“Make Sub Pop Great Again.” You’ve seen the shirt, and the skateboard and perhaps the promotional compact disc compilation, but what have you really done for us lately? This month marks my first foray into airport-store-blogging, as our beloved (and, arguably, somewhat luscious) Jackson has decamped to New Orleans. And, I’d like to do my bit to help restore Sub Pop’s greatness by sharing a few of the most important planks in our party platform. Here’s a look at some of what you could expect if (your god of choice forbid…) Sub Pop was elected president, governor, alderman, or block watch captain…

PARTY PLATFORM  

• We will try to put our name, really big, on everything we touch. This is something we feel very strongly about. It’s kind of un-American not to, and it sends a clear message. Sub Pop can be Great and our typeface sizes need to reflect that.
• Extremely well-organized cups and neatly-folded shirts. At the Sub Pop airport store, we have a team of dedicated professionals working practically around the clock (6am -10pm, to be precise) to ensure that all cups meet the strict presentation guidelines put in place by our award-winning art department. All mug handles are to point at an exact 315 degree angle. Shirts are routinely inspected and adjusted using proprietary state-of-the-art folding technologies.
• Equal Access. The Sub Pop Airport store strives to be somewhat accessible. We’re not here to erect barriers between you and that brand new Logo Grey Athletic w/Black T shirt. We’re trying to build bridges, not walls. So, our store is conveniently located in the central terminal at Seatac Airport in Seattle, Washington and all you need is a ticket to travel, a valid form of government-issued identification and a dream. You also need ample time (we suggest the $85 TSA precheck pass to reduce your security wait time). Also, you’re probably going to need a spare hand for all that schwag so we do suggest checking all bags for a nominal $50 to $100 fee (see corresponding airline for exact prices). To recap: ticket, ID, dream, expendable time dedicated to shopping, and two unencumbered hands. That’s it. You are access Sub Pop.
• We believe in the power of the same shirt in many different colors. Black on white, white on black, yellow on green, green on blue, blue on a lighter blue, etc… We know life is full of hard decisions and we also know that the choices we make ultimately define who we become. At Sub Pop, we want to help you become a better you, a you who owns at least five to seven color combinations of Sub Pop T-shirts. So, whether your blood runs red or blue, rest assured, we’ve got the shirt that’s going to match it.
• Transparency. We believe certain Loser editions should be on transparent vinyl, colored vinyl, swirly marble vinyl. We often have these in stock long after other record stores have sold out. The choice is clear. But it’s also black and white. It’s Fuschia. It’s teal. The choice is yours.

For more information regarding the party platform please refer to the informational poster board from our recent Bumbershoot festival pop-up shop.

Seattle weirdo punks So Pitted just premiered an official video for “woe” from neo (their Sub Pop debut) via the discerning music consumers of Brooklyn Vegan. The visual was shot in Seattle and directed by the Fabulous Downey Brothers, and it’s poised to deliver 100% of your daily value for weirdness. 

Brooklyn Vegan describe it thusly: “Featuring some out-there animation and green-screen antics, it’s a hyperreal match to So Pitted’s melted noise (see premiere September 19th).”

So Pitted have also scheduled a fall tour in support of neo, acting as direct support for The Garden. The trek begins October 9th in Reno, NV at Holland Project and ends November 4th in Santa Barbara, CA at Velvet Jones. You’ll find a complete list of tour dates right over here.

So Pitted recently visited 90.3 KEXP for a live performance. Watch the session, to see performances of neo highlights “cat scratch,” “pay attention to me,” “woe,” PLUS a new track titled “no name #4.” You can also watch the band’s recent (+very official +very fun) Jane Child inspired video, “feed me.”

So Pitted’s neo is now available on CD / LP / DL / CASS worldwide wherever fine records are sold, and also here.

This coming Bumbershoot weekend, September 2nd-4th, Sub Pop Records is fairly well-prepared, and entirely thrilled, to host the above-mentioned Art Installation, Pop-up Store & Immersive Experience - aka Bumberstore - providing a rare glimpse of the unique art, design, culture, and (of course…) merchandise associated with the label. 

You are right in identifying this as another conveniently located Sub Pop retail experience you have to buy a ticket to get into! (See also Sub Pop’s Airport Store.)

And you may (or may not) now be wondering: Exactly what sort of hocus pocus does it take to turn this…

Into this?

Like the other seven wonders of the world, we began with coffee and donuts (obvs.) Also cold pizza: breakfast of champions and losers alike!

Next, gather your brightest minds, your most idea-ful artists and designers, your typically fairly shiftless staffers. Then, sacrifice one toe. Anyone’s toe will do, however the toe of a department director is sure to stack the deck in your favor.

It takes a village. And also roughly that many pillows…

And the hearts of an entire company. 

Add merch…

And we’re also hoping to sell some records.

Three days won’t be nearly enough time, but it’ll have to do. And we’re super stoked to see you there.

Find the Sub Pop Bumberstore at the International Fountain Pavilion. (there’s a map over here.)

We’ll leave the light on for you.

We have a fond appreciation for the ideafulness of Altamont Apparel when it comes to music, art, and skateboarding. Thus, it seemed like a natural pairing for Sub Pop and Altamont to combine forces for this limited edition capsule collection. We couldn’t be prouder to share (and for you to buy) these new items. 

Limited Edition Sub Pop x Altamont Logo Patch Flannel. [None more grunge.]

Founded in 2006 and rooted in the Los Angeles skate industry, Altamont has a long history of collaborating with the art & music worlds. Sub Pop family members No Age, Rick Froberg of the Obits, Tim Kerr, and Mogwai have all partnered with Altamont to bring their unique visions to life. 

For Fall 2016 we worked with Altamont to create a collection consisting of 2 printed tees, a flannel shirt, denim jacket, and a beanie.

Take a peek at this short video wherein our very own art director extraordinaire, Sasha Barr, talks about at the record label, the history of Sub Pop music in skate videos and how the collaboration with Altamont came to be realized.

Also with skateboard.

The Sub Pop x Altamont collection is available now in the Sub Pop Mega Mart, while supplies last.

Dear visitors to SubPop.Com:

I’m writing to you with a heavy heart, as I must announce that this will be my final installment of the No Fly List blog. By the time you read this, I will be moving my life from Seattle, Washington, to New Orleans, Louisiana. Sometimes I think only a real idiot would leave behind a Corporate Associate position at Sub Pop Records, but the siren call of zydeco and drum buddies is too strong for me to resist. 

I’ve been humbled by the many accolades that the No Fly List has received under my stewardship, including “The Only Airport Record Store Blog,” “Most Punctual Monthly Column on SubPop.Com,” and “Best Display of Crass Marketing Disguised as Blogging.” However, as I move on from my Internet throne, the No Fly List will live on, and I am excited to see what other folks from the airport store do with this blog. So stay tuned and get your eyeballs ready for some #fresh #original #authentic #curated #airportstore #blog #content next month. 

I would like to use my last blog to air some final grievances and address all my personal vendettas list some of the things I will miss about working at the Sub Pop Airport store. 

-The way that ’Sub Pop’ rolls off the tongues of people who are saying it for the first time in their lives. Sometimes their inflection drags on the “B,” and then emphasizes the second vowel so much it turns into an onomatopoeia, making a noise like “subbbbb POP.” For others, it’s more of a questioning, high rising intonation (a.k.a., that thing? Where all your sentences? Sound like questions?) which sounds like “Sup? Pod?”

-The people who desperately want to refold a stack of shirts that they’ve messed up, but just end up making it look worse and harder to fix. I usually try to say something like “I’m a professional shirt folder, you can mess up all the shirts you want, please don’t feel obligated to refold them.” But they try to be helpful anyway, and I love them dearly for this. 

-The mystery person(s) that tried to steal our polaroid of (two members of) The 1975, and made us use a bunch of staples to keep it attached to the wall:

-The following people who were gracious enough to let me fumble my way around photographing them for our store’s polaroid wall: Elvis Costello, Nardwuar, Tom Scharpling, Jon Wurster, Jonathan Meiburg, and David Hinds. 

-The following people who I met but was not able to photograph at the store, for a litany of reasons, but all seemed very nice: Dan Boeckner, Jemaine Clement, Randy Johnson, Corinne Bailey Rae, Jason Schwartzman, Noel Gallagher, John Curley, and Eric Kretz.

-Adults who put on our child’s-size-only bucket hats. I usually don’t have the heart to burst their bubble, when I know they’re only trying to copy their favorite band’s look. 

-The man who saw our “Spanning the Globe for Profit” shirt, and with venom in his eyes, asked me if our company was like Wal-Mart or Halliburton. When I told him we are a medium-sized independent record label with a cheeky sense of humor, he countered with “Well, but do you make the world a better place?” and stormed off before I could launch into some of the things that have made me incredibly proud to work here. (Just kidding, I won’t miss that asshole at all.)

-Everyone who makes Sub Pop the best place to work. This includes my fellow coworkers, the many fans who continue to be psyched to see Sub Pop at the airport, the many more people who have no idea what the hell Sub Pop is (but are open and enthused to learn more about it), and if you’re reading this, YOU.