Our good pal and fellow vinyl hoarder’s office is featured in this weekend’s Washington Post Magazine in their Second Glance feature. JC’s office has been captured on film by Dave Kennedy, yet another pal of this here blog.
Can you spot the twelve differences in the two photos above and below? To see larger images and uncover the differences, click right hea’.
OK, gotta dash—I’m needed at the BBQ pit…
(Hey, c’mon…I nicked the cover from their promo art…)
From the news release: Radio CPR is having its second annual Record Sale! Our selection is bigger and even more AWESOME than last year. We hope you can make it out, and guarantee you’ll find some gems for your collection.
Lovely local crafters Bookish Lady, Kristina Bilonick, and KikaPika Designs will also be present, featuring: Bookish Lady posters, journals, and paper ephemera, Screen printed shirts, Posters, Jewelry, Tons of hotness, Cooookies!
Date: Saturday, May 30th
Time: 3pm-7pm
Location: La Casa – 3166 Mt. Pleasant St. NW, between Kenyon and Kilbourne.
Accessible via: H2, H4, H8, 42, S2, S4, 52, 54, DC Circulator (runs every 10 mins!), and Columbia Heights Metro.
Radio CPR was founded by a group of residents of Mount Pleasant and Columbia Heights to provide an outlet for the voices, stories, music and opinions that so often get excluded from mainstream forums of communication. CPR opens a space that resists corporate control of the airwaves providing the opportunity for more residents to participate in discussions about the issues that impact their city and their neighborhoods.
A Camp, the (semi) new project from Nina Persson of the Cardigans, Nathan Larson from DC’s own Shudder to Think, and Niclas Frisk of Atomic Swing bring their dreamy pop sensibilities to the 9:30 Club this Thursday night and TVD’s got a pair of tickets to put in your dreamy, sensible hands.
Now, recite along with me: grab our attention in the comments below (with your contact info!) singing the praises of the woodsy, melancholic, tunesmiths in A Camp, and the pair of tickets for the evening’s bonfire just may be yours. We’ll choose one winner on Thursday morning so make ’em fast and make ’em …smashing.
A Camp – Love Has Left the Room (Mp3)
You might remember Those Darlins from our Ticket Giveaway contest a few weeks back. We’ve been enjoying the hell out of their music ever since, so a First Date seemed to be in order.
We also offered them the Parting Shots feature that closes out each week here at TVD—but, wouldn’t you know it—the Darlins simply don’t listen to, nor do they have any Mp3’s to share for the feature.
And we love ’em even more for it.
“Between all the members of the band (we all live together), we have four record players in our house. One in each bedroom and one in the living room, for community listening. Our house is littered with vinyl, from one end to the other.
To us, there is no other equivalent form of media. The most obvious reason would be the sound quality… You just can’t get digital to sound like that. It’s like the difference between tube amps and solid state. But even further than that, I love the act of pulling the vinyl from the sleeve, setting it on the turntable, lifting the needle, and placing it down on the grooves. It’s the most interactive form of music listening, almost ritualistic… as if you have the power to control the sounds that come from that spinning masterpiece. The grooves in the disc are like a secret map of music from the past. And you just can’t get the same thing out of a cd cover as you can vinyl covers. The images are profoundly unforgettable at that size, and the details pop out. I would’ve never been able to see Pete’s scabbed up fingers on the cover of Who Sell Out if I hadn’t have seen the vinyl cover. Although they do take up more room than cd’s and mp3’s… They mean much more to me. You wont find me leaving my records on the floor to step on and crack, or putting more than one record in each sleeve, scratching them all to hell (like most of my cd’s ended up). There is something so special about collecting records… because you can’t just get your friends to burn it for you. You can’t just go find any record at any record store, or download it instantly. No, it’s boxes and dusty boxes at a yard sale, looking for that gem you know is in there. And for 50 cents too! It’s an endless treasure hunt, and the rewards are sonic bliss.
We are releasing our album two weeks earlier on vinyl than on CD. In part, so folks will hopefully be compelled to buy vinyl but also to show love to indie retail who are the folks who will be carrying our vinyl. Also, our vinyl packaging includes a CD inside so that folks can listen to it as soon as they leave the record store and get in their car.”
Those Darlins – Wild One (Mp3)
Those Darlins – Tom Dooley (Mp3)
If you thought Record Store Day was going to be a once a year endeavor, well…think again.
“Record Store Day Presents Vinyl Saturday” arrives on June 20th.
Vinyl Saturday will take place the third Saturday of each month and will offer music fans special vinyl releases that are limited and exclusive, along with highlighting non-exclusive but new vinyl releases and reissues.
The first Record Store Day Presents Vinyl Saturday will be on Saturday, June 20th and will feature a special Green Day 7″ single that is limited to 4000 total being made. Each single is numbered. The 7″ single will feature two tracks. Side A is “Know Your Enemy” and Side B is “Hearts Collide” (a previously unreleased track.)
Vinyl Saturday will also see the release of a new limited edition Pete Yorn 7″ single and it will feature a duet with Scarlett Johansson and an unreleased demo track.
The next Record Store Day Presents Vinyl Saturday will take place on Saturday, July 18th. Keep checking back to TVD as we’ll highlight forthcoming Vinyl Saturday releases as they’re made known.
First off: ‘GFE.’
Last Saturday I stood smack in the center of what was Orpheus Records in Arlington, Virginia. I say ‘WAS’ because Orpheus is no more. Despite the continual delays on the landlord’s part and the many reprieves the store was granted and the life-extensions, push came to shove, the bins were sold, and that was that.
Honestly, you wouldn’t have recognized the interior at all. As I mentioned, the bins were gone from the center and outer isles, replaced with cardboard boxes on the floor along the walled perimeter which held what was left of the many thousands of LPs Orpheus once housed. The outlines of the relocated bins hung heavy on the outer walls, absences having shapes of course.
Even then I found something of merit in the dusty boxes—a sealed, albeit corner-cut copy of The Replacements’ ‘Stink’ which is selling for mad money these days on ebay.
One thing remained housed inside the shell of Orpheus on Saturday however—the spirit of community. The well-wishers staggered in alongside folks STILL just dropping off records for Rick to resell, never mind he was closing for good in three hours. I even scored a free Orpheus tee shirt in the waning hours of the store’s life. (And it most certainly wasn’t a black tee either. Blue. Dark blue.)
If I could be granted the largesse, I’d like to think some of that spirit resides here at TVD in some tangible fashion. Whether you check in once a week or once a day, I hope on some tiny level we can touch the essence of community that existed not just at Orpheus, not just among DC’s brick and mortar shops, but worldwide. Where you can pony up to the register and ask the cashier what’s new and good or what’s old and warrants a fresh ear.
In its infancy, this blog’s meat and potatoes consisted of plundering the old new wave and post punk vinyl and posting the rare and not so rare—the rare eventually becoming a tiny calling card. This week we’ll get back to some of that along with the spirit of community that brings us together for the one minute and twenty seconds (on average) we spend together each day.
All GFE-like.
Stanley Frank – S’cool Days (Mp3)
The Gorillas – Gatecrasher (Mp3)
The Boys – I Don’t Care (Mp3)
The Banned – Little Girl (Mp3)
Radiators from Space – TV Screen (Mp3)
“When you blog through a storm hold your head up hiiigh…”
It’s about that time, right? Exhausted and leaden with fatigue, Jerry would slump over the podium and croak this standard out and confetti would fly.
And then just like that—The Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon would usher out Summer and thrust us right back into the school year. (At least, that’s how it happened in New Jersey.)
But at the culmination of TVD’s Telethon in which we hope to attract new writers to the blog, Summer’s just beginning.
Sort of appropriate, don’tcha think?
Our operators are standing by.
Now, please welcome to the stage:
The Rolling Stones – Brown Sugar (Mp3)
The Rolling Stones – Jumping Jack Flash (Mp3)
The Rolling Stones – Satisfaction (Mp3)
The Rolling Stones – Moonlight Mile (Mp3)
The Rolling Stones – Bitch (Mp3)
The Rolling Stones – Paint It Black (Mp3)
Now let’s welcome to the TVD Writers Telethon Stage an up-and-coming band out of Canada, The Rest, whose new release ‘All At Once’ is now out on Auteur Recordings. We chatted with front man Adam Bentley earlier in the week, so how about we roll that tape first…
(Yea, I’m literally channeling Jerry Lewis at this point.)
“My first clear memory of being enthralled with vinyl records revolves around an early obsession with The Beatles when I was 6 years old. My obsession began with a radio program called the “Beatles Brunch”, which was hosted by a famous Canadian DJ by the name Don Daynard. I would religiously wake up every Sunday to listen to the show. I began my ritual by putting on my Dad’s old, coiled, huge muffed headphones (that I still use) and then would spend the next hour in a state of pure joy.
Shortly after, I found that we had The Beatles on vinyl, and that I could play them as much I liked without waiting for the show. Now, I don’t want you to get the idea that the concept of recorded music was something new to me; it wasn’t, as cassettes had been quite prevalent in our house, and the record player was in constant use, but for me their wasn’t much of a reason to use these mediums, that is until I couldn’t get enough of The Beatles.
Shortly after finding these records I began to take them up to my room where I scrawled my grade-one insignia, “Adam B” across every sleeve. This was done to establish that these albums belonged to “Adam B” and not “Adam K” who was in the same grade. I then played them on my fisher price record player until I knew every word. Now I could sing along to every track, how awesome! I then recorded (what I guess could be considered my first album) on my fisher price tape recorder. This recording consisted of me singing along to my favourite Beatles songs with John, Paul, George, and sometimes-even Ringo giving me back up.
Now here comes the part that I still find a little strange; instead of showing my friends The Beatles version of the songs I would show my own. I desperately wanted everyone to love The Beatles as much as I did, but I wanted them to experience them the same way I had. I guess that this is still a desire of most people have, as we want to have our favourite artist heard or viewed in a way similar to how we became familiar with them, to make sure people come away with the same feelings we initially had.
I tried to transfer my moments by having my friends hear my recordings of myself singing The Beatles—I guess this was my favourite way that I experience them, and had no idea that the events leading up to that experience would be needed by the other individuals to feel my same joy. This was why all of my friends didn’t like The Beatles the same way I did, my six-year-old voice confused many a child about how they felt about The Beatles. I kept recording though, even with the disinterest of my peers, until I finished off the tape with an original song called “Going To Atlanta Georgia”, written because I was going there. Even one of my friends, Paul Koehler (look him up), got involved. The tape was sent off to Paul McCartney for evaluation, but I never heard back from him.
Mr. McCartney I want my tape back.”
The Rest – Drinking Again (Mp3)
The Rest – Blossom Babies Part Two (Mp3)
The Rest – Everything All at Once (Mp3)
Almost 48 hours into the TVD Writers Telethon, the sleep depravation is finally kicking in. How does Jerry Lewis DO this each year?
But it’s time to take a look at the tote-board and see where we stand after these many hours. Ed, if you’d do the honors….brrrrrr….ding!
…THREE! …people have written in to write for TVD! And that’s great…I said aloud to the existing staff that if we got just one new writer, our sleepless nights would not have been in vain.
BUT—we can do better people. I just know it. (Don’t make me wheel out the children…)
Meanwhile, let’s bring a kid out who’s written a few catchy tunes in his own right over the years. (And look at the earnestness on that face…) Sir Paul McCartney!
Paul McCartney – Listen To What The Man Said (Mp3)
Paul McCartney – My Brave Face (Mp3)
Paul McCartney – Band On The Run (Mp3)
Paul McCartney – Jet (Mp3)
Paul McCartney – Junior’s Farm (Mp3)
Paul McCartney – Maybe I’m Amazed (Mp3)
Paul McCartney – Let Me Roll It (Mp3)
One of the smartest things I ever did (and trust me, I rarely start a sentence this way) was to jump-start my career by doing an internship while I was still in college. Actually, it was an internship in structure but at the time was called a ‘co-op’ where I was able to earn some scratch via real-world professional development.
Now, we can’t offer any real-world scratch, but we can offer professional development for you bourgeoning bloggers and writers. Imagine if you will, spearheading the content of a blog that reaches nearly 40K individuals a month from all corners of the globe as a career track via an internship right here at TVD. I’ll sign the forms. I’ll report to your counselor. I’ll offer the professional advice. (Horn toot: 20+ years in marketing and art direction over here. Owned my own ad agency, etc.)
So…students of all stripes, don’t be afraid to pick up that phone and make your pledge this very day.
An internship. At TVD. The experience of a lifetime. (And when measured in internet time that’s…er, what were we talking about again?)
Anyway, what’s a telethon without some big name talent to take the stage as to make you reach for that mouse and pledge your support to the blog? Why, that’s not a telethon at all. So, ladies and gentlemen, in support of TVD’s Writers Telethon—Sir Elton John:
Elton John – Rocket Man (Mp3)
Elton John – Your Song (Mp3)
Elton John – Dirty Little Girl (Mp3)
Elton John – Daniel (Mp3)
Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Mp3)
Elton John – Philadelphia Freedom (Mp3)
Elton John – Harmony (Mp3)
Who says our tastes here at TVD aren’t diverse? (OK—we often do but not this time!)
TVD’s got TWO pairs of tickets to see world-renowned indy salsa band, Bio Ritmo at the Rock and Roll Hotel this Friday night (5/22.) Bio Ritmo combines “classica salsa” that sprung from Puerto Rico and New York during the 60’s and 70’s with an 80’s punk sensibility that attracts music fans of all stripes.
Adding to the evening’s palette is Som Record’s own DJ Neville C spinning samba, funk, tropicalia, bossa, forro, and more between sets. Neville brings out only original vinyl pressings (many of which he brought back personally from Brazil) and he’s got LOTS of new ones this month.
How do you win one of these pair of tickets for what’s shaping up to be a stellar Friday night, you’re asking? Simply grab our attention in the comments section to this post and you too can be cutting a rug with Bio Ritmo and DJ Neville C. Remember to leave us some contact info and we’ll choose two winners on Friday morning (5/22.)
Bio Ritmo – Seguiras Criticando (Mp3)
Bio Ritmo – Atrevete (Mp3)
Bio Ritmo – Lisandra (Mp3)
…and frankly, it’s a good spot to be in.
Close to two years ago now, I woke up on a Sunday morning beset with the faint traces of a hangover and began tinkering with Blogger. That very morning, pajama-clad, and well before a shower—TVD was born.
Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined the some of successes that were in store for this blog that was literally conceived on a whim. For example, being named in the top five on the list of the Ten Best Mp3 Blogs Ever. (No joke—last summer by makeoutclub.com.) Toss in being chosen as the ‘blog of record’ for Record Store Day this past year. The promotions we’ve been involved in. TWO Washington, DC Record Fairs. The contests and giveaways we’ve run. The bands and artists who’ve become friends. Counting the many of you who stop by each day as a community of like-minded souls and the kinship that’s developed over time.
But the fact is, SO many opportunities have come our way that tending to the back of the store has left little time to man the front of the store which, let’s face it, this little endeavor is built upon.
So, breaking from tradition where one individual puts pen and pixel to a blog, we’re casting about this week for additional voices to join the TVD family. Writers with a particular perspective, varying points of view from our own, malcontents, misanthropes, and sirens are all encouraged to join the blog with its preexisting global readership zeroing in on 40K per month.
Write a few times a week. Once a week. Every day. Pen a column of your own definition. Show reviews. Artist interviews, you name it. And you don’t even need to be in Washington, DC to contribute.
See, there are so many opportunities that exist that we literally can’t say yes to everything.
So, how about it? Pick up that phone…and make the call.
We’re TVD. And we need you.
Spoon – The Book I Write (Mp3)
The Beatles – Paperback Writer (Mp3)
Harvey Danger – Happiness Writes White (Mp3)
Hello Saferide – If I Don’t Write This Song Someone I Love Will Die (Mp3)
Obits – Put It In Writing (Mp3)
Frankly, more stuff goes on in a day than what we can physically blog about. (Or bitch about as the case seems to be quite often.) So, why pontificate when we can just spout off in 140 characters or less?
TVD’s embracing the beauty that is brevity with blog updates, vinyl news, music news, and random mindlessness, whenever the whim strikes on Twitter.
Just think of it as the blog you’ve come to know—with more fiber. Regular, and many, many times throughout the day.
Connect with us and say hello…
Despite my grumbling yesterday, bands and artists and labels continue to fill the TVD HQ email in-box with some damn fine output. Case in point: the Brooklyn two-piece that is Heroes Of Popular Wars.
They garnered my attention initially by citing David Sylvian as an influence, yet drive home a point of their own—“drunken, leering robots patiently laying it all out for you and making you fall in love with them because they make you look them in the eye.” Or something.
We chatted up Stephe (aka the “Blue Eyed Devil”) who proves that The Beatles are STILL inspiration for people—and robots—everywhere.
“I first new I was going to be obsessed with music young. At age 12 I had saved up money from mowing my Mom’s lawn for a month and though my family already had multiple copies, in multiple formats, I wanted something very specific. The gigantic poster/4 small posters that came in the packaging for the vinyl version of the Beatles’ White Album. As 96-97% of all music lovers know, the vinyl version, and only the vinyl, comes with one gigantic “collage of pics” poster and 4 8×10 of each Beatle and I wanted that poster as bad as I wanted the music.
My mother had agreed to drive me on a Saturday to the mall to go pick it up. However, there was some kind of disagreement, like I had an argument with my brother or I wouldn’t take out the trash, I forget now. The end result, however, was that my Mom refused to drive me. Probably heated by the now-forgotten argument, I stomped out of my Mom’s house and walked the 4 1/2 miles, got to the music store (I believe it was a one-off store called Musicsmith in suburban Massachusetts) and picked up the record. I walked out of the store, sat on a nearby bench, tore the plastic off and tore the poster out of the sleeve.
The poster has so much going on, I may have spent an hour trying to process every little piece of the collage (and rest my feet.) After taking long looks at each of the individual portraits, I packed up the whole thing and trudged home. I don’t know if I ever “earned” a record as much since but every time I hear Rocky Raccoon or I’m So Tired I remember that hour on the bench and how mystified I was by the photographs all haphazardly piled on top of each other.”
Heroes of Popular Wars – Bus Called Further (Mp3)
Heroes of Popular Wars – American Loser (Mp3)
Heroes of Popular Wars – McDonald (Mp3)
Well, we still have a limited number of these John Foster-designed gems for purchase over at Som Records. The posters are 18″ x 24″, silk-screened on heavy card stock, and signed and numbered by the aforementioned John Foster. And if it isn’t obvious already: suitable for framing. And they’re still just $10 dollars just like at the show.
Check out some more from the Washington, DC Record Fair last Saturday right here.
