Just saw this in the local rag:
Quote:
Vancouver's the Tranzmitors will be the first band in 20 years to release an album on Stiff Records . The legendary U.K.–based independent label stopped producing new material after releasing Dr. Feelgood's Classic in 1987, but things changed after a documentary about Stiff aired on the BBC early last year. The label's managing director, Pete Gardiner , told the Straight : "We realized that there was still a lot of awareness, and maybe it would be the right time to release something new." Two 45s by Coventry, England's the Enemy followed, but the first new album comes courtesy of a Vancouver five-piece clearly influenced by Stiff's early sound, which was characterized by the likes of Elvis Costello and the Damned. "I thought they were a perfect fit with the label's existing identity," said Gardiner, who was tipped off by a friend at London's Rough Trade record store, "particularly if you consider the records we put out in the late '70s."
Tranzmitors guitarist Jeff McCloy picked up the tale, explaining that Gardiner "formed a one-off MySpace page just so he could contact us. It said, 'This is my real email address, this is the phone number for Stiff,' and at the bottom it said, 'This is not a joke.'" The band is predictably giddy about the news, but with no firm release date yet for the self-titled album, McCloy is also circumspect. "It's totally unreal," he said. "But until the record comes out, I'm not gonna say any more. I don't wanna jinx it."
I don't know if this is going to mean much in the grand scheme of things, but it's good to have the label back among the living. Plus maybe now they'll reissue the "If It Ain't Stiff, It Ain't Worth A Fuck" t-shirts.
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