Emperor Penguin Records

09/08/2024

Congrats to EPR artist Swallows for their recent feature interview in British e-zine Aldora Britain Records - AB Records! Many aspects of the band are covered, with some attention given to their EPR release “In the Shadow of the Seven Stars”. Give it a read!

23/06/2024

Today we celebrate the 5 year anniversary of the release of the excellent and unique concept album, “To Combat Loneliness: Compositions Based on the Works of David Foster Wallace”. The honor was all ours to put this out on EPR, and we congratulate musicians Tyson Allison and Aaron Kerr for their ideas, hard work and persistence to make it happen. This album is a true homage to DFW’s difficult brilliance and complexity, and a piece of musical art. Available on 180g clear vinyl, CD, and digital streaming. www.thedavidfosterwallaceproject.com

Record label in Milwaukee, WI. Focused on indie rock and experimental/instrumental music.

04/11/2023

Catch EPR artist Swallows tonight at MidMod The Rugmaker in St Paul! Music at 7pm with Thunderheads headlining!

17/08/2023

Tonight! EPR artist Swallows at the White Squirrel in St. Paul with Craig Paquette Music! 8pm

15/08/2023

Catch EPR artist Swallows this Thursday at the White Squirrel in St. Paul for a 2 hour set! They’ll be joined by Craig Paquette Music to open. 8pm Jeff Crandall Brett Hansen Aaron Kerr: Cello Samurai Mike Nordby Jonathan Townsend

05/02/2023

EPR artist Swallows are finalists in this year’s International Acoustic Music Awards! Their songs “Rattle Them Bones” and “Brigid’s Cross” from the album Witching and Divining are up for Best Group/Duo and the Acoustic Open Genre. We’re crossing our fingers for you guys!

Proud to say Swallows are also previous IAMA winners for their song “In the Shadow of the Seven Stars”!

Go get it!🤟

02/12/2022

Catch EPR artist Aaron Kerr's Dissonant Creatures this Friday, Dec 2nd at Jazz Central Studios in the Twin Cities! 8pm, $15 cover.

AARON KERR'S DISSONANT CREATURES
Fri 12/2
8-9:30p
Special thanks to Micheal McFarland for sponsoring this performance.

Called a mix of modern classical, free form jazz, heavy metal and atmospheric rock, Aaron Kerr's Dissonant Creatures is the brainchild of cellist and composer Aaron Kerr. Aaron released his debut solo cello CD Arco 71 in 2006 and released his second album, Dissonant Creatures, in 2009 and worked closely with band mates Tyson Allison (The Sleeper Pins, Swallows) and Jeff Crandall (Swallows) on arrangements and production.

During the summer of 2009, Aaron took a new set and an improvisational band concept on the road and, in the process, Aaron Kerr's Dissonant Creatures was born.

Aaron Kerr's Dissonant Creatures features:

Aaron Kerr (electric cello)
Jonathan Townsend (drums)
Chris Andresen (bass)
Jeff Crandall (guitar, piano)
Mike Nordby (mandolin, percussion)
Brett Hansen (guitar)
Sean Egan (clarinet).

19/11/2022

We want to congratulate EPR artist Aaron Kerr: Cello Samurai for the performance of his first operatic piece, “Kennedy/Nixon—UPI/AP” in St Paul, MN last night and to thank the folks who came out or livestreamed the show!

18/11/2022

One more post for tonight’s performance of EPR artist Aaron Kerr: Cello Samurai new operatic work! 7pm, and here’s the link to the livestream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNyLPm_Bhww

Words and music based on the Kennedy Assassination and Nixon Resignation! A truly unique and original work! Check it out!

Four local composers will present their latest works at a concert of new vocal music. The concert will be on Friday, November 18th, 7pm at Zion Lutheran Chur...

13/11/2022

Check out EPR artists Swallows on the first episode of MN’s Chey Miller Show! They play their new song, “No Drinkin’ Blues” and do a quick interview about origins and creative motivation. Good luck to Chey with the new show!

29/10/2022

Catch EPR artists Swallows and Aaron Kerr: Cello Samurai tonight in the Twin Cities at Tuttle's Eat Bowl Play for their Halloween party show!

17/09/2022

EPR artist Swallows at the White Squirrel in St Paul, MN a few nights ago!

14/09/2022

EPR artist Swallows are performing at the White Squirrel in St. Paul, MN tomorrow night with Craig Paquette Music! Get there! 8pm

27/08/2022

EPR artist Swallows are working on new music and some new videos! Here is one called "No Drinkin' Blues". Stay tuned for more!

13/05/2022

Woohoo! Great job, fellas! Big ups to EPR artist Swallows on their Backroads PBS performance last night! You can stream it here: https://youtu.be/p1USkG2weCw Check out their latest album "In the Shadow of the Seven Stars" on all digital platforms!

This week's episode we're joined by Swallows as they play their unique sound at the Rail River Folk School in Bemidji, MN. Also members of the group, Jeff Cr...

09/05/2022

Congrats to EPR artist Swallows on their upcoming Backroads PBS performance thursday night! We're all excited to see it!

09/03/2022

Catch EPR label mates Jeff and Aaron (of Swallows ) at the Acadia Cafe in Minneapolis this Friday night! 7pm-10pm Bryan Miller solo acoonstic / Jeff Crandall and Aaron Kerr

06/03/2022

A few pics of EPR artist Swallows from the Driftwood show in Minneapolis. Photos by Jeff Miletich

04/03/2022

Catch EPR artist Aaron Kerr: Cello Samurai twice this week! Thursday night with labelmates Swallows at the Driftwood, and Friday night with exp/improv jazz trio SingleCell at the Acadia in Minneapolis. Both shows start at 7!

02/03/2022

EPR artist Swallows are coming off their recent IAMA win for Best Acoustic Song with a show this Thursday March 3rd, joining their buds Lolo's Ghost at the Driftwood in Minneapolis! Swallows Opening for Lolo's Ghost

13/02/2022

Big Congrats to EPR artist Swallows for bringing home the win from the IAMA's! Their title track song "In the Shadow of the Seven Stars" from our 2021 release won 1st prize for Best Acoustic Song!

04/02/2022

https://youtu.be/CqEi5v0sksg

Congrats to EPR artist Swallows as the title track from their latest album, “In the Shadow of the Seven Stars” has been nominated for an International Acoustic Music Award! See the video for the song below, and hit up Bandcamp (it's Bandcamp Friday!) to check out the rest of this great album!

The video for the song "In the Shadow of the Seven Stars" features music from the 2021 album "In the Shadow of the Seven Stars" by the Minneapolis, Minnesota...

12/11/2021

A few EPR artists gathered at the Black Dog in St. Paul, MN to help celebrate the 50th bday of Aaron Kerr: Cello Samurai last Sunday! What a night! Thanks to everyone that came out, shared a story, played music, bought merch, and clapped loud! Heavy Pedal Cello Swallows Aaron Kerr's Dissonant Creatures

01/11/2021

EPR artist Aaron Kerr: Cello Samurai is turning 50 this Sunday and he's partying with every band he plays with! Come out to the Black Dog in St. Paul from 3pm-7pm (free) to rock out and wish him a HBD!

14/10/2021

Great interview with EPR artist Swallows lead singer Jeff Crandall talking about the latest album, "In the Shadow of the Seven Stars" and the creative process behind it. https://poplitiko.blogspot.com/2021/10/interview-week-jeff-crandall.html

I met Jeff Crandall as I had met Tyson Allison , through my meeting and becoming a friend of creative talent Aaron Kerr and his presence in...

14/09/2021

EPR artist Aaron Kerr: Cello Samurai has a unique show coming up this Friday the 17th in MN! Musical Ecology: The Graphic Scores of Todd Harper will be performed on Friday, September 17th at Zion Lutheran Church in the Midway neighborhood of St. Paul. The graphic scores are both musical and artistic, involving both Todd's written notation and watercolor paintings of the natural world. A special feature of this concert will be pictures of each score projected on a large screen while the pieces are being performed for the audience to enjoy. There will also be a livestream of the performance that will show the scores virtually.
The concert features many of Todd's longtime musical partners and local musicians: Paul Cantrell - piano and accordion, Michelle Kinney and Aaron Kerr - cello, Gary Schulte and Laura Harada - violin and viola, and Matty Harris - woodwinds. Todd will add whimsical & reflective spoken word regarding the relationships between the natural world and its humans
Doors will open at 6:30pm, concert at 7:00. Tickets are $10 at the door. Cash, check, Venmo and PayPal accepted. Todd will also be selling his albums, along with his original artwork on prints, postcards, and T-shirts. Donations can be made for those watching virtually via Venmo or PayPal.
Hope you can check it out! Livestream link here: https://youtu.be/-DhMwJTSd5E

03/09/2021

https://open.spotify.com/album/33AjpGeM3SoBEFxPRjb1tV...
Honored to announce that EPR artist Swallows' latest release, "In the Shadow of the Seven Stars" is now an official submission to the Grammy Awards®! The album is up for consideration for nomination in the Best Rock Album and Best Americana Album categories. Songs from the album were also submitted for consideration in the Rock and Americana categories. The album is available on all major streaming sites and on Swallows' bandcamp page. Fingers crossed, everyone! Proud to have this great band on EPR, and congrats and good luck!
https://swallows.bandcamp.com/.../in-the-shadow-of-the...