Monday, October 4, 7pm



Book launch for Touchable Sound!

7" slide show with commentary and discussion by all three book editors – Mike Treff, Brian Roettinger, Diego Hadis
Plus Britt Brown of Not Not Fun Records and Justin Pearson of Three One G Records

In an era that advocates streamlined product and music at the click of a mouse, Touchable Sound celebrates those independent-spirited bands and musicians who make their own records, relishing the opportunity to produce labor-intensive one-off artifacts with no prospect of remuneration. As Henry H. Owings puts it in his introduction, it is a book that "honors those that invest countless hours to further their art... It's about having an attention to detail and a disinterest in the bottom line." Curated by Brian Roettinger, Michael Treff and Diego Hadis, and organized by region across the U.S., Touchable Sound focuses on rare, labor-intensive, exquisite and unique examples of American seven-inch record design spanning nearly 25 years, lovingly documenting the obscure and the hard-to-find with the help of musicians, artists and designers. Many of these records--by bands such as Olivia Tremor Control, Neutral Milk Hotel, Chromatics, Fast Forward, Nuzzle, Gogogo Airheart, Young Ginns, Men's Recovery Project, Angel Hair, Universal Order--have never previously been seen by a wide audience and were originally pressed in extremely limited runs. Editorial contributors include Henry Owings (Drug Racer Records, Chunklet magazine), Sam McPheeters (Vermiform Records), Tom Hazelmyer (Amphetamine Reptile Records), Kristin Thompson (Simple Machines Records) and more. Designed by Brian Roettinger, the book contains photographs of every record documented.

Saturday, October 2nd, 6pm



Family Bookstore is proud to present a month long exhibition of photographs by D.V. DeVincentis.

Victory Over Darkness
Photographs by D.V. DeVincentis

From October 2nd to October 28th.

D.V. DeVincentis was born in Europe, and raised in Evanston, Illinois. He is an award winning writer and producer, who has written and co-written many films, among them Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity. Victory Over Darkness is his first solo exhibition of photographs. He currently lives in Los Angeles.
Thursday September 16th, 7pm


Tony Millionaire and Johnny Ryan: Double book launch and signing

Family Bookstore is pleased to host the launch of two new books from Fantagraphics Books:

Billy Hazelnuts and the Crazy Bird Tony Millionaire
&
Prison Pit vol 2 by Johnny Ryan

"In this follow-up to Billy Hazelnuts (2006), Millionaire carries on the sublime childlike flair that is a far cry from the sweet sense of innocence often ascribed to wee ones. ... No one rides the edge between charming and demented quite like Maakies cartoonist Millionaire, and he’s in hilariously fine form here." – Ian Chipman, Booklist

2009's Prison Pit was an unadulterated smash hit upon its release in 2009, and the balls-to-the-wall series returns with more action and mayhem like only Johnny Ryan can deliver . Prison Pit blends Ryan’s fascination with WWE wrestling, grindhouse cinema, first person action video games, Gary Panter’s “Jimbo” comics, and Kentaro Miura’s “Berserk” Manga into a brutal and often hilarious showcase of violence like no other comic book ever created.

"Generally speaking, [Johnny Ryan's] comics are really dumb & infantile, and prove beyond a doubt that chemical pollution, television, video games, pop music, etc. is making us all stupider by the minute..." – R. Crumb

Family Bookstore - 436 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Sunday. September 12, 5pm


'Sing Joyfully' by the LA Ladies Choir

Sunday afternoon / September 12 / 5pm

Family and Teenage Teardrops are proud to present the release of 'Sing Joyfully' - the debut EP by the LA Ladies Choir.

With a live LA Ladies Choir performance.

The L.A. Ladies Choir, is a 30+ piece band of women and children who perform choral arrangements of songs by Leonard Cohen, Yoko Ono, and Marvin Gaye, as well as originals composed by various choir members. These members include songwriters Becky Stark (Lavender Diamond, The Decemberists), Aska Matsumiya (The Sads, Moonrats), Diva Dompe (Blackblack, Pocahaunted), and Anna Oxygen, as well as creatives like pastry chef Jenny Park and Secret Shop vintage-store owner Kitty Jensen, and many many others! "We wanted to create this positive feminine energy, not against anything, but just this beautiful energy of strength and power for something, by women," Aska Matsumiya says.

Becky Stark articulates The LA Ladies Choir philosophy as follows: "We are a collective of women devoted to singing together joyfully! When we sing we experience the pleasure of our voices. And when we are together we organize our experience according to the principle of being kind above all things. Our music is the sound of this! We recognize that music is a resource for strength and we have the ability to magnify our strength by coming together and sharing our joy!"

Sing Joyfully is released by LA vinyl/casette label Teenage Teardrops, and produced by the legendary Jim Scott.

Proudly sponsored by Babycakes, serving delicious vegan, gluton-free baked goods!

Family Bookstore - 436 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

myspace.com/laladieschoir

babycakesnyc.com