I first experienced the Crystal Antlers at last year’s CMJ. I wasn’t there to see them; I was basically there to partake in the free drinks. The boozy hipster crowd was quite loud and sociable amongst themselves, until the Antlers strummed the first feedback drenched riff of their set and propelled head first into one of the most clamorous-yet-invigorating rock shows I had seen all week.
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On the day that Touch and Go officially releases their last original full length, Tentacles by the Crystal Antlers, former StreetWise, Def Jam and Rough Trade employee, and current Hypnote label owner David Rothblatt takes us through his experiences of seven — count ‘em, seven — distribution closures and bankruptcies.
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Notes From Middle America is contributor Danny R. Phillips monthly column. You can read past installments here.

In light of Touch and Go’s recent decision to shut its doors, Bloodshot Records may not be Chicago Illinois’ longest standing label, but at 15 years old, it might now be the “new” reference point for venerable Chicago indies for years to come. Founded in June of 1994 by Rob Miller and Nan Warshaw, the label is home to many acts and genres; whether it be surf lounge (The Dex Romweber Duo), rock (The Detroit Cobras, Firewater), Latin (Cordero), country (Justin Townes Earle) and nearly every other music type you can think of. But while Bloodshot could be called many things, there’s one tag in particular that seems to bother Miller.
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In yet another sign of the trying economic times, our sources report that the venerable and much-respected Touch & Go Records plans to announce the closing of their distribution arm. We’ve heard no word yet from T&G to verify this (we first reported this today as a rumor, which has now been confirmed by Pitchfork), nor what this will mean for the bands on the label itself, but considering they distribute such high-quality labels as Drag City, Estrus, Kill Rock Stars, Jade Tree and Merge among others, the ripple effect in the indie community would be significant.
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There’s something very comforting about noise and the way that it permeates our everyday lives. When faced with silence, we prefer static in the form of televisions, stereos, and white noise machines. It is within this context that we first begin to understand — and be comforted by — bands who excel at the very simple art of noise. On their Ben Allen-produced debut album, Atlanta’s All The Saints have this skill mastered from the very first notes of “Shadow, Shadow”. Here, they begin a delicate and slow build, with muddy keynotes and lazy guitars mingling into a crescendo that recalls the finest of their shoegazing predecessors.
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