On a rainy Saturday in April of last year, The Numero Group opened its first retail location. For ten hours we gave Chicago record fiends an alternative to the Record Store Day juggernaut of over-hyped exclusive product and two hour lines by doing one thing: offering new and used records at an affordable price. On Saturday April 21st, we aim to change nothing except the space (bigger) and the number of dealers (doubled).

The Empty Bottle has been kind enough to offer their nearly 3000 square foot space at 1035 North Western Avenue. We'll be cramming every square inch of it with tens of thousands of LPs, CDs, tapes, 45s, DVDs, books, and magazines, sold by dealers trekking to Chicago from all over the US.

Numero Group will boast two tables of our own wares, where buyers can select from our 100 strong catalog to fill in holes in their Numero archive. We'll also be selling our limited edition record store day LP/CD WTNG 89.9FM: Solid Bronze, and a limited-to-100 copies 45 that can only be purchased at this location.

Additionally, Numero will be setting up our mobile FM radio station, WTNG 89.9, broadcasting live from the Empty Bottle's stage all day to a five mile radius. We'll have guest DJs, a contest, and a live auction, all bookended with vintage radio ads for long-since-shuttered local businesses.

This record utopia will open at 9AM and close at 6PM. Cash, credit, or barter accepted. Steal, beg, or kill to attend. [The Numero Group]

If you're already starting to plan your own Record Store Day out, make sure you stop at the bottle to check out Numero's setup. Pop-up shop promo video, below..

Continue reading "The Numero Shop returns for Record Store Day 2012"

As we announced back in November, Chicago's The Numero Group are handling a massive reissue package for the reunited NYC-based slowcore outfit Codeine. Right around the time of the announcement, the band also confirmed that they will be performing as part of the Mogwai-curated ATP UK - I'll Be Your Mirror 2012, taking place in late-May.

A full North American/UK tour is forthcoming, but for now ANNOUNCED, and Codeine have shared that they'll be playing Lincoln Hall on July 1! Ticking info is forthcoming. UPDATE: Tickets go on sale this Friday (February 24), at noon CST. All dates at BrooklynVegan.

Speaking of Mogwai, they'll play Metro on June 20. Tickets are still available.

Syl Johnson (more by Andrew St. Clair)

"...Ken Shipley has hunted down some of the rarest records in existence as one of the founders of the Numero Group, a Chicago record label that specializes in painstakingly researched reissues of music from the obscure margins of pop. But on Friday evening he was zooming through Amoeba Records, the giant music store in Hollywood, looking for the Neil Diamond section. "I want to see what we're up against," he said.

Numero is nominated for two Grammy Awards this year for "Syl Johnson: Complete Mythology," a monolith of a boxed set tracking the works of one of soul music's semi-forgotten figures, who is best known for singing on Hi Records, Al Green's label, in the 1970s, and for his 1967 song "Different Strokes," which has been sampled by hip-hop acts dozens of times.

Mr. Shipley is nominated in the best album notes category (against Mr. Diamond, for his collection "The Bang Years 1966-1968?), and the label is also nominated in the best historical album category..." [NY Times]

Check out Ben Sisario's interview with Mr. Shipley and Rob Sevier, another of the Numero partners, at the NY Times. NPR has an article on the same subject.

Meanwhile, the telecast hasn't even started yet, but as of this post, Skrillex has already won three Grammys in the pre-show. Louis CK won one. Tinariwen and Bruce Springsteen and Foo Fighters (who beat TV on the Radio) too.

UPDATE: Kanye West takes home three already too (and all just in the pre-show).

UPDATE 2: More at BrooklynVegan.

Hannibal Buress @ Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival 2011 (more by David Andrako)

Tomorrow Never Knows 2012 have just added a few more shows to the festival schedule.

Hannibal Buress (who originally hails from Chicago) will perform at the Hideout on January 12th. Tickets go on sale this Friday (12/9), at 10AM CST.

Local favorites White Mystery and Mannequin Men will play Schubas on January 15th, along with California's Mister Loveless. Tickets go on sale this Friday, at noon CST.

The Numero Group will be providing a DJ Set on January 14th, from midnight to 3AM. Tickets are $5 each, and will only be available at the door.

5-day passes for the festival are still on sale.

Codeine

Chicago's own archival label The Numero Group, has just announced that they'll be handling a reissue package for the very recently reunited slow-core giants Codeine! The NYC-based group has been defunct since 1994, and hold two LPs, one EP, and a bunch of singles to their name. Their reunion has coincided with today's announcement of the Mogwai-curated ATP UK - I'll Be Your Mirror 2012, which takes place the weekend of May 25th at Alexandra Palace in London.

The band has offered:

These are Codeine's first public performances since 1994. We are performing to celebrate the release of WHEN I SEE THE SUN - the reissues of all our music by the esteemed NUMERO GROUP, of Chicago, Illinois, coming in the spring of 2012. The 3 albums will be released as vinyl double albums, which will include compilation tracks, 4 track demos, peel sessions, and entirely heretofore unreleased songs. The six albums will also be released as a limited edition boxed set, possibly with a bonus 7-inch. Our hope is to make our music and legacy available to all who are interested. To spotlight this release, we will be performing a very limited series of concerts in the US, UK and Europe.

The full tracklisting for the package is below.

More information on ATP UK - I'll Be Your Mirror 2012 can be found at BrooklynVegan.

Continue reading "Numero Group to handle reissues for the reunited Codeine"