Dundee, UK | Owner of iconic Dundee music store Groucho’s dies: News of Groucho’s owner Alastair ‘Breeks’ Brodie’s death emerged on Wednesday morning. The store, which Mr Brodie opened aged 22, has been housed at the Nethergate for 19 years, having moved various times since it first opened on Perth Road in 1976. A statement on the hugely popular music store’s Facebook page said: “It is with a very heavy heart and much sadness that we have to announce the passing of Alastair or Breeks as many will know him. “As the co-founder then sole proprietor of Groucho’s Record Store since 1976, he has been a mainstay of both the independent retailers of Dundee and more importantly the music scene in the city. “There are few people who can say they have never been in to Groucho’s, nevertheless there are generations of Dundonians, fans and musicians who have enjoyed a real music retail experience in one of Dundee’s best loved shops all thanks to the genuine love of music with which Breeks filled the shop.
Joplin, MO | 4-State Record Show comes to Joplin this weekend: Whether you’re new to the world of vinyl, or a fan of it from years past, an upcoming event may peak your interest. Joplin will be the site of the 4-State Record Show. The event will feature lPs from current acts as well and those from the time before digital music. Visitors will have the chance of buy, sell or swap records, CDs, cassettes and maybe even some eight track tapes with vendors from all over the Four State area. “If they want to do some kind of trading, maybe they have something that’s collectable that someone else is looking for that maybe another vendor maybe want, but most time people just coming there just come to buy.” The 4-State Record Show will take place this Saturday, August 3rd, from 9 am to 4 pm at the Jack Lawton Webb Convention Center on Range Line in Joplin. Admission is $5 for adults. Kids 12 and under get in free.
Folson, CA | ‘Farewell Concert’ this weekend at Dimple Records: The record store promises more discounted merchandise, food trucks and live music from a variety of genres. Dimple Records isn’t going without a final song. This week the store announced on Facebook that it will host a “farewell concert” at the location in Folsom on Saturday, Aug. 3. The record store promises more discounted merchandise, food trucks and live music from a variety of genres. Seating will be limited, so attendees are welcome to bring their own chairs. Dimple Records store owners John and Dilyn Radakovitz announced their retirement in June. The couple’s son, Andrew Radakovitz, said business has been negatively impacted in recent years by a number of factors, including “some difficulties in regulations, minimum wage.” The Greater Sacramento Area chain of independent record stores has been selling music, movies, collectibles and more for 45 years.
The comeback of cassettes: We’re all suckers for nostalgia, but this one took us by surprise. The cassette tape is the most unlikely comeback of the 21st century, with sales hitting a 15-year high. Spurred on by the vinyl revival, it seems music fans are returning to the humble cassette – but is it really cool to spool once again, or is this one fad too far? I remember the hiss fondly. Don’t we all, but let’s not get carried away. Do you also remember the joy of pulling a chewed-up cassette out of your tape deck? Not to mention its habit of jamming, chewing up your beloved album in the process, and the inability to raise the volume above a certain level before abandoning any notion of sound quality. If video killed the radio star, what finished off cassettes?
The World’s First Bluetooth 5.0 Cassette Tape Player Is Coming Soon: What’s old is new again! Everyone loves a nice throwback, and that’s exactly what IT’S OK is. The new device is a Bluetooth-compatible cassette player. If you miss the days of Sony’s Walkman, then you’re going to love this thing! Is it necessary to blend an old and dated technology with the latest wireless standard? Absolutely not, but it most definitely is cool and interesting! While people might not look back at cassette tapes with the same rose-colored glasses as they do with vinyl records, there are definitely people out there who are nostalgic for the sound of tapes, and this device aims to fill that niche. The wireless tape player features Bluetooth 5.0 technology, so while it might be using an old-school form of media, it features the latest Bluetooth standard and all of the features and benefits that it offers. It can connect to a pair of Bluetooth headphones or a speaker, making it a pretty versatile device (assuming you still have some tapes sitting around to listen to).
Joseph Quartana and Mute to Launch 4’33” Candles: The Six Scents founder developed scented candles inspired by John Cage’s 4’33” to launch with record label Mute’s Stumm433 vinyl box set. What does silence smell like? Joseph Quartana of Six Scents took the challenge when developing 4’33” for record label Mute’s Stumm433 vinyl box set, the latest installment in the Mute 4.0 (1978 > Tomorrow) series. The candle 4’33,” pronounced Four minutes, thirty-three seconds, or Four thirty-three, is Quartana’s interpretation of John Cage’s silent 4’33″ composition. The score of Cage’s composition, which premiered in 1952, instructs the performer or performers to not play their instruments. Developed in collaboration with nose Marcela Olalde de Castillo, the candle is made with bergamot, black pepper and pimento oil accords, with main notes ozone, salt, musk and cedarwood. He chose the ingredients ozone and musk to reflect “the creative flash of a performance” and “the human element of the performer,” respectively. The candle is available for preorder and releases on Oct. 4 with purchase of the Stumm433 box set.
Marquette, MI | Thousands of records for sale at the Ore Dock Brewing Company: The NMU Vinyl Club and the Ore Dock Brewing Company are hosting another vinyl record sale August 1 through 4. Jon Teichman from the NMU Vinyl Club says there will once again be thousands of records, 45s, cassette tapes, and CDs up for sale along with t-shirts, posters, and more swag. The theme for this show is psychedelic 60s. The vinyl record show begins Thursday, Aug. 1 at 4 p.m. and runs through Sunday, Aug. 4 until the Ore Dock closes.
Mott The Hoople’s Early Albums Head For 180 Gram Vinyl Reissue: The four albums are the band’s 1969 self-titled debut set, the 1970 follow-up ‘Mad Shadows’ and their two studio sets of 1971, ‘Wildlife’ and ‘Brain Capers.’ The quartet of formative albums released by seminal British rock band Mott The Hoople on Island Records in the UK, between 1969 and 1971, are to be reissued as 180 gram vinyl editions. UMC will release the titles, for the world ex-US, on 13 September. The four albums are the band’s 1969 self-titled debut set, the 1970 follow-up Mad Shadows and the two studio sets they released in 1971, Wildlife and Brain Capers. The 180 gram vinyl has been cut from the Andy Pearce masters that were used for the widely-acclaimed box set The Mental Train. With painstaking attention to detail, the artwork reproduces the original sleeves, even down to the free eye mask that was included with Brain Capers. Mott The Hoople have an inarguable place as one of the most influential and innovative British rock bands of the early 1970s.
