Silver Spring, MD | Joe’s Record Paradise Stars on ‘Pawn Stars Do America’ Joe’s Record Paradise is featured on the latest episode of the History Channel show Pawn Stars Do America, according to an Instagram post from store owner Johnson Lee. “We are on the new episode of Pawn Stars Do America,” Lee wrote on Instagram. “We made a deal at the D.C. filming then Chumlee and crew came by the shop. Fun stuff.” In the episode, titled “National Treasures,” “Rick, Corey, and Chum are heading to our nation’s capital. The patriotic pals will call on some trusted experts to help lay down the law for good deals. In between the event, Chum and Corey get carried away in a massive mansion, and Rick considers a million-dollar memento from a pivotal piece of America’s past.” The episode premiered Wednesday night and can be viewed on the History Channel’s website. Joe’s Record Paradise is located at 8700 Georgia Ave. in downtown Silver Spring.
Melbourne, AU | ‘Sad news:’ Melbourne says goodbye to an iconic venue and record shop: After almost three decades of operation, Basement Discs will be closing down its brick and mortar store. Hidden away beneath the Block Arcade, Basement Discs was a place to get away from the chaos of the city, listen to intimate live performances and get your hand on an exciting new record. This week, Melbourne music lovers were sad to hear that the cherished venue will be closing its doors. Husband and wife duo of Suzanne Bennett and Rod Jacobs, who are co-owners of the shop, cite pandemic-related financial difficulty as the reason for shuttering the storefront. Although they say it was “never a money making venue” and “a labour of absolute love”, recent years were the final straw for the store. They hadn’t been able to make even half of their pre-pandemic profits. With a move-out date set for January 31, the couple says they hope that the final few weeks will be full of live music and customers coming to pay their respects.
Dallas, TX | Team Behind Spinster Records Opening Vinyl Listening Lounge: Ladylove Lounge and Sound is expected to open in Oak Cliff in spring of 2023. A vinyl record listening lounge featuring late-night bites and craft cocktails is coming next spring to the Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff. Ladylove Lounge & Sound will focus on great music and a great sound experience. “It will be an awesome place to hang out, listen to music, and celebrate all that is music, vinyl, and performance,” said David Grover, owner. Grover and Ladylove co-owner and manager, Kate Siamro, both of Spinster Records, hope to open the lounge in the spring of 2023 in the former space of Dallas Grilled Cheese Co. at 310 W. 7th St. in Dallas. Jimmy Contreras of Taco Y Vino is developing the Ladylove menu of small, shared plates. “It will be craft cocktails, and we will have performances, live music from time to time with vinyl record deejays every night,” Grover said.
AU | Australian Record Industry Pioneer John McDonald Dies At Age 88: John McDonald, one of Australia’s great music industry pioneers, has died at age 88. McDonald was the owner of Melbourne record store Disc Shop in Bourke Street when he founded Sparmac Records with radio DJ Ken Sparks. John was the mac in Sparmac, Ken the Spar. One of his employees at the store was a very young Colin Hay, later of Men At Work. Sparmac had almost immediate success with a stable of artists including Robie Porter, Rick Springfield, Daddy Cool, Healing Force and Gerry & The Joy Band. The label’s first hit was Robie Porter’s ‘Gemini’ in August 1970. The big one came in 1971 with the eighth Sparmac Record ‘Eagle Rock’ by Daddy Cool. It is now considered one of the greatest Australian hits of all-time, so loved by Elton John that it became the inspiration for his song ‘Crocodile Rock.’