Reading · Sipsman | Communique

November’s the best month to be in New Orleans, I’m telling you. We are on the other side of hurricane season, the weather’s perfect, not too many tourists cos everyone’s staring down the holidays, the doors are open, Dukes comes and goes as he pleases, I’ve got a good crossflow going, etc. Wish you were here.

See all these boxes? They contain records released via Sipsman. LPs. Vinyl. Good vinyl, too, and it’s all on sale through the end of the year. More on that below, but first…

IMARHAN
“Tellalt” is the second single from the Tuareg desert blues band’s new album Essam (due Jan 16, 2026 via City Slang), named for a type of acacia wood from the Sahara. “It’s very rare and quite hard to find,” says Imarhan’s Iyad Moussa Ben Abderahmane, aka Sadam. “When it’s old, it turns red and it gives a good flavour for cooking, or tea.” Watch the video, check out their 2023 KEXP session, and reach out if you’re a writer and you’re interested in hearing this expansive record early.

LILY SEABIRD
Dunno bout you but Trash Mountain’s working wonders for me as the seasons change. The noted “indie star in the making” and “artist you need to know” has full band shows with Robert Lester Folsom starting on December 7, and she’s also announced appearances at next year’s Treefort and Green River festivals, as well as early 2026 solo dates with Dean Johnson. Tickets for all here.

THOMAS DOLLBAUM
Drive All Night is out: stream it, cherish it, share it. Trust that Dollbaum will be getting out on the road in 2026, too. In case you missed it, I recommend reading Chip Midnight’s conversation with the New Orleans-via-Tampa songwriter in The Big Takeover.

THE SIPSMAN YEAR-END ¢£€ARAN¢€ $A£€ is live! This year I’m so privileged to have released two of my favorite albums I first heard in 2024. They join the three other physical releases I’ve put the Sipsman stamp on, and I’ve gone and discounted them all on the Sipsman Bandcamp through the end of the year cos I’m a craaa-zy boy. Email me for free delivery in New Orleans. These will also be heavily discounted at retail stores, so ask your favorite one to order a copy, or if you do the ordering at a shop, drop a line to the fine folks at Redeye.