In rotation: 10/26/21

Glasgow, UK | The lost record shops that defined Glasgow’s famous music scene: From Tower Records to 23rd Precinct, Glasgow’s record shops gave a musical education to a pre-Spotify generation. It’s no surprise that a place officially designated by UNESCO as a ‘City of Music’ has had its fare share of iconic record shops over the years. After all, this is the city that saw Oasis get signed, that gave the world Primal Scream, Mogwai, Franz Ferdinand and Chvrches. Edinburgh may like to lay claim to cult tweepop band Camera Obscura, but while they might have taken their name from the so-called capital city, they’re Weegies through and through. A city rife with musicians, wannabe musicians, gig promoters, zinesters and music bloggers was always going to have a healthy – and off-beat – record store industry. Although the internet and music streaming has helped sound the death knell to many shops in what was always a slightly precarious business, they’re never closed in our hearts.

Washburn, WI | If You Love Records Shops—Washburn’s Vinyl Vault is the Perfect Musical Retreat: Throwback hits keep historic bank-turned-cultural center alive. Some people take great pride in their music—meticulously cataloging their collection, insisting only upon the highest quality listening experiences. But few go to the length of housing their beloved records inside a bank vault. Steve Cotherman, the extroverted manager of the Washburn Cultural Center, jams to his own rhythm. That asymmetric style may explain why he decided to open a record shop inside a room only big enough for two occupants at a time. A tall man with a graying beard, Cotherman keeps his shoulder-length hair pulled back in a ponytail under his baseball cap. He spent several boisterous minutes explaining with wild hand gestures that he is “a talker.” When asked why he moved from Wyoming to a small town on the shore of Lake Superior in Wisconsin’s Bayfield County, Cotherman launched into a 10-minute monologue that touched on topics as diverse as profane advice from his mother and a local celebrity famous for dancing.

Montreal, CA | A Montreal music institution celebrates a landmark milestone this month: Cheap Thrill’s location on Mansfield St. is an oddity in a downtown Montreal now dominated by modern chain stores. The rickety stairs to the shop, a flashback to a bygone architectural past. And inside the store, one could be forgiven for thinking they’ve boarded a time machine. “It’s amazing. I think it’s a lot of good luck on our part, we just stood the test of time and we’re the last one standing downtown,” says owner Gary Worsley, who bought the store from its original owner four years ago, after working there for two decades. There was a time, 30 years ago, when people couldn’t give away their record collection because CDs were all the rage. But Cheap Thrills weathered the storm and now celebrates its 50th anniversary. The original store, on Bishop St., closed its doors in the 90s. “We kept vinyl but it was hard to get new ones,” Morsley explains. “People weren’t coming in with them used, they were coming with tons of used CDs.”

Detroit, MI | Record Store Recs: DJ Carl Craig Selects Some Of His Detroit Faves & Talks Planet E’s 30 Years Of Independence: Detroit legend Carl Craig shares his gems from the Detroit section of Stellar Remnant’s vinyl pop-up at CRSSD Fest 2021, talks the Motor City’s resilience and celebrates 30 years of his label, Planet E. For the first IRL iteration of Record Store Recs since its launch in May 2020 to support record stores and artists during the pandemic, a few of the DJ/producers who played electronic music festival CRSSD Festival(opens in a new tab) 2021 joined us at the Stellar Remnant(opens in a new tab) popup. Detroit techno forefather Carl Craig stopped by to check out the Detroit section, sharing personal stories about the seven fellow Motor City dance greats whose records he chose. The “Forever Free” producer also discusses the DIY magic of his hometown, celebrating 30 years of dancefloor independence with his label, Planet E, and his hope to hear more dance records that cut through the divisiveness of society.

Lafayette, LA | Acadiana Vinyl Haul holds annual event: The Acadiana Vinyl Haul celebrated its 10th year today with an annual collectors’ event. The four-hour opportunity to buy, sell, swap or give away records was held at the Blue Moon Saloon. “Birds, and Neil Young and Bob Dylan, a lot of stuff that I love,” says Paul Dufrene, who was there selling some records. “Most of it is like doubles. Over the years somehow I’ve ended up with two of the same records, so a lot of what I’m selling is doubles.” Anyone looking for more information on local record collecting, you can join the Facebook group, The Acadiana Vinyl Haul Group.

Tucson, AZ | Hunt for good music at Saturday’s Tucson Record Show: Vinyl fanatics can build their collections with rare finds this Saturday, Oct. 30, at the 16th annual Tucson Record Show. Presented by Cassidy Collectibles, the show brings in dealers from throughout the Southwest. Visitors can flip through thousands of titles, from classic rock to bebop, on the hunt for the music that completes them. Need that butcher cover of The Beatles’ “Yesterday and Today”? Well, that might take some digging, but you never know. The event will also include dealers selling CDs (remember those?) and all manner of music memorabilia.

Rockford, IL | Stateliners enjoy 7th annual Rockford Record Crawl: Three local record shops open their doors to offer freebies and good music. Three record stores opened their doors for the 7th Rockford Record Crawl Saturday afternoon, offering great music, freebies and special prizes. Toad Hall, CD Source, and Culture Shock all took part in what one owner called a friendly competition. All participants got a punch card. After visiting all three stores, everyone was entered to win gift cards to each store. On top of browsing for great music, crawlers could enjoy a live band outside Culture Shock. “For many years, Vinyl had been becoming a more popular thing and more people getting into it. Then really a couple years when the pandemic began, it got even more popular,” said Culture Shock Owner Skyler Davis. “So, we’re seeing a lot of old and new customers coming out for the record crawl.”

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  • SUPPORTING YOUR LOCAL INDIE SHOPS SINCE 2007


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