Absolutely Kosher

Some sad news in the world of independent music. Absolutely Kosher, the label that brought you offerings from The Wrens, Pinback, The Mountain Goats, The Hidden Cameras, Sunset Rubdown and a host of other indie bands, is folding up the tent after one final release. Himalayan Bear‘s Hard Times, will come out October 11, 2011, and will be the final release on the Absolutely Kosher label. (I guess that mythical “next record” from The Wrens will come out out another label, if it ever materializes.)

Upcoming Himalayan Bear tour dates and the full press release from AK label owner Cory Brown after the jump.

After 13 years, Absolutely Kosher will cease to release records for the foreseeable future. We’ve got one more album to share with the world before scaling back the operation to just administer our catalog. It’s by a Canadian artist called Himalayan Bear and the album is called Hard Times. No, the irony isn’t lost on me.

We should’ve been celebrating the label’s bar mitzvah this year, but it’s not to be. I wish I could tell you there’s a grand plan, a new chapter waiting to be written, but the truth is, we’ve been struggling for years and the only thing on my plate right now is to eliminate our debts and rejuvenate my spirits. We’ve made all sorts of adaptive changes at the label over the last several years, many of them yielding some positive results, but none at the scale and speed we need them to be at.

We have had the benefit of working with some extraordinarily talented bands and musicians over the last 13 years. My gratitude goes out to them for the opportunity and privilege, as well as to my patient, supportive and hard-working staff and interns over the years, the fans who bought our music and the professionals who lent their support. I don’t want any disappointment over the current state of things or bitterness over unrecognized potential to cloud the feeling of how unbelievably lucky I feel about Absolutely Kosher Records and everything that came with it. I’ll close this out with the list of bands we worked with and the hope that you, dear reader, loved a record by one of them and may yet love at least one more. Himalayan Bear’s Hard Times is out October 11 on LP, CD & digitally. You can hear selections from the album here.

60 Watt Kid
The Affair
Azeda Booth
Bottom of the Hudson
Franklin Bruno
Chet
The Court and Spark
Rob Crow
The Dead Science
The Dudley Corporation
Eltro
Ex-Boyfriends
The Extra Glenns
Foot Village
Frog Eyes
The Gang
Chris Garneau
Get Him Eat Him
Goblin Cock
Jack Hayter
Hello Blue Roses
The Hidden Cameras
Himalayan Bear
The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up
Jukeboxer
Laarks
Life Without Buildings
Little Teeth
Moggs
The Mountain Goats
Okay
Optiganally Yours
P.E.E.
Pidgeon
Pinback
The Places
+/- {Plus Minus}
The Rollercoaster Project
Sparrow
Summer at Shatter Creek
Sunset Rubdown
The Swords Project
Sybris
Telegraph Melts
Thingy
Two Guys
Virginia Dare
Wax Fang
Withered Hand
The Wrens
Xiu Xiu

best,
Cory Brown
owner, Absolutely Kosher Records

Himlayan Bear – Hard Times

Himalayan Bear 2011 Tour Dates
Thursday October 13th – Seattle, WA @ The Rendezvous
Friday October 14th – Portland, OR @ The Woods
Thursday October 20th – San Diego, CA @ Tin Can Ale House
Friday October 21st – Los Angeles, CA – Dinner and a show house show put on by FMLY
Sunday October 23rd – Los Angeles, CA @ Hotel Cafe
Tuesday October 25th – San Fransisco, CA @ The Hemlock
Saturday October 29th – Salem, OR @ Boons