NY | 18 top vinyl record store destinations in Upstate New York: As the Baby Boomers will rightly recall, our lives changed when we bought our first record player and spent our chore money on records, both 45s and albums. Music freedom at last!! Vinyl records are huge right now. New ones are out there in big numbers, and at big prices. In fact, too big in my opinion. So, we settle for the used vinyl that we had, loved, through away, and now yearn for back. They are much cheaper than new vinyl re-issues, and are far more enjoyable to listen to, even with the errant pop, hiss, and dust moozy clogging things up a bit. Where just a few years ago a vinyl record store was a rare and much appreciated thing, today they are in almost every town, village, and shopping mall. In this gallery we find 18 great places to get your vinyl groove on. Sure most of these places sell the new vinyl releases, but they also have plenty of nostalgic gems to discover (or re-discover).
Murfreesboro, TN | LRB Skate and Record Shop’s grand opening in conjunction with celebration: …Gage Doran, 16, has been skateboarding for Volatile skateboards for nearly a year and they recently released his first-ever signature skate deck. The deck was designed by an illustrious artist who has done work for Powell Peralta, Bones Brigade Skateboards and for Jeese James from West Coast Choppers. Gage also has another smaller sponsor, JaxWax. Gage Doran began skating in Charleston, South Carolina. He said he really found his passion for it when he stated skating at Fred Deadman Skate Park in Manchester, Tennessee. Phil Doran has been encouraging of his son’s passion for skateboarding and has been a collaborator in his son’s achievements. “I would post a lot of videos, we’d go all day at different places: Nashville, Florida, South Carolina. Where ever we were I was shooting videos really to see how he was moving along in skating. A proud dad kind of thing.”
Manchester, UK | Rae Donaldson: Tributes paid to popular Manchester music shop boss: Tributes have been paid to a popular Manchester record shop owner whose store was frequented by stars of the city’s music scene. Rae Donaldson worked at Vinyl Exchange in the city’s Northern Quarter for almost 30 years. The store said he died while on his way to work on Friday, his 64th birthday. Among the tributes, former Hacienda DJ Dave Haslam said: “Music fans get attached to their favourite record shop staff. I loved him.” He described Mr Donaldson as “so interested, so sussed” and “a beautiful soul”. The store said his death had “knocked us sideways” and Mr Donaldson would be “a hard act to follow.” “We hope to mirror his passion, enthusiasm, musical knowledge and recommendations,” it added.
Ringo Starr “Really Excited” to Be Releasing New EP ‘Crooked Boy’ as a Record Store Day Vinyl Exclusive: Ringo Starr recently revealed details about a new EP titled Crooked Boy on which he collaborated with songwriter/producer Linda Perry. Now the former Beatles drummer has announced that the four-song collection will be released as a limited-edition colored-vinyl disc as part of the 2024 Record Store Day event on April 20. The EP will be available on black-and-white marble vinyl exclusively at independent record stores. Only 2000 copies of the vinyl disc will be sold. “I’m really excited to be releasing an exclusive edition of my EP Crooked Boy for Record Store Day this year,” Starr wrote in a message on his social media sites. “I’ve always loved record stores from 81 Renshaw or Brian’s North End Music Store in Liverpool to Tower Records and Amoeba Records in [Los Angeles] and I support them with Peace and Love.”
UK | Modern big artists notably absent on Record Store Day: Thursday saw the announcement of this year’s Record Store Day titles and as usual there are some big hitters in the list. here are releases from Blur, Gorillaz, Pulp, Queen, The Who, Fleetwood Mac, The Rolling Stones and, of course, inevitably David Bowie and The Cure, which to avoid confusion I should say are two different releases and not some mashup of the two, though it would certainly not surprise me should that ever happen. All these artists have vast catalogues that can be mined, but what is conspicuously missing is anything from more recent big artists who are clearly keeping anything extra they might have to themselves. As usual, record companies and labels make the mistake of putting out releases by artists they are trying to break, when quite honestly there could not be a worse time to do so given the competition. At Avalanche we are glad to see the Gentle Waves album on Jeepster, though it is the second album rather than the much sought after first album. Gentle Waves were, of course, an offshoot from Belle and Sebastian featuring Isobel Campbell on vocals.
London, UK | Visit the world’s only true ‘vinyl hotel,’ smack dab in the middle of London: As music collectors we are always looking for new and amazing records shops. Well, this record store in London allows you to dig and sleep all in the same space. As a dedicated, die-hard music collector, or even as just a casual buyer of music — but someone who genuinely supports storefront retail music media businesses (i.e, record shops) — how many times have you experienced a ‘new-to-you’ record store that you couldn’t wait to brag about to your friends? How many instances can you recall when you have experienced an independent record store for the very first time, whose store stock was so impressive, whose bins were full of gold and whose walls were plastered with platinum finds? A shop whose ambiance was so inviting that you didn’t feel like leaving, for days, but when closing time came, it was to the register you go, to pay your fee and exit the front door, all the while itching to tell your fellow music-fiends about it the very next day? Having visited record shops all over the world, I can attest that this has happened to me many-a-time, and more than I can recall.
Luzerne County, PA | Vinyl record and CD show held in Luzerne County: The NEPA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre LP Vinyl Record and CD Show returned to the Woodlands Sunday. It was a big deal for music lovers in Luzerne County. The Woodlands in Plains Township hosted a Vinyl Record and CD Show Sunday afternoon. Dozens of folks came out to look for their favorite bands or to discover something new, and dealers came from all over the Northeast. Those who came out say the show is a great opportunity to find something you’re looking for. “It’s great to be around all of the people who appreciate collecting records. I love collecting records. Coming out here you can get good deals, you gotta get here early though, that is the trick. Because you have to know what you are looking for because everyone else knows what you’re looking for as well,” said Sean Flynn, Scranton.
Kalamazoo, MI | First Kalamazoo Record Show of the year attracts diverse crowd, revives vinyl tradition: Music lovers headed to the Kalamazoo County Expo Center Sunday for the first Kalamazoo Record Show of the year. Vendors from Michigan and Indiana showcased their collections for sale, which included vinyl records, CDs, posters, books, and more. According to the show’s organizer, the tradition of vinyl music is alive and well. “I know the people look forward to it all the time,” said Rod Branham, promoter of the record show. “We have many many many repeat customers, and what I’m finding now is we’re getting a lot of younger folks in here, which we really need. Because if we don’t get the younger folks, the hobby’s going to die.” Vendors also enjoy keeping the tradition alive. “It’s just fun to intermix with the hobby enthusiast, vinyl enthusiast,” said Barry Price, CEO of Monkying with Records, a vendor at the show.
