Secret Stash Records

Whoa, probably safe to say the Sonny Knight & The Lakers show in Madison over the weekend was a success!!

That’s right, we are looking for some summer help here at Secret Stash. We are an indie label based in Minneapolis and as a small operation, this is a great opportunity to get hands on experience across many aspects of the music business.

A Bit About Secret Stash

Secret Stash Records is dedicated to unearthing rare musical gems and sharing them with the world. We started by researching, licensing, manufacturing, and distributing reissues and compilations of historically significant “groove based music” from the US and abroad. After releasing a compilation of Twin Cities Funk & Soul in 2012, we began working with singers active during the 60s and 70s to put together a band, record new music, and tour nationally and internationally. Stylistically our releases are deeply rooted in funk and soul of the 60s and 70s. While we utilize all available mediums, we specialize in collectible limited edition vinyl pressings. We are an independent operation that manages virtually every single aspect of our business in-house.

The Internship

We are currently searching for Summer non-paid interns. Ideally, this would be about a 15-20 hour/week commitment. We work with colleges to help students obtain credit for their internship, though this is not a requirement for the internship. Now, a little bit about the internship…

You will gain experience in the following areas:

Supply Chain Management
• We deal directly with manufacturers, wholesalers, retail stores, and customers. Because of that, this internship will teach you many of the steps involved in releasing and distributing music.

Promotion
• Market brands and releases through facebook, twitter, youtube, our website, email blasts, print media, and more
• Planning, helping coordinate, and market local release parties and events

Music Copyright Law and Licensing
• Hands-on experience with copyright law and licensing, including pulling mechanical licenses.

Project Management
• Sitting in on conversations and meetings and gaining insight into the day-to-day decisions of record labels and artists, as well as the process of setting and evaluating long-term goals.

The day-to-day responsibilities of this internship involve supply chain management, promotion, and music copyright law and licensing. Being in a tight-knit office, the most valuable information you will take away from this internship will be through paying attention to what is going on in the office and by asking questions. This is primarily an office based internship.

If you are interested, get in touch with us at internship@secretstashrecords.com

Looking forward to working with some awesome new folks!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

SONNY KNIGHT AND THE LAKERS ANNOUNCE HOMETOWN SHOWS

Sonny Knight and the Lakers Bring the Soul Back to Minneapolis With Four Back to Back Shows at the Dakota, December 18^th and 19^th, To Be Recorded for Upcoming Live Album

 

For Sonny Knight and the Lakers, 2014 was equal parts unexpected and deserved. The creation of their debut album, I’m Still Here, nearly 50 years after a young Sonny recorded his first single, began a tidal wave of accomplishments that includes a successful international tour, critical attention from NPR’s World Café and WBEZ’s Sound Opinions, and plenty of love from their hometown of Minneapolis. Sonny Knight and the Lakers celebrate their fabulous year with shows at the Dakota Jazz Club on Thursday, December 18^th (7:00pm and 9:00pm) and Friday, December 19^th (7:00pm and 9:30pm). For the final show on Friday night, all tables and chairs will be removed from the main floor to allow for maximum dance space. Fans will have a chance to be a part of an upcoming live album as local record label Secret Stash will record all four shows and release the best set next year via double lp and cd packages.

 

Secret Stash Records Founder and Lakers’ drummer Eric Foss says, “The exciting thing about doing this live recording is that we have performed the show around the world for the last year, and it has slowly developed into something that can’t be contained in a studio recording. We want to bring that energy back to our hometown and to our first and most loyal fans.”   Keeping with the band’s aesthetic, the label will record the shows straight to ¼” 2 track tape, meaning it will be mixed live and whatever they leave with Friday night will pretty much be the finished product.  “We’re looking forward to setting up shop for a couple days, playing as hard as we can, and then taking away a very real representation of the show and putting it on a record.”

 

From headlining spots at local festival favorites such as The Red Stag Block Party and The Lyn-Lake Festival (among many others), to being deemed one of the “The Best New Minnesota Musicians of 2014” via the City Pages “Picked to Click” poll, soul connoisseurs to novice music listeners alike have embraced the band. The City Pages called their I’m Still Here album release party at the iconic First Avenue Mainroom in May “truly spectacular…joyful and spontaneous, largely thanks to Knight’s beaming personality,” and critics from The Star Tribune, The Current, KFAI and other local media outlets have all spilled ink and filled airwaves about Sonny Knight and the Lakers’ rollicking live shows.

 

The story of Sonny Knight is an unexpected narrative. While most people’s careers are wrapping up by the time they hit Sonny’s age, this 66 year old has only just begun his reinvention. Sonny recorded his first single at the age of 17, only to find his chance at success halted by a stint in the army and later, a steady, full-time job as a truck driver. Unbeknownst to Sonny, that lone 7” record he cut as a teenager (“Tears On My Pillow” B/W “Rain Dance”) had become a prized item in R&B collector circles in the ensuing decades and his powerful voice had not been forgotten. The opportunity to push the reset button on a long and interrupted career arrived in the form of an invitation to join the reformed Valdons as part of Secret Stash’s Twin Cities Funk & Soul release party in late 2012.

 

After six months of touring and performing to promote the compilation, Eric and Sonny decided to form Sonny Knight and the Lakers. Months of gaining ground in their hometown and touring regionally was followed by preparations for their debut record. I’m Still Here is the product of many hours of collaborative thought and crate digging for and listening to forgotten ‘60s and early ‘70s soul and funk records that clearly permeate all the album’s tracks. The album covers a wide range of tempos and soul forms ranging from upbeat booglaoos to beautiful ballads. NPR’s World Café called the album “wonderful” and noted that “it captures the singer sounding as vital as ever,” while WBEZ’s Sound Opinions proclaimed that Sonny Knight is “a vocal powerhouse.” Sonny’s exuberance and energy, pushed by the hard-soul grooves of the Lakers—as he, in turn, pushes them to new heights as well—are what grab the listener; there’s never any doubt about what feelings he wants to convey.

 

Nearly 50 years have passed since his first recording, but for the first time he feels like the center of attention. He says, “Sometimes I wonder, why me? Why are all these great things happening now? All I can say is thanks. These are dreams that I had forgotten. Only now that they are starting to come true do I remember that I had them at all.”

 

The Dakota Jazz Club Show Information

 

Thursday December 18^th, 2014 @ 7:00pm / $20 [Ticket Link]

 

Thursday December 18^th, 2014 @ 9:00pm / $20 [Ticket Link]

 

Friday December 19^th, 2014 @ 7:00pm / $25 [Ticket Link]

 

Friday December 19^th, 2014 @ 9:00pm /$25 [Ticket Link]

We are excited to announce the “SECRET STASH SUPER SOUL SHAKEDOWN” coming up Friday, August 29 at First Ave‘s Mainroom!

Starting at 10:00 PM, DJ Steely of World Wide Discotheque and KFAI’s Kinda Cloudy Radio, DJ Paper Sleeves, DJ Brad Wrolstad of KFAI’s African Rhythms, and Secret Stash’s Will Gilbert will be playing non-stop soul, funk, African, and Latin to the early hours!

Only $5 will get you a whole night of dancing and good times! You can’t beat that. Check out First Ave for more details and to buy tickets.

It’s almost time time for our annual  Black Friday through Cyber Monday sale!  As an added bonus, this year we’re releasing a Ltd Ed colored vinyl pressing of Peter King’s Omo Lewa (standard version due out in Jan) exclusivel through our webstore.  We are also releasing a new Valdons 45.   The sale will begin at midnight Central Time on Friday, Nov 29 and run through 11:59 PM on Monday, Dec 2.

 

All in-stock back catalog titles will be available from 12%-40% off. On top of that, we’ve got a couple DEEPLY DISCOUNTED items including a limited-edition screen printed concert poster reproduction, and CDs from Ghanaian Highlife legends The Sweet Talks (courtesy of the folks at Tropic Vibe Records).

 

As a very special added bonus, we raided the store room and came back with some limited edition pressings that have been unavailable for months, or even years. You see, every time we do a limited edition pressing, we hang on to a few extra copies (that still fall within number scheme) just in case someone’s record shows up damaged, or worse yet, doesn’t show up at all. Enough time has passed that we can finally unload some of these extra copies. We have very limited quantities of this stuff and it will only be available during the Black Friday-Cyber Monday sale event.

 

Also, starting on Black Friday you will FINALLY be able to purchase the brand new single from The Valdons.

 

Lastly, we’re releasing the limited edition (coke bottle green w/pink splatter) vinyl pressing of Peter King’s Omo Lewa on Black Friday. This title is in stock and will ship immediately. This is not a “pre-order.” You place your order, it ships. This 350 unit pressing is only available on our website.  The standard edition vinyl and CD versions of this record wont be out until Jan 21, 2014.

 

 

DISCOUNTS
-12%-40% off all back catalog

-$5 Sweet Talks CDs

-$5 screen printed posters

-Discounted 7″ bundles

 

BACK IN STOCK!
-Twin Cities Funk & Soul 2xLP
-Long Live Boogaloo CD

 

SALE EXCLUSIVES
We have very limited quantities of the following. They will only be available during this sale event.
-LTD ED Nkengas pink LP+45
-LTD ED Pazy green LP/Jacket
-LTD ED TC Funk purple 2xLP+45
-LTD ED Vis-A-Vis LP + 45
-LTD ED Valdons 45 (reissue)
-LTD ED Oscar Wright 45

This weekend The Lakers rhythm section went up north with Sonny to work on writing some new tunes. We stayed in a completely secluded little A-frame cabin in Mora, MN. Complete with the most impressive assemblage of perennial plants I’ve ever seen and plenty of free range cats and chickens, this place was like something out of a weird-ass dream (good weird, not bad bad weird!). Armed with liquor, our instruments, a portable recording rig, and a Califone record player for down-time entertainment, we spent the entire weekend completely submerged in the songwriting process. Not only was it a ton of fun, but we also got a lot accomplished. It’s so much easier to write when you leave all the distractions of day to day life behind.

For me I think the highlight of the trip came on Sunday morning. After a long night of enjoying adult beverages a few members of crew were moving a bit slow. I set up the Califone in the den that we had been playing in and started spinning a stack of gospel records I’d brought up with me. There was something about that music that seemed to bring everyone back to life. Before long we were sitting around learning these obscure gospel tunes and playing them together. Eventually we shut off the record player and started crafting our own gospel-influenced songs. It’s funny, everyone knows that gospel is the foundation of soul music, but I think most people that learn soul music today don’t spend much time with gospel. In my humble opinion, they’re missing out on something great. Sitting around a cramped little A-frame room with my friends playing this energizing, revitalizing music was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had playing music. My hope is that we can keep that feeling close and continue to blend it into our sound.

Here are some pictures from our trip….