Cheersquad are very pleased to announce 'Down the Shops', a collection of tribute tracks, covers and live tracks by Melbourne trio Even. The album is available on mint green vinyl in a strictly limited edition (sold out), black vinyl and on CD. The vinyl will include a digital download.
Black Vinyl: cheersquadrecordstapes.bandcamp.com/merch/even-down-the-shops-black-vinyl
EVEN GO DOWN THE SHOPS
Following the 2020 release of their seventh album Satin Returns, Melbourne’s masters of pop’n’roll, EVEN, return with DOWN THE SHOPS, a freshly compiled, beautifully presented vinyl collection of covers they've released along their journey.
Ever since working up a rocking version of Badfinger’s “No Matter What” in their early mid-‘90s days playing the pubs around Fitzroy and St Kilda, Even have usually had a cover or two on the go. They weren’t averse to working up a load of them. They did Even Jukebox performances every year at Melbourne’s illustrious Cherry Bar for a while where it was all covers and themes, like an ‘Even Stevens’ night where all the songs were written and or performed by a Stephen, Steve or Stevie, or Ziggy Stardust from start to finish for the album’s 40th birthday. They were also the house band on The Heart of St Kilda benefit gigs at the Palais for quite a few years, where they backed Daryl Braithwaite, Adalita, Normie Rowe, Kate Ceberano, Tim Rogers and many more.
Originally appearing on singles and tribute albums, the tracks included on DOWN THE SHOPS go right back to covers of the Kinks’ classic “’Til the End of the Day” and Gary Valentine’s Blondie power pop masterpiece “(I’m Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear”, which appeared as B-sides on Even’s early CD singles. The most recent track is a cover of the Meanies’ “The Reason Why” which appeared on a split single the band shared in 2019. The album’s track listing reads very much like a list of the band’s influences – including Beatles, Yardbirds, formative Australian inspirations Sunnyboys, Hoodoo Gurus and Stems, and classic ‘90s power poppers Posies, whose 1993 classic “Solar Sister” was on regular rotation when Even formed in early 1994. A couple of unexpected highlights include a great version of MC5’s “Shakin’ Street” (which appropriately originally appeared on the B-side of their “Rock’n’Roll Save My Life” 45), and the brilliant “True” by Sydney ‘90s indie supergroup Carton, featuring Mandy Barron, Smudge’s Alison Galloway and Screamfeeder's Kellie Lloyd. Taking the cake for unexpected is a roaring and swinging never-before-released version of the Sex Pistols’ “Pretty Vacant” from a 2014 Jukebox gig at Cherry.
Their stunning cover of the Masters Apprentices “Living in a Child’s Dream” appropriately shows off Even as true current day masters of a school of classic Australian guitar-based melodic rock that dates back to the ‘60s. Of course, Even’s singer/guitarist /songwriter Ashley Naylor has backed many of Australia’s great singers from earlier eras as a member of the RocKwiz Orchestra, and even more as a member of the Countdown Spectacular band in 2006 and 2007. An in-demand guitarist, he has also worked over the years with Tim Finn, Stephen Cummings and others, and as of now is a long term member of Paul Kelly’s band. In recent years he has been part of a dynamic ‘60s covers band Thee Marshmallow Overcoat alongside fellow Melbourne guitar legend Davey Lane and drummer Brett Wolfenden, and he is now a permanent fixture in both the Stems and the Church!
Not to be outdone, Even bass player Wally Kempton still holds down his spot in the Meanies and runs the very record label (and management and bookings empire) that is releasing DOWN THE SHOPS this January, amongst many other things. Drummer Matt Cotter is also an accomplished artist who these days spends a lot of his time in the Northern Territory working with indigenous artists. The gorgeous painting on the cover of DOWN THE SHOPS is of course one of Matt’s, and yes it will be available as a t-shirt.
1. 'Til the End of the Day (The Kinks)
2. And Your Bird Can Sing (The Beatles)
3. (I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear (Blondie)
4. True (Carton)
5. Shakin’ Street (MC 5)
6. For Always (The Stems)
7. Show Me Some Discipline (Sunnyboys)
8. Arthur (Hoodoo Gurus)
9. For Your Love (The Yardbirds)
10. Living in a Child’s Dream (The Masters Apprentices)
11. Solar Sister (The Posies)
12. Pretty Vacant (Sex Pistols)
13. The Reason Why (The Meanies)
Down the Shops was mastered and compiled for vinyl by John Ruberto at Mastersound, Melbourne.
Artwork by Matthew Cotter.
NQR&B –
Limited edition clear with red smoke 12" vinyl
Sarah Carroll
$45 AUD
The Sentimentalist –
Black 12" vinyl
Nick Batterham
$40 AUD
The Sentimentalist –
White 12" vinyl
Nick Batterham
$45 AUD
Sub Auroram –
12" recycled vinyl
Lava Fangs
$45 AUD
High Stone –
Black 12" vinyl
Johnny Casino
$40 AUD
High Stone –
Limited edition 12" orange vinyl
Johnny Casino
$45 AUD
Nunchukka Superfly 95 –
Black vinyl
Nunchukka Superfly
$40 AUD
Nunchukka Superfly 95 –
Limited edition red 12" vinyl
Nunchukka Superfly
Sold Out
All Fuller No Filler –
Black 12" vinyl
Wesley Fuller
$40 AUD
All Fuller No Filler –
Limited edition black and white smash 12" vinyl
Wesley Fuller
$45 AUD
Roller Coaster –
12" black vinyl LP
Checkerboard Lounge
$40 AUD
Roller Coaster –
Compact Disc
Checkerboard Lounge
$20 AUD
Roller Coaster –
Limited edition 12" translucent red vinyl
Checkerboard Lounge
$45 AUD
Miserable –
Black 7" vinyl
Hard-Ons
Sold Out
Miserable –
Limited Edition Yellow 7" vinyl
Hard-Ons
Sold Out
Miserable –
Limited edition light blue 7" vinyl
Hard-Ons
Sold Out
Miserable –
Limited edition purple 7" vinyl
Hard-Ons
Sold Out
Miserable –
Limited edition red 7" vinyl
Hard-Ons
Sold Out
Rosa Duet –
Red recycled 12" vinyl
Barb Waters
$45 AUD
Collect Vol 1 –
Black 12" vinyl
Def FX
$40 AUD
Collect Vol 1 –
Limited edition clear 12" vinyl
Def FX
$45 AUD
Super American Eagle –
Black 12" vinyl
Super American Eagle
$40 AUD
Super American Eagle –
Limited edition black and white split 12" vinyl
Super American Eagle
$45 AUD
Summer's Coming –
Black 12" vinyl
Al Matcott
$40 AUD
Summer's Coming –
Limited edition red and black smash 12" vinyl
Al Matcott
$45 AUD
Dead Horse Creek –
Compact Disc
Meghan Maike
$20 AUD
Dead Horse Creek –
Limited edition gold recycled 12" vinyl
Meghan Maike
$45 AUD
Dead Horse Creek –
Limited edition green recycled 12" vinyl
Meghan Maike
$45 AUD
Dead Horse Creek –
Limited edition red recycled 12" vinyl
Meghan Maike
$45 AUD
On, On & On –
Black 12" vinyl
David M Western
$40 AUD
On, On & On –
Limited edition red 12" vinyl
David M Western
$45 AUD
Full Bloom –
Black 12" vinyl
Rinehearts
$40 AUD
Cheersquad Records & Tapes Melbourne, Australia
Wally “Meanie” Kempton took the plunge in 2018 and launched his record label Cheersquad Records & Tapes. Since then he has released new material from acts such as The Meanies, The Hard-Ons, Chris Wilson, Phil Jamieson, Seasick Steve, Wanita, Minibikes, The Rinehearts, Immigrant Union and T. Wilds, along with limited edition vinyl of older material from Snout, Even and The Glory Box and more. ... more
