hhbtm records

Elephant 6 Recording Co: 7 Key Bands from the Collective

Andy Fenstermaker
September 17, 2023September 17, 2023

The Elephant 6 Documentary is out now, and I can’t wait to see it! I didn’t really discover the label until the early 2000s, when it was in its period of inactivity after the original heyday. For those who aren’t fans of indie rock, it’s hard to convey the importance of this label and the impact and influence it — and the artists within its collective — has had on independent music of the late 90s through today. And with the new documentary that influence is as strong as ever.

Andy Fenstermaker
November 28, 2012November 28, 2012

I got a package the other week from HHBTM full of new releases from the Athens, GA-based label. Mike at the label was kind enough to pass along the latest albums he’s releasing. Four records to be exact: new LPs from Eureka California, Orca Team, Sweater Girls, and Tunabunny. I’ve been a fan of HHBTM for ages, dating at least back to 2006, if not further. Anyway, here are some details on each of the records. Read More »This Just In: New LPs from HHBTM Records

Orca Team: Take My Hand EP (Album Review)

Andy Fenstermaker
October 13, 2011October 9, 2011

Orca Team is Seattle’s answer to twee-ish post-punk beach pop, and they prove it with their new HHBTM Records 7-inch single. Title track “Take My Hand” is packed with a 60s-pop bass, a jangly guitar, reverb-soaked vocals, and hefty stomping drums with plenty of cymbal rides. Read More »Orca Team: Take My Hand EP (Album Review)

Fishboy: Alyson Revere [Video]

Andy Fenstermaker
May 12, 2011May 10, 2011

fishboy

Oh Fishboy, you never fail to amuse. We interviewed Fishboy’s Eric Michener a few months back about his new LP, Classic Creeps, which finally came out this week. Yeah, we’ve been rocking to it since January and can contest to its total awesomeness. Well, in celebration of the release, Michener, aka Fishboy, put together a video for the album’s fifth song, “Alyson Revere”, and it goes a little something like this… Read More »Fishboy: Alyson Revere [Video]

Six new Singles by HHBTM

Andy Fenstermaker
April 11, 2011April 24, 2011

The HHBTM team has sent me two lovely little packages in the past few months, the second of which arrived just last week. I figured it was high time to give them coverage… in list form! HHBTM, if you’re not familiar with the label, is short from Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records, and they’ve released several favorites over the years; bands like Patience Please, Fishboy, The Superions, Bunnygrunt, Casper And The Cookies, Velcro Stars and Eux Autres. Their singles club even includes the likes of Apples in Stereo and Of Montreal. Not to mention, the crew plays a major part in Athens Popfest. Read More »Six new Singles by HHBTM

The Superions: Who Threw That Ham At Me ? [Video]

Ron Trembath
March 29, 2010March 28, 2010

Let’s not sugar coat the story here. The Superions‘ single and respected video, “Who Threw That Ham At Me” is nothing more than a strange story about getting caught shoplifiting meat products and all while enjoying a nice disco and inventing a new dance to twirl about and “flip your lid”. Seems kind of strange, right? But, once you realize that the ring leader of this estranged disco circus is none other than Fred Schneider, it might make more sense. This is indeed the man who successfully lodged the idea into our heads that there is such a thing as a “Rock Lobster”. Few folks could pull off these antics with such grace. Schneider seems to have no problem though. Read More »The Superions: Who Threw That Ham At Me ? [Video]

Baby Calendar: Gingerbread Dog [Album Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
March 9, 2010May 13, 2023

Gingerbread Dog is the debut release on HHBTM for this Florida trio. Baby Calendar has released before, but it was… Read More »Baby Calendar: Gingerbread Dog [Album Review]

Keith John Adams: Unclever [Album Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
February 4, 2010February 3, 2010

In the grunge music of the 90s we saw the mass standardization of the head-bang. For you young ones, thatâ€™s when you take your nasty, long, greasy, unwashed hair and whip it from back to front and front to back in rapid motions. The result, obviously, is brain damage. Thatâ€™s what rock-n-roll will do for ya. Pop, on the other hand, takes that motion and reduces it to a quick nod. The good news is that you have more brain cells to kill with vices such as alcohol. The music of Keith John Adams may draw heavily from rock influences, but his music is so filled with pop that the music and your favorite local Stout or Lager will go hand-in-hand like two brand new teenage lovers. Read More »Keith John Adams: Unclever [Album Review]

Hotpants Romance: It’s A Heatwave [Album Review]

Ron Trembath
September 22, 2009September 20, 2009

Hotpants Romance are so perfectly strange they’re almost hard to comprehend. They boast their work as “three girls, three years, three chords”. They really are as simple as that on the surface. Yet, there are so many things from their album It’s A Heatwave that are shiny, bright, and utterly complicated in the most splendid of ways. Laura, Lowri, and Kate seem to enjoy the frame of mind and sound they have developed by the large amount of energy they exude through each track. Read More »Hotpants Romance: It’s A Heatwave [Album Review]

Afternoon Naps: Parade [Album Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
September 21, 2009September 20, 2009

This may come as a surprise: Ohio is a hot spot for up-and-coming indie pop artists. There’s Pomegranates out of Cincinnati and Bears in Cleveland. Rounding out the power trio is Cleveland’s Afternoon Naps. Catchy melodies and memorable vocal hooks can be found throughout their sophomore release, Parades. But there’s much more behind the music of Afternoon Naps that makes them one of the most promising pop bands around. Read More »Afternoon Naps: Parade [Album Review]