition of British power trios with a modern creativity and flair." --Laura Turner Lynch, Kweevak.com ///// CD Baby / Amazon / iTunes.

Alice Despard / Vessel

Patti Smith meets Neil Young -- with a little Mission of Burma to boot. "Like a stripped-down Velvet Underground." --J.R. Oliver, EarCandy ///// CD Baby / Amazon / iTunes.

Johnny J Blair / Treadmarks

Imagine Raymond Chandler and Sam Cooke as street musicians busking with David Bowie's beat-up 12-string guitar. "A solo record full of originality, guts, and feel." --Francesco Emmanuel, The Muse's Muse ///// CD Baby / Amazon / iTunes.

Arms of Kismet / Cutting Room Rug

Brooding and poppy, funny and foreboding, it's toe-tapping, tragicomic rock 'n' roll. "Witty, idiosyncratic indie-rock that is to a band like Maroon 5 what a film like Sideways is to one like Miss Congeniality 2." --Jason Warburg, The Daily Vault ///// CD Baby / Amazon / iTunes.

Casey Abrams / Like a Mirror

Reflecting folk, jazz, and the American songbook, it takes Paul Simon and Don McLean back to their roots. "Intelligently eclectic." --Kevan Breitinger, Indie-Music.com ///// CD Baby / Amazon / iTunes.

Cafebar 401

Brimming with darkly sweet pop hooks, it calls to mind Coldplay, Radiohead, and Queens of the Stone Age. "A great debut album from a band soon to be well known." --Brenna Krause, Left Off the Dial ///// CD Baby / Amazon / iTunes.

Arms of Kismet / Eponymous

Literate and insidiously catchy, it's postmodern pop for the savvy, ironic streetcrawler. "A classic, one of the first great discs of 2004." --Roy Opochinski, Groovevolt.com ///// CD Baby / Amazon / iTunes.

Various Artists / Glass Flesh 2: a Tribute to Robyn Hitchcock

Twenty-one great ways to skin Robyn Hitchcock's cat. ///// Amazon.

Wampeters / Murder Your Darlings

It's the end of the line... until the line starts again. "A great narrative album." --Heidi Drockelman, IndieMusic.com ///// CD Baby / Amazon / iTunes.

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Read Wampus eBooks on your Amazon Kindle, iPhone, BlackBerry, Palm, or other digital device. New to eBooks? Download the Mobipocket Reader free!

http://mobipocket.com/en/DownloadSoft/ProductDetailsReader.asp

Fundamentals of DIY Radio Promotion by Liz Koch

If you're not hearing your band's music on satellite, Internet, or terrestrial radio, you need the word from independent music promoter Liz Koch of Notorious Radio. ///// Available in Amazon Kindle and Mobipocket Reader format.

The Empty Pockets Guide to Moving to New York City by Matthew & Janell Broyles

Takes you from pre-planning to job acquisition to finding an apartment. Don't wander around Manhattan without it. ///// Available in Amazon Kindle and Mobipocket Reader format.

White Bred: A Prodigal Jaunt to the Suburban South by Amy Jo Wood

Filling the pages with her wry and breezy style, Amy casts good Southern cooking as high sustenance, with a heapin' helpin' of universal truths besides. ///// Available in Amazon Kindle and Mobipocket Reader format.

Mark Doyon / Bonneville Stories

Crisp fiction from Arms of Kismet's Mark Doyon that's as dark as optimism gets. "A brilliant collection of beautifully written stories that made me cringe, grimace, and laugh, while sometimes moving me to great pity.... There just aren't any flaws here, and I can't possibly do this book justice in a review. No one could, really...." --Laurie Edwards, CultureCartel.com ///// Amazon (print edition) /Amazon Kindle (eBook edition) / Mobipocket (eBook edition).

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1929763093/qid=1034199246/sr=8-7/ref=sr_8_7/102-8551637-2399362?v=glance&n=507846

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Visit the Wampus store at CD Baby.

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Coming soon....

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Wampus Multimedia is an independent media label run by artists, for artists. Its credo is simple: to introduce the world to bold content rendered by visionary artists. It is home to a growing roster including pop, AAA, Americana, alternative, ambient, blues, and folk. Wampus Multimedia values you as a supporter of independent media and will never share your contact information with anyone. Contact us anytime at mail5(at)wampus.com.