Wow, this has already been the busiest year yet as a label for us, and there are no signs of slowing down any time soon!
Hot on the tails of the Rape Revenge 7" (they're still out on tour, by the way... go catch 'em live!) comes the newest xTRUEx release (and the first on cassette!!!): Corrodead's s/t tape.

I'm gonna be honest... I'm not typically a huge fan of metal, but there are just certain bands out there that catch my ear and make me say "Fuck yes! This rules!" Corrodead just happened to be one of those bands. From the first time I saw them at the Punx Picnic they had become one of my favourite locals. Anyone who knows me will attest to my love of in-your-face, overtly political bands, and Corrodead fit the bill in spades.

So go check it out. It's 7 songs that clock in at well over half an hour. You really get your money's worth on this one.

I can't even express how happy I am to announce that the Rape Revenge - s/t 7" is now available! This is quite possibly the angriest, most scathing, unapologetic record I've had the pleasure of putting out, and now I share it with all of you. Each 7" comes with a poster and a zine/lyric explanation book packaged in a hand-screened cover. The band really went all-out on this one and we wanted to make each and every copy a unique experience. Obviously, it would be a bit difficult to REALLY personalize every single one, but I can guarantee that every single copy is slightly different. From the colour of the vinyl, to the way the zine is put together, to the printing of the cover there are an infinite number of idiosyncratic variations. This not only encapsulates the aesthetic but the true spirit of DIY - making something by hand that is special. Something that you can be proud of. Something that means something to you. Something that you can share with the world and hopefully convey a bit of your personality that straight forward mass production simply can't reproduce.

I don't want to overstate their importance, as I'm obviously quite biased, but this band embodies everything I love about punk rock and everything that drew me into the culture in the first place. I'm not going to go so far as to claim they are the last bastion of punk rock, but they certainly inspire many of the feelings I had as a youngster starting to go to shows in the first place almost 20 years ago (has it really been that long?!?!?!?!).

They're on a rather extensive Canadian tour right now, so please do yourself a favour and check them out if you get the chance. The dates are listed on their Myspace page. Pick up a 7" from them while you're there, or snag one from the store.

Never dull your anger.
Just find a useful direction to point it.

Yes, we're doing it again! For the third year in a row, we are organizing a benefit for The Pride Centre Of Edmonton!
This year, it coincides with the record-release show for the Cope - s/t 10", and will feature performances by Goose, No Problem, Lost Cat and more.

Come out, scope some rad tunes, and help out a good cause!

Man, are we ever busy here... hot on the tail of the Cope 10" is the newest release (as I'm sure you noticed on the splash page) - the Half Gorilla/Kursk - split 7"!
Dude... all I have to say is that this thing is PUNISHING AS FUCK! The art turned out even better than I'd hoped (on 100% recycled paper) and there are both blue marble (limited to 108) and transparent blue (limited to 707) available. This is a co-release with the ever-lovely Taylor over at Just Say No! so if for whatever reason you don't get this from me or the bands, get it from him.

You'll notice that the "marble" blue is super duper limited, with each band and each label only having 27 copies... so serious... if you want one of the limited ones, don't you dare wait. They WILL be gone almost instantly.

It's here!

You can now pick up the Cope - s/t 10". We're super happy with how this record turned out in every possible respect. The vinyl looks beautiful, it sounds devastating, and the packaging is top-notch. There are a limited number of copies on clear/black haze so be sure to get your orders in right away.

Head on over to the store and pick up a copy (as well as our other releases while you're at it... you know you want 'em).

I'd been holding off on completing this just in case spectacular things came out right at the last minute... but now the polls are officially closed.

Top ten rekkidz of 2009 (in alphabetical order):

It's here!
The cryptic new splash page should have clued you in to the fact that we've got a new record out.
After waiting for what seemed like forever (I know, you think we'd be getting used to it by now...) the snic 12" is now available for order! There are only 300 of these puppies on snazzy yellow marble vinyl.
Swing on over to the store section and pick one up. I know at first glance it looks a bit more expensive than everything else, but remember that those prices INCLUDE shipping. It's all good.

In other news, we're still waiting on a few other records to finish up the pressing process (or somewhere thereabouts) so keep your pants on and your eyes peeled.
...Or maybe your pants peeled and your eyes on? I dunno. Whichever works best for you.

Okay, okay... after even MORE setbacks (most notably an exploded modem, which left us unable to check e-mail or update the website for three months) things are back on track now.
In fact, there's even a new release to announce (as you'll notice from the shitty splash page). It's TRU012: Party By The Slice/Malparido split 7". This is actually a collaboration of the international DIY Conspiracy collective, that has rotating membership and puts out some of the coolest records in existence. This time around, I had the pleasure of participating along with Halo Of Flies, To Live A Lie, El Paso, and several others.
Feel free to saunter over to the store section and pick one up.

Okay, so there are several parts to this update:

First of all, a huge apology to people who have been waiting for orders. I had packaged up a bunch of stuff many weeks ago and thought it had been taken to the post office. I just found that pile of stuff under some other records. Eeep. Super duper huge apologies everyone.

Second of all, things kind of fell by the wayside for a little while there. I forgot to renew the domain right away, so the website was down for a week or two (I'm not exactly sure how long, but it was unfortunate in any case). I also haven't been making many distro orders, and have a couple records on backlog to come back from the pressing plant (snic, Cope, Half Gorilla/Kursk). I'm still playing catch-up financially from some of the expenses I accrued taking a week and a half off of work when my dad died back in April. Not really an excuse, just an explanation. Your patience is very much appreciated.

Now, on the UPside... y'know how I've been promising to put up the Youth Unit 7" for download since it's been out of print for well over a year now?
Well here it is!
AND just as a double bonus, there's an extra track there that wasn't on the physical 7", so even if you have the actual record, this is well worth downloading.

FUCKING FINALLY!

The Eye Gouger/I Resign - split 7" is actually out. No, seriously... you can really really REALLY go purchase it in the store right now.

There are a bazillion different colours, and some of them are ridiculously limited (there are only 17 copies of one of the particular colours... I won't say which ones just yet...) so hurry up and buy 'em!

Oh, epic day!
The High Jinks - self-titled 7" is now officially out of print. There are probably still a few (emphasis on few) copies left from the band, Interpunk, Very, and Vinyl Junkie, but as far as we're concerned they're completely totally and 100% offically SOLD OUT!

...And since this record is just too fucking good for people not to have, we're offering a free download of it.

DOWNLOAD THIS SHIT!

Once you've downloaded this, put it on every filesharing program/torrent/whatever you can think of. It belongs to the world now.

Holy shit... guess what UPS brought me...



I just have to assemble covers and whatnot, then you'll be able to get your grubby little hands on something you've likely been waiting on for about... oh... two years or so.
Yep... that's right... after every conceivable setback known to man, there will finally be copies of TRU004: Eye Gouger/I Resign - split 7" in existence.
I'm pretty sure the world might be ending, 'cuz everyone said it would never come out. Hell, I can hardly believe it myself.

Also, since Myspace has upped their song limit to ten, there are some new tracks there (as well as some older ones that were previously bumped) so go take a listen.
More news soon. I promise.

High bids on the test presses thusfar:

Youth Unit: $25
Res Gestae/La Vendetta: $20
DCOI: $25

Okay, so here's the deal... we've got a TON of new releases coming out (as I'm sure you've noticed). We're also running a wee bit short on funds, so here's your chance to pick up some TEST PRESSES that you wouldn't otherwise normally be able to procure.

So I'm going to be selling off one test press from each of the following records: DCOI - s/t 7", Res Gestae/La Vendetta - In Memoriam split 7", and Youth Unit - s/t 7". Take SPECIAL note of the Youth Unit record, since that's all sold out and I just happened to find an extra copy when I was doing some reorganizing.
Honestly, this will be your ONLY chance to pick these up, since these are EXTREMELY RARE. There are only 10 of the DCOI tests, 15 of the RG/LV tests and 11 of the Youth Unit tests. Basically the only people that have these are the members of the bands and people who directly helped in making these records. I'm not going to bother putting these up on eBay so people can sit back and snipe. It'll be an open auction, and I'll periodically update the high bids here and on our Myspace page.

I've made some fun spray paint stenciled covers for the DCOI and RG/LV records, so they're EXTRA personalized.

...Oh yeah, also also by the way... (this shouldn't be too much of a surprise if you know us at all) we're going to be putting out a 10" vinyl version of the upcoming Cope EP. It was recorded by Steve Laughton of High Jinks and Good Things fame.
Cope is doing some DIY compact disc versions of those for the impatient ones of you out there that should be out right away('ish... you know how sketchy those dudes are... <3 <3).

Oh, by the way... just in case you hadn't heard, we're gonna be releasing a record for Black Ships. Get into it or get left in the dust.

Hot on the heels of the new DCOI 7" comes our newest release...

Res Gestae/La Vendetta - In Memoriam 7".

We've been trying to get a project together with Res Gestae ever since we heard them. When this opportunity presented itself, we knew it was meant to be. I'd like to point out that this is a joint release with our friends over at El Paso Records. Carlos is a rad dude, and has put out some truly noteworthy releases. Go and order everything they've put out, because you owe it to yourself.
On that note, neither El Paso nor the bands have their copies yet, but that's because there was a teeny tiny mix-up at the pressing plant, and the special limited colour vinyl wasn't printed properly. We're getting that rectified ASAP, but in the meantime there's no reason to make everyone else wait, right?

So wander your way over to the store section and pick up a copy.


...Get the DCOI 7" while you're there too, if you haven't yet.

I'm sure you noticed from the initial splash page, but just in case you missed it...

THE DCOI 7"'s ARE IN!!!

They're on beautiful red/black splatter or white vinyl, and come in a rad gatefold jacket. Make your way on over to the store section and order one up!

Speaking of the store section, I finally adjusted it so that no matter where in the world you live, you can order our releases with the click of a button. I know a bunch of you kids from the UK and Indonesia especially have been waiting on me to do this. Sorry it took so long, but the wait is finally over! Just be sure that you have your ACCURATE MAILING ADDRESS when you send in payment, or shit can go seriously wrong. Be warned.

Also, in other news, the Res Gestae/La Vendetta 7"'s should be here soon as well. Just keep your pants on.

Also ALSO in other OTHER news, I'm down to about my last 30 or so copies of the High Jinks 7". Pick it up before it's too late.

We've been busy putting on shows, as I'm sure you may have noticed if you live in Edmonton.

Just a quick status report for the upcoming projects:
Eye Gouger/I Resign split 7": Will be coming eventually. Nobody really knows when, but I swear on my mother's grave (if she were dead) that this WILL come out. In the words of Coalesce: Have Patience.
Res Gestae/La Vendetta split 7": Art is done and being shipped to me at this very moment, mastering has been sent off to the pressing plant, it's only a matter of time.
DCOI! 7": Just waiting to get some art, then this shit will be sent off to the plant.
snic 10": Just waiting to get some art, then this shit will be sent off to the plant.
Half Gorilla/Kursk split 7": Just waiting to get some art, yadda yadda yadda... you get the drift.
E-Town Beatdown 10": Who fuckin' knows? Ask them, 'cuz I seriously don't know what's going on.

So as you can see, we're trying to keep busy like beavers here.
The next show is the All-Ages Hallowe'en Extravaganza '08 that will feature a zillion bands doing covers of a zillion other bands, and it will rule a zillion times harder than your mom. After that is Black Ships on November 9th. This band rules, so make sure to come out to Avonmore Hall and have your face melted by them.

Sweet mother of shit, it's been a while since I updated. I finally updated the webstore so that you can now buy the Mike Bukowski shirts online with a few simple clicks of your mouse. Better get 'em quick though, 'cuz they're running in short supply (especially the blue... if you want one, get it quick).

The OTHER big news is that we'll be releasing the next upcoming 7" by Davis, California's DCOI!. They're a totally raging band, and super awesome dudes as well. Keep an eye out for that and go check out the tunes on their Myspace (as well as the one on ours.

ALSO... we just got the tracks for the Res Gestae/La Vendetta split 7" in the mail. This one is a split release with El Paso Records. Carlos is a top-notch bro, and we've been wanting to work with him for a while.

ALSO ALSO... as you may have already heard, we're doing another collaborative split 7" with our friends over at Just Say No! Records. We're teaming up to put out the Half Gorilla/Kursk split 7". I've heard the Kursk tracks and they're totally raging. Half Gorilla is in the mastering process right now, so this should be out in relatively short order.

We're going to be "out of the office" (hah!) for a week or so. E-mail will be checked, orders will be shipped, and questions will be answered when we come back on the 26th.

You may have noticed the new image on our splash page, compliments of an amazingly talented individual that goes by the name of Mike Bukowski. You may have seen his stuff a few other places... oh... like... EVERYwhere. But he's honestly a great artist, and top-notch solid dude, so go contact him if you need stuff made.
...On that note, the image there on the splash page is being made into t-shirts as we speak, so keep an eye out and we'll have ordering for them up as soon as they arrive. They'll be on sweatshop-free shirts in a modest selection of different colours.

In other news, we're putting on another benefit show, this time for our good friends at The McDonald Family Animal Rescue on Sunday April 13th, so if you're in the Edmonton area please come out and see some great bands (Let's Dance, Eleutheros, Hominid, Evasion and This Machine Is...). Even if you're not in the Edmonton area, I encourage you to go to their website and donate!

Lastly, there are a tonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn of touring bands coming through in May/June, so we're going to be putting on an ever-increasing number of shows for bands the likes of Pulling Teeth, Slingshot, DCOI, Vanguard, and Die Young among others. So it's going to be a FUCKING RAD spring/summer!

I'm super duper excited to announce that we've added another group of our good old friends to the growing roster of bands we're helping to release vinyl for.

snic are a group of amazing musicians and are even more solid as dudes in general. In November of 2007 they recorded what can only be called a tour de force of a record and decided not to tell anyone about it until now. That record is "Eponymous", a 6-song, 16 minute long rager of an album that we've got the privelege of releasing on 10".
The instruments for this absolute behemoth of musical brilliance was recorded all in one take live off the floor, with two vocal tracks (both done continuously with no overdubbing) added afterwards. This shit sounds raw, angry, intense, insatiable, and... well... just plain frickin' awesome. To make things even better, it was mastered by Nick Zampiello at New Alliance East (Modern Life Is War, Converge, Backstabbers Inc, Trap Them, Old Man Gloom, yadda yadda yadda...) and added that "THE WORLD IS FUCKING ENDING RIGHT NOW, AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP IT" vibe.

So seriously... I'm super stoked on this, and you should be too.
Pre-orders should be up relatively soon.

For now, amuse yourselves with the two sample tracks up on the snic Myspace, and also check out my eBay auctions to help me fund our future projects. There's some good, rare, and out of print stuff up there, so at least take a peek to see what's available.

It's official...

We're COMPLETELY SOLD OUT of the Youth Unit self-titled 7". It is officially OUT OF PRINT now. You can probably still grab one from Interpunk, Very or Just Say No! if you're lucky. Probably some other distros as well, but those ones I know for sure at this very moment.

So thank you to everyone who bought one. It means a lot to us.

The Love Is Love show went flawlessly, and High Jinks is now on tour out west, so be sure to catch them at one of their upcoming dates.

The test press contest is also now over, with the winner ending up being Doug from High Jinks for donating $31. I guess the story is he accidentally sent his original test press to some random kid and needed to replace it. Hah. Live and learn.

All together between the show and the contest, we raised $540 for the Pride Centre, so I consider that a complete success.

HOW TO WIN A TEST PRESS OF THE HIGH JINKS - S/T 7" AND YOUTH UNIT - S/T 7":

Yes, I'm serious. Here's how it's going to work:
Below you'll see a PayPal donation button. Whoever donates the largest amount between now and Valentine's Day (February 14th) will win one test press of the High Jinks 7" and one test press of the Youth Unit 7".
Just so you don't think we're greedy bastards, half of all the money donated will be used by us to fund our future projects and the other half will be donated to The Pride Centre Of Edmonton. Speaking of which, on Valentine's Day we'll be putting on a benefit show for the Pride Centre under the banner of "Love Is Love" and will also act as the High Jinks tour kickoff. So if you're in Edmonton, you better come out and support! More details to come.

(Remember to include your mailing address or we won't know where to send the records if you win!)

As you may have heard through the grapevine and from our Myspace bulletins, we've got a special deal for people who mailorder our distro titles from now until November 15th. So here's the deal:

If you order $40 or more stuff from us, your shipping will be FREE! (Please note that this only applies to Canadian and U.S. customers, and only applies to Expedited shipping... if you want Xpresspost or Priority Courier it will be a bit extra.) Now, that's not to say that you won't get a deal if you live overseas, though. But with international shipping being what it is, I can't quite afford to give you completely free shipping, but it will definitely be discounted greatly from the normal rate.

So please, check out the blogs on our Myspace page to see what's available and then get in touch with us.
Remember, this deal only applies to orders received ON OR BEFORE NOVEMBER 15TH, so hurry hurry hurry! Time's a-wastin'!

Surprise!
We've kinda been keeping it under our hats, but it's pretty obvious now that we've collaborated with Thought Crime Ink to put out the Leper/Eleutheros "Mobilize... Organize" split 7". They're available up on the webstore, and are shipping right now! Check this puppy out! It's a bit different than the other stuff we've released, but it still kicks major ass, so go peep it.

...Oh, and in other news, in case you hadn't heard... we ended up naming the dog "Apocalypse".

We just got an assload of new books in! The complete list is up on the xTRUEx Records Myspace in one of the distro blogs. We're slowly but surely working on adding all that stuff and updating the distro list on this site, which should go a lot more smoothly now that I'm not working a second "real" job on Monday and Tuesday nights.

Also, the High Jinks boys got home from tour safe and sound. Apparently, they had some trouble getting their merch to the shows State-side, so make sure if you got to see them but didn't get to pick up a 7" or a shirt to hassle them for goodies now!

Lastly, Britt and I have just welcomed a new addition to our little family. No, it's not a brother/sister for Jonas, but a little female dachshund that we got from a rescue society down in Calgary. We're having a bit of trouble deciding on a name for her, so here's the deal:
For the next three days I'll be taking suggestions as to what the little one's name should be (e-mail your suggestions to xtruex@telus.net). Whoever comes up with the best name (as judged by Britt and myself) will receive a free Youth Unit 7" and a free High Jinks 7".
This deal is time sensitive, so remember to e-mail your suggestions before September 5th, and don't forget to include your proper mailing address just in case you win so we can send stuff out to you.

If you need a little bit of inspiration, here is a short video of her sitting on our couch (yeah, yeah... it's kinda shitty - I shot it with my cell phone... shoot me).

Just thought I'd let you all know that our phone number has changed. Yes, I've finally been dragged into the mobile age and have a cellphone. So this way you can not only call, but you can send text messages as well. Gimme a holla at (780)292-2433, a'ight?

Can you believe it? Kids in Winnipeg have already put up video footage of the High Jinks show that happened there last night.

Enjoy!

HIGH JINKS 7"'s ARE NOW IN! All the pre-orders shipped out yesterday and today, so you should have your hands on them very soon. This disc looks and sounds magnificent, so you better pick one up before it's too late!

Okay, so after a brief period of not having the website up and running, I'm sure you've noticed that we're now under a new domain. It's official: we got our own ".com" address. So make sure to update your bookmarks to reflect that we are now located at http://www.xtruexrecords.com! We don't care if you think that means we sold out.

Aside from that, we're expecting the High Jinks 7" to arrive any day now. Sadly, the Eye Gouger/I Resign 7"'s are seeing a few delays due to the EG tracks having to be remastered. I figured it was better to have them come out late but sound awesome rather than have them on time but sounding like poop.

As always, you can get a hold of us through e-mail or Myspace if you have any questions, comments, or want to order some of the records we distro.

THE PRE-ORDERS FOR BOTH THE HIGH JINKS AND EYE GOUGER/I RESIGN 7"'s ARE NOW UP!
Go to the store section and pick them up! There are some sweet package deals for those of you who plan to buy both discs (and in multiple colours for those of you out there who are record collector nerds like me). Tell your friends, tell your family, tell anyone who'll care.

VERY DISTRO is now carrying our releases! I'm super stoked that we have the opportunity to work with them, because their distro is honestly one of the best around. Definitely go and check them out.

In other news, High Jinks has two tracks from the upcoming 7" up on their Myspace page right now, so listen to them and be overwhelmed.

The artwork for both of our soon to be coming out 7"'s are looking amazing and we'll make sure to post pictures up as soon as they're finalized and ready to roll. Pre-orders for both records will likely be up at the same time, and may even include a special package deal for those of you who get in the game early. Keep checking back here and at our myspace for details.

Okay, that was just a short update this time around, but more exciting news will be coming soon! Don't you dare doubt it!

Huge news.
...Are you ready for it?

We're announcing THREE new 7"'s that will be out this year (at least two of which will be in time for summer touring season)!

First off, we'd like to welcome Edmonton's own High Jinks to our extended family, as they will be releasing their first piece of vinyl ever with us! Honestly, we couldn't be more excited, and if you've ever seen this band live you'd understand why. If you need evidence, just check the videos here and here.
The second one is a split between Eye Gouger and I Resign. Both of these bands are amazing, and will be touring extensively in the summer months. Look for shows all over Canada and the US (as well as maybe even Mexico!).
Lastly, as we've been hyping for a while now, we're helping to release a collaborative 7" with a bunch of other international labels for Res Gestae and Plus Life. As you probably know by now, Res Gestae released one of my favourite discs of last year, so in preparation for the upcoming split 7", order their CD from El Paso Records and get in the groove.

In sadder news, Thru It All has decided to go on "hiatus". We all know what that means, so we may or may not ever get to see the 7" they were supposed to put out with us. Everyone keep your fingers crossed.

Back to happier news, we've got the Youth Unit 7" and Nikola Tesla/Except My Life LP up on Interpunk for those of you who don't trust sending money directly to us (for whatever reason).

As a final note (also on the relatively happy tip) I've been working on the distro stock list and have managed to put up all of the CD's, DVD's, 7"'s and 10"'s. I'm still working on the 12"'s, zines and books but they should be gradually updated when I have time. You may notice while you're there that a lot of stuff is ON SALE, so head over to the STORE section, scroll to the bottom and check it out.

Well, all the submissions are in and we've randomly selected three lucky winners for our "Best Of '06" contest. Congratulations to Lindsay of Kelowna BC, Aaron of Cincinatti OH, and Daniel of Burlington ON. You'll be receiving your packages of a free Nikola Tesla/Except My Life split CD and Youth Unit 7" in the mail shortly.
Now here's what they picked for their top ten lists:

Lindsay

Happy New Year to you all. Everyone here at xTRUEx Records wishes you a happy and healthy new year yadda yadda yadda blah blah blah.
...No, honestly, we do wish you all the best, but here's the important part:

My top ten favourite releases of 2006 (in alphabetical order):

It's the day we've all been waiting for...
THE YOUTH UNIT RECORDS ARE FINALLY IN!
I want to thank everyone for their patience as we worked through the troubles that arose during production of this 7", and I assure you it will not disappoint. Yes, this means anyone who pre-ordered should have their copy in the next few days or so as we shipped them all out this morning.
There were only 300 of these puppies printed, and they're all hand-numbered and hand-stamped on gold vinyl. There are still a few copies available, but if you want one you should pick it up quick because there are less than a hundred left.

In other news:

Old news from a time of yore.