There’s no shortage of funkiness on the contemporary scene, but as lovers of the style do find it difficult to get enough, they might want to check out the fresh releases on Color Red Records, a new label based in Denver, CO founded by guitarist Eddie Roberts of the New Mastersounds. If you dig Roberts’ thing, it’s basically a cinch you’ll feel the same about Color Red’s wares; two of his other projects, Matador! Soul Sounds and WRD are also on the label, and he’s produced much of the discography. That includes Funky Mother, the fourth record from Denver combo Analog Son. Self-described as horn funk, they also feature organ, guitar, intermittent vocals, and naturally, beaucoup rhythm. The LP is out now.
Matador! Soul Sounds’ Get Ready arrived on vinyl back in March and since then there’s been a flurry of activity from Color Red headquarters, with additional items on wax, including three 45s. Fans of Get Ready will want to check out the group’s non-LP single “The Juice Ain’t Worth the Squeeze” b/w “Go On, Love,” and fans of Roberts’ in general should soak up the organ trio urgency of “Happy Hour” b/w “Corner Pocket by WRD, his outfit with organist Robert Walter and drummer Adam Deitch. “Out West” b/w “Love Tree” by The Echo System (featuring guitarist Mike Tallman) completes the single trifecta.
Alongside Get Ready, Color Red has given Analog Son’s Funky Mother a vinyl press, so together with a weekly arrival of digital content, long-playing wax is a significant component in the label’s scheme. As said, Analog Son have three prior releases, but this is the first to make my acquaintance, and like a lot of contempo stuff in the classic R&B, soul and funky zone, not all of group’s influences fit snugly into my bag.
Take Funky Mother’s opening track “CTI,” for instance. While I’m no big fan of the CTI label (clearly the track’s inspiration), Analog Son manage to pay homage to the soul-jazz-funk mershness of Creed Taylor’s enterprise (with Gabe Mervine’s trumpet bringing Freddie Hubbard to mind) without slipping into a cravenly smooth situation. But still; if they’d lingered for too long in this mode there wouldn’t be much cause for personal excitement, as I do prefer a tougher funk template.
Lafayette, LA | How I Got Here: Lagniappe Records co-owner Tess Brunet: Tess Brunet is co-owner of vintage records store Lagniappe Records along with her husband, Patrick Hodgkins. The store, which moved from its previous space on Jefferson Street to a bigger space two doors down at 311-B Jefferson St., got its start in Baton Rouge before moving to Lafayette. “We started out much smaller than it is now with our own record collections. Online music is something that we didn’t consider at all. We didn’t set out to do much more than create jobs for ourselves and curate a shop we could be proud of. That and I don’t like answering to anyone. We were confident we could pull it off considering our collective knowledge of music. Collectively, we cast a pretty wide net. The cleaning and grading standards are set pretty high, and 
Oreo Just Released A Record Player That Plays Actual Cookies: This is the perfect gift for the Oreo-lover in your life! For Oreo-lovers, this holiday season just keeps getting better and better. First, news broke that an Oreo Ultimate Dunking Set exists, which means you and your partner in crime can twist, lick and dunk your Oreos without worrying about fallen crumbs or milky fingertips. And now, the Oreo-obsessed vinyl enthusiasts in your life get the chance to “play” their favorite cookie with the gift to end all gifts: The Oreo Music Box. Just in time for the holidays, Oreo has released a new gift set that combines music and snacks in one collectible tin by using Oreos to 
Andover, UK | New vintage vinyl store The Record Box opens its doors in Andover: The Record Box, in George Yard, holds a host of vinyls [“Vinyls,” not a word. —Ed.] and collectables and opened its doors to the public for the first time on Saturday. Phil, who was inspired to open the store, said: “I’ve been doing it for years, about 35 years, collecting everything and anything. Captain Scarlet stuff mainly, that’s my main thing. I do collect records as well, my main genre is punk. This is my own personal collection and obviously stuff I’ve bought over the years and duplicates and stuff like that.” To start with the store will be opening on Saturdays only, from 10am to 5pm. Phil believes there is a big market for vinyl, as sales have increased in recent years. He added: “Andover needs something like this. “I think there’s a market for it, 
Midland, MI | Radio Wasteland moves its groove: Jim Gleason has spent the last three days moving vinyl records — some 4,000 to 5,000 of them — box by box, crate by crate. Luckily for Gleason, who owns Radio Wasteland Records in Midland, he has only a few steps to go for the transfer. He’s moving his business next door to 716 George St….”We’ll be able to put more records out,” Gleason said of the larger space. “But more importantly, we’ll be able to better display some of our stock. For example, our limited space means that we’ve had to leave the country music LPs in boxes on the floor. We’re also hoping to expand our classical and jazz music selections with the added space.” Moving into 718 George St., the space where Radio Wasteland occupied for about two years, is Stolloween, owned by Scott Stoll, an award-winning papier mâché artist who specializes in Halloween-related subject matter. Gleason, who owns the business with his daughter Katie, said he has about 8,000 more records in storage that he’ll bring over to the new location, which is 
Murfreesboro, TN | ‘Almost magical’: Waxface Records helps music lovers rediscover sound of vinyl: Waxface Records is causing the heads of vinyl record lovers to spin in stereo. The first clue of the high-fidelity funkiness found inside the store of sound — tucked into a tiny strip mall on the north side of Murfreesboro — are the strands of lights and 33⅓ RPM records decorating the windows. Walk through the doors and you might be greeted by the wailing of rocker Janis Joplin or the smooth crooning of Frank Sinatra coming from the shop’s record player. For some, the treasure hunt of flipping through the albums displayed in colorfully labeled wooden crates evokes musical memories and for others the thrill of discovery. With an average of 4,000 ever-changing vintage and new selections in LP and EP formats regularly in stock, the store offers many discoveries for visitors during the 
Boise, ID | Record Exchange sees boost in Black Friday demand: It is not every day that a crowd of Idahoans line up at 7 a.m. outside a store– in nearly freezing temperatures. “We had 75 people in line outside before we opened the doors today. Uh, past couple of years, we had 50. So that’s a big jump for us,” said Chad Dryden, Marketing and Promotions Director at The Record Exchange. But today isn’t like most days– it’s Black Friday. So for vinyl enthusiasts, that meant setting their alarms, because the record exchange offered about 150 Black Friday exclusives– released only to independent record shops like theirs. “Grateful Dead, Taylor Swift, U2, Hozier, Weezer– they put, uh, the Rosanna and Africa Toto covers that they did– they put those on a special vinyl release.” More big-name contemporary artists like these are pressing vinyls [“Vinyls,” not a word. —Ed.] recently, said Dryden. This is one reason for 
