Monorail Music record store signs up to pay living wage: A leading independent record store has celebrated the sound of success by becoming an accredited living wage employer. Monorail Music began at a time when the industry was in trouble but the bold leap of faith has been rewarded and the store is now an integral part of the vibrant Glasgow music scene. Since it was set up in 2002, the shop has grown in size, reputation and confidence to become one of the leading independent record stores in the United Kingdom. “Our business is small and niche and our staff members are skilled,” said co-owner Stephen McRobbie. “A few years ago we costed it and realised we could afford to pay the living wage, which was an easy decision for us. This year we decided to formalise it by becoming accredited.”
A play about a record store, in a record store: ‘High Fidelity’ performed in Electric Fetus: Most of the action of the play “High Fidelity” takes place in a record store. So it didn’t take long for the creative team at Minneapolis Musical Theatre to hit upon the idea of producing the show, appropriately, in a record store. They chose the Electric Fetus, a pillar of Minneapolis’ local music scene for 50 years. “The amazing thing, I think, about the Electric Fetus is that people love it here,” said the show’s director, Sara Pillatzki Warzeha. “And it’s obvious that the people that come here are dedicated to this store and what it has to offer. And I think that setting our show here gives it this crazy energy that you wouldn’t necessarily have in a regular theater.” “This isn’t a show that had a huge critical success when it was on Broadway,” she added. “I think in many ways it works much better here than it ever would in a regular theater.”
Logan Square record store Logan Hardware closes down: After nearly a decade selling music in Logan Square, Logan Hardware quietly said good-bye last month. After a big sale the weekend of Record Store Day, according to owner John Ciba, “We didn’t open back up again.” Before abandoning its space on 2532 W. Fullerton, the store will host one final blowout sale on Sunday, May 20, followed by a pop-up sale at nearby Logan Arcade on Wednesday, May 30. When Ciba decribes his decision to close the store, he invokes Lee “Scratch” Perry, who burned his legendary Black Ark studio in 1979 because it had “bad energy.” “The only thing he could do was burn it down,” Ciba says. “That’s kind of where we’re at.”
At Purchase Street Records, yesteryear is in the racks: What’s the point of a record store, when nowadays you can play any song, anywhere, with just the click of a button? “It’s about memories,” says Roger Chouinard, owner of Purchase Street Records, located at 767 Purchase Street in downtown New Bedford. Chouinard explains by way of example: the parents who came into his store recently with their young kids and purchased three Beatles albums. The father had fond memories of listening to those songs with his own Dad, and now he wanted to share his favorite band with his son and daughter. “They are continuing the lifeline of those records,” says Chouinard. Customers who come to Purchase Street Records, which opened in December of 2016, want to do more than simply listen to music. They want to tap in to past experiences of hearing a particular song or band along with their friends in younger days, and revisit those tuned-in vibes. Flipping through record bins, scanning album covers and song titles, brings it all back.
One-of-a-kind garage sale features vinyl records, benefits food pantry: Record enthusiasts are having a vinyl sale with a portion of the proceeds to benefit the Libertyville Township food pantry. The sale is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 19 at 129 McKinley Ave., Libertyville, and will include more than 1,000 new and vintage vinyl records of nearly all genres and music styles from the personal collections of five people. Some memorabilia, such as vintage posters, also will be available. Admission is a nonperishable food item or a suggested cash donation. All donations and some of the proceeds will be donated to the food pantry, according to Lance Schart, a Libertyville resident who proposed and organized the event. “We don’t have a goal in mind,” he said. “There’s no expectation everyone is going to donate the full amount, but they’ve all said, ‘We’ll donate something,'” he added.
Marathon Direct to Disk Session at Welcome to 1979: Come celebrate with us as we celebrate a decade of business at Welcome to 1979! We’re inviting 10 bands and artists who have made a record with us over our 10 years in business to participate in compilation-style direct to disk session! This has NEVER been done before!! Each band will perform 1 song that will be a part of the 10-song record. We’ll pass out tickets at the door to each attendee which will then be redeemable for a FREE vinyl record, cut at the party! We’ll stash a “golden ticket” in one of the records, which equals one free day of studio time! We’ll also have a ton of free ’79 swag to give away, a live DJ and after party, food, champagne… it’s gonna be big – don’t miss it!
