Montreal, CA | A day in the life of…the owner of an independent record store: Nick Catalano loves music. He loves playing music, he loves listening to music. He loves buying rare records. He loves selling new and used albums to vinyl and CD enthusiasts at his store Beatnick, a veritable museum of music history that opened in December 1998 at the corner of St. Denis and Pine Avenue. What he doesn’t love is the part of the process that starts his day at the store — finding a place to park, and then having to lug heavy items from blocks away. Catalano lays the blame at the feet of the Plante administration. “It’s the hunt for parking when you pay thousands and thousands of dollars of business tax,” he told The Suburban as we drove in his vehicle hunting for parking. “Our wonderful Mayor is constantly adding to the bicycle paths and taking away parking spots. She’s, at the moment, extending it from Duluth to Sherbrooke, which means all those parking spots, which you had to pay for, are not going to be available anymore.
Brooklyn, NY | English Presents “Vinyl Chord: A Revolutionary Record Store” at Public Pool Gallery, Brooklyn, NYC: Come check out the brand new Ron English pop-up entitled “Vinyl Chord Records: an imaginary record store”. Public Pool is pleased to present Vinyl Chord: A Revolutionary Record Store with the Godfather of Street Art, Ron English, in which English remixes and remakes the most iconic album covers of the last fifty years.The reimagined album covers will be presented as 12 x 12 inch prints, in editions of 33. The exhibition will include unique hand-painted vinyl records by Ron English to complement the editions. English will also release a new vinyl art toy in collaboration with Tower Records. The show will feature music videos English created for his band The Rabbbits. During the exhibition, English will unveil a new Grin mural on the side of the building. Public Pool is an experimental gallery space made possible by Ethan Cohen Projects and Founders Lab NYC.
Dallas, TX | Best Record Store That’s Become a Regional Chain That Doesn’t Suck—Josey Records: Lingering in Lubbock? Passing through Plano? Traveling through Tulsa? Those are just a few destinations where you can find Josey Records, the Dallas-based record store that has quietly expanded to five additional locations in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas over the last decade. Growing a company’s footprint often brings with it brand dilution and a diminishment of the original’s spark, but not so for Josey Records. In addition to opening its outposts, the mothership (all 25,000 square feet of it) has maintained its mix of in-store events, unique releases and stewardship of the legacy of Dallas institution Bill’s Records.
Seattle, WA | On the record: New vinyl Hi-Fi lounge in Seattle skips the algorithm and gets back to music basics: The term “Seattle sound” often refers to the heyday of grunge music in the city. But the people behind a new cocktail lounge think Seattle has never sounded better thanks to the high-fidelity listening experience they have created. Shibuya Hi-Fi opens Thursday in the Ballard neighborhood with a rather simple plan to offer good drinks and good music. The execution is more nuanced, and involves an expertly curated selection of vinyl records spun by world class DJs in the hopes that people who have given over their listening lives to streaming services and algorithms can get back to basics. “It really is trying to create an experience that we miss,” said Brian Rauschenbach, one of the masterminds behind Shibuya, who was a longtime DJ and who works in tech as the president and chief media officer at Add3, a digital marketing agency.
Philadelphia, PA | ‘Vinyl Diner’ Milkcrate Cafe coming to 45th and Baltimore: After several months, the vacant commercial space at 45th and Baltimore, previously occupied by Vagrant Café and Milk & Honey Market before that, will have a new tenant soon. Fishtown-based Milkcrate Café has announced its opening a West Philly location “sometime” this week (the sign below was posted on Sept. 13). Milkcrate is not only known for its coffee (from La Colombe Roasters), and simple breakfast and brunch offerings, it is also a vinyl record boutique. It has a few thousand vintage and new soul, rock and jazz vinyl records for sale. You can check their online record collection here. The store also sells new and used turntables and audio equipment. You can also buy or trade in records or Hi-Fi audio gear at Milkcrate. Milkcrate Café hasn’t announced their exact opening date yet, but the hours of operation once it opens will be 8 a.m.-3 p.m. In Fishtown, the business also runs a vinyl bar on Friday and Saturday nights.
Zenith and Legendary DJ Carl Fox Teamed Up for a Turntable-Inspired Chronograph: …For the Limited Edition Defy Extreme Carl Cox, Zenith draws inspiration from three specific turntables that helped Cox establish his career. The model features a striking case design with a two-tone combination of matte-finished stainless steel and yellow gold, a first for the Defy Extreme lineup. Look more closely at the details and you’ll see the matte yellow gold accents on the dodecagonal bezel and pusher guards are reminiscent of the turntable stylus’s golden tonearm. The nods to Cox’s most beloved turntables extend to the dial where the three black chronograph counters take on the form of miniature vinyl records, with concentric grooves that capture and reflect light as if they were spinning.
Chicago, IL | Record Pop-up Returns: Beverly Phono Mart is coming back to Saint Xavier University for another record pop up on Oct. 3! From 10 AM to 4 PM, Mallory McClaire and Chantala Kommanivanh of Beverly Phono Mart will be back with more music for SXU’s students to enjoy. The event will take place in the Wiseman Student Lounge on the first floor of the Warde Academic Center. Students can pay for different items with credit card, Zelle, Venmo or cash. According to Kommanivanh, Items bought using credit cards will have an extra charge fee. Peter Kreten, director of SXU student media, found out about Beverly Phono Mart through an article in the Chicago Reader. “I found out when their opening day was, rode my bike over there and had a hard time riding back because I bought so many records. I’ve been going there ever since,” says Kreten. Due to last year’s success, Kreten has invited McClaire and Kommanivanh back for another pop-up.
In defense of short albums: since when is 39 minutes not enough? When I was 17 years old, I fell completely in love with Fleetwood Mac. It’s immensely embarrassing to admit this came about via a particularly bad themed episode of Glee, but unfortunately, that was the case. I fell headlong into Rumours – that incendiary, brilliant album that was created in a furnace of crumbling relationships and spiralling drug addiction. My mother initially thought the local ABC radio was doing some kind of recurring daily series on the record, before realising, with some bafflement, that I was simply playing the album on repeat for weeks at a time. It’s a sublime album, from the rattling anger of The Chain to Christine McVie’s delicate Songbird and the furious, elemental love that pours out of Stevie Nicks through everything she sings (the less said about Don’t Stop the better). Rumours is remarkable, an album that continues to capture the imagination of generations, and it clocks in at a smidge under 39 minutes.
