Minneapolis, MN | The Electric Fetus: A Store that (Rocked and) Rolled with an Industry’s (Ebb and) Flow: Minneapolis record store Electric Fetus is celebrating its 50th anniversary. It’s a significant milestone for a store that in the five decades since it was founded in 1968 has become iconic, even beyond its Minnesota roots. Eric Foss, owner of Minneapolis record label Secret Stash Records – which has worked with the Fetus to release Stash-produced reissues of old records and local artist original records – believes it’s the most recognized record store of the Twin Cities. “We’re blessed to have a bunch of great shops in town but if you talk to shop owners, other labels [all over the world], Fetus is the one that comes up first in conversation pretty much 100 percent of the time,” said Foss. “It’s part of the social fabric… the identity of the town.”
Kamloops, British Columbia | In Focus: Rónan McGrath. Meet Rónan, he has been a resident of Kamloops since 2007. Rónan owns a record store called Barnacle Records, stop by his office to jam to some great tunes and say hi! “Like many other independent promoters/ events coordinators, I only occasionally end up even covering costs after paying artists if I am putting on shows so that really plays out like volunteerism. I certainly hope and like to think that the net effect is a benefit to the community – hard to say with certainty though. We annually donate a lot of vinyl we can’t sell at Barnacle to non-profits…
Hutchinson, KS | For the Record: Many of us remember the physical experience of browsing through and purchasing records. Flipping through albums at the store, you lift one out of the rack, looking at the cover art. Album art is a genre in itself. The exposure artists receive through music is remarkable. The anticipation of opening the plastic and sliding the precious record out of the sleeve for its first listen on your turntable at home. The sound of the needle touching the record as it begins to play. If you miss this at all, you should know that record collecting and listening is still alive and thriving, especially here in Hutchinson. You can begin your journey to reliving the vinyl life at a unique event called Vinyl Night on Monday, June 11, at the Rusty Needle, 1808 N Plum St. From 7 to 10 p.m., you can listen to various records being played on a turntable.
Brooklyn, NY | The ‘Punk Rock’ Comic Book Shop: Sam Baldwin stood silently beneath the chandelier of cut-out magazine covers in Desert Island, a consignment-based comic book store on Metropolitan Avenue, his arms heavy with a stack of publications. A screen printer and artist from London, Mr. Baldwin studied the books’ illustrations meticulously, his eyes widening with each page turn. “I can buy this on eBay,” said Mr. Baldwin, 28, holding a graphic novel by Daniel Clowes. “But there’s something about when you flick through the drawer, and you’re like, ‘It’s there!’” Experimental and underground artistry is the norm at Desert Island. Look through the Williamsburg store’s plywood shelves and you’ll find glossy paperbacks as well as photocopied-and-stapled booklets with a D.I.Y. aesthetic.
Why Vinyl? The Reason Record Collectors Collect: According to the BPI (British Phonographic Industry), in 2017, sales of vinyl records hit their highest level since 1991, with over 4 million vinyl albums sold in the UK. As Record Store Day 2018 came around, I took to the streets of London to interview those queuing to hear the long and short of their long-play passion. While the demographic of the typical collectible is likely to be middle-aged, surely some of the resurgence in record sales owes much to younger generations who, with an almost infinite array of recordings at their disposal through streaming services, have sought connection with the physical format? Limited edition over limitless; the crackle over the click.
