OLD NEWS RECORDS

I don't really know how this Cyber Monday thing is supposed to work, but I'm trying anyway!

Over the weekend, I went down to the Old News Records office (i.e. the closet in my apartment where I keep everything) and updated all the inventory in there.

The holidays are here already—which is crazy because this year has gone by very quickly—and it's time to start buying gifts. So here are three things you may want to try getting for someone, and they're all in stock and ready to be ordered from the my shop.

Visit the link above, or just type in trevorhale.bigcartel.com and get busy ordering!

Tulip - A great novel written by a good friend of mine. I've written and talked about this before ad nauseam, but it's still worth it.

"Bogged down by the existential angst of the American Dream, Tulip has long since given up on any search for meaning—until a voice he's never heard sneaks into his head.

The small miracles of life, paired with the new voice, sets him on a path of moral awakenings and trials by the Devil's hand. Through it all, Tulip seeks love, fights back hoards of entitled masses and finds a new hope and respect for humanity.

At the same time, Tulip must decide if the voice in his head is real or if reality is just falling apart."

HP tank top - I made this tank top last year because I thought it was a clever idea. Apparently it was clever enough that someone else stole it from me. Either that, or great minds think alike. Probably the latter. Anyway. I've got plenty in stock, in all sizes, and they're ready to ship ASAP.

Long Live Sloan t-shirt - Last but not least, my tribute to the great Jerry Sloan. The Jazz are now on their second coach since the legendary Sloan stepped down, but we'll never forget Jerry.

Everything is available and ready to go. I'm going to say that if you want it by Christmas, you need to order by December 15. I don't trust the post office anyway, but I trust them far less on a time crunch.

trevorhale.bigcartel.com

TULIP IS BACK IN STOCK

Last year I turned Old News Records into a publishing company and released our first novel. It's written by the very talented Mike Farfel, and we just got it back in stock.

I wrote a bit about it over here, and Jay Meehan of the Park Record wrote about it in his column last fall.

It's a really great debut novel and I urge all of you to check it out. It's for sale in my shop right now, so get a copy while you have the chance. I'm looking into getting it in a few local bookstores, so if you'd rather wait for that to happen, I'm all for it. But, I'm just saying, it's right there, ready for you to read.

"Bogged down by the existential angst of the American Dream, Tulip has long since given up on any search for meaning—until a voice he's never heard sneaks into his head.

The small miracles of life, paired with the new voice, sets him on a path of moral awakenings and trials by the Devil's hand. Through it all, Tulip seeks love, fights back hoards of entitled masses and finds a new hope and respect for humanity.

At the same time, Tulip must decide if the voice in his head is real or if reality is just falling apart."

THE GOD VOICE HAS ITS WORK CUT OUT

The buzz for Tulip is getting louder.

We officially sold out of the first print about two weeks ago, but people are still talking about it.

Jay Meehan, a columnist for The Park Record, wrote a piece about Mike Farfel and his debut novel yesterday. It's great. I'm a little jealous that Mike got dropped in the same sentence as Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett because those guys are a couple of my literary inspirations, but I'm also proud as hell.

Here's a little preview, but if you want to read the whole thing, head over to The Park Record and check it out for yourself.

We're working hard to get a second printing together and back in the shop and this thing kind of gave me that extra push. That's really the only thing that I regret about this piece - that he's giving press to a book that I don't have any more of at the moment. Total first world problem, I know, but it's still a problem.

Oh well. Soon. I promise.

The Park Record -- When I first met Mike Farfel, I heard a voice in my head telling me to focus, to pay attention, to remain in the moment. I was sporting the glazed look I usually wear to a Dylan show but I knew immediately there were some layers to this Wasatch High School freshman that might elude me if I spaced out in my normal fashion.

Although he didn't flaunt it at all, you had the sense that there was this intellectuality lounging just out of camera range awaiting its cue. His Dylan-IQ, of course, was off the charts but, no matter what the topic, he appeared to be well ahead of the curve. He was obviously on the lam from the ordinary.

Read the rest.

TULIP IS OFFICIALLY SOLD OUT

Back in January when I sat down with Mike to make his Top 5 video, the first thing he mentioned was how happy he was that he'd finished the book he'd been working on. The two of us got to talking and I resurrected Old News Records as a publishing company.

The book came out on August 9, 2013 and this past Sunday, November 3, we sold the last copy. The first print of Tulip is officially sold out.

That's pretty fucking amazing.

Mike and I want to thank every single person that bought or read a copy. It's a truly awesome feeling to have that kind of support. Mike is probably way happier than I am because that's his hard work and it paid off.

Not literally, of course. He's not rich or anything (yet).

We're working out the details on a second print and trying to figure out the best way to move forward, but I'm excited that we're already at that stage. I had low expectations going in. It's not that I didn't believe in the book, because I did and still do. It has more to do with the fact that I have no idea what I'm doing as a publisher and had no idea if anyone would buy a book by an unknown author. Granted, we had a lot of help from family and friends, but whatever. We still sold every last copy.

Again, pretty fucking amazing.

So, again, thanks to every last person that came by Craft Lake City, Salt Lake Comic Con or bought one through my shop. We're both incredibly grateful that you'd throw down your money to support a little book like this. Thanks again.

Now if I can only figure out a way to make Old News Records my day job instead of writing bullshit articles about 'No Contract Wireless Internet' my life would be complete. Baby steps though.

P.S. Mike did a quick little interview for the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (where he works) website. You should check that out.