It’s important to us to be involved in new ways to encourage creativity across different fields – we are not only a music company just as you are not only a music fan.

We have joined a great group of companies, including the NY Times and Pitchfork, and will curate our own Kickstarter page featuring an ever-changing selection of projects that we think are awesome. These will not be official Family Records projects, just projects we come across that we believe in and think our friends and fans will enjoy.

Support independent creators – whether they’re our artists, or the folks that we feature on our Kickstarter page, and help make dreams, original ideas and exciting plans a reality.

Check it out here.

Pearl and the Beard is hitting the road in February, March, and April for a sprinkling of dates across the Northeast, Midwest, and Eastern Seaboard! The tour kicks off with a very special hometown show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on February 16th, celebrating the extended single release of “Prodigal Daughter.” The single release fun continues in Philly and DC. More dates below, and keep checking the tour page for additional dates, up to date info, and ticket links.

02.16 Music Hall of Williamsburg Single Release Show, 9pm (Brooklyn, NY) [ TIX ]

02.23 Kung Fu Necktie Single Release Show, 9:30pm (Philadelphia, PA) [ TIX ]

02.24 Rock N Roll Hotel Single Release Show, 8pm (Washington, DC) [ TIX ]

02.28 S.P.A.C.E., 8pm (Evanston, IL)

02.29 The Gramophone, 8pm (Saint Louis, MO)

03.01 True/False Film Festival, 8pm (Columbia, MO)

03.06 O’Leaver’s Pub, 8pm (Omaha, NE)

03.23 The Blind Tiger, 8pm (Greensboro, NC)

03.25 Spazzfest, 8pm (Greenville, NC)

03.28 Blue Moon Cafe, 8pm (Shepherdstown, WV)

03.29 The Night Cat, 8pm (Easton, MD)

04.13 College of New Jersey, 8pm (Ewing, NJ)

In a thrilling start to 2012, Pearl and the Beard is opening for the prolific and gorgeous songstress Ani Difranco! We’re thrilled to announce that the band is opening for three dates of her upcoming tour in Asheville, Atlanta, and Nashville. Get your tickets now!

02.02 The Orange Peel w/Ani DiFranco, 7pm (Asheville, NC) [ TIX ]

02.03 Variety Playhouse w/Ani DiFranco, 7:30pm (Atlanta, GA) [ TIX ]

02.04 Mercy Lounge / Cannery Ballroom w/Ani DiFranco, 9pm (Nashville, TN) [ TIX ]

The band also has single release shows coming up in Philly (2/23 at Kung Fu Necktie) and Washington, DC (2/24 at Rock N Roll Hotel)!

If you’re wondering what “extended single” means, here’s the deal: the single and video are for “Prodigal Daughter,” and the package will include three bonus tracks, a special brand new solo track by each of band member. We’re very excited to share these with you!

Now, as a reward for reading all of that, we give you Pearl and the Beard’s session with Dog + Pony, in which they sing “Black Hole of Calcutta”:

“Prodigal Daughter” Extended Single Release Shows:

02.16 Music Hall of Williamsburg w/North Highlands and Lacrymosa, 9pm (Brooklyn, NY) [ TIX ]

02.23 Kung Fu Necktie w/The Dig, Man Like Machine and Cranes Are Flying, 8pm (Philadelphia, PA) [ TIX ]

02.24 Rock N Roll Hotel, 8pm (Washington, DC) [ TIX ]

In case you were too busy celebrating MLK Day yesterday to notice, we’re happy to let you know that the second release from the One Track Mind singles series, “Lost Communication” by Anothers Blood was featured as WXPN’s Morning Download! Enjoy!

To all newsletter subscribers (and if you haven’t signed up for the newsletter yet, why not?! Sign up here):

If you read this month’s newsletter without putting on your super-sight-night-vision-decoding spy goggles, you may have missed the top secret note we added in invisible ink. In exciting news, our very own Lacrymosa will be opening Pearl and the Beard’s show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on February 16th (full bill will be announced Tuesday). She is amazingly talented and not to be missed, so be sure to get there early!

02.16 Music Hall of Williamsburg w/Pearl and the Beard, 9pm (Brooklyn, NY) [ TIX ]

Ladies and gentlemen, the accompanying video for the 10th release from the Family Records Singles Club, I Low’s “John Stuart Mill.” The video was shot by Kristen Winter, and features Lauren Zettler on vocals and Sam Selinger on bass. Enjoy, and download the song right here!

“Lost Communication was Anothers Blood’s turning point, we instantly knew this was the direction we were scratching around to find – a sound we searched for in the rehearsal space over the course of many months, something that conveyed real emotion. The song came after of a solid year of writing; I felt a real disconnect with everything, a lack of life direction “lost in the wilderness”. A rock-bottom moment you could say. I guess there was an element of denial about my situation. I see that in the lyrics – there is almost an argument with myself going on “No way at all, I’m that boy”. I didn’t really see it at the time but it’s been a song that’s revealed itself to me. I have always been an optimist and I feel like there is a silver lining in the lyrics (at least to me there is) and i hope to anyone else who has been lost.” – Anothers Blood

The cover art was designed by Claudeland Louis and Kristine Thune. The ring design is featured on every series release, with a different photo for each song. Got an idea for an unsigned artist/band for this series? Send ideas to lauren (at) thefamilyrecords.com.

This is the artwork designed by Jose and Edwin of ILoveMisery, based on a lovely photo by Spanish photographer Ana Cabaleiro.

See and hear it in the Family Records Store! Enjoy!