Albuquerque, NM | Nob Hill Music survives economic hardship by selling old-school sounds: Walking through the heart of Albuquerque’s Nob Hill can be a dispiriting exercise, passing, as you will, the emptied-out storefronts of ventures felled by the one-two punch of the Albuquerque Rapid Transit project and pandemic restrictions, not to mention the challenges faced by small businesses in the best of times. That Italian ice cream place is gone, as are the Asian restaurant and a couple of other food places. The gallery that used to be here — the one with the quirky lowbrow art — has moved to Algodones. Bummer. But then, just up ahead, fluttering in a light autumn breeze like a gaudy beacon of defiance is the rack of Hawaiian shirts Steve Schroeder displays in front of his Nob Hill Music store. For $10, you can buy a piece of Paradise or a ticket to Margaritaville. And if the shirts are out there, the store — boasting a treasure trove of vintage vinyl records, CDs, cassette tapes, framed album covers, record-label coasters and related items — is open. “This is an essential business,” Schroeder said. “Vaccines take care of the body, but music takes care of the soul.”
Burlington, NJ | He brought Flock of Seagulls to America 40 years ago. They just performed at his N.J. shop. For a little while, I was falling in love. (If you were near a radio in the 80s, you’ll get the reference.) English new wave band A Flock of Seagulls, formed in Liverpool in 1979, enjoyed the peak of their international success in the early 1980s with hits like “Space Age Love Song,” “Telecommunication,” and “I Ran,” to name only a few. Their first show in America happened when DJ/promoter Randy Ellis, a.k.a. Randy Now, brought them to legendary nightclub City Gardens in Trenton in the early 1980s. The club, which saw performances by a plethora of noted bands and where Jon Stewart was once a bartender, closed in 2001 and remains unused. “The first time they played at City Gardens…I remember taking the guitar player in my car to WTSR to do an interview with, I believe it was DJ Karen Ray Heller, and so we interviewed him,” said Ellis, whose mind is a locked safety deposit box full of music history. “He’d never been interviewed before.”
NY | Twisted Sister’s Jay Jay French To Sign Copies Of Memoir In New York City And West Babylon: Jay Jay French, founder, guitarist and manager of the world-famous heavy metal institution Twisted Sister, has scheduled in-store appearances to promote his new “bizoir” — part memoir and part business primer — “Twisted Business: Lessons From My Life In Rock ‘N’ Roll”, in New York City and West Babylon, New York. Join French on Saturday, November 6 at 4 p.m. at New York City’s Generation Records. The appearance will include a discussion with French, moderated by the New York Hardcore Chronicles Live! host Drew Stone. On Sunday, November 7, French will appear in West Babylon, New York, with a signing at Looney Tunes record store beginning at 4 p.m. Purchase copies of the book now to receive a wristband. In addition to founding Twisted Sister, a world-famous heavy metal band that has sold more than 20 million records worldwide, French is one of the top entrepreneurs in entertainment. After taking over as manager in the 1970s, French developed Twisted Sister into the most heavily licensed heavy metal band in history, leading the group to perform more than 9,000 shows in forty countries.
PH | This 22-Year-Old Music Lover Will Make You Fall Back in Love With Vinyl Records: Gab Saulog, through his online vinyl record store Acetate Music, is here to bridge the past and present through music. Sour by Olivia Rodrigo, Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish, and Gaucho by Steely Dan are quite the mixed bag of records. The latter sticks out as a more vintage title compared to the two 2021 releases, but these are what came to 22-year-old Gab Saulog’s mind when prompted to name three albums off the top of his head. Like many of his Gen Z peers, not a day goes by without him pinning his ears to his favorite tunes. Though, he prefers to do so without putting on earphones or opening Spotify. Instead, he sets up his turntable, chooses a title from his vast collection, and with the touch of the needle to the revolving disc, allows the vibrations from the machine to engulf him in glee. Ever since he picked up his first 12×12 disc back in his high school days, Gab has been in love with listening to his favorite tracks on the turntable—and it’s something he doesn’t hesitate to rave about. You ask him one question about vinyl, and he goes on a tangent about the history, science, and culture behind it, only halting once he realizes he’s been rambling.
FI | There is a shortage of vinyl records and books are late for a lack of paper: production problems caused by the pandemic are also visible in Finland: Rising commodity prices and increasing demand for records are affecting the availability of vinyl records. In the book industry, the shortage of paper makes it particularly difficult to react to unexpected sales blows. The sotka pandemic production facilities around the world: vinyl records would be bought more than can be made. The book industry, on the other hand, suffers from a shortage of paper. However, in the case of vinyl records, this is in itself a long-standing positive problem: production is not keeping up with the huge increase in demand. New statesman According to the magazine, vinyl popularity is currently at its peak since the early 1990s. Rising raw material prices also slowed production. Combined with the spike in demand caused by the pandemic, supply challenges are eroding the growth potential of the record business. Delivery problems and congestion in factories are also reflected in availability problems in Finland. Record Shop X released on the subject blog post in the month of September.
