AKR FTW!

okay, this post is going to be chock-full of exciting things (exciting to me, anyway. ha!).

you should know: asthmatic kitty records is my favorite record label--home to sufjan stevens, half-handed cloud, my brightest diamond, and lots of other lovely musicians.


(in case you were curious):

"Asthmatic Kitty was named after Sara, a voluptuous orange and white longhair who wandered out of the woods in 1995, pregnant, starving, and afflicted with various parasites and ailments, including feline asthma. Although she still wheezes a bit, especially when being chased by her sister Tabby, Sara today enjoys a healthy and happy life of luxury. Cast-off animals make the best pets!"

and... they've just signed on a whole boatload of new artists! i'm so excited! particularly about welcome wagon, a brooklyn pastor and his wifey-wife who make pretty little songs. they haven't actually released a whole album yet, but they're totally destined to become a new favorite of mine. with names like monique and vito aiuto, it has to be good. (yep, that's the same vito for whom sufjan wrote "vito's ordination song". you might recognize his lovely voice from a couple of sufjan's christmas songs--like "once in david's royal city".)

also looking forward to osso--a four-piece string quartet (which includes marla hansen, who makes gorgeous songs on her own, singing and plucking her viola!) who are currently in the process of making a string-quartet-version of sufjan's electronica album, enjoy your rabbit. how awesome is that?

they even signed a not-musical-artist, laura park. she draws really fantastic pictures & comics that make me smile and wish i had skills.

check out all of the new goodness! --> asthmatic kitty records!

alright, so, all that might not be a big deal to you guys, but i was just really excited about it all. hah.

but wait! the subject has not yet changed!

asthmatic kitty has just sent me a package of GLORIOUS things all for absolutely free!

(aw, what adorable handwriting.)

it's a very long and complicated story as to WHY they sent me these things, and it probably doesn't make much of a difference to you, but just know this:

after some really dear & funny emails were exchanged,

they sent me a t-shirt!

AND a cd!

for free!

even my mother likes the t-shirt.

(my thumb looks ugly 'cause i slammed it in the front door last week.)

yes, yes, i sure do love asthmatic kitty records. they are just so refreshingly friendly! (me and diane, who answers emails, we're like this. haha.)

they send out free sampler cd's with every purchase...i have a whole bunch of them. let me know if you want one. ha!

ALSO!--

1) i won a copy of encyclopedia asthmatica!
WHAT ON EARTH? i can't even stop smiling. i feel famous or something. (well, but i'm glad i'm not famous. i wouldn't ever like to be famous, i think.) i mean, i don't win things. it just doesn't happen. but this really did happen! to me!

2) it's a SIGNED copy. (signed, not singed.)

i love visually digesting people's handwriting. especially if they're practically celebrities whom i greatly admire. (i'm not sure WHO signed it--they didn't say--and it's not here yet, so the anticipation is kinda killing me.)