What can we say about The Shins that hasn\’t already been said in miles of press? They\’re one of the best bands out there today and we are still honored thinking back to the night James Mercer and his band here to play live and record a live LP for us. This show holds a particularly special place in our hearts, as it was the inaugural groove-carving voyage of our 1953 Scully Lathe that previously churned out masters for Cincinnati’s legendary King Records. The 8 tracks on this live recording mark our first ever cut live direct-to-acetate, and we couldn\’t be more pleased with the way they turned out.

Third Man are so pleased that the day has come that they can announce the release of these very special live records — The Shins, and The Kills — all recorded in the Third Man Blue Room last October, and our first releases recorded live using our one-of-a-kind direct-to-acetate recording process. Without overdubs or editing, these three records were mixed in real time on a Rupert Neve 5008 console by Grammy Award winning engineer Vance Powell, and instantly cut to vinyl by master cutter George Ingram using a 1953 Scully Lathe that previously churned out masters for Cincinnati’s legendary King Records (the story goes that James Brown\’s It\’s A Man\’s World was cut on this lathe among many more great sides…) Third Man\’s BLUE ROOM is the ONLY LIVE VENUE IN THE WORLD where artists can record their performance direct-to-acetate, and after these first releases, there will be many more of their kind coming down the pipeline.