I put out a notice about this over the weekend on Facebook, because I was so nerdishly excited about having successfully constructed it myself, but I figured I’d announce it today too in case not everyone spends all day every day sitting in front of their computer. The Maple Forum now has a BigCartel webstore where you can purchase releases. I know, the Kings Destroy link for Paypal is right in the sidebar, but this is more official-looking, like maybe I’m not just some schlub paying to press bands’ discs and I actually know what I’m doing. Even the appearance of that is a big step, as far as I’m concerned.

Click here to go to the official webstore of The Maple Forum.

That link will also be permanent in the sidebar in case you’re ever wondering how to get there.

There are two Kings Destroy orders waiting to go out (I’ll hit the post office on the way to work tomorrow), which brings us down to a measly 9 copies left. Once those go, it’s gone, so if you want it, now’s the time to get on it.

I’ll be announcing what the third Maple Forum release will be next week, so stay tuned for that, as we’ll have artwork, streaming tracks and all that good type of stuff over the coming however long until it’s out.

Well, it happened. Roareth are done. All the physical copies of their album, Acts I-VI, sold out and they played their last show at The Comet in Seattle this past Sunday night, Oct. 24. The Maple Forum‘s first band is no more. The second Maple Forum release isn’t even out yet! This whole “starting a record label” thing is going great.

If you missed that news, it’s here. Submitted for your approval are the following shots of Roareth at their final gig, courtesy of Invisible Hour Photography. Dig it:

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It’s one thing to put out an awesome CD — which Roareth did in the form of The Obelisk‘s in-house label The Maple Forum‘s first release, Acts I-VI — sell out of it and not make any more. It’s another thing to put out an awesome CD and then break up, and of the two, Roareth (ballsy as ever) seems to have gone with the latter option. They played their first show June 18, and they’ll play their last Oct. 24 in Seattle. I won’t ever have gotten the chance to see them.

The band checks in with the following:

Our guitarist, Aaron Edge, was offered the Product Manager position at Southern Lord Records in Los Angeles… a job he simply cannot pass up. He and bass player/wife (Rachel) move to California on Nov. 1. Pam, Ben and Aaron have been playing music together for over three years now, most of that time in the thrashy punk band, Requin (in which Pam wrote most of the material). Roareth was started in order to have a method of release for Aaron‘s slower material that didn’t fit into Requin‘s bag of tunes. The three musicians found it easy to just change the style of music between Requin and Roareth, keeping the same band members and practice space. It is with great sadness that the band disbands, but all good things must end.

Roareth has two remaining Seattle shows:
10/14 The Rendezvous w/ Via Vengeance and Sod Hauler
10/24 The Comet w/ Physical Demon, NoiseATron and Shining Ones

Roareth‘s Acts I-VI CDs are all sold out, however, the digital download of MP3s is available here: www.secure.diystro.com/a/GZALQ

Roareth‘s Acts I-VI Revisited is an interesting remix of the CD, with extra layered instruments, limited percussion and different samples. The digital download of MP3s is available here: www.secure.diystro.com/a/O04RU

Aaron and Rachel have started a new band down in the Los Angeles area called Raw Umber. They are seeking a drummer to complete their new group. Aaron has also been working on a series of recordings with different vocalists (Eshas w/ Rob of 108, Stilled w/ John of Himsa and Les Gants w/ Greg of Trial), all to be released before the year’s end. He also continues to write and record his solo project, Hellvetika. Pam has started a noise band called Scyphozoa. Ben plays with Mark Sparkles and Shit Gets Smashed. There is no doubt in any of the band member’s minds that Ben and Pam will start a new, heavy project as well.

The group wishes to thank each other for months of great shows, friendship and the creative outlet that was Roareth. Many hugs go out to the bands and stages shared, friends who lent an ear-plugged ear at shows and those who made the whole band’s life so amazing. Special thanks to JJ and The Maple Forum for support and the release of the Acts I-VI CD.

A final shirt design (see pic) will be available at the last shows, and if not sold out, online as well.

I’m happy to report that all my copies of The Maple Forum‘s debut release, Acts I-VI by Seattle doom juggernauts Roareth, are gone. As far as the label (and by that I mean me) is concerned, the pressing is sold out. You can still get the album from the band or at the All That is Heavy webstore, but it’s no longer for sale on this site.

Thanks to everyone who made a purchase from this site or reviewed the album. Please continue to support the band and know there’s more to come from The Maple Forum this Fall with the Kings Destroy record, And the Rest Will Surely Perish, and beyond, so stay tuned for label updates and a lot more. In the meantime, Roareth have a couple shows scheduled for next month you’ll probably want to check out if you’re a fan of getting your ass kicked by music.

I just got back from the post office, sending out the latest three packages of sold Roareth CDs to New York, Illinois and France, so if you ordered it and live in one of those places, keep your eye on the mail. If you haven’t yet bought a copy of Roareth‘s Acts I-VI on The Obelisk‘s house label, The Maple Forum, I highly suggest you do so, both because it rules and because I’ve only got four copies left. Four copies and then they’re gone. You can see why I’d consider it an urgent matter.

Thanks to everyone who’s bought and told me they enjoyed the record. I know the band is stoked on it and so am I. Guitarist Aaron Edge sent me an email today actually with a few pics from their set at the wedding of Tad (who recorded Acts I-VI) and Peggy Doyle, both of Brothers of the Sonic Cloth. It certainly looks like drummer/vocalist Ben McIsaac had a good time, as I’m sure did all who were in attendance. Lesbian and Mico de Noche also played.

In case you missed it, I recently posted all of Acts I-VI for your streaming pleasure. Here it is again, complete with the link to buy the record. Once more, I hope you dig it as much as I do:

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US $10.00 Everywhere else $14.00

The countdown is on. I only have 9 copies left of the first release on The Obelisk‘s in-house label, The Maple Forum, Roareth‘s Acts I-VI. If you want one, select your location and click the button below to buy one via Paypal. The band sold a bunch of their copies at the Seattle Doom Fest, so they’re going fast, and once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Although Roareth has samples of the album on their MySpace (as well as info about their next show August 14 at El Corazon, for which they’ll also have an exclusive t-shirt design), I thought it was time to stream the album, so that everyone could get the chance to hear it even if they didn’t get the chance to buy it, and so anyone on the fence could make up their mind either way. Just click the play button below:

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I’ve come to feel tremendous sentimental attachment to this record, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I know I do. Thanks for listening, for supporting the band and the site.

Purchase Roareth, Acts I-VI:

[PLEASE NOTE: The disc is now sold out. Thank you for your support.]

I have only 14 copies left for sale of Roareth‘s Acts I-VI, so if you want one, use the Paypal button below to make it yours. The band has informed me that Porchlight Coffee in their native Seattle is selling the album, and that they’ll be kicking ass on August 1 at the Seattle Doom Fest, alongside the likes of Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, Witchburn and a band called Fuck Knuckles, who I can only imagine are the coolest ever.

Roareth will have a limited t-shirt for sale at the show, and I can’t imagine they won’t sell out of their CDs, so get yours while you can. They send along the following:

Hey Seattle: The only actual store that you can pick up our new Roareth CD is at Porchlight Coffee, on the hill. We are so happy that Zach (owner) will make room for our copies. Get caffeinated, warmly greeted and find awesome vinyl (and our CD) there.

Super-limited new t-shirt will be available at our August 1st, Seattle Doom Fest show… VERY limited. Get yers at the fest (only), no pre-orders, no mail orders, no “hey, please save me one” orders.

Buy Roareth‘s Acts I-VI via Paypal:

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US $10.00 Everywhere else $14.00

Thank you, thank you, thank you. If you’ve ordered a Roareth CD in the past week, I’m going to be heading to the post office in a couple minutes to mail it out. I ran out of copies in Vermont, but I’m back in Jersey, which as anyone can tell you, is where the goods are.

Let’s do some math:

We started with 100 copies.
45 went directly to the band.
10 are going to StonerRock.com to sell in the All That is Heavy webstore (five from me, five from the band)
1 I kept.
25 have sold.

That means I have 19 copies remaining for sale. That’s it. 19 copies and then they’re gone. If you haven’t bought yours yet, you can do so with the button below ($10 in the US, $14 international). I hope everyone who’s gotten one digs it, and again, thank you.

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US $10.00 Everywhere else $14.00

NOTE: The album is sold out, thank you for your support.

Click the button above to make a $10 PayPal payment and get your very own copy of The Maple Forum‘s first release, Roareth‘s stunningly heavy Acts I-VI. I just got the box of CDs in today and couldn’t wait to get them up. Today’s Tuesday, release day anyway, so July 13, 2010′s as good as any. There’s only 100 of them, and they come individually hand-numbered, so get yours now while the getting’s good!

Roareth‘s Acts I-VI is their first release, recorded by Tad Doyle (Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, TAD) at his Studio Witch Ape, and it’s a god damn monster. Seriously. I listen to a lot of sludge. This is pummeling.

Shipping is included in the $10 price. If you’re from Europe (or anywhere else) and you want one, it’s $14. I know, that’s a shitty thing to do, but when you consider shipping internationally from the US even for something as lightweight as a digipak and a little note that says “thanks” is $7, I’m still not making any money, so there you go. Plus, the dollar is inevitably worthless against whatever your currency is, so it’s probably not all that bad. Again, not like I’m making a profit or anything.

So consider this a recommended purchase from one friend to another, and enjoy, knowing you have my thanks for supporting Roareth, The Maple Forum and The Obelisk.

The Roareth CD, Acts I-VI, is at the plant. The artwork has been turned in, I mailed out the master, and unless there’s some tragedy there, it will arrive shortly and at long last The Maple Forum will have its first release. I know I’m excited, I know the band is excited, and I hope you are too.

Last Friday, Roareth played their first show, at The Funhouse in Seattle. Surely you remember the flier that was posted? Yeah, that’s the one. Guitarist Aaron Edge, who seems to be Roareth‘s ambassador when it comes to The Obelisk, sent over a quick note about it and some photos I thought you might enjoy. Click the images for larger versions:

Our first show was perfect!

The place was packed at 9pm, we played first at 9:30 (kept our opening slot to just 30 minutes) and after our set people swamped our merch table… bought every shirt we had and then half the place left the club.

It was incredible. Perfect. People were stoked and we were too. Everyone wanted CDs… and that, my friend, is a great sign from the Gawds.

…And here’s the flyer for the show:

Never let it be said The Maple Forum doesn’t know how to promote its bands.

I got a wav file yesterday of the 45-minute long track that is Acts I-VI by Roareth, and… wow. God damn that’s heavy. It’s like they took sludge and put it through a black hole. Fucking vicious. I can’t wait for everyone to hear it. Kudos to the band and to Tad Doyle for the excellent job recording. I couldn’t be more psyched to have it as the first release on The Maple Forum.

Doing an interview about the studio time seemed cheap, so I charged guitarist Aaron Edge with the task of writing a studio wrap-up, in which, much as in the recording of Acts I-VI itself, he excelled, detailing the atmosphere in the studio and how exactly drummer/vocalist Ben McIsaac broke his collarbone, delaying the process. Feast your eyes on the following and make sure to stick around at the end, where you’ll find a new video for “Act V.” Awesome.

Aaron says:

Considering all that goes into writing and recording a record, this went pretty smooth. As band members, we get along so wonderfully. As a creative team, I can’t think of a better crew to work with… everyone is so easygoing and at the same time, productive. It has been a pleasure for me to be part of Roareth over the last year of our journey.

These six songs, released as one entity, embody our growth thus far, from our first crop. Acts I-VI took less time to write than most records in my personal past, in part, because I am blessed to share the Roareth experience with such fine musicians. Though I did most of the writing for this record, each band member’s energy and spin took those early riffs to new levels of goodness. I’d bring in an idea and they would help shape it into something worth being proud of, I love these people.

Speaking of love, working with Tad is a huge part of why Acts I-VI became the wondrous monster that it is. Not only has he been a great musical influence, he (and his new amazing wife, Peg) have shown our band unconditional support. I got to know Tad better though the year that I was his drummer in Brothers of the Sonic Cloth. The dude is a big, sweet tank of talent. He has great ideas, but knows to give advice only when it is asked for. He lets our band have our way with our material, but he knows the material well too, helpful as an engineer. I have recorded a handful of other projects and bands with him at the helm over the last two years, he knows what he’s doing and he knows what I’m going for when we share audio and high decibel time together.

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…Well, I’m stoked they’re releasing a CD via The Obelisk‘s new label venture, The Maple Forum, that is. I’m not releasing a CD of myself.

Not yet, anyway.

Anyhoozer, Seattle‘s Roareth are getting ready to hit the studio to record Acts I-VI next week with Pacific Northwest madman of doom Tad Doyle, and as the dude helping to release the album, I couldn’t be more psyched for the outcome. If the demo tracks I heard were any indication, we’re all in for a treat around these parts. Roareth guitarist Aaron D.C. Edge thinks so too. Here’s what he had to say about it:

“We are so excited to be working The Maple Forum for our first recording. Our band loves the idea of small, limited pressings and JJ (from the label) is so supportive and knowledgeable of heavy music… it’s a perfect fit for our band, our union. Of course, before getting signed, we were already scheduled to document Acts I-VI with the legendary Tad. He is a kind and extremely talented human, we get along so well with him and are pleased to have him turning knobs on our release. It will be a crushing set of songs for sure!”

Good news all around. And in case you didn’t know, Aaron also handled the album’s art and does killer design work. You can check out his graphic-type wares at his beardly-tentacled website. Acts I-VI is due out next month, and rest assured, I’ll have more news about it before then. Maybe even some audio if the band lets me get my grubby mitts on it…

For anyone who missed the news in with March’s numbers, The Maple Forum is a new label I’ve started to do short-run releases for artists I dig. The first up is Roareth from Seattle. The band is set to record with none other than Tad Doyle (Tad, Brothers of the Sonic Cloth) at the end of the month, and the disc is due out in May.

I just uploaded some more info and pics to the label page on this site, but you can always check out Roareth‘s MySpace for news and music as well.

Usually I like to keep my posts nice and neat, all separated and put into their unique classifications, then along comes the recently On the Radar-ed Roareth, screwing it all up. This is the first post in the year-plus The Obelisk has been active to be in not one, not two, but three separate categories. They’ve just put up a video for the song “Act I,” on their MySpace. Okay, so it’s an On the Radar update, it’s Whathaveyou because it’s news, and it’s Bootleg Theater because it’s a video. I don’t know about you, friends, but my mind is blown.

And that’s before I even watched the damn thing: