Kelowna, BC | Record maker looks to Kelowna to solve a mystery and make a movie: Scott Gibson was digging through the records at the SPCA thrift shop in Rutland when he struck by inspiration. Gibson, whose company Sleepovers for Life makes small batch vinyl records, found an album from the 1970s by a band called The Country Happy Gang that was based in Kelowna. “(We) looked it up online and couldn’t find anything,” said Gibson. “The record packaging was black and white, and you could see it was done on a budget … but the question was who was making records in this town back then? It was just a small orchard town.” The idea sparked a conversation with his friends and then a project. “We set out to do a 15 minute documentary for our own enjoyment, where we would try and find the band,” said Gibson.
Phoenixville, PA | New Pop-Up Vinyl Record Shop Opening Up In Phoenixville. A new pop-up vinyl record shop will open up for the first time this weekend in Phoenixville. The shop, Forever Changes, will be located inside Heart Stone Coffee in Franklin Commons. As a pop-up store, it will be open every Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Owner Shawn Cephas hopes to capitalize on the thriving economy that takes hold of the borough on Saturdays, pointing to the farmers market and the borough’s various festivals. He called the new space a “celebration of music and the arts.” “Forever Changes is not just a place for the vinyl record fan, it’s a place where our friends, family, and lovers can shop and support local merchants,” he said. “It’s more than records” Cephas traces his love of music to the day he was born above a record store: King James Records, one of the first African-American owned record stores in Philadelphia.
‘Born in the California sun’: how Pentagram rebranded the 61-year-old Warner Records: …The final identity hinges of a clean circular icon, which represents the record label’s vinyl heritage, the globe at large and the sun setting over the Pacific. “The idea of having an icon be able to be just a circle with a little slice taken off the bottom seemed so clean and simple,” said Oberman. “It’s the most pared down representation that we could think of. It’s like that old Coco Chanel quote – ‘Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off’ – it’s that version of an icon to me, as simple as it could possibly be.” It may be a circle but the logo is also a sponge, too – one that can seamlessly soak up any colour, platform, artist, animation or space. Norman Wonderly, Warner Records’ executive vice-president of creative, has already “taken this identity and run with it”, according to Oberman. “The strength of any identity always comes from what you do with it,” she said. “I hope that what we do doesn’t look like it just came out of the agency. [Um. —Ed.]
YES 50 LIVE double album to be released in August: Yes celebrated the band’s 50th anniversary over the last year with an extensive tour that included shows in Europe, North America and Japan. This year, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers are back with a new double live album that was recorded during the group’s anniversary tour. YES 50 LIVE will be available from Rhino on August 2 as two CDs ($19.98), or four LPs ($79.98). On the same day, the music will also be available digitally to download and stream. For a limited time, Rhino.com will also have exclusive color vinyl versions available while supplies last. The cover of YES 50 LIVE was painted by Roger Dean, whose artwork and trademark calligraphy are synonymous with the band’s identity. The CD and vinyl versions both come with an eight-page booklet that includes photographs from the tour taken by the Gottlieb Brothers. YES 50 LIVE features 13 live performances of key songs that helped make Yes the most enduring, ambitious, and virtuosic progressive band in rock history.
Auckland, NZ | The Others Way Festival returns for 2019: Since the event’s inception in 2014, the beloved grassroots music festival has become somewhat of an institution in the independent music scene of the city, attracting swarms of music-loving festival goers each year as Karangahape Road and the surrounding streets host a magical night of music and good vibes. For 2019, the multi-venue extravaganza will take place across beloved venues such as The Wine Cellar, Whammy! Bar and its adjoining Whammy! Backroom, Neck of the Woods, The Fale at Samoa House, Cross Street Market, Galatos, The Studio, The Thirsty Dog, and Audio Foundation. Joining the venue bill this year, The Others Way Festival organizers are proud to announce the addition of two new venues; the majestic Hopetoun Alpha and iconic Mercury Theatre. The annual event is hosted by Flying Out, an Auckland-based record store, distributor and home to Flying Nun Records, Arch Hill and numerous other local and international labels.
