The Ataris - 'Car Song' 7" William Charles Roe Memorial Ashes Variant

While it is perfectly legal to sell human remains in the United States in 42 states, it is illegal in exactly 8 of them. Those 8 states are (in alphabetical order): Florida, Georgia, Massachusttes, Missouri, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. DO NOT ORDER THE WILLIAM CHARLES ROE MEMORIAL ASHES VARIANT IF YOUR DELIVERY ADDRESS IS IN THESE 8 STATES. To that end, we fully reserve the right to cancel orders with a delivery address in these 8 states. We apologize that The Ataris fans in these 8 states can't have the William Charles Roe Memorial Ashes Variant delivered to them, but the laws of those states govern what we can and cannot do.

The Ataris' 'Car Song' 7-inch is dedicated to the memory of William Charles Roe, father of lead vocalist/guitarist Kristopher Roe and the self-proclaimed biggest fan of The Ataris who has ever lived.

William Charles Roe passed in January 2014 and his body was cremated shortly thereafter.

In addition to being Kristopher Roe's father and the self-proclaimed biggest fan of The Ataris who has ever lived, William Charles Roe was an alcoholic. He battled alcoholism most of his life and his family was deeply affected by his struggles. Double Helix Records will be donating a portion of the profits from the sale of this record to the selected US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization to help those who are struggling with or affected by alcoholism and addiction. Double Helix Records made a $1,000 upfront donation to the selected charitable partner to kickstart the donation effort before a single 7-inch record was listed for sale.

The record features a brand-new The Ataris song called "Car Song" on Side A, which is the first radio single released by The Ataris since 2017. "Car Song" is backed with a full-band re-recording of the hit single "In This Diary" from their 2003 full-length album 'So Long, Astoria' on Side B. The inclusion of "In This Diary" was quite deliberate because it was one of William Charles Roe's favorite The Ataris songs and it was the first time he saw the band and his son on TV. Each side of the 7-inch record includes a custom matrix engraving selected by Kristopher Roe.

Double Helix Records is releasing one super-limited, hyper-custom William Charles Roe Memorial Ashes Variant pressing that will include William Charles Roe's actual ashes pressed into every copy of the record, so his memory and spirit may live on eternally as a part of The Ataris' music. The William Charles Roe Memorial Ashes Variant, which will be safely, proudly, and expertly pressed by the vinyl artisans at Hellbender Vinyl, in Pittsburgh, PA, USA, will only be available directly from The Ataris and Double Helix Records. 100% of the profits from the sale of the William Charles Roe Memorial Ashes Variant will be donated to the selected US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization to help those who are struggling with or affected by alcoholism and addiction. Due to the rigorous health and safety measures and the specialized containment processes that are required for a sensitive vinyl pressing of this nature, each 7-inch ashes record costs around $40 to produce. The Ataris and Double Helix Records are also hoping to maximize the amount of the donation that will be made to the selected charitable partner. And what’s true is that once all of William Charles Roe’s ashes have been pressed into these vinyl records, there will never again be an opportunity for his physical matter to be used to generate a donation to this important cause. Additionally, The Ataris and Double Helix Records are gifting a sizeable number of copies to the Roe family and their closest friends, along with the family members of the rest of the band. This is why the price of the William Charles Roe Memorial Ashes Variant is as high as it is, and we all appreciate your understanding and support for helping those who are struggling with or affected by alcoholism and addiction.

Double Helix Records is also releasing three limited-edition custom color variants of The Ataris' 'Car Song' 7-inch record, all of which were pressed by Microforum Vinyl in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. These three limited-edition custom color variants do not contain William Charles Roe's ashes. Double Helix Records will be donating a minimum of $1 per unit sold to the selected charitable partner, with $1,000 provided as an upfront donation.

All four limited-edition custom variants are exclusive to The Ataris, Double Helix Records, and DHR’s distribution partners (e.g., Hello Merch, TMom Merch, Cobraside Distribution) around the world and will only be pressed as part of the first pressing of the ‘Car Song’ 7-inch:

-V1: Turquoise & Black Smoke Variant (310x available worldwide)
-V2: Turquoise & Silver Ring Variant (310x available worldwide)
-V3: Rust Red Splatter (418x available worldwide)
-V4: William Charles Roe Memorial Ashes Variant**** (Fewer than 300-400x retail copies available worldwide)

Track Listing:

Side A - “Car Song”
Side B – “In This Diary” (2025 Re-Recorded Version)

DHR-235235-0025
@doublehelixrecords / doublehelixrecords.com

****The William Charles Roe Memorial Ashes Variant will be safely, proudly, and expertly pressed with William Charles Roe’s actual ashes. Ash (or other particulate) embedded vinyl is not for the audiophile. By its very nature, it's going to sound "bad". Why? In the areas where there is embedded particulate – in this case William Charles Roe’s actual ashes, there will be more noise/scratches/static sounds. Typically, people who want to listen to vinyl embedded with human ashes enjoy these sounds because they very much signal "there your loved one is, living in the vinyl". That said, Hellbender Vinyl is setting the goal of making it the best of both worlds – sounding "good", while still hearing the scratchiness where William Charles Roe’s ashes are embedded. In short, if you are an audiophile, then the William Charles Roe Memorial Ashes Variant isn’t the ‘Car Song’ variant for you. Likewise, if you are squeamish about handling a vinyl record that contains human ashes, then the William Charles Roe Memorial Ashes Variant isn’t the ‘Car Song’ variant for you.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
The real charm of custom vinyl records is that every record might be somewhat unique in its appearance. This means that the vinyl record you receive likely won't look exactly like the one pictured here, but that also means that no one else in the world will own a vinyl record exactly like yours. So, this vinyl record is a piece of art in more ways than one. We hope you enjoy it! Also, if you are pre-ordering this record, please know that the vinyl record you receive won't look exactly like the one pictured here, but it will be either a close approximation – or something even more magical!