Popular record shop in Downham Market set to shut: An independent, family-owned music and movies shop in Downham is closing after 45 years in town. Just a couple of days after Lewks celebrated its 11th Record Store Day, the store announced its doors will close on June 2, at the end of its current lease. Father and daughter duo Lawrence Welham and Danielle Welham-Smith, who run the shop in Wales Court, made the announcement on social media on Monday, and say they will “truly miss it all”. They said: “This has been a huge and very hard decision for us both to make. “With Lawrence’s impending 70th birthday fast approaching, retirement is well deserved, so it is with pure heartache that Danielle will not be carrying on Lewks once our current lease expires in June.
Popular family-run record store to close after 45 years: Lewks record store, in Wales Court, Downham Market, announced on their Facebook page that they will closing down after their current lease expires in June 2018. The independent shop is run by Lawrence Wilham and his daughter Danielle Willham-Smith, but with Mr Wilham looking to retire after his 70th birthday his daughter will not be carrying on Lewks and it is set to close on Saturday, June 2. They told their followers: “We leave behind an entire lifetime of memories, which will remain with us forever, not to mention our fantastic customers, the wonderful reps, our staff over the years and all our friends. We will both truly miss it all. “There are not many jobs in life where you can genuinely say you enjoy going to work every single day, but we both do, we love it and it will be a very sad day, we will miss it immensely, it’s been our lives.”
Moondance independent record store closing doors in Peterborough on Saturday: Moondance, one of the oldest independent records stores in Canada, is closing for good on Saturday after 46 years in business. Owner Mike Taveroff was busy on Friday as crowds came in to wish him well – and also to take advantage of deep discounts. Everything left in the store was 70 per cent off. Although the place was busy Friday, Taveroff said he thinks Saturday will be “controlled insanity”. “It’ll be a zoo in here tomorrow,” he said. Taveroff started selling records in 1972 in his wife Cheryl’s clothing store – called Moondance, after the Van Morrison song.
Vinyl Dublin announces Timetable: Vinyl is described as an immersive theatre of the mind that insightfully celebrates the rich history and enduring legacy of vinyl, its landmark recordings, key personnel, and the groundbreaking labels and studios that cultivated such talent. VINYL will feature specially programmed talks, panel discussions, curated collections, music performances, album playbacks, pop-up stores, signings, and equipment showcases. The various events will each make special use of the RHK’s expansive grounds and infrastructure.
Echo Park record store debuts: There’s lots of good stuff happening at Sick City Records. According to the LA Weekly, the Silver Lake record store has opened a second location in Echo Park, in the same shopping center where Button Mash is situated. Country and soul music have also been added to Sick City’s selection of rock and roll, punk rock, new wave and indie music. Owners Brian Flores and Jesse Lopez credit the addition of the two music genres to native Texan Tone Miller, who recently joined their team. Sick City Echo Park is at 1381 Sunset Blvd. near Douglas St. in Echo Park.
HD vinyl is a promise, not a product, The format has a long way to go before it’s accepted by music lovers: Günter Loibl thinks vinyl needs an update. Two years ago he filed a patent for a new way to make records, using lasers (rather than a traditional cutting lathe) to pack the grooves tighter and add 30 percent more usable space. Thanks to the laser, it’s actually better for the environment too. The promise is records with longer playing times, more dynamic range and extra amplitude. Supposedly you can even enjoy the benefits of “HD vinyl” albums on the turntable and needle you already own. On paper, this all seems like a win-win. But there’s a problem…
EDITORIAL: Another missing link: …Dennis Balesdent, owner of Ohm-N Audio, says he’s been a music and audio enthusiast for much of his life. He felt a store specializing in sales of musical selections – in particular a wide range of vinyl records in all sorts of genres – was something missing from the area…That’s another interesting aspect about this new store, located on Foord Street and set to open early in May – the vinyl record might have somewhat been superseded by the compact disc and digital music files, but happily it never went away. In fact, in recent years it’s enjoyed a resurgence, with audiophiles seeking out copies of classic recordings and many musical acts serious about their sound quality often releasing an album in both vinyl format and compact disc. And while some might see renewed interest in vinyl as nostalgia, it’s a bit of that but a whole lot more.
Digital killed the CD. Will anyone mourn it? …Other than record companies, which derive income from CDs, no one flies the flag for this format. No one makes films about the struggling, sensitive guy with the independent CD shop. No music purist vows – “I’ll only ever listen to my early Bob Dylan on CD.” When was the last time you saw a Discman for sale on the high street? So with the news this week that CD sales were eclipsed by streaming for the first time, the big question is not, “Whither CDs?” but, “Who the hell still buys these things?” No one at Best Buy, anyway. The US retailer will stop selling CDs in stores this summer, and Target has changed its returns policy – it will pay distributors only for the CDs it sells.
