Bob Brown returns to the record store, this time with his guitar: There are at least two myths about record stores: They’re snob temples. And they’ve gone extinct. In Washington, both presumptions are moot thanks to a tenacious cluster of vinyl emporiums in Northwest where the business is brisk and the clerks are friendly. Visit five of them in an afternoon — start up on 18th Street (Smash, Crooked Beat), continue east along U Street (Red Onion, Joint Custody), hang a right on 14th Street (Som) — and you’ll find that these aren’t just nifty boutiques for snapping up old John Coltrane LPs. They’re spaces for talk, discovery, serendipity, even magic.
Record Store Day at The Trading Post in Stroud promises to be a hit: Record Store Day, which started in the US, is an international celebration of the world’s independent record stores. In town the revelry will be centred on Simon Vincent’s shop, The Trading Post Records in Kendrick Street. Record Store Day has grown to such an extent during the years that this year over 250 labels are set to release limited edition records.
Tim Burgess is bringing out a second book and the title is absolutely brilliant: A follow up to his memoir Telling Stories, new title Tim Book Two: Vinyl Adventures From Istanbul To San Francisco is about Tim’s lifelong passion for vinyl, and pals Johnny Marr, New Order’s Stephen Morris, film director David Lynch, and punk legend Iggy Pop are among the people who made it Tim’s mission to find the records that inspired them. While on tour with his band and during his solo dates, Tim visited record shops around the world to buy the LPs and singles that make his own heroes tick.
How a San Francisco record store is finding revenue streams every which way, There are many other stores who’d like a taste of this ancillary income to keep the wolf from the door: As you step into the Amoeba record store in the heart of Haight Street in San Francisco, two things strike you right away. One, the shop is still a massive yoke of a thing, with racks of vinyl, CDs, books and other bits and pieces stretching for dozens of yards in every direction. Two, whoever had the bright idea to provide space in the shop for a medical marijuana evaluation clinic really knew what they were doing.
Reasons to celebrate Record Store Day: Record Store Day is still a week away. However, it’s never too early to start thinking about all of the new vinyl goodies that will be on display on Saturday, April 16. That’s when the annual celebration of independently-owned music retailers returns to participating area shops like Omega Music in Dayton and Toxic Beauty in Yellow Springs. Stores will be beefing up their stock for this annual celebration with exclusive Record Store Day releases…
The best record stores in NYC, Listen up, audiophiles! Find cool crate-digging havens in our roundup of the top record stores NYC has to offer: …And then of course, there are our record stores—from downtown fave Other Music to the revamped Halcyon in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Discovering that rare LP in a brick-and-mortar music store is a thrill you just can’t replicate online (we know—we’ve tried). Whether you’re a serious vinyl junkie or casual collector perusing LPs on Record Store Day, you’ll find a truckload of exciting gems at these genre-spanning record stores NYC crate-diggers swear by.
