Robin's music ephemera
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musicephemera.bsky.social
Robin's music ephemera
@musicephemera.bsky.social
Posting blurry photos of items collected by @firepile.bsky.social over 40ish years of being slightly obsessive about music. Particular attention to 4ad, Teenbeat, Simple Machines, Wax Trax, IPR, and related/similar bands/music
1990 Bauhaus lyric book, with lyrics in both English and Italian. It came with a 7" of them covering Spirit in the Sky. A friend reverently played this for me around 1991, and I lost my mind because I loved the cover so much. I can't recall where I actually found this thing sometime in the late 90s!
November 18, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Quick one today - a goodbye poster from the Simple Machines goodbye weekend! What a fuckin lineup! As a bonus, here's also one of the photos I took that weekend in DC, of Sisterhood of Convoluted Thinkers who I still adore and who were so much fun! (So many ad hoc versions of bands played)
November 17, 2025 at 9:54 PM
In 2007 (?) @kristinhersh.bsky.social released what I think is her first children's book, Toby Snax, on Delicate Press. This limited first edition is signed and numbered (out of some number I can't quite read now - 8/50?) Then in 2016 (?) U of Texas Press re-printed it. Here are both editions!
November 17, 2025 at 3:03 AM
If my records are correct (debateable) this marks my 100th post of music stuff! How about a ticket stub from the most bonkers concert ever conceived? Sisters of Mercy and Public Enemy co-headlining. Opening bands included Gang of Four, Warrior Soul, and Young Black American Teenagers. BONKERS.
November 15, 2025 at 10:06 PM
I have Xiu Xiu in my mouth. Do you? (Xiu Xiu has really leaned into weird nonsensical merch in the last 10 or 15 years. I posted their tasty hot sauce like 2 months ago and I definitely still have at least a flask in my cabinet of wonders).
November 15, 2025 at 12:31 AM
One of my absolute favorite things about ordering from TeenBeat is that Mark Robinson always writes a little thank you note and I save them all. I probably have 50 of these in a box.
November 13, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Brand new @teenbeat.bsky.social patch! Arrived today!
November 13, 2025 at 1:59 AM
I am almost guaranteed to miss tomorrow's post because it's a long insane day and today was a long insane day but not so insane that I can't post a cute hairclip from Heavenly! You can see it's a butterfly from Le Jardin de Heavenly - it's a nice heavy acrylic (maybe too heavy) and outrageously cute
November 11, 2025 at 2:26 AM
Today's post may set new records for the worst photography. In my defense these hang on the wall of my music room and the lighting in there is moody at best.

In 2017, Shelleyan Orphan put out a boxed set compiling their first 3 albums and a bunch of bonus material. (1/2)
November 10, 2025 at 4:13 AM
Ok my kid was yelling at Fortnite so I went and took some photos earlier.

April 5, 2025, Tsunami and Ida played their Coin Toss show at Lincoln Hall in Chicago. I bought the adorable Tsunami matchbook, pictured here. (1/2)
November 8, 2025 at 10:35 PM
More Staaltape - here's Legendary Pink Dots Chemical Playschool 1&2, and separately 3&4. They apparently had a whole LPD series, of which these are a part! 1&2 here, 3&4 in next post! These are legit a hassle to store well but I still adore them for having interesting packaging.
November 8, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Teenbeat Records No. 237: coasters. I dunno what else to say about these! Teenbeat design has always been A+
November 6, 2025 at 11:11 PM
I'm basically on 12-hour workdays for a bit - it will calm down in a week or two but in the meantime we're working off what I've already photographed for now!

Maybe more cassettes? How about this: Throwing Muses Soap Opera Saga 2nd Episode. Single-sided promo tape from Warner Brothers/Sire.
November 6, 2025 at 2:41 AM
Here's Savage Republic, Live at the Melkweg 87, on Staaltape. Most of my Staaltape cassettes are Pink Dots, but I always loved this as like a crossover. One day I'll photograph my huge pile of IPR items. I so appreciate these labels who made all releases big & beautiful!!
November 5, 2025 at 1:31 AM
This post is a record of my repeated failures to photograph the Pleasantly Surprised cassette comp Document. You'll laugh, but all of the inserts are literally stuck inside the plastic sleeve and I keep trying to get them out to photograph them and giving up in frustration.
November 4, 2025 at 2:11 AM
1982: Apparition cassette, from The Legendary Pink Dots. Back when tapes were everything. The cardboard sleeve is surprisingly sturdy for being 40+ years old. Released on Ding Dong Records, a Dutch label that would eventually release a couple other Pink Dots tapes but nothing else I ever recognized.
November 3, 2025 at 1:14 AM
Here are some blurry photos of some incredible prints from Dave Narcizo of Throwing Muses. They were sold in his Etsy store many years ago, and he was kind enough to sign them for me. The only thing better than this is Lakuna, who should put out another album immediately.
November 2, 2025 at 4:20 AM
November 1, 1996: Current 93 and Tiny Tim (Tiny fucking Tim) at the Angel Orensanz Foundation in NYC. The venue was OUTRAGEOUSLY beautiful, and the reason I thought to post this today is that it's almost 30 years to the day since it happened, and I remember the strong Halloween vibe at the show 1/2
November 1, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Insane week. How about an insane release to keep the vibe? Brain in the Wire (2002) was put together by Jon Whitney/ @brainwashed.bsky.social and the track listing is basically bonkers. The packaging was peak late 90s collector weird and I am also peak late 90s collector weird, so.
October 30, 2025 at 7:56 PM
The next 2 weeks are pure chaos so we'll see when I get a chunk of time to photograph cool things in storage. I can't tell if this show was 1991 or 1992 - Meat Beat Manifesto and Consolidated at Fast Lane in Asbury Park, NJ, July 6. SetlistFM has no record of them playing there but someone must know
October 30, 2025 at 2:09 AM
Given that everyone I know is getting to go see Belly this week, AND it was like 37°F this morning, how about a Belly winter hat and Belly socks?
October 28, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Reposted by Robin's music ephemera
Have a look at the original press kit that came with @throwingmuses.bsky.social's first self-released EP in 1984, kindly scanned and shared by @musicephemera.bsky.social. It's a priceless source to have a glimpse at some of the very first reviews the band got in Providence, RI, and Boston, MA.
THE KRISTIN HERSH ARCHIVES
Throwing Muses. Original press kit and accompanying letter written by their manager Ken Goes, which came with their first self-released EP when sent to journalists. Kindly scanned and shared by Robin....
thekristinhersharchives.tumblr.com
October 27, 2025 at 7:36 PM
I've talked before about my love of lyric books, so naturally I also love books of poetry written by some of my favorite lyricists. Here's one of Franklin Bruno's, this one from 2012.
October 27, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Indie Rock Connect the Dots. I honestly can't remember where this book came from but I'm 99% sure it preceded both Record Store Day and Indie Bookstore Day. But it's super weird and gimmicky and cheesy, and therefore I love it.
October 26, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Day 80 of posting music things! In honor of the new Tear Garden album, how about an old Legendary Pink Dots VHS tape? Do you kids even know what VHS is? (who am I kidding, there are no kids following my old lady music posts). The show and release are from 1989. I'd guess we got this around 97?
October 25, 2025 at 2:57 AM