Hey Jere and Tony you want to do something tonight? All of us haven't seen you guys in a month and you must have alot to tell us.

Indeed welcome back, thanks for the post card!

Jere we need to talk about diving... I wanna go am going on the November long weekend trip to the coast. Would you be up for that?

Welcome back Tony and Jeremy! A little slow today.

Last post had too many grammatical mistakes, but it's a saturday so I'm lazy.

Sounds like a show at the Powerplant. It's Eric's record label first signee show.

What's happening tonight?

eric, what's a good time to show up for tonight?

thanks dog!
much appreciated!

I'd steal from the Journal for you dudes:

New label champions cassettes of a different colour

When it comes to quirky and retro gimmicks, Eric Ng and his pals are the champs.

His network of musicians, promoters and DJs were the masterminds behind Edmonton's Hipster Twister, where flexible types would tie themselves in knots while listening to the coolest indie music at a Whyte Avenue bar.

Ng is now on to his next venture with Taylor Schaerer, Tala Berkes and Eric Cheng.

Together, they've started their own label, Champion City Records, and are ready to show off their first indie-rock prizefighter, Hills Like White Elephants.

"Part of the mandate for the label is to really encourage the friends of ours who are writing music to be serious about taking that next step and doing some recordings," says Ng, who also plays in his own band, The Red Hot Daggers.

But forget about CDs -- Champion City is opting to release HLWE's first effort as a cassingle.

Ca-wha?

They're like cassettes -- remember those? -- but only 10 minutes long, enough to fit two tracks: Paper Tigers, a glimmery lullaby, and a remix.

Fans can choose from two different cassingles -- with either Artful Dodger's glitchy, uplifting remix or Westfalia's subdued, french house version.

"We've been going over artist contracts and whatnot and (cassingle) kept popping up and we thought it was kinda funny," says Ng.

"It seems like something no one else is doing and I think people will be pretty receptive to picking up a cassette. When's the last time anyone has done that, let alone a cassingle?"

In this day and age of iPods and MP3s, does anyone still own a cassette deck?

It's a question Ng has pondered, but he's not worried. Nor is HLWE's Chris Blackmore. The cassingles are pretty darn snazzy, covered with orange or black stripes.

"Great artwork goes a long way," he says. "I think it's a great gimmick."

Besides, his White Elephants will be releasing an EP soon, featuring sprawling, sensitive numbers filled with strings, glockenspiels, horns, and swells of chaotic drums and guitar scribbles. Premastered versions of three tunes, including Paper Tigers and Teen Wolf, are up on myspace.com/hlweband.

Blackmore says he takes his artistic cues from Toronto's indie-rock collective, Broken Social Scene.

"Just the mentality that it doesn't have to be a guitar band," he says. "You can put other things up front. You shouldn't be limited."

Champion City also doesn't believe there should be limitations placed on the relationship between the label and its artists.

Tonight, for example, two of the label's executives will perform with the HLWE foursome at the Powerplant.

"Everyone's really excited about each other's projects," says Blackmore.

This Civil Twilight, Columbus and headliners Fields To Flood are also on the bill.

Tickets are $10. Doors open at 8 p.m.

Read more about FTF's new EP in today's issue of ed.

Sandra Sperounes, Journal Music Writer

ssperounes@thejournal.canwest.com

do any of you have a subscription to the Edmonton Journal Online?

New label champions cassettes of a different colour When it comes to quirky and retro gimmicks, Eric Ng and his pals are the champs.