Isle of Wight, UK | Join the Big Virtual Record Store Day Quiz at Ventnor Exchange next Saturday night: You have six days to gen up on your music knowledge, just in time for the Big Virtual Record Store Day Quiz being hosted by Ventnor Exchange. This coming Saturday would have been the annual Record Store Day – one of the busiest days for Ventnor Exchange. Of course that has been cancelled due to the Coronavirus crisis, so instead, the folks at the Exchange have come up with another way for people with a love of music who are keen to support this fantastic venue, bar, record shop (and more). …“A Zoom link will be posted on our Website on Saturday 18th April, which you can join from 7.30pm and see and hear our wonderful quizmaster and musical font of knowledge, Doug Alldred. “He will not hear you, and only see you if you wish to use Webcam. This will be a secure link and you do not need to create an account with Zoom. “You may create a household team and we strongly recommend you do, as we will be asking questions about all the eras and genres.”
Springfield, IL | Dumb Records Go Fund Me set up: Dumb Records, an independent record store and concert venue at 416-18 E. Monroe St., has started a Go Fund Me page in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the “stay at home” order, the record store which specializes in vinyl has been temporarily shut down, except for online orders. Fifteen scheduled shows have so far been canceled, said Brian Galecki, one of the owners of the record store and concert space, formerly known as Black Sheep Cafe. The alcohol-free venue has long had a unique “DIY” approach. Those booking shows are responsible for everything from putting a lineup together to doing promotion to collecting tickets. It has consistently held admission prices down, usually $5 to $6. Dumb Records has hosted touring and local bands with a range of musical styles from ska to punk to rap…
Ashville, NC | Record stores still spinning: Despite the current lack of local venues in which to perform their work and sell merchandise, Asheville-area musicians continue to release new music — and the city’s record stores are adapting to get physical copies to fans. While Static Age Records owner Jesse McSwain stopped hosting live events on March 13 and closed the store’s retail space and bar three days later, he and his colleagues shifted to curated curbside pickups, individual browsing appointments and mail-order records, but for the past week have solely offered parcel deliveries via email at staticage.nc@gmail.com. “Our live music calendar was especially exciting these coming months, but we expect the venue to be closed through June,” McSwain says. “Like many businesses globally, our ability to pay staff, rent or bills has come to a halt due to these necessary safety measures, and there is real danger of closing permanently. We hope to reopen when it is appropriate, but this seems contingent on some sort of financial aid. We remain optimistic that Asheville’s unique small businesses can recover from this crisis through creative support and we can all move forward with a greater sense of community and compassion.”
Rawtenstall, UK | Madonna’s hat was up for sale in East Lancs’ record shop: Alison Sharples, co-owner of Pride Records on Bank Street, Rawtenstall, was pictured in 2002 modelling a designer leather cap which was worn by pop icon Madonna. The store specialised in collectables and had obtained the cap which Madonna had worm for a photoshoot for the front cover of Italian Vogue 10 years earlier. It was one of a number of items from the rich and famous which the shop had for sale. The cap which had been made for the singer was snapped up by a collector less than 24 hours after arriving in the store, being sold for £395. For £295 you could have picked up a rose gold Goddess of Love necklace with a diamond inset which belonged to actress Mae West and a pair of Clark Gable’s gold cufflinks which were available at £350. The shop had recently sold a pair of solid silver cufflinks once worn by Elvis Presley and an autograph by Marilyn Monroe.
Caterina Barbieri, DJ Nobu, Alessandro Cortini and more feature on new 56-artist charity comp, WorldWideWindow: With all proceeds donated to The Red Cross. Italian DJ and producer Neel has released a new charity compilation, called WorldWideWindow, in response to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. Featuring 56 artists contributing over 6 hours of new material, WorldWideWindow includes music by Caterina Barbieri, Alessandro Cortini, Johanna Knutsson, DJ Nobu, Forest Drive West, Peter Van Hoesen, and Lucy. “I wanted them to take their time with whichever tools they had available at home to produce some music that reflects this time we are living in, a contribution for this special project and to portray a special message,” explains Neel. All proceeds from WorldWideWindow will be donated to The Red Cross to those most affected by the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. The compilations artwork has been designed by visual art collective Sbagliato, and features the windows from the houses and studios of the 56 artists.
Jazz and the Vinyl Renaissance: Vinyl records continue to climb new sales heights, and jazz is at the heart of the trend. …No matter where you stand on the audio-quality question, though, you’ve got to admit that there’s more to the exponential rise of vinyl sales than the belief that it sounds better. Vinyl’s strengths go beyond its sound, encompassing the visual allure of the record as an object and the ritualistic nature of playing it. Removing the LP from its inner sleeve, placing it on the turntable platter, brushing away the dust, lowering the tonearm/cartridge to the record’s surface—it all makes the act of playback a cherished rite, giving the music greater respect. As Bill Frisell stated in a recent Stereophile article, “I used to sit around with my friends, and we’d put on a record and it was an event. We’d all gather around the stereo, put on the new Miles Davis record, and just flip out. It was special. It was a sacred time focused entirely on one side of the record, then we’d turn it over and do it again.”
In remembrance: WTF was the deal with 8-track tapes? Gather round youngsters! As the old(er) staffer at Loudwire, when we recently saw National 8-Track Tape Day coming up on the calendar, it sparked some moments of nostalgia for myself and a few head scratches from others. So today (April 11), in honor of the long lost music platform, it seemed like a good time to reflect and analyze what made the 8-track so great, so frustrating and such a key part of music history. What Is an 8-Track Tape Anyway? The 8-track tape was a cartridge containing a recorded spool of tape that would be pulled from the center of the reel, passed across the opening at one end of the cartridge and wound back onto the outside of the same reel. The tape was driven by the tension in the capstan and pinch roller and would turn at a constant rate to play the music that was recorded onto the tape. The Stereo 8 edition improved upon the initial 4-track StereoPak, typically allowing four programs of two tracks apiece. The Stereo 8 could switch between tracks automatically or by the user switching over but only a limited amount of time was available per each track.
