First Thurs! Finn Riggins Pre-Order! New Shirts! Church Tour!

Hi friends! We sincerely hope this post finds you well and in high spirits. We also have some things to tell you about that we think could possibly make you higher and weller.

Lots of good stuff in this email:

1. Our last First Thursday of the Year. Featuring art by Juliana Swaney, Jeremy Okai Davis and Ariana Harley! And music by Luzelena (of Y La Bamba) and White Lighter (Kyle of Typhoon)!

2. New TLE Shirts!

3. Tender Loving Empire has a showcase at MusicFest NW this year!!

4. Finn Riggins' New Album: Vs. Wilderness AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER! (Get you're limited edition, hand-printed, Glow-in the Dark copy before they're gone!) Plus: Finn Riggins Tour Dates!

5. Church is going on tour AGAIN!



It's our LAST, First Thursday event of the year at the Tender Loving Empire store! If you haven't made it out to one of these yet, now's your chance.

We will be adorning our walls with the work of:

Jeremy Okai Davis!

Julianna Swaney!

and Ariana Harley!

Free, Outdoor Musical performances by:

Luzelena of Y La Bamba!

and White Lighter (Kyle of Typhoon)!

Event 6:00-10pm

Music 7:00 - 9:30

It's all going down at the T.L.E. store on NW 18th & Lovejoy.

*This event is All Ages



NEW T.L.E. SHIRTS ONLINE!





FIND THEM AND MORE ON OUR WEBSITE OR ON ETSY


Tender Loving Empire is proud to announce our showcase at MusicFest NW this year!!!!!

Come to East End at SE Ash and Grand in Portland, Oregon, on September 19th from 8pm-1am!

You'll see performances by:

Yeah Great Fine - 8pm - 9pm
Blue Horns - 9pm-10pm
Gratitillium - 10pm - 11pm
Church - 11pm - 12am
Finn Riggins -12am-1am

$5 or Free with MFNW wristband.

Finn Riggins' new album: VS. WILDERNESS!!!!


Pre-Order the limited-edition, glow-in-the-dark CD now to reserve your copy before they're gone!

OUT OCTOBER 13TH!

ON ITUNES SEPTEMBER 29TH!

PRE-ORDER AVAILABLE NOW!

FINN RIGGINS. FALL 2009 TOUR DATES:
9/19 PORTLAND, OR -- MFNW @ East End
9/24 BEND, OR @ Silver Moon Brewery w/ Church
9/25 LA GRANDE , OR @ The Crawlspace w/ Church + Yeah Great Fine
9/26 GARDEN CITY (boise), ID @ Visual Arts Collective w/ Talkdemonic + Church
9/30 MISSOULA, MT @ The Badlander w/ Drunken Prayer + Broken Valley Roadshow
10/1 SPOKANE, WA @ The Empyrean w/ Little Teeth
10/2 CLARKSTON, WA @ Hogan's w/ The Murrs
10/3 MOSCOW, ID @ 1912 Community Center w/ The Holiday Friends + Rhythmmemory
10/6 BOISE, ID @ Record Exchange
10/7 PENDLETON, OR @ Pendleton Center for the Arts
10/8 MCCALL, ID @ Forester's w/ Jared Mees & The Grown Children
10/9 GARDEN CITY (boise), ID @ Visual Arts Collective CD RELEASE PARTY w/ Le Fleur + Boy Eats Drum Machine + Jared Mees & The Grown Children + A Seasonal Disguise + Vagerfly
10/10 PORTLAND, OR @ Berbati’s Pan PDX CD RELEASE PARTY w/ Jared Mees & The Grown Children + World's Greatest Ghosts + Typhoon
10/12 SALEM, OR @ The Space w/ Phantom!
10/13 OLYMPIA, WA @ Kitty X House
10/14 BREMERTON, WA @ The Hi-Fidelity Lounge
10/15 BELLINGHAM, WA @ Whaam All Ages @ The Old Foundry w/ Go Slowpoke + Keaton Collective
10/16 SEATTLE, WA @ Blue Moon w/ Doctor Doctor
10/17 EUGENE, OR @ house show w/ The Daveys
10/18 ASHLAND, OR @ Alex's Restaurant w/ Kites & Crows
10/19 MT SHASTA, CA @ The Stage Door w/ The Lottery
10/20 CHICO, CA @ Chico State University --noontime--
10/22 SAN FRANCISCO, CA @ Hemlock Tavern w/ The Dont's + Total Hound
10/23 SANTA CRUZ, CA @ The Crepe Place
10/24 SANTA BARBARA, CA @ Muddy Waters Cafe w/ Verna Beware
10/28 LOS ANGELES, CA @ Silverlake Lounge
10/29 SAN DIEGO, CA @ tba
10/30 TUCSON, AZ @ The Hut
10/31 LAS CRUCES, NM @ halloween house show
11/1 PHOENIX, AZ @ The Ruby Room
11/3 PROVO, UT @ house show w/ Shark Speed
11/4 SALT LAKE CITY, UT @ The Woodshed w/ Shark Speed
11/5 LOGAN, UT @ Why Sound
11/6 POCATELLO, ID @ Benton Street w/ Spondee
11/7 REXBURG, ID @ Hogi Yogi's Attic w/ Spondee
11/11 BOISE, ID @ Neurolux
11/12 MOSCOW, ID @ John's Alley
11/13 PORTLAND, OR @ Wonder Ballroom w/ Built To Spill + Disco Doom
11/14 PORTLAND, OR @ Wonder Ballroom w/ Built To Spill + Disco Doom
11/15 EUGENE, OR @ Wow Hall w/ Built To Spill + Disco Doom
11/17 BELLINGHAM, WA @ The Nightlight w/ Built To Spill + Disco Doom
11/18 VANCOUVER, BC @ Commodore Ballroom w/ Built To Spill + Disco Doom
11/19 SEATTLE, WA @ The Showbox w/ Built To Spill + Disco Doom
11/20 SEATTLE, WA @ The Showbox w/ Built To Spill + Disco Doom
11/21 SPOKANE, WA @ Knitting Factory w/ Built To Spill + Disco Doom
12/2 SALT LAKE CITY, UT @ Kilby Court
12/3 VAIL, CO @ Agave
12/4 DENVER, CO @ Hi-Dive w/ The Pseudo Dates + Vitamins
12/5 NEDERLAND, CO @ First Street Pub



CHURCH. FALL 2009 TOUR DATES:

9/24 Bend, OR @ The Silver Moon w/ Finn Riggins
9/25 La Grande, OR @ The Crawlspace w/ Finn Riggins + Yeah Great Fine
9/26 Boise, ID @ Visual Arts Collective w/ Talkdemonic and Finn Riggins
9/27 Bellevue, ID -- Backyard Show w/ Finn Riggins --4pm
9/28 Pocatello, ID @ Idaho State --12pm
9/28 Salt Lake City, UT @ SHO --8pm
9/29 Boulder, CO @ Flying Goat
9/30 Denver, CO @ Rhinoceropolis
10/1 Fort Collins, CO @ Everyday Joe's
10/2 Provo, UT @ Velour
10/3 Las Vegas, NV @ The Beauty Bar
10/4 Los Angeles, CA @ The Smell
10/5 San Diego, CA @ Che Cafe
10/6 San Luis Obispo, CA @ Downtown Brewery
10/7 San Barbara, CA @ Muddy Waters
10/8 San Luis Obispo, CA @ Boo Boo's Record Store
10/9 Santa Cruz, CA @ The Crepe Place
10/10 San Francisco, CA @ Amnesia
10/12 Santa Rosa, CA @ North Bay Art and Music Collective
10/13 Davis, CA @ UC Davis -- Lunchtime show
10/13 Sacramento, CA @ Luigi's Slice Midtown w/ Alak & Neal Morgan
10/14 Redding, CA @ Downtown Eatery
10/15 Eureka, CA @ Lil' Red Lion
10/16 Arcata, CA @ Jambalaya
10/17 Eugene, OR @ Sam Bond's Garage
10/18 Salem, OR @ The Space
10/27 Portland, OR @ Portland State University --Lunchtime Show
10/30 Portland, OR @ The Doug Fir w/ Jared Mees + Run On Sentence

BUY THE CD

BUY THE VINYL


Find more info about Tender Loving Empire: the Record Label, our Store in Portland, Oregon, Events and Shows, our Clothing Line, and the Custom Screenprinting Services we offer for your own creative endeavors.


We sincerely appreciate your support, enthusiasm, inspiration, and friendships.

Live it up and be good to each other.

Love,

The T.L.E. Family

www.tenderlovingempire.com / (503) 243-5859 /
PDX STORE: NW 18th & Lovejoy M-Sat 11-6, Sun 12-5

Church Album! 1st Thurs! Finn Riggins + Built to Spill!

Hi Everybody! This is my first official blog entry! Sam has been doing a great job with this blog (there's lots of fun trips down memory lane on here), but the tides have changed folks, and it looks like I'm stepping in to take over for our busy friend who helps us DO EVERYTHING! (THANKS SAM, WE LOVE YOU!)

Anyway, I'll be posting our monthly updates, new items in the store, new tshirt designs, news from all the bands on the TLE roster, shows to show up to, etc. Check back often to find out the latest.

SO, BEHOLD: THE HAPS AROUND HERE READ LIKE THIS:

1. The debut full length from Portland's Church, Song Force Crystal, is officially out!

2.Other good news: Finn Riggins is going on tour with Built to Spill! Everybody's favorite Idaho bands have finally joined forces! Scroll down to find dates!
First Thursday is this week! We're showcasing the art of Santiago Uceda and Edward Juan. With musical performances by Come Gather Round us at 7:30 and Gratitillium at 9
3. First Thursday! This week! Santiago Uceda! Edward Juan! Gratitillium! Come Gather Round Us! Free!

4. Jared Mees and the Grown Children Tour Blog!

4. As always, stop by and see us if you're in Portland! Our retail store features the work of over 200 independent artists as well as all our albums, comics and tshirts. We're located on NW 18th & Lovejoy.

Read about all the above, below. :)


“The best, most unfuckwithable, avant-pop I’ve heard…my default jam of the month.”
“One of Portland’s finest indie outfits.”
-Portland Mercury

Church: Song Force Crystal
Buy it from TLE now!
Buy it from itunes starting Aug. 4th
Buy vinyl from Sohitek now!



About Church
Despite their un-Google-able name, Portland, Oregon's Church have managed to amass a sizable following along the West Coast over the last 3 years with their intense tour ethic and consistent presence in the Portland house show scene. Brothers Brandon and Richard laws grew up listening to Kraftwerk and The Beach Boys. These disprate influences are at the core of the duo's haunting vocal harmonies, rich verbal imagery and unpredictable guitar. Add to this combination Christof Hendrickson's Rhodes, Moog and Omnikorg and Lane Barrington's tasteful, dynamic percussion and the result is simply Church. The band's influences are as dieverse as their instrumentation and they are as comfortable mixing Bollywood samples with tin-foil piano as they are in hushed a capella harmonies or full tilt power shred mode.

About Song Force Crystal
Church utilizes this unique analog instrumentation to unite factions of noise rock with psychedelic folk and experimental pop. Song Force Crystal, the debut long play from Church, is a honing of musical themes heralded in two prior EP's. Picking up where previous titles Gold and With All Our Love for Francisco the Man left off, Song Force Crystal was recorded in a living room to an 8-track tape machine. The album reverberates with a warmth and rawness more familiar to 70's era basement productions than to modern day digitalia. The songs revel in dense slabs of tabe saturation, perfect for showcasing cavernous four-part harmonies, or trebly tube amplifiers. Song Force Crystal is a contradiction fo sounds, at once expansive, and cohesive, experimental yet familiar, brooding one moment and soothing the next.

Limited First Edition Hand-Silkscreened CD in Tree Frog Green, White and Black
Art by Richard Laws Awesome colored vinyl available from Sohitek.com


Come hang out at Tender Loving Empire for First Thursday!

We'll be featuring the work of TLE celebs, Santiago Uceda and Edward Juan. Definitely make a point of stopping by sometime this month to check it out. I have a good feeling about this one.

Also, enjoy FREE outdoor performances by Gratitillium and Come Gather Round Us at 7:30pm and 9pm.


Finn Riggins Announces Tour Dates with Built to Spill!


The past few months have been a busy affair for Finn Riggins. They've been writing, recording, and finalizing their new album (Vs. Wilderness, out 10-13 on TLE), adjusting to a recent move to Boise, booking a Fall Tour, and, of course, playing a ton of shows, like they know how.

But the latest Finn Riggins news that we're super excited about is a mini-tour with Built to Spill! There are currently 6 confirmed northwest dates in November and 2 more in other, uh towns (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) we can't announce yet.

Nov 15 Eugene, OR.@ Wow Hall 8pm

Nov 17 Bellingham, WA @ The Nightlight 9pm

Nov 18 Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom 8pm

Nov 19 & Nov 20 Seattle, WA @ The Showbox 8pm

Nov 21 Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory 8pm

If you don't live in the NW, or can't make those shows, don't fret. Finn Riggins is planning a massive tour schedule that will most likely include a trip to your town sometime soon.

Keep up with all of Finn Riggins's Fall Tour Dates

Read more about Finn Riggins Here

Buy A Soldier, A Saint, An Ocean Explorer
Or buy it digitally from CDBaby

"Truly amazing, like a locomotve storming into a barn... in years to come this could be the band you wish you were on the front wave of." -- Zaph Mann / OPB


Jared Mees and the Grown Children Tour Blog

The Grown Children are freshly home from a summer time west coast tour! Hopefully you were able to catch a show! If not (or if you just want all the juicy behind the scenes details), you can read all about it at Local Cut!




Live bravely and be good to each other!

Love,

The T.L.E. Family

April Foolio

Hey out there in the Blog-o-sphere! I have no real TLE news other then our new Gallery Season starts up again in May so I look forward to seeing many of you soon. Also Jared Mees and the Grown Children are currently on a West Coast Tour so check Tender Loving Empire .com for dates in your hood. Also this being April Fools Day I thought I would share the following:

Did you know?
1998: Burger King published a full page advertisement in USA Today announcing the introduction of a new item to their menu: a "Left-Handed Whopper" specially designed for the 32 million left-handed Americans. According to the advertisement, the new whopper included the same ingredients as the original Whopper (lettuce, tomato, hamburger patty, etc.), but all the condiments were rotated 180 degrees for the benefit of their left-handed customers. The following day Burger King issued a follow-up release revealing that although the Left-Handed Whopper was a hoax, thousands of customers had gone into restaurants to request the new sandwich. Simultaneously, according to the press release, "many others requested their own 'right handed' version."
"what a clever devil"



The Taco Liberty Bell
1996: The Taco Bell Corporation announced it had bought the Liberty Bell and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. Hundreds of outraged citizens called the National Historic Park in Philadelphia where the bell was housed to express their anger. Their nerves were only calmed when Taco Bell revealed, a few hours later, that it was all a practical joke. The best line of the day came when White House press secretary Mike McCurry was asked about the sale. Thinking on his feet, he responded that the Lincoln Memorial had also been sold. It would now be known, he said, as the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial.




"I wish more corporations would do pranks like this instead of fiscally screwing us over "


Taken from the museum of hoaxes.com

Edward Juan is Rad

So I talk to the talented Edward Juan at Jared Mees & the Grown Children show this last week and he gave me some very interesting news. He's been in talks with Jared to direct and produce a music video for the band. Edward and a couple of his co-workers at Laika ( Coroline) will begin production as soon as May. The conception drawings are awesome and the premise just blew my mind. I am super excited about this project and with any luck I'll be able to contribute some of my own talents. You can kept update on the project here
and I for sure will be chronicling the process on this blog.


Jared Mees and the Grown Children show at Backspace photos here

It's been so long....

Hey everybody I'm so tired and crazy busy these days that I have neglected the blog. Enough excuses though. There is so much to update you on and need to just get to it!

TLE Valentines Cards
I know that its two days before good ol V Day and most of you got your honey bunches their mass produced and uninspired Hallmark cards, but consider the rad alternative you may be missing out on by not checking out the really cool designs made by creative minds such as: BT Livermore, {ad7m}, Edward Juan, Ashley Armbruster,Courtney Blazon, and Yours Truly:) You can get them online at TLE or at the TLE store on NW 18th and Lovejoy as well as local stores around Portland. You can check out the entire series here! Come on do it for the Gipper!

Crappy Indie Music the Blog and Boy Eats Drum Machine!!

So Goldie of the extremely rad music blog Crappy Indie Music contact the Mees' a while back that she wanted to feature TLE in a calendar the blog was putting out. Well after a couple of photo shoots and re-shoots our very own "Boy Eats Drum Machine" is featured not only in the calendar but is on the cover!!! ( and I took the pics!!!) Follow the link to purchase and its my understanding that the calendar will also be at the TLE store too! Check it out!!!

New Jared Mees and the Grown Children Photos!!

I had the pleasure of shooting "Jared Mess and the Grown Children" new band photos. Including their new drummer Aaron and the return of Sean on bass the group is quite an attractive assemble . It was a lot of fun and really cold. The new photos are for an upcoming tour the band will be embarking on in the upcoming months. Keep posted to the website for updates on the tour as well as a chance to see the new photos. Here is a taste:

Super XX man at Someday Lounge

Sorry kids,
I know that its been too long since I'v written but I promise more posts will be coming soon. In the mean time check out the picks from Super XX Man at Someday lounge on our flickr account

Welcome home to the Grown Children

Dear Jared and Grown Children,
How I missed you so. Yeah there are other bands out there that are just as good, but none of them capture the essence of me like you can. I am so happy for all of you and the many adventures you have had on your travels. I can't wait to hear what I am sure are many great stories of all the shinanigans you were apart of in all those other states. I have to admit I'm a little jealous I was unable to be apart of them. I hope my friend on the east coast welcomed you well and that CMJ was an event to remember. I also heard that some kids in Santa Barbara invited you to their sustainable green living boarding school where they sung along with every song you played. That is so rad. Even though I know that all the shows you've done throughout the last month will yield many wonderful fruits I have to admit I welled with pride as I watched my Grown Children make their way back up the 5 FWY, you were my kids and you were coming home. Thanks for playing a show your first night back, because I'm sure you were really tired. It was radtacular and I'm so impressd with how polished you sound ... you're sound has become more and more cohesive. So I guess I'll wrap this up, but I look forward to hanging out really soon.

Your Pal,
Portland

P.S. Here are some photos from the show at Ron Toms and there are more on Flickr.