Author Archives: TVD HQ

Jack White Is Releasing An Exclusive Vinyl Record That You Can Only Get By Buying Detroit Tigers Tickets: There are two things in this world that Jack White seems to love above everything else: vinyl records and baseball. Thus it was only a matter of time that he found a way to bring those two oldest America traditions together in some way shape or form. Today, the Third Man Record boss announced that he was going to release a brand new single from a group called the Dugouts titled “Strike Out.” The only catch? If you want to own a copy of the seven-inch vinyl, you have to first buy this exclusive Detroit Tigers ticket package.

Record store Antikka—The Vinyl Cafe to open on Queen West: There will soon be another place to buy vinyl along Queen West when Antikka – The Vinyl Cafe opens in mid-September. Located at 960 Queen West next to Oliver Spencer and Fred Perry, the combination coffee/record shop will offer rock, blues and jazz bin-flipping plus an old Armenian tradition of making coffee over hot sand (apparently the first of its kind in Toronto). According to owner Razmik Tchakmak, a record collector and session musician, Antikka will also feature live music on the patio starting next summer. “I have visions of Antikka becoming a hub for all sorts of artists across the Toronto area,” he says.

Iconic Hollywood record store Amoeba Music could be forced to move: Last year, Amoeba confirmed that their current premises had been sold back in October 2015 for $34 million, but said that “the building owner [sic] are open to us potentially staying longer.” These new proposals suggest that GPI are now looking to move forward with their plans for the site. The above proposals will still require approval from the city before anything is confirmed. According to the proposals, demolition would take place in mid-2019, with the building’s completion aimed for 2021. Since opening in 2001, Amoeba Music Hollywood, which covers 24,000 square feet, has become a mecca for crate-diggers. The store has two other locations in California and all three are renowned for their rarities.

World’s smallest record store is in Batchawana Bay: It’s called Oosik Records — ‘Oosik’ is the Inuit word for the bone in a walrus’ penis. The shop is an old, formerly-refrigerated meat trailer on the side of the Trans Canada Highway, about 70 km north of Sault Ste. Marie. Batchawana Bay’s Al Bjornaa started the shop in June 2017 after his uncle gave him the trailer, which now sits in his front yard. The tiny trailer is stacked from floor to ceiling with around 1,000 records, 500 tapes, 8-tracks, books, art work, old record and cassette players, stickers, patches, and other odds and ends. “We’re not a normal business,” said Bjornaa. “We’re basically open all the time.”

A new record pressing plant has opened on an island in Canada: Kaneshii Vinyl Press has launched operations on Eastern Canada’s Prince Edward Island, reports A Journal of Musical Things. Kaneshii is the latest in a series of plants opening around the country over the past year, following Microforum in Toronto and Precision Record Pressing in Burlington. Like Microforum, Kaneshii will use machines from Viryl Technologies, known for creating the world’s first fully automated pressing machines. The factory will solely press 12”s initially before expanding to 10” and 7” production later in the year.

The Wall Street Journal Accused of Fabricating Info to Support Its Anti-Vinyl Articles: Despite growing consumer interest in vinyl, not everyone likes the format. Take Wall Street Journal’s Neil Shah, for example. He’s written two mostly negative pieces on the surge of vinyl. However, according to Analog Planet, the notably cynical writer may have fabricated quotes and made up facts to support his position against the format…Enter Analog Planet’s Michael Fremer, who investigated Shah’s claims. As Fremer points out, the facts contradict his statement. Analyzing Shah’s piece, Fremer discovered that Shah created a “phony narrative” with completely incorrect information.

Rough Trade to open store in Bristol: Rough Trade are opening a fourth store in Bristol as part of its plans to expand. The chain, which currently operates three record shops in London and Nottingham, will open its latest in a premises currently housing Rise, with which Rough Trade have previously entered a partnership. The new store will keep up the tradition of Rough Trade shops having performance spaces alongside a café and bar. A statement from Rise read: “Rise Bristol is closing the current chapter on its inspiring history, whilst making plans for the opening of an exciting new one… Rough Trade, the legendary independent music retailer, joined forces with Rise a few years ago and together will open an impressive new Rough Trade in Bristol – featuring a café, bar and incredible live music space…”

Forget the vinyl comeback. See a house stuffed with antique phonographs. Brian Gorrell spent most of his career teaching music to children, including directing the Henry Clay High School Band in the 1970s. But for the past two decades, he has sold, repaired and collected their ancestors’ mechanical music machines. The basement and garage of Gorrell’s home in Lexington is filled with about 200 acoustic phonographs dating from the 1890s through the 1920s. He also has a nickelodeon, a roller organ and other pre-phonograph music boxes.

Indy Label & Main St Mainstay, Kiam Records: For music obsessives, the idea of owning an independent record store rarely develops beyond a pipe dream. The realities of small business ownership deter most. But for singer-songwriter Jennifer O’Connor, the idea never lost its appeal. Three years after cofounding Kiam Records Shop on Main Street alongside her wife, musician Amy Bezunartea, O’Connor continues to approach the venture as something new and exciting. “Since I was a little kid, I’ve been a music obsessive,” O’Connor told Nyack News and Views. “So the store was always something I’ve played around with in the back of my mind.”

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Vancouver’s Terry Currier, Music Millennium owner, honored by city of Portland: Very few things are more “Portland” than Music Millennium. Since 1969, when it first roosted at East 32nd Avenue and Burnside Street, the stalwart record store has played an outsized role in the regional music scene. And its owner, Terry Currier, does little to challenge the idea of what kind of man owns a music lover’s mecca. His office floor is covered with vinyl records and CDs. Music from a stereo carpets the conversations there. The 62-year-old, with a curly mop of hair and a short-bristled ‘stache, looks like a throwback. He speaks with an aloofness of an accomplished rocker. Even his computer, an old block of beige plastic, somehow makes him more rock ‘n’ roll.

Plans to demolish LA’s Amoeba Records appear to be accelerating: Hollywood record store Amoeba is at risk of being demolished within the next two years , according to new planning documents released yesterday, reports Curbed LA. The development plans are the latest update in an ongoing battle to decimate the store’s building site at 6400 Sunset Blvd and turn it into a glass skyscraper with rooftop pool. Amoeba Music, which first launched as a store in Berkeley in 1990 and has been at its LA location since 2001, already reassured patrons last year via their social media that they plan on remaining a fixture of the community: “we are going to remain in our building for the duration of our lease – which is several years… We are committed to staying in Hollywood and appreciate your concern and support.”

Adam Savage Takes a Tour of Jack White’s Third Man Records Vinyl Pressing Plant In Detroit: Adam Savage of Tested visited with the amazing Jack White before taking an exciting tour of his Third Man Records storefront and new vinyl pressing plant in Detroit, Michigan. In a truly immersive tour, Adam records his “Brain Candy” song and then follows his record’s eventual process from lathe to cellophane. Bonus: Adam also chats with Jack White about how recording this way impacts the creative process!

Triumph celebrates rock ‘n’ roll heritage with special edition vinyl and turntable: Iconic British motorcycle manufacturer, Triumph, has created its own vinyl record and turntable, inspired by the rock ‘n’ roll heritage of its street range of bikes. The record deck, made in conjunction with legendary British maker, Rega, takes its inspiration directly from the Street Cup model, which is a modern-day street racer harking back to the café racer machines of the 1960s…The vinyl album has been pressed by Triumph music partner Flying Vinyl and is entitled ‘Racing the Record’. This title is a nod to the original 1960s café racer practice of selecting a record on a café’s jukebox and racing to a predetermined point and back before the song ended.

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World-famous store Rough Trade is coming to Bristol to replace much-loved independent shop after 8 years: One of Bristol’s most popular independent record stores has announced that it is closing its doors after eight years. But it’s not all bad news for the city’s music fans as Bristol has been chosen as the place for a brand new Rough Trade record store. Rise Records opened on Queens Road in 2009 but it will close at the end of the summer, along with the Friska cafe on the ground floor. The two-storey Clifton building has been bought by award-winning cocktail bar The Alchemist. Friska is relocating to Park Street and Rise Records will be absorbed by Rough Trade, which is opening a huge new site in Nelson Street, close to Broadmead.

Turntable sales reach $98 million in the US, with cheap faux-vintage decks coming out on top: Turntable sales between February 2016 – February 2017 have hit the $98 million mark in the USA, reports NPD Group. Innovative Technology Electronics who own Victrola took top honours, followed by Crosley Radio. Though the report didn’t detail the sales breakdown of turntable models, both companies primarily sell cheap all-in-one record players in a suitcase, which have speakers built in and unspeakable cartridge tracking force that can ruin your records.

First Look at The Vinyl Room Bar and Record Store: A new craft beer bar and record store is about to open in the Village of Wappingers Falls and we have your very first look. Owner John Kihlmire says the Vinyl Room is unlike anything the Hudson Valley has ever seen. This one-of-a-kind store will allow its customers to spend your time flipping through vintage record albums and playing classic arcade games while enjoying craft beer and wine. This unique business has been under construction on East Main St. in the Village of Wappingers for the past few months and is now almost set to open. Kihlmire says The Vinyl Room will probably be open later this month. Doors will open from noon until the evening every day of the week except for Mondays.

Give me the B side!: …Sometimes I liked the so-called B-side better than the A-side. I still remember playing The Beatles’ first huge American hit “I Want to Hold Your Hand” — a pleasant enough song and the only song I’d heard from The Beatles at the time. Then, I flipped the record over and wow! I heard Paul McCartney’s soulful Little Richard imitation on “I Saw Her Standing There,” with George Harrison’s rocking guitar solo and Ringo Starr providing the bouncing backbeat at which he was so adept. John Lennon’s voice harmonized with McCartney’s on parts of the song with an Everly Brothers-type blend.

Massive vinyl records sale has music from ABBA to ZZ Top: More than 25,000 vinyl records will be available to collectors and music lovers at the Sunshine Coast Record Fair on Sunday, August 13. Wax Buildup’s Mark Grounds will host his 17th record fair on the Coast at Buddina State School Hall, near Kawana Shoppingworld’s Coles (northern) entrance, from 9am-3pm. He said stallholders from as far away as Sydney would be bringing about 40 tables full of music on vinyl and CDs for sale from as little as $1 each. Music featured is anything and everything from ABBA to ZZ Top and every genre.

Iowa music store sees success with popularity of vinyl: Weird Harold’s in Burlington has been selling music since 1972, and a good portion of that has been classic rock from the 1960s. “We would have bands come into the store and take pictures and sign autographs, but you don’t see a lot of that anymore,” said Weird Harold’s owner Danny Bessine. Ironically enough, Bessine, 69, didn’t listen to a lot of music during the 1960s. He was in high school at the time, and had a lot of other things on his mind. But music is unavoidable at any age, and he remembers the soundtrack to his teenage life.

Grant Smithies opens record shop in the Free House beer garden: A record shop has sprung up in the unlikely setting of a Nelson beer garden. Avid vinyl collector Grant Smithies has opened Family Jewels Records with his wife, artist Josephine Cachemaille, in the Free House beer garden. He said Family Jewels Records was “possibly the only record shop in the world that’s in a beer garden”. Free House owner Eelco Boswijk had used the small garden office, but readily agreed with Smithies’ idea of turning it into a record store. Smithies has held regular vinyl fairs at the Free House. But he reckoned the city was “desperate” for a record store after Everyman Records closed down three years ago.

Weathering a sea change in industry, Yep Roc Records marks 15 years: “Back in 2000, something like the Tift Merritt record we just put out would have us focused on chain stores for CD sales through traditional publicity and radio,” he said. “We still do that. But now there’s also satellite radio, Pandora, digital downloads for single songs, album downloads, streaming, artist-direct sales at venues, artist-direct sales from their website, label-direct sales from our website, vinyl. There’s more to keep track of. But it all adds up to a healthy music business where we hope to give consumers the choices they want. That’s the goal.”

Q&A with Plan 9 Music’s owner: “Our love of music and various music-related backgrounds drove us to seek work in a record store….Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, folks used to shop as a way to spend time, as well as their money. The act of shopping was a pursuit in itself. Nowadays, consumers are definitely more prudent in their spending as lifestyles, tastes and technologies have changed. We got into record selling during the early to mid-1980s right at the end of vinyl production and the dawn of the compact disc. Now here we are again, back to selling LP vinyl records. Only in this business can change also be a reversion!”

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