Let me tell you, people: Getting this record on the internet has been a real ordeal, you know? This record has been in the can since June. Erik and I have been busy. On top of that we are terrible with communicating with each other. The other day we briefly spoke on the phone, an exchange in which I told him that if he brought me beer to my office that I would consider putting his album up on the internet.

Three days later, here it is:

Finally, it's on the internet for all of you to download. You can either get it in the free section of this website along with dozens of other free records or you can be lazy and just click the link to download the record. Either one works, but do give it a listen.

Love,
Christopher

A Hungry Lips song is currently streaming as part of NPR's All Songs Considered weekly mix. Check it out, and a lot of other favorites of the NPR music interns here.

Their new record, Empty Spaces, was also reviewed this week in the Pittsburgh City Paper. click here to check out the review.

And if you haven't downloaded a copy of the new Hungry Lips album yet, grab it here.

No, it's not an April Fool's joke.

Marking The Atomic Family's 30th release, Hungry Lips' new Empty Spaces EP packs 5 songs into under 10 minutes of psychedelic/electronic/folk mess. Yes, some people write single songs longer than this. However, they usually work at Guitar Center, have a band named something like "OrJAZZam", and are generally wankers.

For those not in the know, Hungry Lips is my personal recording project, featuring a rotating cast of my friends per album. This time it's Erik Grieco (On Vinyl, Resent, Northern Aggression) on (some of the) drums and the mastering end of things.

As with most family releases, this one is available for free in our Free Music! section, or you can just click here to download it directly. However, for you dinosaurs who still like to have something to hold in your hands, we have CDs for sale in the merch section as well. If you are a yinzer and know Erik, just talk to him and snag one so we don't have to ship it to your ass, and talk to me if you're a Masshole and want a copy.

-Scott

Note from Christopher: I received the following text in an email from Erik with no explanation whatsoever. I don't know if he intended me to post it or not, but I'm just going to post it and hope for the best.

Thanks to an article in Pittsburgh's City Paper we seem to be still on the map. Let me be honest: we've been slacking. I was at a basement show a few months back watching The Code Orange Kids when the drummer, Jamie, asked into the mic "What happened to The Atomic Family?" That's a good question to ask of a group of people who were cranking out lots of records and were incredibly active in Pittsburgh's music scene.

We're all just living our lives. Here's a rundown for those who care...

Erik was busy getting divorced and working at a job he loves. All the while he recorded two records with WORMRIGG and one solo album of his own. He and Chuck (Eskimoses, On Vinyl, Resent) are recording a new album together in the new and improved Coffee Shop studio.
Chris had been living in various places along the east coast and is now back in the good old 412. He too put out an album as The Grand Devious which is available here for download.
Scott moved to Massachussettes to get his PhD. He and Erik are finishing up the second Hungry Lips album.
So...we've all been doing the homelife thing and music. What we've passed on...spending every night at clubs and kissing asses.
Things are operating in a much more sensible manner now that we've focused.
Long story short: we won't be putting out five records a year or giving out free stuff at major festivals anymore. What we will do is keep on making what we believe to be good music and putting it here for you to listen to for free. If you'd like to join in just shoot me an email and maybe we'll put your record up here with ours.

See you soon.

-Erik

P.S. hello to Doug from The Frantic Heart of It. I hope you're doing well and back to making great music soon!

Things to look for from The Atomic Family soon:
Hungry Lips - "Empty Spaces"
On Vinyl - "False Idols"
Flaming Shit - "s/t"

Hey there,

If you're reading this you may be visiting after seeing Aaron's writeup in the City Paper. Considering the fact that my shitty record was the last thing posted to the main page, I thought I'd post something here directing new visitors to actual good music you can find around here. Hit the "Free Music" button up there for a plethora of entire albums available for free download.

It's worth noting that last I talked to Erik he and some of the TAF alumni were recording something, so it's only a matter of time before we get another record out of him. Who knows what else is coming?

Let us know what you think, and thanks for coming!

-Christopher
(bingosherlock@gmail.com)

Atomickateers,

If you have known us long enough, you know the idea of The Grand Devious actually releasing a record is a humorous topic along the same lines as Duke Nukem Forever or Chinese Democracy. If you've not known us long enough, you might not even know that there's an experimental electronic project on the Atomic Family roster. I mean, it's not like you'd have any reason to suspect there was such a thing, right?

HOWEVER, The Grand Devious himself (myself?) has spent the last week assembling a collection picked from over ten years of production. The result of this effort is the 46 track, 85 minute "The Ocean, The Lands, The Sky and The Stars."

As always, you can get it (and other things) over in the Free Music section, or you can just click here to download it directly.

Enjoy!
-Christopher

Where to start?...
I just called Jason of On Vinyl - He's taking a walk. He's very wise, generally, so I'm sure he's thinking up awesome things. I called Scott of Northern Aggression and Hungry Lips - He's in Massachusetts screwing up peoples personal lives. I just called Chris - He was drinking champagne and watching Gossip Girl.

Let me take a second to throw some things out there;

On Vinyl is tinkering with the idea of getting back together. It will rock if it happens.

Flaming Shit will have an album up for download soon. As soon as I mix and master it, that is.

Theres a band that isn't with The Family that I like. Their called The Big Hurry. Give them a try. They're doing a new EP and a video right now so Go Team Go! If On Vinyl gets back together They plan on playing with The Big Hurry at The Brillobox while playing faux snuff films behind them. Keep your fingers crossed. Check them out http://www.myspace.com/bighurry .

There was a 28 WHORES album in the works.....it has been abandoned. Hopefully the recording of their 3rd? album will begin soon. Think "live sound."

The Code Orange Kids (who are not on our label but are super awesome people) have a demo out. This band has continued to progress. Give it a try. http://www.myspace.com/thecodeorangekids .

The Family is back but only "within our comfort zone."

Be Well.
-Erik

Dear Zhu Zhu Pets,

I was thinking today that Erik needs to stop obeying normal language conventions and start spelling his name E R I K G R I E C O. All capital letters, spaces and all. Shortly after having this revelation, he hit me up on the internet and told me to upload his new record. New record? I didn't think it was going to be ready until tomorrow. I guess I was wrong. Not convinced? Here's evidence:

This is good for you, because you can get this record for free. Nice, yes? It's available over at the free music section just like all of the other free music we have. Or you can just hit this link here and download it automatically: Erik Grieco - A Banner Year.

Love,
C H R I S T O P H E R!

Dear Peppermint Mochas,

I broke myself and cannot move much or sit up in a chair, leaving me writing this from the warm yet boring embrace of my bed.

However, since Doug got over leukemia so that he could finish the new Frantic Heart Of It record, I would feel like a real whiny bitch if I were to let a pulled muscle keep me from getting that record up on the internet. Knowing this, I pathetically hobbled out of bed long enough to find a laptop to upload it and here we are now. It's available up in the Free Music section of the site.

WAIT THERE'S MORE!

New Bowhunter record ALSO available FREE in the very same Free Music section of the site I was just talking about! Bowhunter! Free! You think it can't be true BUT IT IS. Wow, this must be the best day ever! (Unless you are stuck in bed because you cannot walk.)

That's all I got for now, I'm going to go eat painkillers and stare at the ceiling.

Love,
Christopher

Greetings Space Cakes!

Remember when everybody and their mother had a MySpace account? And then one day somebody realized that a website full of animated pot leaves and trashy girls that post things like the following graphic is nothing anybody wants to be associated with?

Don't worry, I understand if you pretend you have no idea what I'm talking about. I'm ashamed to have ever used MySpace, and if The Atomic Family was a a person, it would be ashamed as well. Luckily, TAF is a record label and record labels don't have feelings.

After thinking about it and realizing I have not seen one animated pot leaf on Facebook, I realized it might not be a bad idea to set up TAF with a Facebook account. Okay, maybe it's not a great idea but I figure that you and I can use it to keep in touch with each other. You know, we can interface and synergize and all of that big business crap that people are always doing. Buy low. Sell high. You can find our Facebook junk somewhere around this address: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Atomic-Family-Records/61970616813

Oh, did I note that Northern Aggression is reuniting for a show? I'm trying to find details right now, but this is what Scott posted up on the innertubes a couple of days ago:

Northern Aggression reunion w/ The Menzingers + more
5/14 @ Frank's House (3449 Melwood Ave in Polish Hill)
ALL AGES motherfuckers
More details to come!

My heavens! He's so crude with his language sometimes! That's all I got to rap at you all right now, so I'll leave you with that.

FREE JEFF RAILSBACK,
-Christopher!