By Matt, Roofless Records

2012 was nonstop nuts! We released two records, hosted over 30 events, and were blacklisted from two major venues!

Holly Hunt record/Skeleton Warrior record

Holly Hunt – “Year One” 2xLP – Click here to buy on 150g 2xLP or as a high-quality digital download Ten days before the un-apocalypse, drummer Beatriz Monteavaro and guitarist Gavin Perry released their first major statement as instru-metal behemoth, Holly Hunt. And to say that we are honored (and thrilled and peeing our pants with excitement…) to add this beautiful record to our catalog is an understatement. We are all of those things AND we’re deaf. Because Holly Hunt is the loudest band ever. This music is epic and heavy without indulging the hate, anger, or aggressiveness of most heavy metal and extreme music. “Year One” is a record that you could describe as both “beautiful” and “brutal.” Pressed on two 150g 12” vinyl discs, with pro-printed black-and-white featuring original art designed by the band, and a thick plastic sleeve with frosted embossing. We could not be more proud of this release.

Nor could we be more grateful to our partners in sound, Other Electricities/Emile Milgrim, who worked exceptionally hard on to make this record perfect. Which it is. Meager Sunlight/Skeleton Warrior Split 12” This is our fourth release with Tampa’s (and Sarasota’s, and Syracuse’s, and Orlando’s) SKELETON WARRIOR (a.k.a. the band that inspired Roofless Records in the first place, and continues to inspire us on a daily basis), the debut transmission from Providence, Rhode Island’s MEAGER SUNLIGHT (who lure and seduce with cold-and-sexy wave kraut pop, while the Warrior’s comic book Carnivalesque beat poetry b/w Nina Hagen-style pop has caused more blogosphere head scratching than any other band in 2012), and our first 12” record with color pro-printed jackets! Container @ Sweatstock, April 21 In honor of Sweatstock 2012 we collaborated with our favorite Lil Haiti record shoppe to fly in nomadic technoise (and/or noise-techno) dude CONTAINER for two exclusive Florida dates.

Drut’s Roofless Utopia

One of those Container concerts was part of a live music series we host in collaboration with New College of Florida, in Sarasota, where the label was founded. New College (the Student Allocations Committee in particular) has been instrumental to our fundraising process and we could not be more thankful for our Alma Mater’s support. With NCF’s donation, we were able to produce a season’s worth of concerts each semester featuring cutting edge touring musicians and performance artists. We have big plans for the Spring Semester, so if you live anywhere within the vicinity of the Gulf Coast, we recommend keeping your eyeballs x-tra peeled.

Cinema Sounds #10, Saturday May 19 Speaking of origin stories, our signature live soundtrack series, Cinema Sounds, celebrated its tenth anniversary in the theater that hosted the original edition in 2008, Burns Court Cinemas in Sarasota. Cinema Sounds will make its return to Miami’s O Cinema in early 2013. Radio Test #1, June 27, 2012 Massive technical difficulties, small-mindedness, and a chronic case of simple, stupid, and simply stupid errors made this our most successful fictional sonic occurrence to date! This disaster was only the beginning!

Newton “Return to the Sunshine State” Tour, September 7-15 Somehow we embarked upon an 12-show tour of Florida with harsh noise sound architect, Newton, and lived to tell the tale. Collaborators included Frank “Rat Bastard” Falestra Frank, who performed at many of the dates, and the end/Spring Break, who provided dynamic venues and a generator.

Squelch TV Look, Ma! We’re on Squelch TV!

2013 / Up Next Roofless would like to bid adieu to collaborator Dana Bassett, and wish her well in all of her post-graduate pursuits in Chicago, including the launch of her new publishing company.

Roofless would like to thank the myriad contributors that make what we do not only possible, but enjoyable. Special thanks to Emile Milgrim, Rat Bastard, Sweat Records, Rob Goyanes, Brandon Miguelez, Ryan Halstead, Brad Lovett, Dorys Bello, the end/Spring Break, Coral Morphologic, Lester’s, and Mr. C.

Coming Soon: Roofless Winter/Spring 2013 Catalog, Cinema Sounds V2.0, Radio Test #2, and, ya know, more.