We’ve closed up the HQ this week for our annual summer break. While we’re away, why not fire up our free Record Store Locator app and visit one of your local indie record stores, either online, curbside, or with some sound social distancing?
Perhaps there’s an interview, review, or feature you might have missed? Catch up and we’ll see you back here on Monday, 8/3.
Greetings from Laurel Canyon!
Well East coast girls are hip / I really dig those styles they wear / And the Southern girls with the way they talk / They knock me out when I’m down there
The Mid-West farmer’s daughters really make you feel alright / And the Northern girls with the way they kiss / They keep their boyfriends warm at night
I wish they all could be California girls / I wish they all could be California / I wish they all could be California girls
I guess I can honestly say July 2020 is month to forget. I’m going to keep my vibe from last Friday and continue to try and stay in my “bubble” in the canyon. It’s impossible to avoid much of last week’s bitter news. For this week I’m just not gonna talk about it. Instead, let’s focus and divert attention to music and ball.
Dodgers opened up last night and I spent much of the evening with one eye on the turntable and one eye on the game. In my attempts to avoid the news, I had not heard that Mookie Betts was now a Dodger!
During this period of historic uncertainty, the fight for the survival of our independent record stores is directly mirrored by the dark stages of our local independent theatres, clubs, and performance spaces which have been shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s been cited as well that 90% of these concert venues may never, ever return.
Enter the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) whose #SaveOurStages campaign has provided a spotlight on this perilous predicament with a unique mission to “preserve and nurture the ecosystem of independent live music venues and promoters throughout the United States.” Without help from Congress the predictions are indeed quite dire and TVD encourages you support the S. 3814/H.R. 7481, the RESTART Act, by telling your legislators to save independent music venues via the form that can be filled out and forwarded right here.
This week as we did last week, we’re turning our own spotlight onto previous live concert coverage as a reminder of the need to preserve the vitality of live music venues across the country—and indeed across the globe—and while we’re at it to celebrate the work of the fine photographers and writers at TVD who are all itching to get back into the pit.
Local pop punk quartet Beach Bunny dropped their first full-length album, Honeymoon, on Valentine’s Day. A week later, they played an album release show at the Metro, a solid kickoff for their North American tour (which is completely sold out, I might add). They’ve been quite the sensation around these parts for some time now, so the national recognition is no surprise.
Beach Bunny is about to blow up, folks. Give them a listen and about 30 seconds in you’ll see why: the sound is catchy but with edge; it’s pop with depth. And it’s speaking directly to a budding new generation of music fans—as well as old farts like myself. I was witness to it on Saturday night and watching the crowd took me back to my Jagged Little Pill days.
Catch them on the road in the U.S. through May before they hop the pond to Europe in June.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | Shipping now from our friends at SoulMusic.com: the 50th Anniversary Edition of Roberta Flack’s Grammy Award-winning classic debut album, First Take. SoulMusic.com salutes this classic with a limited edition 2CD/1LP set that features a newly remastered version of the original album on both vinyl and CD, along with a disc of rare and unreleased recordings.
Produced in a limited edition of 3,000 copies, the set comes packaged in a 12 x 12 hardcover book. The release features extensive liner notes by SoulMusic.com founder David Nathan and two essays by pianist-vocalist Les McCann, who was instrumental in getting multi-Grammy winner, Flack, signed to Atlantic Records. This deluxe edition also features three bonus tracks: the B-side “Trade Winds,” as well the single edit versions of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Compared To What.” The second disc opens with a live version of “All The Way,” a track that was originally recorded in 1968 and later released on the McCann album, Les Is More , in 1991.
It’s followed by 12 unreleased demos that Flack recorded over two days in November 1968. On the other demos, she covers a range of genres, including her take on traditional songs (“Frankie And Johnny”), blues standards (“Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out”), folk (“The Song Is Love”), pop (“To Sir With Love”), and R&B (“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”)
First Take: The 50th Anniversary Edition has already received 4.5 stars from Uncut and 5 stars from Record Collector and is now shipping.
They weren’t the first all female rock band. Nor were they the first female band to write their own songs or play their own instruments. Rather, the very specific superlative accomplishment of The Go-Go’s is that they were the first all-female rock band who wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to become so successful—when their indelible 1981 debut album Beauty and the Beat went to No. 1.
Their seemingly swift rise, coupled with their own glamor and spunk, was followed by the inevitable slump and backlashes afforded such a band. By 1985, they had broken up. But many of their songs remain vibrant and sturdy all these years later, and were most recently featured in a 2018 Broadway production Head Over Heels. The band’s occasional reunions over the past few decades never fail to spark New Wave nostalgia among their fans.
Now their story is being told in perhaps the most complete way in Alison Ellwood’s new documentary The Go-Go’s, premiering Saturday, August 1 at 9PM on Showtime. Ellwood is becoming something of the queen of rockumentaries of late, following the big two part Laurel Canyon earlier this summer for Epix, and The History of the Eagles.
Here, it’s bracing to whip from early footage of teenage fans Belinda Carlisle or Jane Wiedlin ringing stages at early LA punk shows to seeing them today with the other band members—all in their early to mid 60s, with at least one of them already eligible for Medicare. As strange as it might seem to see a grey-haired Wiedlin, emulating the sharpest mom at PTA, or the impossibly sleek Carlisle, looking (and sounding) like Gloria Steinem, telling their remarkable tale, they also share a kind of sisterhood that means that even if they didn’t speak for five years following their bitter breakup, the bond would eventually bring them back together.
“I first began my love affair with vinyl as a boy in Houston, Texas. Part of our Christmas routine was taking turns flipping LPs while trimming the tree and drinking eggnog. With the sounds of The Jackson 5, The Supremes, Carla Thomas, Stevie Wonder, and The Temptations as the backdrop, I fell in love with the ritual of vinyl. Searching for the right record for the moment, pulling it out the sleeve, cuing up the track and the warm buzz and crack of each record… Pure magic.”
“I credit my parents for planting the seeds of my love of music. My parents have 12 years between them so I benefit from growing up with a wide range of musical influences. My father introduced me to the ’60s and ’70s soul legends like Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, Wilson Pickett, Millie Jackson, Aretha Franklin, and LTD. My mother introduced me to ’80s and ’90s pop and R&B from the likes of Michael Jackson, En Vogue, SWV, Tina Turner, and Mary J. Blige to name a few. This set the foundation for my taste in music.
When it comes the pursuit of vinyl, for me, it’s all about the hunt. I love the journey to procuring my favorite records just as much as I love having them in my collection. Each one tells a story. My favorite records to hunt for are mid ’90s/early 2000s pop and R&B. This music was the soundtrack of my adolescence and my first forays into developing my own musical taste. These records are particularly hard to find because at this point they were not being mass produced on vinyl in the USA.
Here’s a pro-tip, you can often find either European presses of these records or special versions that were serviced to DJs for the club scene. When you find one of these gems, the scarcity of these records makes acquisition that much more satisfying. Some of my favorites that I have acquired are an original European pressing of Janet Jackson’s The Velvet Rope, the Buffy The Vampire Slayer soundtrack (from the 1992 cult classic film), Jill Scott’s Who Is Jill Scott, Beyoncé’s solo debut Dangerously In Love, and Craig David’s Born to Do It.
I wish I was as suave as Bryan Ferry, the tuxedo-clad Euro-sophisticate whose jaded crooning about love has made him the most elegant lounge lizard in rock history. Not a bad act of sartorial re-creation for the son of a miner from Northern England, not bad at all. I wish I could pull it off. God, do I wish. But what can I say? When I was at the age he formed Roxy Music I was still wearing bib overalls. And guys in bib overalls have zilch odds of being mistaken for dapper Euro-seducers, which never occurred to me at the time—I simply thought of myself as a ladies’ man in the midst of a long, lonely run of shitty luck.
Formed at the dawn of the seventies, Roxy Music featured a core band that included Ferry on vocals, Phil Manzanera on guitar, Andy Mackay on saxophone and oboe, Paul Thompson on drums, a seemingly endless succession of guys on bass, and Brian Eno, who initially joined as a technical adviser, on synthesizers. Eno played a profound role in the band’s sound but left after two LPs due to creative differences with Ferry, and was replaced by keyboardist and electric violinist Eddie Jobson, formerly of Curved Air. You’ll run across gads of avant gardists who think Eno’s departure marked the end of Roxy Music as a great band, but I’m not one of them.
Me, I love all of their albums, but know I’m in the minority for believing 1977’s live Viva! Roxy Music is the best of them. But I’ve reviewed that LP already, which leaves me with my second favorite LP, 1975’s Siren. I’m not going to lie to you; I wish it had “Do the Strand,” “Virginia Plain,” “Street Life,” and “Pyjamarama” on it, but it doesn’t. Which is why the smart bet is to buy one of their “best of” compilations and be done with it. But then you’d be without “Just Another High” and “End of the Line” and all the other cool songs on Siren that you won’t find on any greatest hits package, and won’t you be sorry then? Eh?
Asheville, NC | Citizen Vinyl Record Pressing Plant to Open in Asheville Citizen-Times Building: A full circle revival is underway for Asheville’s Citizen-Times building. Once home to the daily paper’s printing facility and offices, the historic site will soon be unveiled with a new identity as a boutique vinyl pressing plant, record store and bar/cafe. Founded by veteran music producer Gar Ragland and supported by a dream team of industry professionals and craftsmen, Citizen Vinyl is slated to become North Carolina’s first on-site pressing plant, though its mission goes beyond just manufacturing great quality records. With a craft-first approach that prioritizes quality and superior customer service, Citizen Vinyl hopes to make record production more manageable and accessible for both first-time vinyl clients and major label customers alike. With all shipping and manufacturing kept in-house, Citizen Vinyl will be able to fulfill low-volume orders at a budget friendly price and still maintain the bandwidth to execute large scale label projects.
Apparently people are loving cassettes again in 2020: Over the years, the music industry has seen a massive resurgence in physical music sales. Despite the age of streaming we’re currently in, vinyl and cassette sales have skyrocketed in recent years. In 2019, cassette tape sales saw one of its biggest years yet. Now, it looks like 2020 is set to be an even bigger year for cassette tapes. According to the Official Charts Company, cassette tape sales have more than doubled in 2020. This week, the Official Charts Company released new figures on cassette tape sales. The company describes the cassette as “the unlikely comeback kid of music formats” as it reveals there was a 103 percent increase in sales in the first half of 2020. This data is in comparison to the sales figures during the first half of 2019. According to the data, 65,000 cassettes were purchased in the first half of 2020. This means that sales are set to surpass 100,000 for the first time since 2003. The data also shows that pop music has played a big part in cassette sales this year.
UK | Opinion: Digital age no match for the tracks of my years: It’s the start of another day in lockdown land. You log-on to your hastily assembled work station in the “office” (previously known as the spare room, kitchen table or shed) and decide to listen to a little soothing background music. So, what will it be: the radio, CD, vinyl record or stream some music online? The answer is obvious. It has to be the latter, doesn’t it? With just a simple click of the mouse or a tap of the screen, you have all the music you could ever wish for. From the rise of Iggy to the fall of Ziggy, the delta blues to Delius, the millions of songs streaming offers is mind-boggling. But there’s a problem. What song, artist, album, playlist or genre do you listen to? And here lies the rub. As the title of US psychologist Barry Schwartz’s 2004 book The Paradox of Choice – Why More Is Less suggests: too much choice is a bad thing.
Don’t forget the joker: Motörhead releasing massive 40th anniversary ‘Ace of Spades’ box set: A massive box set edition of Motörhead’s 1980 album Ace of Spades will be released this fall to celebrate the record’s 40th anniversary. The expanded collection, which includes 42 previously unreleased tracks, is due out October 30. Inside the package you’ll find a new master of the original Ace of Spades, two live albums, a 10-inch vinyl EP featuring a collection of instrumentals from 1980, a double album of B-sides, outtakes and rarities, and a DVD compilation consisting of Motörhead TV appearances between 1980 and 1981. Also included is a host of memorabilia, such as a 40-page book, a tour program, and poker dice. For a tiny preview of the box set, you can download a 1981 live version of the song “Ace of Spades” now via digital outlets. You can pre-order the Ace of Spades 40th anniversary edition in various forms and bundles now.
Slipknot’s debut album has been repressed on vinyl: After celebrating its 21st anniversary at the end of June, Slipknot’s legendary self-titled debut album is getting the vinyl reissue treatment via SRCVINYL. The band’s iconic 1999 full-length is available for pre-order now, with the release coming on July 31. Unsurprisingly, vinyl editions of the album have always been a must-have for Maggots, with most fans these days having to resort to getting copies second-hand. On Slipknot’s 10th anniversary, a special edition of the record was released as part of a box set including 25 songs, music videos, a live set and the Sic: Your Nightmares, Our Dreams DVD. Recently, frontman Corey Taylor looked back at the ’Knot’s breakthrough release, revealing that his favourite song “by far” from the debut – and, in fact, out of the entirety of the band’s back-catalogue – is Scissors. “I love it because every time we would play it, the whole second half was improvised,” he said.
During this period of historic uncertainty, the fight for the survival of our independent record stores is directly mirrored by the dark stages of our local independent theatres, clubs, and performance spaces which have been shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s been cited as well that 90% of these concert venues may never, ever return.
Enter the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) whose #SaveOurStages campaign has provided a spotlight on this perilous predicament with a unique mission to “preserve and nurture the ecosystem of independent live music venues and promoters throughout the United States.” Without help from Congress the predictions are indeed quite dire and TVD encourages you support the S. 3814/H.R. 7481, the RESTART Act, by telling your legislators to save independent music venues via the form that can be filled out and forwarded right here.
This week as we did last week, we’re turning our own spotlight onto previous live concert coverage as a reminder of the need to preserve the vitality of live music venues across the country—and indeed across the globe—and while we’re at it to celebrate the work of the fine photographers and writers at TVD who are all itching to get back into the pit.
PHOTOS: RICHIE DOWNS | David Byrne has always been as interested in visual art as in music. So his tours with the Taking Heads became increasingly more creative performance pieces with the herky, jerky music, big suits, and band movements to accompany his spiky, polyrthmic sounds. His solo tours were often just as arresting, and for the current “American Utopia” tour accompanying his first solo album in 16 years, he is breaking new ground.
On the vast, completely empty stage at the Anthem Saturday, ringed only by a curtain of chains, he appeared at a table and chair and picked up the life-sized model of a brain as he pointed out hemispheres of the organ and sang, “Here is a region of abundant details, here is a region that is seldom used…” It was just about the last stage props put on the stage. When joined by his musicians—nine all dressed in similar grey suits and two singers—they were all fully portable.
With wireless microphones, a wireless bass, wireless guitar, and wireless keyboard (which provided a lot of the sound), fully half of the musicians were assigned to parts of what would be a traditional drum set—toms, snare, timbale, other percussion—as if they were ready to be a marching band. Instead of striding into the crowd in formation though, they moved in planned patterns, stood 12-people across, or in two six-person lines, in a circle or a pinwheel in what must be the most choreographed rock concert for musicians ever devised.
So unusual did it seem, with nary a snaking wire, microphone stand, effects box, amp, or drum set in sight that it almost seemed like an all-dancing, little-playing track show. Byrne had to stop in the middle of the show to point out that it was not the case. Indeed, the dozen could have marched down the aisles and into the boxes, wifi willing, but chose to stay on the well-lit set, which changed hue or intensity with every song.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | “This is Charles Bukowski. Well, let me just sit here and drink beer.”
Thus begins the September 14, 1972 poetry reading from which this 1980 release on John Fahey’s Takoma label is drawn. This is quintessential Bukowski, from the rude ‘n’ crude drawing that adorns the front cover to the belches that punctuate the poems. As for the work itself, it’s not really what you’d commonly conceive of as poetry, but rather observations and vignettes drawn from life’s darker side, focusing on perversions, poverty, drunkenness, gambling, and bodily functions. But Bukowski’s bemused air and self-deprecating humor blunt the shock value of the words and emphasize the universality of the themes.
‘I want you to hate me,’ he says to the audience, but it’s hopeless, he is one of us. Now, Real Gone is celebrating the 100th birthday (8/16/20 is the date) of this larger-than-life figure with a special ‘vomit vinyl’ pressing (of all the bodily functions, this is the one that Bukowski, um, revisited again and again in his writings). Limited to 1,000 copies, and sure to go as fast as the author would drain your liquor cabinet.
If you were active on the New Orleans music scene in the late 1990s, you were privy to a golden age of funk and world music. Young musicians were rewriting the musical landscape of New Orleans and the New World Funk Ensemble was right in the middle of an era that spawned Galactic and many other bands and musicians. Their new live album is available on Bandcamp here.
Everyone in the band was a first class musician and most have gone on to have stellar careers. One, the guitarist and band co-founder Todd Duke, passed away recently. So in a way, this release of live performances from Snug Harbor, the House of Blues, Tipitina’s, the Funky Butt, and the sorely missed Mermaid Lounge is an elegy for him.
The New World Funk Ensemble released one studio album and had a record release party at Snug Harbor on May 20, 1998. I was there and it was one of the fifteen or so times I saw the band live from their inception in early 1997 to their reunion shows in 1999. At that time it was rare for a band that was highly danceable and played African-inspired original music to play at the premier jazz club in town.
But most of the musicians were jazzers at heart and when you listen to these live cuts you can immediately tell how intense they were live. The studio album, while a fine document of the band, just doesn’t do justice to the musical interplay between the musicians and the strength of the group.
“Early on in high school, I had this really strict, borderline obsessive routine, where I would come home, immediately record the day’s musical ideas on my cassette four-track (remember those?), and then I’d work out to clear my head. As every aspect of my life needed to connect to music in those days, I’d choose a vinyl from my dad’s old record collection (a pretty extensive one at that), and then I’d throw it on our decrepit record player with one of the speakers sort of blown out. Really not the picture of high fidelity, but there was something satisfying about the amount of physical steps required to hear the music. There was an investment.”
“I mostly listened to the music I had known for the majority of my young life, the records I was comfortable with, but as much as I loved the White Album and The Supremes, I was running out of the old material. One day, out of curiosity, I picked out a record purely based on the cover: there was a gaunt guy leaning into the frame, like a vaguely handsome Count Dracula, with slicked back hair. I put it on, and the first, like, ten minutes of the track consisted of a train sound, followed by a seemingly endless groove that just kept building in tension. As this went on, an eerily enjoyable creeping anxiety came with it like something big was bound to happen. I stopped working out and I was just standing and staring at the one good speaker.
And then David Bowie’s voice rang out and changed my life. The song mutated into this paranoid disco sound, and I think I was frozen, mouth agape, for the full ten minutes of the track. As soon as it was finished, I picked up the needle and set it back, and then sat down in front of the speaker. I didn’t even get to the second song for quite a bit (and then the second track turned out to be the space funk of “Golden Years,” so it was just all over for me).
Part four of the TVD Record Store Club’s look at the new and reissued releases presently in stores for July, 2020. Part one is here, part two is here, and part three is here.
NEW RELEASE PICKS: Thumbscrew, The Anthony Braxton Project (Cuneiform) A CD to celebrate jazz master Braxton’s 75th birthday, and a very sensible idea, as the three sharp and brilliant points on Thumbscrew’s triangle have all been impacted to varying extents by the greatness of the saxophonist-composer-educator. I’d say this is especially true of guitarist Mary Halvorson, who made a considerable splash in my consciousness pool through her playing on the 9CD+DVD live collection 9 Compositions (Iridium) 2006 on the Firehouse 12 label. Bassist Michael Formanek and drummer-percussionist Tomas Fujiwara have both played with Braxton too (Fujiwara on record), so the trio’s invitation to select previously unrecorded (or hardly ever recorded) pieces from the archives of the Tri-Centric Foundation (the non-profit organization dedicated to the work and legacy of Braxton) was as wise as it is successful.
I’ll add that Thumbscrew, who are releasing their fifth CD with this set, have been one of my favorite groups in what’s often called the Creative Music scene for quite a while. For their self-titled 2014 debut and 2016 follow-up Convallaria, the trio offered their own individual compositions, but for Theirs and Ours they tackled ten pieces by others on the first disc and nine of their own on the second (both were released on the same day in 2018). This background situates that The Anthony Braxton Project isn’t entirely new territory for the group (it’s the third straight album recorded at a residency at City of Asylum in Pittsburgh), though there are some fresh developments, such as the introduction of Fujiwara’s vibraphone. But mostly, this sounds like Thumbscrew putting their personal stamp on work from one of the last century’s greatest musicians. The interaction is as energetic, vivid and supple as ever, Halvorson’s guitar remains thrillingly distinctive, and this is easily one of the year’s best. A+
Lingo Seini et son groupe, Musique Hauka (Sahel Sounds) Another grand slam for Sahel Sounds, this time documenting Hauka ritual music captured in Niamey, the capital city in the West African country of Niger in 2017. Until now, the Hauka, described in a fascinating Sahel Sounds blog post as “the Songhoy spirits of the pre-Islamic pantheon and possession ceremonies,” have been better known to hardcore cinephiles familiar with the work of French ethnographic filmmaker Jean Rouch, specifically his short movie of 1955 Les maîtres fous (The Mad Masters). I caught this film in January of 2019 through the streaming service MUBI and found it striking, if surely a difficult watch due to an instance of ritual animal sacrifice. Jumping forward well over half a century, this is one of the first full-length recordings of the Hauka’s ritual music, longer and even more powerful than the film, rhythmically unrelenting and featuring a monochord lute. A must for lovers of ceremonial sounds, only 500 were pressed. Get it. A
Even As We Speak, Adelphi (Shelflife) Back in 2018, the estimable Flagstaff, AZ label Emotional Response reissued this Sydney band’s 1993 set Feral Pop Frenzy, which was originally released by the beloved Sarah Records. It was a righteous gesture, deserving of a reissue pick in this column, and Adelphi is strong enough to land in this week’s spotlight for new releases. Part of the reason is that the five-piece, fronted as ever by Matthew Love and Mary Wyer, knocked-off any rustiness prior to recording their 2017 10-inch “The Black Forest.” This 10-song LP finds them as boldly sophisto as ever they were before, with the crucial distinction that the upsurges of raw guitar allow one to connect the dots back to the foundation of punk (filtered through indie pop, of course). However, the synthpop flourishes are just as appealing, largely because they are gestures rather than full-blown style moves. Also, there’s a grown-up quality to the whole that’s appropriate for the reunion scenario. A-
Dublin, IE | Girl Band release limited-edition 7″ to support Covid-hit Dublin record shop: Given how hardcore a following they have it isn’t going to be hanging around for long! In a wonderful display of rock ‘n’ roll solidarity, Girl Band are releasing a live version of ‘Amygdala’ recorded at Vicar St. in support of The RAGE, the excellent Fade Street, Dublin 2 record shop, which has experienced a slump in sales during the pandemic and is currently looking for new premises while it continues to operate online. “We are releasing a limited run of 500 7” picture discs with all proceeds going to The RAGE,” the band reveal. “It will be a live version of ‘Amygdala’ taken from our Record Store Day release scheduled for August. The shop formally shut down its physical store on Fade Street last month due to complications that Covid 19 presented. Their online store is still operating and they’re looking for a new permanent location. The shop means a lot to us. Both Daniel and Adam worked in the store and we played our first ever gig in the basement. We want to raise a bit of money for them.”
Montreal, CA | The best record stores in Montreal with choice vinyl, CDs, tapes and more: Take your collection to the next level with new releases and hidden treasures from the best record stores in Montreal. Any self-respecting music lover knows where the best record stores in Montreal can be found, and those in the know like to keep their collections on point by checking them out regularly. This city is one of the more important music meccas on this big blue marble of ours, so it follows that our town should be home to more than a few great record stores—and it is, with selections that are only rivalled by the curators of vintage goods from the best thrift stores in Montreal (coincidentally also an occasional good source of records). Whether you’re looking for new things, old things, or things in between (or just, like, concert tickets), Montreal’s got you covered from Mile-Ex to the Mile-End and the Plateau—even out west in sleepy No Damn Good (Notre-Dame-de-Grace). Here’s where to find the best record stores in Montreal:
Watch Sound Of Vinyl Curator Henry Rollins Reveal How To Prolong The Life Of An Album: Formerly the frontman with legendary outfits Black Flag and Rollins Band, Rollins is a confirmed champion of vinyl. With curation from punk rock icon and accomplished author Henry Rollins, and audio engineer and DJ Gimel “Young Guru” Keaton, The Sound Of Vinyl first launched in the US in October 2017, providing a first-of-its-kind music service that provides an innovative new personalized and curated platform for music fans to discover and buy vinyl records via text messaging. Rollins has since used the platform to recommend his favorite albums, share stories from his life in punk rock, and interview music veterans like producer Don Was and legendary Capitol Studios vinyl mastering engineer Ron McMaster. Aside from being a confirmed vinyl addict himself, the former Black Flag and Rollins Band also values the science behind caring for his records. In an exclusive new video for uDiscover Music, he shares some essential tips which will prolong the life of everyone’s favorite records.
Victoria, TX | Record store owner and DJ dies of coronavirus: Ruben Flores, known as “Midnite Rambler” during a long radio DJ career in Victoria, died of complications of coronavirus at 73 after fighting Parkinson’s disease for a number of years. He also owned a vinyl record shop by the same name at 503 E. North Street for more than three decades. “He was great. He was my best friend and raised me by himself with help from my grandmother and aunt sometimes. He was always there for me, and he was a really good person,” said Ramona Flores, Ruben Flores’ daughter. “I remember growing up, when things were going well, people would come into the store to talk to him, not to buy anything. They just liked to listen to his stories. Whenever people were down on their luck, he was always helping. He said if you have the means to help someone, you should.”
New Orleans, LA | Delfeayo Marsalis Kicks Off KEEP NOLA MUSIC ALIVE With Virtual Concert: “…My dad dedicated his life to growing and promoting New Orleans musicians,” said Marsalis the legendary New Orleans pianist Ellis Marsalis who succumbed to Covid-19 on April 1, 2020 at the age of 85. “Today, the global health pandemic presents a threat to New Orleans’ culture bearers like none before. No less than our centuries-old musical heritage is at risk. With all performance venues shut down indefinitely and the musical tourism industry boarded up, our artists are struggling with both professional and financial uncertainty. Keep NOLA Music Alive was organized to fill a huge void.” …The idea to start the KNOMA initiative arose from a local record store’s tribute to Marsalis’ father. “Peaches Records in Uptown New Orleans, for decades a supporter of local artists and New Orleans music, posted a sign that read, ‘Thank you Ellis Marsalis for Keeping NOLA Music Alive!’ the day after my dad’s passing,” Marsalis said. He developed a plan, assembled a board of directors, and secured lead funding for KNOMA, assuring that 100 percent of all donations go directly to New Orleans musicians and culture bearers.
During this period of historic uncertainty, the fight for the survival of our independent record stores is directly mirrored by the dark stages of our local independent theatres, clubs, and performance spaces which have been shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s been cited as well that 90% of these concert venues may never, ever return.
Enter the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) whose #SaveOurStages campaign has provided a spotlight on this perilous predicament with a unique mission to “preserve and nurture the ecosystem of independent live music venues and promoters throughout the United States.” Without help from Congress the predictions are indeed quite dire and TVD encourages you support the S. 3814/H.R. 7481, the RESTART Act, by telling your legislators to save independent music venues via the form that can be filled out and forwarded right here.
This week as we did last week, we’re turning our own spotlight onto previous live concert coverage as a reminder of the need to preserve the vitality of live music venues across the country—and indeed across the globe—and while we’re at it to celebrate the work of the fine photographers and writers at TVD who are all itching to get back into the pit.
The annual Tomorrow Never Knows Fest took place from January 15th through the 19th this year at venues throughout the Chicagoland area. Created to prove that music fans will brave the cold winter to see their favorite local and nationwide indie acts, the fans did just that, traveling through bitter temps and endless snowfall.
Thursday saw London duo IDER perform in Chicago for the first time. Performing alongside them were Champaign based Zzo, Madison solo project Boy Bjorn, and the electric Chicago based SuperKnova. As the temperature got colder outside, the house quickly warmed up with all the concert goers filling the small room.
Zzo, the indie pop creation of Zoe Willott, eased the crowd into the night by performing an intimate, stripped down set that included vocals and guitar. Their sweet vocals mixed with the melodic tones helped warm up the crowd.
Boy Bjorn took the stage next, interlacing their alternative indie sounds with jokes about the Illinois and Wisconsin rival football teams. These Madison rockers exuded positive energy throughout their set, and it really resonated with the crowd that responded by bopping along to their catchy tunes.
