OLD UGLY Recording Co. began in 2009. One of our earliest releases was BIKE MONTH, Doug Hoyer’s collaborative side project, which brought together many of the artists who would shortly join the collective and make it the magical dragon it was for four solid years. In 2013 OLD UGLY, as an entity, gently fizzled into dormancy, but the artists who operated under its aegis continued to be the prolific and talented individuals they always were, releasing records and playing shows. Now, two years later, it was decided that OU needed a proper send off. With that in mind, Doug Hoyer set out to create a third BIKE MONTH album to bring us all together in the collaborative spirit that made the heart of this collective beat so loudly. Last night we headed down to the river for the final Folk Fire to honour our canon and our community. We remembered the simple joy of music and camaraderie that ultimately fuelled this hair-brained scheme from the start. Today we play this 53rd album at top volume and celebrate whatever legacy OU has accrued. This album is about community. OLD UGLY was about community. The art we made was in large part a by-product of this community. We hope you enjoyed it. Now, as we say goodnight to Old Ugly, we encourage everyone reading this to continue following these magnificent artists, and we implore you too to band together with your creators in kind as we did, if not for the art, for the beers and jokes and someone to reminisce with when you’re old and ugly. Go forth and foster. --- written by Joe Gurba