Riverside, CA | Mad Platter Record Store Is No More, but Vinyl Lives On: It didn’t take long to spot. On the second day of his freshman year at the University of California, Riverside, Wolfgang Mowrey perused the list of local hangouts provided during new student orientation. As luck would have it, there was an independent record store called Mad Platter in University Village, just a block from campus. “I remember just being blown away by that kind of place existing so close to me,” said Mowrey, who was always looking for new music as a part of his job with KUCR radio. The record store in his nearby hometown leaned heavily toward punk rock — not his preferred genre — and he loved Mad Platter’s deep, diverse selection within its bright, poster-clad walls. “You see it in films and media, but you never really dream of being able to go there yourself, or at least I hadn’t. To be able to be present there felt so special.” He didn’t buy a record on his first visit, but that wouldn’t last.
Mankato, MN | Tuned in: Downtown record store thrives: If it wasn’t for an MTV contest nearly 30 years ago, Tune Town in Mankato may never have come to fruition. Owner Carl Nordmeier had been working in the music department at the Lake Street Target in Minneapolis in the early ‘90s when an option to transfer to Mankato was on the table. But when he moved into an apartment near Minnesota State University, that job fell through. Nordmeier’s other source of revenue, as a weekend DJ, wasn’t enough to cover the bills. Frustrated with the corporate nature of Target’s music department, he had already started to consider opening his own music store when he was still living in the Twin Cities. But it wasn’t until he entered an MTV-sponsored contest to win a record store that the plan really started to take hold. “I said, ‘If I don’t win this, I’m going to move back home with Mom and Dad in Morristown, save up money and open my own record store,’” he said.
Poughkeepsie, NY | Covid temporarily closes Darkside Records: Here it is December of 2020. It’s the time of the year when everybody should be out and about doing their holiday shopping and celebrating with their friends and families. But, thanks to a pesky global pandemic, more and more businesses have been shutting their doors for one reason or another. Sometimes they’re forced to by the government to close down, sometimes it’s because they just can’t financially afford to stay open anymore, and lately many businesses have closed temporarily for the safety of their staff and customers. Such is the case with Darkside records on Dutchess Turnpike in Poughkeepsie. At what should be the busiest time of the year for this popular independent record store, they’re shutting down for a few days. According to their facebook post, Darkside Records has had an employee test positive for coronavirus, so they’ve made the wise decision to close their doors for a few days to have the store professionally cleaned and sanitized. A decision that will help to keep their customers and employees safe.
Japan Album, Quiet Life, To Be Reissued In 3CD/1LP Box Remastered: Late ’70s English New Wave was added to with the arrival of Japan. This band featured David Sylvian, who changed the band to Rain Tree Crow before its demise back in 1991. Before they left for other fields, Japan issued five classic studio sets and one as Rain Tree Crow (for six). A handful of successful singles furthers the legacy of Japan. On January 22 of 2021, the third album from Japan, Quiet Life, originally issued in 1979, will be remembered with a 3CD/1LP Boxed set. The music will be half-speed remastered. The first CD contains the original album remastered as does the heavy-grade vinyl LP. CDs 2/3 contain a collection of alternative mixes, rarities, the remastered Live In Japan 4-track EP, and the rare Live At Budokan 16-performance track se from a March 1980 show. (Live in Japan was the cherry-pick of that live performance.) There will be a single CD issue of Quiet Life along with a 12-page booklet, and a single LP (heavyweight vinyl/gatefold jacket) with a four-page insert. DD will also be issued. All will feature photos, new liner notes, and more.
Detroit, MI | You can now play ‘Record Packer,’ an old-school video game designed by Detroit techno DJ Omar S: Detroit techno DJ Omar S released new music while also showing his love for old-school arcade games. You can listen to new tracks by the DJ in Record Packer, an 8-bit-style video game released Thursday as part Omar S: Conant Gardens Party Store, a multimedia exhibition now on display at Red Bull Arts Detroit. Based on Tapper, a 1983 game sponsored by Budweiser where you play as a bartender serving drinks to customers, in Record Packer you play as Omar S, packing and shipping records while running his label, FXHE. According to Red Bull Arts Detroit: With Record Packer, Omar S draws attention to the unseen logistics crucial to running a successful independent label — the laborious reality of packing and shipping records. Players must pack and tape boxes before moving them onto a pallet for shipping. If the player over-tapes the box or takes too long to finish packing more than twice, their turn ends and they must start over. Set within an expanded FXHE warehouse, the game serves as the third and final interpretation of the Conant Gardens Party Store within Red Bull Arts Detroit’s exhibition.
