Miami, FL | ‘The heartbeat of the city’s music scene’: Hot new weekend venue now open in Miami: Miami’s newest indoor-and-outdoor weekend gathering spot lies under a huge banyan tree and behind a simple wood gate in Miami’s Little River neighborhood. Cross the threshold, and you’ll enter ZeyZey, a new space for music and culture (food and drink, too). Wander through that wooden gate, and the first thing you’ll stumble across is a small gazebo where natural wine and craft beer are sold. There’s a bungalow with white walls where DJs will spin. It’s also home to a vinyl listening room, with more than 3,000 records. The large backyard area, under a huge banyan tree, includes a shipping container with a full cocktail bar and a stage for live performances, four food vendors and three private lounge areas.
London, UK | Devon Turnbull’s HiFi Listening Room Dream No. 1 has come to London: The room is open at Lisson Gallery from July 12 to August 26. Devon Turnbull’s HiFi Listening Room Dream No. 1 is in London for the first time. The free, drop-in listening experience is designed for “surrendering to the act of listening”. With a high-performance, handmade soundsystem featuring a wall of brutalist speakers, a turntable, a series of amplifiers and seats intended for meditation, the room is cater-built for absorptive, reflective listening. HiFi Listening Room Dream No.1 first launched at Lisson’s New York space last summer as part of the group exhibition, The odds are good, the goods are odd. Turnbull, a Brooklyn-based speaker sculptor and sound expert also known as OJAS, describes the space as a “shrine to music”. See the room, open at Lisson Gallery from July 12 to August 26, here.
Stockton-On-Tees, UK | Remembering Tom Butchart Of Sound It Out Records: Filmmaker Jeanie Finlay and John Doran pay tribute to the well-loved record shop owner and star of the film Sound It Out who died recently. Tom Butchart died unexpectedly last month, leaving an unfillable hole behind him. For those who don’t know, he was the convivial owner of Sound It Out Records, a shop in Stockton-On-Tees, and a familiar face to fans of second hand vinyl and CDs in the Teesside area. He will be sadly missed by his family, friends and those that knew him well. During the couple of days I spent hanging out with Tom in his wonderful grotto and during the several subsequent conversations I had with him via email and social media – arguably deeper, more serious discussions than the framework of nerdery over obscure post punk 12”s would initially suggest – I began to realise that he was a nice guy and a bona fide force for good to boot. And I would hope that when people read the phrase ‘owner of a record shop’ they don’t feel I’m subconsciously appending with the word ‘just.’
Cache of Stax demos arguably the most significant archival release in years: Goldmine interviews behind-the-scenes Stax artists William Bell and Deanie Parker about the massive cache of songwriters’ demos now seeing the light of day as the box set ‘Written in Their Soul.’ …Ever since the dawn of recording technology, songwriters’ demos (demonstration recordings) have been the industry standard; a songwriter cuts a recording to documents the music and lyrics, and to provide at least a signpost for the producers, musicians and featured recording artists to follow. …Tragically, countless demos have been lost forever. Those demos are an important part of the story, though. Taken as a whole, they help complete the picture, opening a window into the process of creating the revered body of work that is the Stax and associated label story. And thanks to intrepid music historian and archivist (and two-time Grammy winner) Cheryl Pawelski, a massive cache of Stax songwriters’ demos is now seeing the light of day.
Washington, DC | “Verso Records, Volume One” Entered into Congressional Record: United States Senator Richard Blumenthal recognized The Westport Library, Verso Studios and their landmark compilation album Verso Records, Volume One in the Congressional Record of the Proceedings and Debates of the 118th Congress, First Session. “This record is the product of collaboration among local artists and is the first of its kind issued by a public library,” Blumenthal wrote. “This endeavor is an example of Westport at its best — the vision and vibrancy of the community and its commitment to artistic achievement, powering culture throughout the State of Connecticut.” Blumenthal noted that The Westport Library has enriched the community as a leading innovator since 1886, citing the MakerSpace, Library of Things, Seed Library, Cafe and Store, and prized collection of artwork. “These resources make The Westport Library one of the best libraries in all of America—a ‘noisy library,’ as its supporters say, and a true jewel of the community.”
The Who announce deluxe release for ‘Who’s Next’/‘Life House’: UMR will release ‘Who’s Next/Life House’ as a lavish, multi-format Super Deluxe edition on September 15. …Featuring 155 tracks, of which 89 are previously unreleased and 57 feature fresh remixes, the set will delight longtime Who fans with its long-sought, complete picture of Townshend’s incredibly prescient songwriting, while captivating a new audience with his visionary description of a future that has, in many ways, come true. It features all of his songs, in their many stages of development, from the abandoned, audacious Life House project, started In 1969 as a follow-up to The Who’s epic Tommy, and from the undisputed rock classic of 1971 that it evolved into, Who’s Next. Across the course of ten-CD and multiple vinyl sets, Who’s Next/Life House sets out Townshend’s extraordinary vision of a world beset by climatic catastrophe and pollution, leading to a curtailing of personal freedom that will be all too familiar to the pandemic generation.
When a fake XTC album outsold a real one: British art rockers XTC were in a strange place in the mid-1980s. The group had completed its evolution from punk origins to more boundary-pushing sounds, which included a heady slice of psychedelia. Frontman Andy Partridge had put a permanent end to the band’s touring days, making them a studio-only band as they were still on the ascent. The lack of traditional concerts meant that it was tricky for the band to find a general audience. A frequently changing lineup didn’t help their stability either. By the time Partridge decided to stop touring, both keyboardist Barry Andrews and drummer Terry Chambers had left the group. No new permanent drummer was ever hired, with the band opting to use session players on drums instead. Guitarist Dave Gregory was brought in to complete what would be the band’s most successful lineup, although it took the group some time to find stability with their audience.
Goo Goo Dolls Set To Release 25th Anniversary Vinyl Edition Of ‘Dizzy Up The Girl’: Goo Goo Dolls have announced a special edition vinyl of the Dizzy Up The Girl that will arrive on September 15th, 2023. With a limited-run and pressed on metallic silver ice vinyl, it celebrates the 25th anniversary of the iconic album that was first released on September 22, 1998 via Warner Bros. Records. Dizzy Up The Girl is a record that catapulted the band into mainstream success and was cemented as one of the most indelible alt-rock records in recent memory. Featuring songs such as “Iris” (3 GRAMMY nominations, Certified Septuple Platinum, over 1 billion Spotify Streams), “Slide” (Certified Platinum, 240 million Spotify Streams), and “Black Balloon” (Certified Platinum, 65 million Spotify Streams), the album has sold over 6 million copies worldwide, had five top 10 singles and has since gone 5x platinum in the US.
Fortnite’s Getting a Vinyl, But It’s Missing the Best Track: The perfect soundtrack for your next party. While Fortnite has made plenty of merchandise deals, this new one is more specific to music fans. Epic Games is teaming up with Iam8bit to produce a Best of the Lobby vinyl. It will feature 18 Fortnite lobby tracks that players have been rocking out to while waiting for matchmaking to start. However, we noticed it doesn’t include the lobby tack ever made: Llama Beat (also called Llama Bell). For those who may be unaware of this tune, YouTuber VazzyCow created a great music video so everyone can know exactly what they are missing out on. The vinyl record is themed after Fortnite GOAT character/skin Peely, as he graces the sleeve. To top it all off, the record is also bright yellow in his honor. It is $31.99 and will be available for pre-order starting Thursday, July 20, before a shipping window for Q4 2023 (from September to December).
