Sorry, but I have to do the stereotypical “Year in Review” thing!

ALBUMS I HAD STUCK ON REPLAY IN 2008:

Menomena  –  “Friend & Foe”

Weezer  –  “The Red Album”

Wale  -  “Mixtape About Nothing”

Raphael Saadiq  –  “The Way I See It”

Volbeat  –  “Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood”

Bedouin Soundclash  -  “Street Gospels”

Zimmers Hole  –  “While You Were Shouting At The Devil…”

G’N’R  –  “Chinese Democracy”

Eddie Vedder  –  “All The Way” [Single] (I’m A CUBS fan, what do you expect?!?!)

2008 was a very busy and productive year for Darkhouse. Early on we watched as the recording calendar quickly filled with so many different & talented artists. Then we decided to throw in Event Promotions & Films into the mix just to make things interesting

EXPANDING YOUR MUSIC COLLECTION…Darkhouse Records offered up our very first submissions to the Music world with Matter Of Fact’s debut album “No Destination” (not to mention the kick ass acoustic EP “Sidecars & Handlebars).  We’re waiting on a few details, but the MOF camp hopes to have everything available for digital download soon. Meanwhile, you can pick up both albums at every MOF live show…and from the looks of their schedule; you’ll have plenty of options to catch one.  Skyler recently stopped by the studio to demo out their latest song “Reality Theme”.  Hopefully, we’ll see even more new music from them in ’09!

OUR FIRST FILM HIT THE INTERNET…Frankenstein Vs. The Wolfman marked our first foray into the realm of film. I’ve been a big fan of Colin Clarke’s “homemade” animated shorts for awhile now (even before he became my brother-in-law!) So, I was very excited to partner up with his Daredevil Films persona to help bring this story to life. It was almost 3 years of “on again, off again” work, but in the end I couldn’t have asked for more. I’m not going to lie; I get a little giddy every time I see the “Darkhouse Flickashows” opening credit. Colin stepped up his game on the animation end and Andy K delivered a killer score, overcoming the task of learning a brand new software interface at the same time. We’re all very proud of this project. We’ve been honored with screenings at a few different Winter ’08 festivals across the US. The ’09 Festival season is still a month or so out, yet we’re already looking at a couple more prominent features coming up. We’re also hoping ’09 will see the “official” DVD Release of FvTWM. We’ll let you know the minute they hit our shelves.  I think Colin’s wheels may be turning for the next film, and I’m ready when he is…STAY TUNED!

DARKHOUSE GOT ROLLIN’…’08 heralded the return of The Rockford Rage Women’s Roller Derby for it’s third season. And this time, they had some new friends…US!!!! Darkhouse was very honored to join forces with the RAGE organization in ’08.  I’ve been a big fan of the sport and the RAGE, and we’re definitely looking forward to helping spread the Derby Word. These women bust their asses to bring everyone a great show. So, the least we can do is bust our asses to help get you to the show. You can check for updates in our upcoming events calendar, but to get the latest & greatest RAGE info check their myspace (in our top friends) or www.rockfordrage.com .  ’09 promises more great Rockford RAGE bouts, new Derby Girls, new Derby Merch, new Derby-related events, and most importantly, the continued charitable partnerships the RAGE has with our community’s services & organizations. Get to a bout and experience this great sport and all the entertainment that goes with it! “THAT’S JUST HOW WE ROLL”!!!

HITTING THE ROAD...’08 started off with our very first live event. We brought an amazing band from Indiana into town for a special free show. Gentlemen & Scholars simply kick ass…both as a band and as people. They were an absolute pleasure to work with and we couldn’t have asked for a cooler bunch of guys to help us put our toes in the Live Show pool! G&S are in the midst of writing new songs and playing gigs here & there. They are definitely on my wishlist for bands to bring in for ’09.  Then came the “DARKHOUSE GRAND OPENING PARTY”. Thank God for Mary’s Place. I stand by my description of “Mary’s” as the “CBGBs Of Rockford”.  They are so supportive of great music of all genres and it’s nice to have a place that welcomes all artists and gives them the opportunity to get their music in front of new people. Thanks to all the amazing people that joined us for that show. Thanks to “Jonathan Bradley”, “First Round Failure”, “Kirkland” and “Matter Of Fact” for keeping the party going strong ALL night. This show definitely showed us we had a good idea going and made us strive to continue to grow and bring quality entertainment to the stateline. Not to mention Jonathan Bradley, a Darkhouse favorite, was presented with his “Song Of The Year” RAMI award that same night. Then, if that wasn’t enough we packed Kryptonite to the rafters for the BIG “Matter Of Fact Album Release Party”. Seriously, for any of you that have not seen them live yet, you’d better do it soon. I’ve seen them so many times I’ve lost count now, but that night was definitely something special. Kirkland got the crowds energy going early and it never stopped. The fans, the bands and the venue…we thank you all for allowing us a few hours of your time. I hope you all had as good of a time as we did.

In all reality, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We were all surprised and delighted to see Darkhouse grow so much, so quickly. We want to thank everyone for their continued support, as you are the one’s that make all of this possible. We hope to bring you even more exciting events & entertainment throughout the New Year. ’09 will definitely have some “living up” to do, but given our track record so far…we’re looking forward to the challenge!!!