A sortof interview with Audubon Records founder John Longyear
"I came up with the idea for Audubon Records in the summer of 2009 with the intention of releasing vinyl records for bands that I love. I've had an interest in collecting and listening to records for several years before this, and I wanted to give an opportunity for bands to be pressed on vinyl that were deserving of it. I also make sure to include a digital download with each release, because that is something I look forward to when purchasing a record.

Before publicly announcing Audubon Records, I wanted to make sure I was able to get at least two releases done. The first band I thought of when starting this label was The Motorcycle Industry. After listening to their first full length, Electric Education, I fell in love with their honest and extremely catchy songwriting. I wondered “How does this band not have any support from a record label yet?” With that, I quickly got in contact with them. We agreed to work on their latest release, which is a 4 track 7” EP titled The Only Friends Worth Having. It is their greatest work yet and shows how the band's sound has matured since the last release.

My latest release is with Connecticut's own, Deadlights and Don't Say I Won't. It is a split 7” with two brand new tracks from each band. I have known the dudes in Deadlights for a while now, and I have never been disappointed with anything they have done musically. Putting out this split 7” really means a lot to me.

I am currently working on getting Midi & The Modern Dance's new full length, Make it Easy on Yourself, pressed on vinyl. It is going to be Audubon Records' first 12” LP release. I have been listening to the unmastered tracks of this album religiously ever since I got my hands (or ears) on them. I can safely say that this album is going to raise the bar for Connecticut indie/pop music. The release show is set for July 13, 2010 in Stratford, CT and preorder information will be announced soon."

By Christoph Whitbeck
The Motorcycle Industry's The Only Friends Worth Having is the most ambitious EP I've heard in a while. In four songs, the band attempts to craft a solid, cohesive record, running the gamut from crazy summer pop rock jam to love lost yearning, without the jarring feeling of musical non-sequiturs—and they completely nail it.

I suppose the best way to describe this record is paradoxical. In just 14 minutes, we hear four completely different songs. On top of this, the songs themselves contain mini-paradoxes: while the lyrics to the chorus of the opening track "Paul Newman and a Ride Home" are a bit of a downer ("once you're gone you're gone for good, let me ease you back to health") the music makes you reach for both the volume knob and the window roll-down simultaneously. I mean, it just sounds better loud. Then we slow down a bit with "French for Tigers" and its cutesy chorus ("no one sings along to my songs the way you do!"), and end up slowing way down (and roll the windows back up) for the brooding "Electric Education.”

But what is wonderful about these paradoxes is that the band never loses honesty or integrity. They are dynamic, not contradictory; the lyrics are believable, not constructed, and they play their songs like they mean it, because they mean it. This is one band that very clearly loves what they're doing and wants you to enjoy it with them.

On first listen, this music can be easily misinterpreted and labeled as emo. And while it's a little reminiscent of Say Anything or Motion City Soundtrack (what with that synth on "Possessed" played by Mike Weiss), I'd say these kids are too happy for emo (ooh! another paradox!). Yes, John Langan's lyrics are a bit melancholy from time to time. The chorus to "Electric Education:” "It's been a long dark semester, but it's been way better without you" –just a sad chorus to have to repeat. But it's not what they say, it's more how they say it, and The Motorcycle Industry says it all with the joy and feeling that goes with doing what they love.

So grab their new EP, and ask your dad to PRETTY please borrow his Beemer, then grumble off to your shitty little '93 Subaru and turn this shit way up. Cos you're going for a sweet summer roadtrip upstate. And your car gets way better gas mileage than his anyways.