Living in future’s past.
Written by: Kurt Torster
My two sons now have iPods. For their birthdays this year they each got one, a Nano for the older boy and a Shuffle for the younger. But, neither have purchased or downloaded any music for themselves and honestly, I’m not even sure if they would know how to. It’s not that I’m controlling their music, but it seems neither wants to be bothered…they just want to listen. So each is stocked with what’s been chart popular the past few years and I leave it at that.
It got me thinking about when I was their ages, 11 and 9 respectively, and how I listened to music. I’m pretty sure at that age I was still listening to the AM Radio (WABC most likely when it was top 40 and not talk) but I also had already purchased a fair amount of music.
I remember trips to department stores like Two Guys, Caldor and Woolworths, where I would go to the music department and spent what little money I had on 45s. Back in the day, stores usually had a spot where the top 100 singles usually resided and I would grab whatever I could afford. Just recently I found a box of these singles and had to laugh at some of what I bought at the time: “Undercover Angel,” “Can’t Smile Without You,” “Laughter In The Rain.” It’s probably not as funny that I have all of those guilty pleasures in my MP3 collection. I actually was starting to sweat thinking that I would come across “Afternoon Delight” or “Muskrat Love.”
I wanted to hear some songs so badly that I would sit and wait next to the radio with a cassette recorder, ready to pounce and when all was done, listen to this gloriously lo-fi copy. I wish I still had those tapes of the times when I was recording “Come Sail Away” and the dog would bark or “Sweet Talking Woman” and my Mother would come into my room and start yapping away about homework. I eventually learned to start recording songs when Casey Kasem would count down the hits every week, where at least finding songs were a little more predictable. Now, perfect copies of just about any song are a simple Google search away.
I did own a few albums too, most likely K-Tel compilations but I’m pretty sure the first actual slab of vinyl I bought for myself was either “Bat Out Of Hell” or “Kiss Alive.” “Frampton Comes Alive” might have figured in there too. I distinctly remember owning the Beatles “Red” and “Blue” collections on 8-Track. For the time, 45s were still it for me.
As I got older, 45 buying pretty much stopped other than imports I would buy at a place called Sound Exchange in Wayne, NJ. I was always fascinated by the non-album B-sides that were on singles from the UK and Japan. Even then, it wasn’t so much the 7” 45 single I was buying but the 12” Maxi-singles.
Now singles exist in the weird vacuum of i-Tunes, where discovery is made virally by YouTube or the bedded music of video games. My kids could care less about radio or even video channels. Most of their music knowledge comes from Nickelodeon, the Disney Channel (or from myself and what’s played in the car). At no time does either specifically seek something out and I just find that so odd.
I guess thanks to Slacker and XM, I don’t really seek much out myself these days either and have become quite content in living retro-actively. I wonder what my kids then will listen to in 30 years. The mind reels…
CommentsHappy 5th Anniversary to Music Saves!
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
Look at us, sucking up to record stores again....
But this is Music Saves that we're talking about here, people!
Here's a little video courtesy of Marissa and Kevin that will give you a bit of visual insight into how rad Kevin, Melanie, EmployLeigh, and Vinyl the Cat are.
The 5th Store-a-versary celebration is coming to a close as I write this and the Music Saves folks are celebrating with birthday donuts, beer, and music from Ramona Falls! If I weren't such a digital hermit, I'd probably be out there celebrating with everyone right now. Actually, the truth is that I wasn't able to get Brian to drive me there because it seems that he is currently at home playing with his He-Man collection.
Here's a pretty cool thank you from the Music Saves team as seen in the latest edition of the award-winning Music Saves email newsletter. If you're not subscribed yet, head on over and sign up to become part of the revolution:
THANKS THANKS THANKS to everyone that has helped and supported us over these last 5 years, from those that “work” (with or without being hired), those that come in occasionally (and maybe we’re not quite sure what your name is), to those that come in all of the time and have become our friends. We can’t express how much it really means to us (hugs aren’t enough), but if you come out tomorrow, we (and the donuts) will try.
Drop in to Music Saves for yourself and high five them for being awesome, and while you're there, grab a new fancy super-cool Music Saves t-shirt designed by C.L.E. Clothing!
This t-shirt will automatically make you just a little bit cooler, and it's only available in the store at Music Saves - not online, not from your buddy Fred, this is a Music Saves exclusimive! <-----Look at that! We just got so excited that we made up a word! "Exclusimive" is our brand new word. Because we can.
One of our 2009 goals is to find more disposable income to spend on music at Music Saves, and in the meantime, we're hoisting our beverages in Waterloo's general direction to toast our fellow music loving friends!!
Congrats ya'll!
CommentsAt Bonnaroo (sort of.)
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
Well kids, here we are!
After making my way through seemingly insurmountable amounts of work on Monday and Tuesday, I was finally ready and able to step out the door for Bonnaroo. At this point, I need to stop down and give huge amounts of thanks to my co-worker and fantastic friend Rebecca for being willing to make sure things happen while I am out of the office for five days. Without her help, I'm not quite sure how I would have pulled this excursion off.
Roommate Adam and I made it to Brian's house around 2:30AM, and we were on the road with a brief stop-off at Sheetz by 3AM. I can tell you that last year, on the tail end of Virgin Festival, I was so tired and grumpy when we made our first visit to an Ohio-area Sheetz location, that I had a bit of trouble navigating their computerized ordering system.
All I wanted to do was add cheese to my burger, and it was nowhere on the list of ingredients that I was seeing on the screen. So I kept cancelling my order and starting over. Turns out, that cheese was way down on the list of steps, filed in some ridiculous category that I would never place cheese. This year, the visit to Sheetz was a much better experience, and I ordered a couple of cheapie burgers loaded with bacon and about 12 other ingredients, and took my traditional place in the back seat for the trip.
My pal Brian has an account of our trip to Nashville that is mostly accurate, so I'll direct you to that, and skip straight to Nashville.
Once we were in Nashville, Brian had plans to stop by to visit indie record label gods Thirty Tigers, home of quite a few artists including Those Darlins, a group that you'll discover that like Blue Rodeo for me, Brian really likes those girls quite a lot.
The Thirty Tigers folks were really, really cool, and hooked us up with a bunch of tunes including the Freedy Johnston covers disc from last year that I didn't have, and a couple of Will Kimbrough discs (among many others.) Kimbrough has been on my list of artists that I've been curious to check out for a long time, and I've never gotten around to that. Now, I'll have some tunes thanks to the Thirty Tigers folks, to figure out if I'm a fan or not.
What are the odds that Thirty Tigers would be located right upstairs above a really cool record store? Really good, actually. My streak of finding an awesome record store in every city that I visit continues with this trip's discovery of Grimey's, a mecca/metropolis of used and new musical goodness including a huge selection of both new and used vinyl. I'm really trying to be financially smart, and anyone who knows me, knows that I could easily drop a hundred bucks in a place like Grimey's. But I didn't. I passed up Mobile Fidelity vinyl and CD copies of Faith No More's Angel Dust, which have been on my want list for quite a while now. But I also got a couple of nice scores as well.
While fielding what will hopefully be the one and only emergency work-related call (hint, hint,) I was making my way through the stacks of used CDs, and came across the new CD from Chicago-based Freddy Jones Band, a favorite of mine back in the 90's. Time Well Wasted, the new release from the group, is a collection of three new studio tracks, and 10 live tracks recorded live at Martyr's in Chicago.
And now, the score: My eyes see a copy of the previously Japanese only (on CD anyway) solo release from Chicago member Bill Champlin, No Place Left To Fall. Released here in America only as a download last year, the album is finally allegedly getting a U.S. release on CD in August. This could be an advance promo for that planned release, I'm not sure. What I do know, is that it has both the CD, and the 70 minute DVD documentary on the making of the album, something that up until yesterday would have cost me 50+ dollars on import.
Price tag at Grimey's: $5.95. So awesome!
We went to the legendary Music Row in Nashville to meet up for a late lunch at The Tin Roof with my Ohio pal Kevin Mason, now living in Nashville as a marketing king. I was pretty wiped out at this point and ready for the hotel, but it was still good to see Kevin and catch up with him.
Onward to the hotel, and at this point we all crashed out hard after a long day of traveling for the best naps ever. A txt message from D.X. Ferris letting me know that he was watching Jane's Addiction and NIN in Pittsburgh inspired mild amounts of jealously for a second, but then I was back asleep shortly thereafter.
At breakfast the next morning, Brian directed my attention to the fact that The B-52's are playing tonight in Chattanooga, about 20 minutes away from our hotel. Being the good pal that he is, he's willing to drop me off in Chattanooga for the show, so that's where I will be on day one of Bonnaroo. As our friend Bear said to Brian on Facebook, "Only Matt could find another concert to go to when he's going to a four day concert." Indeed.
So there's an update for you all on our first day 1/2 of activities and entertainment - Looking forward to Bruce on Saturday night!
CommentsYou can call me Rob Gordon…
Written by: Kurt Torster
For a few years in the mid to late 80s I was part of the record store culture. And, if you ever worked music retail you know that High Fidelity wasn’t too far off the mark when it came to pegging us music geeks.
From early 1986 to late 1987, I worked at a rather odd, almost cult like store in Wayne, NJ. While Disc-o-mat was a chain, it ran more like an indie store because of the eclecticism of both the employees and the people who shopped there like it was their religion. Some 20 years on, I still miss some of those people and always wondered what became of them, though a couple of guys I do know what happened to traded New Jersey for the California shores as and released a little hit, "Anything Anything".
I fell into the job by accident actually. The store was a favorite haunt of mine and holds a special place as my first stop after I got my driver’s license. I drove myself, first time alone no less, over to that West Belt Mall and proceeded to buy Night Ranger’s Midnight Madness, Survivor’s Vital Signs and Ratt’s Out Of The Cellar on cassette. That first stop would be far from my last as weekly visits helped me amass quite the music collection and the familiarity of some of the staff I befriended. Turned out on one visit there was a help wanted sign at the register the day I went in to purchase Van Halen’s “Why Can’t This Be Love” 45. The lengthy discussion with the cashier might have been one of the first of many Dave versus Sammy arguments that would follow my life. But, I did walk out of there with both the album and a new job.
(Oh, and for the record, not much can touch the early Dave years of Van Halen but I’m not going to be snobbish enough and deny that the band also recorded a lot of great material with Hagar.)
Over the next two years I would go from sarcastic loner to sarcastic extrovert as I feel like I finally belonged. These were my people! Everyone I worked with had a passion for the music, their music. While not a day went by where there wasn’t 2 or 3 arguments about what to flip on the turntables (long before the days of piped in satellite radio), in the end a lot of what you didn’t want to hear initially became favorites of a new sort. I started my musical journey from my own tastes of Rush and Journey and left with an appreciation of The Cure, the lost years of David Bowie and even Run DMC among many others. Admittedly, I still can’t get a grip on the Smiths and if I ever hear someone sing, “some girls mothers are bigger than other girls mothers,” again I just may hurt them regardless of how big their mother is.
I would go on from there to work in a few more record stores over the years until finally getting a “real job,” but none I’ve had since can match the sheer sense of fulfillment I had in my life of doing something I truly loved.
Nowadays, record stores are practically extinct. Music departments in places like Best Buy or Target have been reduced to barely an aisle or two. In a way I feel bad for the youth of today and not ever knowing the feeling of just going into a store to simply browse album covers, wonder if it’s worth taking a chance on a band like Aviator, simply because the producer worked on other favorites of yours (and having back cover showing a bunch of long haired dudes usually helped). That sense of discovery just can’t be the same clicking and sampling through iTunes or MySpace. At least it’s not for me. Of course, there's something to be said for actual ownership of the music, the pouring over liner notes...reading every last thank you and lyric, and even remembering the days when Kiss used to include a poster or a "love gun" with their album. PDF booklet? Pft!
These social centers have all but disappeared, leaving us music geeks to write blogs, troll forums and go back to being introverts...present company excluded obviously.
CommentsRecord Store Day is HERE
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
Well folks, here we are. RECORD STORE DAY. I'll be headed out in a little bit to grab a couple of things, and also will be picking up stuff for Brian, who's going to unfortunately miss Record Store Day due to work obligations. Seriously, working from 11am-9:30pm puts a serious damper on being able to participate.
Harsh.
I'll probably see some blog friends today, and probably even some readers from this site that have gotten in touch. I know what you might be thinking....aren't blog friends and readers the same thing? Don't be silly - my blog friends don't read this blog! There - that just took care of another subtle CB shot. Love ya.
In honor of Record Store Day, I thought that I'd dig out an old post from this time last year. Last year, I missed Record Store Day due to prior obligations, and felt inspired to write up a piece that included lots of memories about my favorite record stores over the years.
I'll share that with you below, and while I'm at it, here is something that my beloved friends José and Kelly posted over at Sensory Overload that is awfully good reading.
Here is my original post, originally posted 4/26/08:
Ah, the record store, my first true love, and a relationship that remains true to this day. I worked at a record store as recently as 2006, when I picked up a Saturday shift to have fun and talk music. I saw it as a good potential opportunity to blow off steam from the week, and have some fun talking music with fellow music fans. It was a great chance to get back to my roots, if only for a few months. As it happened, the job came along at the right time, and conveniently went away at the right time too, ending as I was preparing to move from the east side, back to the west side apartment where I had spent the previous 10 years prior to 2006. I look at that as part of the overall power of music. Music seems to have a great way of knowing what you need, when you need it - it's good like that. But that's another conversation for another day....
On April 19th, I was one of the music loving sinners who unexplainably missed Record Store Day. But then again, I would argue that in my world, Record Store Day is everyday!
Now, perhaps you didn't hear about Record Store Day? Google it. You'll find posts like this, this, and this one too.
There were special events in some of the heritage stores, including an in-store signing from Metallica.
"Independent record stores are a vital source of the ever-changing cool. They respond to the street faster than the chains can. They help us telegraph to each other what's "now" and what's not, what we should be telling our friends and neighbors about, and what's about to take off, or, no longer hot. Musical trends are confirmed at the local independent record store, by you and me... Why would we want to do away with all that?" – Joe Satriani
You want inspiration? Read this post. It really hits it on the head, what it's like to be a music fan, and to be this kind of music fan, takes many words, because you've got so many memories to share. You've got so many experiences, let me tell you how I got into THIS artist....sit down, because this is going to take a while, etc. etc.etc.
For me, it started sometime in the early 80s, living in Odessa, TX, and as I like to tell people, it was the home of oil wells, Permian Panthers football, and not much else. Perhaps you saw the story of the Permian Panthers, as immortalized in the movie Friday Night Lights. My dad took me to the local mall, and there it was: Record Bar. I got my dad to let me go into Record Bar where I spent some time, but not nearly enough. In that trip, and in the next several, I picked up the single for Duran Duran's The Reflex, with the commemorative poster that did double duty as the 45 sleeve as well. I got Hooked on Classics with the entire album, and got sucked into Pac-Man Fever by Buckner and Garcia.
In 1985, our next stop was Cloudcroft, New Mexico, a village of 500 at the time. I was happy that 45 minutes down the mountain led me to Hastings Books and Music. It wasn't ideal, but it was a place that continued to feed my growing need for music.
1987 found us in Joliet, IL - fictional home of the Blues Brothers, and my first exposure to the true greatness of independent record stores. Crow's Nest Music was, and is still the coolest record store I've ever been to. Music in every format as far as the eye can see, and an incredibly knowledgeable staff. If you were looking for it, Crow's Nest had it, and if they didn't have it, they could get it, and it wasn't a problem. You know that feeling, of asking the record store clerk if they can order something, and getting that disgusted look, like you're wrecking their day. That never happened at Crow's Nest.
After I moved from the Chicagoland area, I would make trips back for concerts and to visit friends, and each trip included a necessary stop at Crow's Nest Music, often to introduce friends that were traveling with me, to a great record store, as if it was an old friend. Sadly, Crow's Nest closed a few years back, a victim of the same problems in the industry that have wiped out so many other great independent record stores. Events like this, make Record Store Day a powerful effort for awareness. These days, there's a store called Disc Replay which is part of a small chain of stores in Illinois and Indiana, but it's not the same.
Before we leave Illinois, let's give honorable mention to Toad Hall. My dad was working in Rockford, and while visiting Rockford, I found Toad Hall, which the link above describes as "a wonderful repository of books, comics, games, prints, old toys, memorabilia of all kinds, posters and most importantly, to me at least, records." It was Toad Hall where I found old issues of Rolling Stone from the 70s and 80s, a great stock of used CDs, and I believe, even old radio shows (Casey Kasem, Rick Dees, etc) on vinyl.
I was happy to hear recently that Toad Hall is still around, and I need to make a trip to Rockford to visit that musical haven again. I think now that I am older, I would appreciate it more.
1989 found me in Cleveland, home to many great record stores that have come and gone through the years, including two of my favorites, My Generation in Westlake (R.I.P), and for a brief period in the 90s, Repeat The Beat, which illustrates my view of dangerous record stores. Dangerous record stores are the ones that have SO much cool stuff, yet not much in the way of foot traffic. I've seen many a store like it with great inventory, but a small customer base, come and go in the past 20 years. And that sucks. You love it, and you get it...where are the rest of the music fans. Don't they know? That was my definition for Repeat The Beat - a great idea, but too much of a great idea. I bought some great music during the times that I was there though, for sure.
Time Traveler Music is one example of a great record store that is still in existence here in the Cleveland area. It requires a bit of travel, because it is located in Cuyahoga Falls (about 40 minutes away or so), but the selection and diversity remains unmatched, and it is still a great place for import and indie stuff. I started going there in the early 90's when Sarah Mclachlan was just beginning to break as an artist. Time Traveler was the only place that I could count on to have all of Sarah's Canadian stuff readily available, and the owner was a huge fan - another great record store person to have conversations with about music, and in the case of Sarah, I'd see him at shows for Sarah, and other artists that he was a big fan of. Time Traveler was also a great source to feed my laserdisc habit - they had a great selection, and lots of import music laserdiscs that you couldn't get here in the U.S. They're still going strong - grab an address here, and go visit.
I could spend a lot of time writing about the record stores that I've loved here in Cleveland. I think I spent 80 percent of my time growing up in record stores, and the remaining 20 percent hanging out with friends. I'm exaggerating a little bit, but not by much. I worked at record stores throughout high school, and got both jobs because I spent so much time hanging out in the stores, that the managers said to me, "you come here so much, I'm going to give you a job." One of my best friends, is someone that I met while he was managing a CD Warehouse location.
As far as notable record store closings here in the Cleveland area, when My Generation closed, that was one of several store closings in a short period, and it was a bummer - My Generation was something to talk about.
These days, I remain on a quest to visit the next great record store. I haven't been to Amoeba Music in Los Angeles, but man, I want to. I would go to LA just to go there. I have a list of stores like that, that I would travel to the city, just to go there. That's the sickness of a music fan - we'll do stuff like that, and it's completely normal. It' s a must (or inevitable) that I will find my way into a record store at some point while I am in the city. My parents actually made sure to locate Cheapo Discs, prior to my visit a few years back to the St. Paul/Minneapolis area, and I visited that, and several other stores while I was in the area.
My favorite haunt at the moment, is to take a Saturday, and head up to Ann Arbor, MI to visit the record stores there, particularly Encore, which is a must for any music fan within driving distance. That's a perfect day in my book - drive to Ann Arbor, visit Encore, go see a show, perhaps at The Ark, and drive back to Cleveland. Awesome.
Even though I love my Ipod, I still live and breathe for physical product. Albums get lost on my Ipod, and there's no replacement to me for holding it in my hands, reading the liner notes, and sharing the overall experience with a friend.
And if I believe Lars Ulrich from Metallica, perhaps we'll always have record stores.
God, I hope so.
But it's not going to happen without our support. Visit these great havens of music, even if you just need to buy that latest album from whoever, or perhaps you're like me, and looking for a few things to fill nagging holes in your collection. Your favorite record store has all of these things, for all people, come one, come all, let's rock!
CommentsRecord Store Day is TOMORROW!
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
It's been a fun week!
Wednesday night, I went to the Rock Hall with my pals D.X. Ferris from Scene Magazine, Sirius XM personality Dusty Street, and Pale Hollow drummer Nick Perry, for an evening of Q&A with drummer Joe Vitale about his book Backstage Pass.
If the goal is to leave 'em wanting more, Vitale did exactly that on Wednesday night at the Rock Hall, and certainly sold several stacks of books to everyone that was in attendance that no doubt wanted to fill in the gaps of what they had heard.
The hour 1/2 chat with Vitale flew by, and he had some great stories, including a classic story regarding the recording sessions for Joe Walsh's classic solo hit "Life's Been Good" with producer Bill Szymczyk. I've heard the track a million times over the years, and once I knew the story behind it, everything made a lot more sense.....for a Joe Walsh song, anyway.
My comrade Ferris posted a nice re-cap of the evening with Vitale that you can check out here. And if you haven't read Backstage Pass yet, grab a copy here!
My takeaway from the evening? I need to track down a copy of the Crosby Stills and Nash Allies album, which allegedly is being reissued on CD (for the first time domestically) later this year. I've got my fingers crossed that that is true! I also need to get my hands on a copy of Vitale's 70s solo disc Roller Coaster Weekend, and I'd love to track down the followup Plantation Harbor as well. The true work of a music geek is never done!
Speaking of that, how PSYCHED are you that Record Store Day is tomorrow?
Here are a few links to get you primed for the experience:
Prefix Magazine have a guide with everything you need to know to have the BEST Record Store Day ever.
My buddy Brian is missing Record Store Day because of work, but he's got thoughts to share....
What are you going to do when Record Store Day is over? I'm guessing that you'll probably have a lot of awesome tunage to listen to (and watch.) And hopefully you will continue to visit your indie mom and pop record stores...because every day should be Record Store Day! If you're looking for some good reading material, I would suggest that The Vinyl Countdown might be just what the music-lovin' doctor ordered! Thanks to Jeff at Popdose for the tip!
The Cleveland Bachelor shares his side of the truth regarding everything Record Store Day-related in the Waterloo District at Music Saves, Blue Arrow Records and Books, etc. etc. etc.
It seems inevitable that CB and I will cross paths and maybe (*gasp*) even hang out. I'm not making any promises....but it has potential!
I'll be hitting up Music Saves and possibly Time Traveler Music in Cuyahoga Falls as well, depending on my schedule. Later that evening, I'll meet up with Bear and a few others for Jonah Koslen and Stage Pass Now at The Winchester.
Speaking of Music Saves, here is the latest and greatest informational rundown from TEAM MUSIC SAVES. Music Saves gets the 2009 award from me for the indie store that put the most effort into making RSD '09 really, really cool for Cleveland. Hopefully, all of you that are not in Cleveland have something cool going on in your city at your favorite local store that is comparable to Music Saves!
For all of the Music Saves Record Store Day deets - click here
You can also click here for a printable PDF version of the above information.
Other details from their latest email:
The other Record Store Day street events we know of so far (we’ll have flyers with a final event list strewn around Waterloo on Saturday):
Blue Arrow Records is offering 10% off everything in the store (except furniture - from noon-10pm) and hosting a FLOOR CONTEST to win a vintage Derek Hess poster!
This Way Out is offering 10% off everything in the store (from noon-8pm)!
If you spend $10 or more at MUSIC SAVES, This Way Out, or Blue Arrow Records, each of those 3 receipts is good for $1 off a beer in the Beachland Tavern! The Tavern will open at 11am with a special lunch menu PLUS the brunch cocktail menu!
At Shoparooni, bring in a mixtape (or mixCD) formed after one of these 3 themes: Porkchops & Awesome Sauce (Marlee), Glitter & Sequins (Steve), or Caught on the Spot (Heather) and get 30% off your purchase PLUS they’ll have a photo booth set up!
Expect the Arts Collinwood Gallery, Low Life Gallery, and the Waterloo 7 Gallery to all be open AND look for the debut of the new WATERLOO CAFÉ!
Announcing RSD Bonus WILCO Concert Download:
The news just keeps getting better. As an exclusive bonus to customers who purchase the DVD, Ashes of American Flags, at RSD participating stores, you will be able to download one complete concert drawn from the shows featured in the film. This exclusive concert download will only be available via an embedded link on the DVD from 4/18-4/27, before the DVD goes to wide release. This bonus concert download will disappear from the site at 11:59 p.m. on 4/27/2009. This is in addition to the 20 full songs featured in the DVD which are available to all customers via download!SONIC YOUTH BuyEarlyGetNow preorder NOW at MUSIC SAVES!
WHAT YOU GET:
- pre-release stream of album on April 28
- bonus limited exclusive vinyl live LP on street date WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!
- bonus limited-edition poster on street date
- bonus exclusive MP3 outtakes and live tracks
The Eternal 2LP $49.98 list, YOUR COST $37.99 and CD $28.98, list YOUR COST $26.99
Only regular, dependable customers will have the option to pay later! The rest of you gotta pay when you preorder, sorry!TIMELINE:
3/24 - preorder begins through indie stores ONLY!
4/28 - BEGN goes live with album stream
5/12 - First bonus MP3 on BEGN site
6/2 - Second bonus MP3 on BEGN site
JUNE 9, STREET DATE - pick up the album, your bonus live LP, AND bonus poster
That's enough for today, ain't it? We'll pick the winner of the Jane's Addiction vinyl early next week. And guess what, we'll have another contest after that. I'm going to try to keep the contest machine rolling on a regular basis.
Have a great weekend, all....and ENJOY RECORD STORE DAY!
CommentsBlue Arrow Records Grand Opening On Waterloo – More Details + Devo + SXSW
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
George from Brewed Fresh Daily has more details and a nice picture of Blue Arrow Records, which will officially open on Thursday in the Waterloo District, located at 16001 Waterloo Road.
I shared a basic rundown on Blue Arrow in my previous update, and George shares some additional background right here!
I'm looking forward to checking out Blue Arrow, and I'm hoping to get out there on Thursday to check it out. If Thursday doesn't happen, I'll be out there checking it out on Record Store Day for sure!
Devo + SXSW = Well, you figure it out....
Devo are currently finishing up the first new Devo release since Smooth Noodle Maps in 1990, and they've already started the promo machine with a couple of high-profile appearances at South By Southwest this past week.
I don't have word yet to know if CB was there rockin' his Devo suit, but I do know that all of the members of Devo showed up wearing theirs!
Whitney from Pop Candy caught up with the Devo cats for an interview featuring questions submitted by her readers, including this Akron-related Q!
I live in Akron and rented an apartment years ago, and one of the selling points was that a few members of Devo had lived there previously. The address is 123 South Portage. Is that true? -- Tommy
I think that's where Jerry and Bob lived, and that's where we recorded a lot of songs early on. And that's where we conceived the idea of doing our first film. I hope they've fixed some of the utilities.
Regarding the new album:
And the new album is almost finished?
We're kind of halfway through it. We have about six songs that are pretty well-nailed down, and we have twenty-some more that we're going through. I'm sure it'll be done by summertime.
At what point did you realize it was time for Devo to return?
Well, we write songs together, and we never call them Devo. But we liked what was happening in the music industry right now. We like the fact that record companies have exploded and the whole methodology of presenting yourself as a musical artist is all up in the air, and there's all sorts of new possibilities right now. We wish this would've happened 30 years ago, but we're glad we're still around to get involved with it now.
Devo will perform their classic Q: Are We Not Men? A: We are Devo! in its entirety during a London show in May.
One more Devo item for you all - here's the setlist from their SXSW performance, with thanks to Pop Candy.
Don't Shoot, I'm A Man
Peek-A-Boo
What We Do
Goin' Under
Fresh
That's Good
Girl U Want
Whip It
Secret Agent Man
I Can't Get No (Satisfaction)
Uncontrollable Urge
Mongoloid
Smart Patrol/DNA
Gates Of Steel
Encore:
Freedom Of Choice
Jocko Homo
Gut Feeling
Beautiful World
Purchase Q: Are We Not Men? A: We are Devo.
Devo - Greatest Hits - CD
CommentsHey Cleveland! Here are the details for Record Store Day at Music Saves + Black Sabbath vinyl details + more!
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
I made my way over to Music Saves on Thursday night to pick up a couple of things: They had ordered Ready For The Flood per my request, the newish album from principal Jayhawks members Mark Olson and Gary Louris.
Ready For The Flood is the first new studio album from the duo since Olson's 1995 departure from the 'Hawks, and was produced by Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes. The album was released overseas late last year and finally got a U.S. release earlier this year via New West Records, who added a couple of bonus tracks to the U.S. release. One of those bonus tracks in particular would make Ready For The Flood worth the purchase alone, even if the rest of the disc was blank. "Precious Time" is a fan favorite originating on the "Mystery Demos" compilations from the 80s/90s that have been circulated in trading circles over the past few year, and now is finally available on Ready For The Flood. Hell yeah.
As for the album? Oh, it's fantastic. Hopefully you caught the pair on Letterman, and if you missed that, here's the video for your viewing pleasure. Olson/Louris are on the road right now as we speak, and just played a showcase at SXSW. Go catch 'em if they're in your neck of the woods....and when you see them, tell them to get their asses to Cleveland or anywhere in Ohio for a show!
PS - I've been telling everyone I know to pick up the Gary Louris solo album Vagabonds, also produced by Robinson and released last year. It's a great companion piece, and one of my favorite records from 2008.
I also picked up Oohs and Aahs from Say Hi (To Your Mom,) which came out a few weeks ago. The internet sez:
Written and recorded in the home studio of critically acclaimed Seattle via Brooklyn via los Angeles DIY icon Eric Elbogen, Oohs & Aahs is an extraordinary and consistently witty album of dimly lit indie rock fables that ponder many hues of gloom, lust and inevitability and beauty of imperfection. Even for fans of Elbogens past work, it's a marvel of modern post-pop.
Indeed. I took a listen to this one on the listening station at Music Saves, and was sucked in by the 80s-esque synths that are sprinkled throughout Oohs & Aahs. Additionally, I'm a sucker for one-man-band kinda things, and Say Hi certainly fills the bill on that one.
Fun fact: I was actually searching for something new with female vox to listen to, and came away with Say Hi instead. Those damn synthesizers will get me everytime.
Stop in at Music Saves and take a copy home for yourself.....tell 'em that Addicted to Vinyl sent you, and I'm sure they'll give you some sort of discount, and hopefully they'll give me a free Dr. Pepper. Or a picture with Vinyl the Cat. Or both.
Here is a song sample for your listening pleasure:
Say Hi - Maurine
If you want some good humor, read the "un-FAQ" on the Music Saves website. I like this one:
Do you guys have an indie rock section?
Someone actually asked this once after looking around for 20 minutes. We’re not sure what he meant by indie rock. We only have 2 sections: New and Used.
Record Store Day at Music Saves:
Got the official email update from Music Saves with the rundown on their planned offerings for Record Store Day. If you're not on their email list already, sign up now!
RECORD STORE DAY 2009 – FULL(ish) DETAILS
Saturday, April 18, noon-11pm at MUSIC SAVES!
Other places on the street are working on stuff for that day, too, so spend the day on Waterloo! Details TBA!AT MUSIC SAVES:
10% off entire purchase when you come in wearing an indie record store t-shirt
Grab bags of CD mystery – super cheap!
Goody bags for all!
An array of fabulous prizes
Diorama contest!The prize is a $100 gift certificate to MUSIC SAVES! The TEAM will pick the winner! Your diorama must be music themed! Yes, it must be created inside a shoebox! DIORAMA DEADLINE IS 10pm, Thursday, April 16!
(If anyone has spare shoeboxes lying around the house, please drop them off at the store for those who are shoebox-less!)OUT store performances from:
THE VERY KNEES
TROUBLE BOOKS
BRIAN STRAW
(Times TBA)
Here is the list of releases for RSD – the ones we will have. It’s ridonk. Seriously – 52 lines worth of ridonk below.
There will be limited quantities of (almost) everything. We are trying to get enough to go around, but if there is something you can’t live without, you best get here early in the day. Last year, the eager peeps were standing outside our door when we opened. We will not be providing security, beers, or Snuggies® if you want to camp out overnight.
FULL DETAILS OF THIS LIST (or as much as we have to offer) WILL BE POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE EARLY NEXT WEEK!!AKRON FAMILY LIMITED 7”
BLACK KIDS LIMITED 7”
BLITZEN TRAPPER LIMITED 7”
CAMERA OBSCURA LIMITED 7”
LEONARD COHEN LIMITED 7”
COLD WAR KIDS LIMITED Live CD
ELVIS COSTELLO 7”
CURSIVE/LADYFINGER LIMITED 10”
DEAD WEATHER LIMITED 7”
DECEMBERISTS LIMITED 7”
DEPECHE MODE LIMITED 7”
DR.DOG/FLOATING ACTION LIMITED 7”
BOB DYLAN LIMITED 7”
FLAMING LIPS/BLACK KEYS LIMITED 7”
FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS LIMITED 7”
GREEN DAY Dookie LP
GRIZZLY BEAR LIMITED 7”
GUIDED BY VOICES Hold on Hope LIMITED LP
IRON AND WINE LIMITED Live CD
JANE’S ADDICTION LIMITED 7”
JANE’S ADDICTION Nothing’s Shocking & Ritual De Lo.. LPs
JESUS LIZARD LIMITED 7” box set
JENNY LEWIS (with Elvis Costello) LIMITED 7”
LYKKI LI/EL PERRO DEL MAR LIMITED 7”
MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC CO. LIMITED 7”
MC5 LIMITED 7”
METRIC LIMITED 7”
MODEST MOUSE LIMITED 7”
MY MORNING JACKET Live CD/LP
NEW ORDER LIMITED 7”
OBITS LIMITED 7”
PAVEMENT Live in Germany 12”
RADIOHEAD vinyl singles
SILVERSUN PICKUPS LIMITED Pikul 12”
SMITHS LIMITED 7”
SONIC YOUTH/BECK LIMITED 7”
SONIC YOUTH/JAY REATARD LIMITED 7”
CHARLES SPEARIN (Broken Social Scene) 12”
REGINA SPEKTOR Begin to Hope LP
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN LIMITED 7”
STOOGES LIMITED 7”
TALKING HEADS Talking Heads: 77 LP
THERMALS/THAO LIMITED 7”
THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES/RUSSIAN CIRCLES LIMITED 12”
VETIVER LIMITED 7”
TOM WAITS LIMITED Live 7”
WHISKEYTOWN LIMITED 7”
WILCO DVD
YEAH YEAH YEAHS It’s Blitz LP
NEIL YOUNG Live 1968 LP
VARIOUS THRILL JOCKEY Records Toreism LIMITED LP+zines
VARIOUS This LP Crashes Hard Drives Label Comp LIMITED LPWe told you, it’s RIDONK!
Lots of cool stuff on that list, although I'm bummed to hear that the Wilco vinyl reissues have been bumped to June. I guess that makes my day a little bit less expensive - count me in for that there Wilco live DVD!
Speaking of Vinyl:
On the heels of my recent update about the new album from Heaven & Hell (*cough* Black Sabbath *cough*) The Devil You Know, I discovered via the fine folks over at the Steve Hoffman music forums that all of the Dio-era Black Sabbath stuff has been freshly reissued on vinyl. Get your mitts on Heaven & Hell, Mob Rules, Live Evil, and Dehumanizer by clicking on the linkity-links (which benefit your friends here at Addicted to Vinyl) or visit your favorite local retailer.
It's nice to see that they are reasonably priced too, at 17 bucks a pop (Live Evil is 23 bucks, since that's a double disc affair.) Wish that more labels would get the memo on how cool that is!
More more more! A new record (we're talkin' vinyl here!) store for Cleveland!
The following details were also within the info-loaded chock-full-of-musical-nutrients-that-taste-better-than-Spam-from-the-local-7-11 newsletter from Music Saves:
BLUE ARROW RECORDS AND BOOKS OPENS ON MARCH 26, next THURSDAY, at 7pm!
Pete and Debbie, former owners of Renaissance Parlour and partners in This Way Out and damn cool folks, are opening this store right down the street from us, past Shoparooni, cross the side street, and it’s next to Low Life Gallery, in the building with the blue arrow on it!
They’ll feature quality used LPs, 45s, and 78s from the 1950’s to the present, in a range of musical styles. They’ll also have magazines, t-shirts, furniture, and other cool merchandise.
The floor is covered entirely with vintage album covers. IT – IS – AWESOME!
AND they have a stage that will be used for performances and DJ events! DJs will be spinning all day during the Waterloo Arts Fest on June 27th!
We couldn’t be more excited to have these guys join our little Waterloo family, and we hope you’ll show them some love by stopping in sometime soon!
FYI – WATERLOO WILL HAVE A TOTAL OF 3 RECORD STORES WHEN THIS PLACE OPENS! WELCOME TO CLEVELAND’S VINYL DISTRICT!
That's enough for now, right?
Right.
CommentsThe Last Record Store – One More Chance To Dream
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
Music enthusiasts will want to pay special attention to the March issue of GQ Magazine (featuring Justin Timberlake on the cover,) available at your favorite local newstand now.
Inside this month's issue is a very cool story by Dan Kennedy called "The Last Record Store." Kennedy took a trip to the Chicago suburb of Geneva and spent two weeks working behind the counter at local indie retailer Kiss The Sky.
As I stand in the doorway of Kiss the Sky, I’m awash in memories of my first job, eighteen years ago, when I was a record-store clerk in Chico, California, at a place called Sundance Records. I remember that the album Tim by the Replacements took up one-third of a face-out rack. I remember thumbing through copies of the Pixies’ Doolittle, which came on CD and cassette. The cassettes were always in one of those long skinny WEA boxes that you’ll never see again. I used to rip the paper seal open with a key or a ballpoint pen. I remember spending hours memorizing release dates, unboxing, pricing, filing, and displaying CDs on whatever Tuesday they dropped.
Excerpt from "The Last Record Store" by Dan Kennedy - GQ Magazine - March 2009
With Record Store Day right around the corner, Kennedy's piece is well-timed. People that aren't music freaks like us often don't understand our love for the record store. These are the people that cause me to shave a normal two hour visit to my favorite haunt down to a painfully abbreviated 15 minutes to a half-hour, because they're along for the ride. For me, my favorite early record stores like Crow's Nest and Toad Hall were important destinations that bookmarked important moments in my early life. I can remember the albums that I bought there, and the people that were with me when I bought them.
On a return visit to Crow's Nest (in Joliet, IL) prior to its unfortunate closing several years ago, I finally had the chance to share the Crow's Nest experience with my good friend Jon, who was amazed at the vast metropolis of recorded music and musical paraphernalia under one roof. It became a regular part of his Chicago visits, even when I wasn't along for the trip.
Kennedy's piece made me smile when it popped into my inbox late last week. The average person might read the piece and say "can you IMAGINE that?" And actually, having revisited record store employment in the past couple of years, I can completely imagine that.....and let me tell you, it was awesome.
If you've ever wondered what it's like to work in a record store, "The Last Record Store" will fulfill your wish, with a look at essential record store employee knowledge like the science that goes into filing music, and oh yeah, plenty of dirt on the customer service aspect of working in a record store. You think that your haggling over the price of that used Band of Horses CD isn't irritating? Think again...
The GQ piece also features a list (we love lists!) of 20 record stores you should be aware of, including Chicago-based Reckless Records, AKA Music in Philly, and Princeton Record Exchange in Princeton, NJ. Click here to check out the complete list, and check out Kennedy's article in GQ.
What is your favorite record store, past or present?
Must Watch: The World’s Greatest Record Collection
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
Back in February, I was among the many music fans that were following with interest, the story about the mammoth record collection that was on Ebay with a price tag of three million dollars.
What will three million dollars get you?
You'll acquire a modest music collection made up of:
3 million albums.
300,000 CDs.
More than 6 million song titles total.
I'm sure your wife/husband won't have a problem with it, really.
Apparently, it was a problem because as we head towards September, owner Paul Mawhinney's collection remains unsold, which I was not aware of.
I got a message today from filmmaker Sean Dunne, who wrote me to share a very cool film he shot about Mawhinney's collection.
Here's a bit about Sean, in his own words:
Hi, I'm Sean Dunne. I'm 27 and I live in Brooklyn, NY. I'm kind of just a punker at heart. But not in like a "I love satan and hate my Mom" type way. I like songs about girls and food. So yeah, I just always liked vinyl and preferred it over CD's. I really like the way it sounds and looks and I love searching and finding the stuff I like.
Recently I was in the Pittsburgh area and I visited the famed Record Rama Sound Archive. The place is simply amazing, Paul Mawhinney has a ridiculous collection that would blow any record collectors mind.
Anyway, I made a little short film about his collection. At first the film was just meant to be about an obsessive collector but in the process of interviewing him I feel it kind of became a film about the fall of the music industry as a whole. Pretty interesting.
I make TV promos to pay the bills and finance these little docs. I am really interested in telling people's stories. When I was growing up I always liked Erroll Morris' films and I wished that I could make films like him one day. I have made a bunch of these short docs. They are fun. Hopefully someday someone will pay me to make them and I can do this full time. I have some interesting projects coming up but they are top secret. Great stories.
The Archive from Sean Dunne on Vimeo.
The above video makes me want to jump in the car right now and drive to Pittsburgh!
Thanks Sean, for capturing and sharing these great moments on film!
Visit Paul Mawhinney's website with complete information on his collection, right here.
Visit Sean Dunne's website here.
Comments