Dear People,

First and foremost I would like to thank everyone who came out to Jeremy Davis' and Debbie Carlos' art opening this past Saturday in the Relative Gallery. It was a tremendous success and if you didn't make it out remember to stop by because his and her work are up until the end of June. As far as the podcasting goes you may have noticed we went with different names but confusion is unnecessary so just go with us. We did manage to get Relative Live up and on the web which is the monthly podcast featuring most of the bands playing at the store for that month. We will also be making a dvd version of this to give out as promotional pieces for people that have a tv that lots of people watch - for instance you have a skateshop or a shoe store with a TV in it. If you want the dvd version of Relative Live please email relativetheoryATmacDOTcom. As for the other podcast, its called Relative Love and we will try to make that weekly and feature only 10 songs per week. It might be bi-weekly depending on how much shit we have to do. Lastly I would like to talk about the amount of shows coming to you this summer. Relative Theory has over 60 shows booked this summer and the Norva has some top notch acts coming through as well - they just announced the Raconteurs coming in Sept! Up next week is matt pond PA on June 13th. So regarding shows at Relative if you have any suggestions on how we can make them better please let us know - keep in mind we cannot serve beer, we are looking into tables and chairs, and ticket prices are already cheap! Nearly all shows are $5 adv / $7 day of show and you get 50 points on your Relative Card. So if you buy your ticket in advance and you get 50 points on your card then the show only costs you $2.50. You can see a show at Relative for only $2.50! Details on the Relative Society next week.

relative links
www.jeremyokaidavis.com
www.hellogirlfriend.com (debbie carlos)
www.wikipedia.org/podcasting
www.thenorva.com

With your support we can stay on the map.

Be Your Own Pet
self-titled

Release Date: 06/06/06
Label: Ecstatic Peace
CD: $9.98

Delivering terse and rambunctious sub-three minute blasts of punk energy and musical creativity beyond their teenage years, Be Your Own Pet have arrived with their eponymous debut album. Heralded as the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs, this is a fuzzy, hook-laden noise pop record that will have you grinning from ear to ear with every listen, with vocals from indie pin-up Jemina at times in flames, and at others achingly sweet. Album highlights include the screwball riffs of 'Wildcat!', the new wave rock of single 'Adventure', blink and you'll miss it perfection of 'Let's Get Sandy (Big Problem)' and the unashamed gallivant of 'Love Your Shotgun'. Be Your Own Pet is a street party of artful punk and beauty and an incredibly strong debut album to herald a revolution.

The stellar new album from Glasgows spectacular pop sextet was influenced by a wide variety of heroes: Jimmy Webb, Lloyd Cole, Connie Francis, Skeeter Davis, The Supremes, and David Lynch. Decidedly upbeat and catchy while also beautifully romantic, quiet, and reflective, this record does not disappoint. And as always, if you buy it on vinyl it includes a coupon for a free MP3 download of the whole album.

Once upon a time, mentioning surfing and music in the same sentence conjured up sepia-toned images of the early’’60s. But thanks to artists like Donavon Frankenreiter -- who, unlike most of the old-school "surf-rockers," knows his way around a wave as well as he does a fret-board -- those images have been updated radically to focus as much on musical adventure as on the spreading of good vibes.

Those sounds are undeniably, unabashedly, organic. Acoustic interludes like "Girl Like You (Cali Honey)" exude a back-porch vibe so vivid that it’s easy to imagine the sound of ice swirling around in glasses hoisted by fellow party-goers. And when the volume ramps up to the point where such sounds would be drowned out -- as on the fiery "Fool," which showcases Frankenreiter’s deft, bluesy fretwork -- other senses get a workout via the smell of sweat and the feel of heat.

Move By Yourself has no shortage of such sonic mood swings, but there’s a definite evenness of spirit. Sure, the disc has its share of assertive moments, but it’s hard to miss the delight with which Frankenreiter approaches life, whether he’s relating his feelings about his child (as on "These Arms") or simply waking up to greet the new dawn addressed on "Beautiful Day." He’s a happy guy, and he’s the first to admit it.

Dead Mountain Mouth is the hotly anticipated full length follow-up to Genghis Tron's bold 2005 debut EP, Cloak Of Love. Recorded at Godcity Studios with Kurt Ballou (Converge), Dead Mountain Mouth moves beyond the rapid-fire electro/grind genre splicing of Cloak Of Love and forms something new, something more cohesive and fluid, an arcane union of digital dreams and brutal heaviness, where speedcore outbursts blossom from clouds of maximum beat-driven bliss and futuristic metalcore riffage seethes from your speakers. These ten gloriously dense, triumphantly catchy jams soar through vast valleys of immense crush and wonderfully alien vistas of 8-bit wizardry unlike anything you've heard before.

Playing Relative Theory July 15 w/ Rah Brahs.

Gracer fuses a forward-moving rock edge with the melancholy overtones of mid-90s emo - somewhere between Sunny Day Real Estate and Elliott. With former members of Long Island's On the Might of Princes (Revelation Records) and Lux Courageous (Triple Crown Records), Gracer's ambition is driven by elements of both of these projects. Spacey guitars, a driving but muted bass line, and hard-edged, precise drumming bring it all together.

Playing Relative Theory July 17

Keiran you probably know from his more popular moniker of Four Tet or perhaps from his time from the seminal post-rock instrumentalists Fridge. Steve Reid youve definitely heard before and you probably dont even know it. He played drums on Martha & The Vandellas Dancing In The Streets, on countless other Motown sessions, and was the leader of Fela Kuti's band. On this release, the two come together to form a duet of electricity and percussion. A free jazz odyssey sure to melt minds as much as knock down barriers.

Hinsons first release for Jade Tree harkens back to a stripped-down, self-professed lost period for Texass critically acclaimed singer/songwriter. This EP animates the emptiness of back country roads and late teenage displacement. Hinsons distinct brand of country-noir is delivered over hushed vocals and subdued guitars, shaded by fragments of Dylans storytelling and Bill Callahans (Smog) ability to tap into the darker emotions of real life. This is an endearing journey through Hinsons fractured past, searching for signs of hope in the somber halls of a downtrodden Middle America.

Their fifth album for 4AD in a relationship that has now spanned a dozen years. "Puzzles" sees the band moving forward in an unexpected direction; these songs are more immediate and poppy than anything they recorded before. The album is filled with the life-affirming light of Mojave 3's Cornish home - splashed with sunlight and the heady sparkle of summertime waves.

The two guys in Oppenheimer started recording lush multi layered music as a way to escape a rainy Irish winter. They had met playing in indie bands and hanging out at electronica shows and realized a common love of kraut rock synthesizers soundscapes and most of all pop music. By the time spring came around the Belfast Telegraph proclaimed Oppenheimer immensely watchable intelligent pop peddlers and the BBC said their song Breakfast In NYC is all poetic and blip tastic.

Playing Relative Theory Aug 6

This marks Mac McCaughans second foray (following 2001s Looking For Leonard) into soundtrack work in the guise of his musical alter ego, Portastatic. Inspired by film music from composers such as Henry Mancini, Ry Cooder, Francis Lai, and Piero Umiliani, Portastatics score is a beautiful musical interpretation of the themes of the people we love and how much we hate them, sex, and the ensuing tensions that can arise within the confines of friendship and the extended family. In addition to Macs traditional guitar-based songs, he incorporates strings, oboe, flute, and piano to propel the infectious melodies.

Debut full-length from Austin sextet brings you songs that are rhythmic, propulsive and dynamic. They use their electric guitars and synthesizers to add texture & their electric piano, bass & drums are played with downright ferocity.

It's been nine years since Walker's last album. "An increasingly revered figure, Scott Walker is a singular craftsman, one of rock's few individuals to demonstrate a willingness to both embrace elements of the unfashionable and ignore prevailing trends, yet also display an acute awareness of contemporary sound" - Pitchfork

The long dark winter is drawing to a close, spring is just around the corner, the sun is once more in the sky and Zero 7,aka Sam Hardaker and Henry Binns, are back with a gorgeous new album, The Garden. This cd take a fresher, more upbeat muscial direction while still maintaining their trademark sound, and could well turn out to be the soundtrack to the summer.

Music for the Masses is remastered Edition treatment. 'Deluxe Collectors Edition' 2-disc set comprises the 10-track digitally remastered CD album including the singles 'Never Let Me Down Again' & 'Strangelove' plus a bonus DVD that features the entire album (remastered in 5.1 surround sound), all the single b-sides released from the album and a Short Film with Interviews with band members past & present, complete with 16-page picture booklet containing original LP art, photos, lyrics & sleevenotes by Daniel Miller

Speak and Spell is getting the remastered Edition treatment. Their first album, Speak and spell comes with the additional track 'Dreaming of me'. The deluxe CD+DVD packaging includes all their b-sides, a 26 minute documentary and a 16 pages booklet.

Violater is getting the remastered treatment. Third remastered reissue of Depeche Mode's back catalogue albums is the multi platinum selling Violator. The deluxe CD+DVD packaging includes all their b-sides, a 32 minute documentary and a 16 pages booklet.

Tell me how freaking sweet is that.

The River in Reverse is Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint's spirited and deeply soulful new album, including seven songs from Toussaint's remarkable catalog; five newly written by the two; and one new song, the title track, written by Costello. Sessions for the album took place over a whirlwind two weeks late last year in Hollywood, CA and at Piety Street Studios in Toussaint's hometown of New Orleans. Toussaint led the ensemble from the piano, with Imposters keyboard player Steve Nieve switching to Hammond B3. The majority of the tracks were cut with the entire group in the room and Costello singing live, occasionally adding his guitar to the mix. Costello selected songs from deep within the Toussaint catalogue such as "Nearer To You," "Freedom for the Stallion," and "Tears, Tears and More Tears." Toussaint kicks off the lead vocal on his composition, "Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further?" and trades vocal lines with Costello and bassist Davey Faragher on several other tracks.

Though Dr. John is by no means the first musician from the rock era to take a stab at the classic American songbook, the results have rarely been as satisfying as this. While all of the material was written by, inspired by, or associated with Johnny Mercer, this is very much a Dr. John album, with Mac Rebennack and his ace New Orleans rhythm section giving selections from "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" to "Moon River" a funky, Crescent City spin. With the good doctor applying piano syncopation to an instrumental expansion of "I'm an Old Cow Hand" and giving his sly, playful rasp to a jaunty "Dream" and a bluesy "Come Rain or Come Shine," this tribute not only attests to the range, craftsmanship, and enduring appeal of Mercer's all-American music, it reflects the New Orleans master's interpretive depth. --Don McLeese

Cracker may be considered a somewhat traditional rock band yet singer guitarist Daiv Lowerys roots were anything but traditional since he fronted the 80s alternative outfit Camper Van Beethoven. Shortly after Camper Van Beethoven called it quits in 1990 Lowery began demoing material along with guitarist Johnny Hickman and bassist Davey Faragher eventually going by the name Cracker. During the early 21st century Cracker has continued to tour and release CDs most recently their Greatest Hits Redux through Cooking Vinyl USA.

There are swaggering bands, bands who are in your face. And then there are bands who get hold of you somewhere else. I think it’s a heart thing, an intimacy thing. Like you know them and they know you. I think we are one of those bands." So says Snow Patrol singer and chief songwriter Gary Lightbody.And all the proof you’ll need is Snow Patrol’s new album Eyes Open, a collection of songs which more than makes good on the promise of it’s predecessor, 2004’s two million selling Final Straw. Values: beautiful powerful songs underscored by some of the most poignant and telling lyrics in rock. Eyes Open is Snow Patrol’s post card from the cliff edge. It’s going to be hard to ignore these songs in 2006.

First EP in wide release from Austin's Sound Team. Released in anticipation of their full length record due in 2006, Sound Team, who appeared in New York's Central Park with Arcade Fire and David Bowie in 2005, have a fresh sound that is part rock, part alternative, and should be a welcome addition to fans of The Walkmen, Arcade Fire, Bloc Party, and Radiohead. Overall a great introduction to a great new band.

Special acoustic album featuring a solo performance by J. at CBGB's in 1993. Most of these acoustic versions are previously unreleased!

The Freeze DVD is here and it is crazy! DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist and four turntables! Six years since the show and people are still talking, see what all the fuss is about. On top of Shadow and the Chemist killing it in 7-11 shirts you get DJs Marvski, Dante, Numark AND Z-Trip! Plus there’s all types of extra footage including an interview with Shadow and Cut Chemist, audio commentary and scenes from the legendary Future Primitive Sessions (you better ask somebody). This is the craziest turntable mayhem I’ve ever witnessed in one place- no “battle breaks” (cheat codes) or blending two hip hop instrumentals (biting), just pure found breaks from some of the most notorious crate-diggers in the history of 45s. Whether you’re a junkie for turntablism, breaks or b-boying, you have to get this DVD… trust me.

Cities
Self-titled

Release Date: 04/18/06
Label: Yep Rock
CD: $18.98 Sale $10.98

Cities - four bright-eyed college kids, keen on creating a decidedly American brand of melancholic, but hooky, indie rock - have a bone to pick with those hipster highbrows focusing their attention across the pond. The bands self-titled Yep Roc debut slices through Brit-influenced post-punk with mid-90s, layered guitar rock, and the organic, indie aesthetic that was born in Chapel Hill, NC.

PLAYING RELATIVE THEORY 06-10

Extending from the last years Campfire Headphase album, the Trans Canada Highway EP which features 5 new tracks including a great remix from Cloudead's Odd Nosdam plays out a hallucinogenic road trip of desolation, isolation and exploration.

With the Boards of Canada traits of intricacy and ethereality, Trans Canada Highway visits a darker place, “a glacial place” as Boards of Canada put it,away from the warmth and light of The Campfire Headphase.

In 2005 Mclusky disbanded and some members went off to pursue a new band Shooting At Unarmed Men. Mcluskyism is the definitive career spanning collection of songs that brought you more feelings than you even knew existed.

WED JUNE 06, 2006

pizzzzzaaaaa .

You know what's fun in the summertime? Rock n' Roll. And this Wednesday is going to be fun. Kamikaze Shake, Relative Theory's first Local Resident, will kick off the month with one of their three shows in June. If you are unfamiliar with them, they are bringing back the sleaze, style, and swagger of sixties garage a la Stooges and MC5. Seriously, these guys are the heat. Another band on the bill that knows a thing or two about the dangers of fire is Razorkings. I like to pretend these guys just skated a bowl and are sluggin' beers and being punks. Three chord songs that keep the good times rolling. Also, on the bill is The Big Deal. Who are. A big deal.

FRI JUNE 09 , 2006

Quien es BOOM! | site & sound
Darren Deicide | site & sound
Moore, Newbold, & Mason | site & sound
End of a Year | site & sound
Dear Tonight | site & sound

Time: 8pm
Tickets: $5 adv | $7 day of show
Relative Card: 50 points

revolution summer .

No lie, this show is out of control. Quien es, Boom is spanish* for combing the quirkiness of The Owls, the mathy-ness of Minus the Bear and the sophistication on Tortoise. They would fit nicely in to the JAde Tree / Kinsella family. Reminiscent of early 90's DC - End of a Year combine melody and intensity and simply put, they are amazing. On the road with them is Dear Tonight, who sound as if they we're coming out of San Diego / Gravity camp in the mid-nineties, very Clikatat meets Angel Hair.

*I am lying. I don't speak Spanish

SAT JUNE 10, 2006

chocolate and tangerines .

This is what you've all been waiting for. The phone calls, the emails, the myspace comments, etc. This is it. Asobi Seksu will be playing Relatvie. Asobi Seksu, playing select dates down the east coast supporting their new (ie, amazing) album, Citrus. Have you heard it yet? Do you not love it? New kids on Yep Roc's block, Cities, will be opening with a grand set of dark and melodic post punk. Coming down to spike the punch is DC's great alternative pop group The Carribean. Also on the bill (as if you need more temptation) is VA's finest Pash. Seriously, this night is going to unforgettable. Get your tickets now, it will sell out.

SAT JUNE 10 , 2006

lil' huggies .

Mike Borgia is an up and coming singer songwriter from NC. He writes earnest songs about daily observations and growing experiences. Just, him and his guitar, Mike lays down heartfelt songs and they sound like a comforting combination of Evan Dando and Grant Lee Phillips. He will be playing Hell's Kitchen for free on Saturday and you shouldn't miss it, unless you are a too young for a beer.

MON JUNE 12, 2006

there dill, dude .

Tonight, your new favorite band will be playing Relative Theory. It's either, Farewell Flight and their charming piano driven romanticism, Kamikaze Shake with their reckless abandonment and garage grindness, Anola's Recovery dazzling you with their ingenious poppy and punky sensibilites, The Dandy Lion's spastic post modern rock or Josiah Schlater's gentle crooning and warm words. These gentlemen are all talented, loved, and wear shoes.

TUES JUNE 13, 2006

mon oncle .

I wish my uncle made music that was like Jack Grace's sophisticated-honky-tonk-country-blues fun. I really don't wish that, my uncle rules. But so does Jack Grace. I like to imagine that the "Martini Cowboy" stands on stage and belting away his blues and drowning his sorrows with Vodka and Vermouth. This show will be at Taphouse, so come out with your gal, buy her a Mint Julep and enjoy the show.

TUES JUNE 13, 2006

silent screams .

Holy shit, why hadn't I never heard of The Holy Fire Band until last week? Did you know about them and didn't tell me about them? That cruel, just sit in your tower. HFB are a more angular Elliott or a Motor City Fugazi (great band name btw). These guys just blow my mind. Expect good things from those guys and The Felix Culpa, a band sharing the stage Tuesday and have a great driving post punk sound. Also on the bill, local Coldplaysters, Tokyo, will be jamming their piano driven tunes into you're hungry little ears. One more thing about this show you must know. One of the guys from Tick Tock Boom (my favorite band, if they didn't make music), came into the record store the other day with a shirt on that said, "Luh You, Boo". Isn't that cool, as shit?

JUNE 3 - JUNE 30 | 2006

For this show, Davis has created works that relate directly to a road trip that he took early 2006. He trekked through Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri in search of solace and piece of mind after his design firm relocated. He left with wonder and worry and returned with solidified friendships and a terrifying run in with a deer. The trip was filled with discoveries and these paintings are his attempt at sharing these said discoveries.

Debbie has contributed works of photography taken from inside a natural science museum. The images were shot in a way that takes from nature photography but shown in a very unnatural light. The dark, desaturated tones and the murky quality of the images, as if being preserved in formaldehyde, convey this unnatural deathly quality and the strange sensuality from having mastered that which was not made to be confined.

Relative Brews

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Cafe Specials

Veg out

Simple...yet again...ooo la la...free Fruit Leather (It's just like fruit roll ups, except healthier, more rectangular, and weirder. It's a staple in my diet.) FREE with any purchase at the cafe. We love our NEW vegan treatsies.

New Homemade Goods:
• Baby-size Muffins
  
• Zucchini Bread
  
• Rice Crispy Treats

New Shapes!

New To The Menu

Now Available

PomWonderful the dopest Pomegranate Juice. Loaded with more antioxidants than found in green tea, chocolate, and blueberries, PomWonderful helps our bodies fight against free radicals. Drinking one glass of this delicious juice, exercising and eating healthy every day will improve your cardiovascular health, prevent cancer, and fight the aging process. So, what are you waiting for? Stop by and help save your life! Enjoy a bottle today and every day. Choose one, two, three, four or five of the five flavors! 100 % Pomegranate, POM Blueberry, POM Cherry, POM Mango, POM Tangerine.

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