Bowie, MD | Bowie State University Professor Bob Bartlett Always Seeks to Innovate: Bowie State University Professor of Theatre Bob Bartlett isn’t just a playwright. He’s a visionary who brings theatre to unexpected places, making audiences see stories unfold in a whole new way. His latest play, “Love and Vinyl,” is no exception. Set in a real record store, this site-specific production is a celebration of music, memory, and human connection. For Bob, theatre is meant to be immersive, engaging, and transformative.“Whenever regional theatre is being produced in an alleyway or a bar or in someone’s home, I’m there,” he says. “Something magical and beyond theatrical happens when we take our art out of traditional performance spaces.” With “Love and Vinyl,” he taps into that magic, bringing audiences into a world where every spin of the record evokes a memory.
Chicago, IL | Terror Vision Records And Joe Swanberg Opening Pop-Up Video Store In Lakeview: The owner of Graveface Records and Curiosities and the Chicago-based director are opening Terror Vision Records and Video, a pop-up shop and video rental store next door to the Music Box Theatre in April. Two days after they were handed the keys to the place, Ryan Graveface and Joe Swanberg were standing in a mostly empty storefront on Southport Avenue surrounded by dozens of boxes filled to the brim with movies. “This is so not even barely scratching the surface,” Swanberg said, waving his arm over the thousands of Blu-Rays, DVDs and VHS tapes in the boxes, which came from Graveface and Swanberg’s private collections as well as the record store, museum, music venue and curiosity shop Graveface owns in Savannah, Ga. …The shop will be open from April 1 to Sept. 30 and not a day more. It’ll be a true pop-up, Graveface said. “We will be born and we will die,” he said.
Wenatchee, WA | Wenatchee Valley Vinyl Record Expo Founder Creates Space For Young Bands To Shine: Joel Myrene is passionate about music and creating spaces where young bands like the Wenatchee Valley’s Icarus can play to all ages. On Saturday, Feb. 8 I went down to the Wenatchee Odd Fellows Prosperity Lodge #301 on Chelan Avenue in Wenatchee and interviewed Rayce Jones, Finnegan Hart, William Rodriguez and Landon Ortiz – four teenage boys who make up the band Icarus. It was an all-age, drug and alcohol free rock show featuring Icarus and two other bands produced by Joel Myrene, founder of the Apple Valley Vinyl Record Expo. In addition to organizing that once-yearly vinyl record and music collectible expo, Myrene spends his free time producing music shows for local bands. And nurturing young bands like Icarus, giving them a stage to perform for their peers and promoting the performing arts to young folks is a priority for him.
Erie, PA | The Erie Record Riot! Over 10,000 vinyl records in ONE ROOM! Sat March 22nd at Quality Inn & Suites: The Erie Record RIot RETURNS! It’s a GIANT vinyl record POP-UP sale at the Quality Inn & Suites. Sat March 22nd. 10000+ vinyl records in ONE ROOM! Great music and amazing family fun. LPs, CDs and 45s. A giant record store lands in Erie! Dealers from far and wide converge for a giant music sale! LPs and 45s and CDs too. All types of music from punk to funk to country to classic rock, hip hop, soul/jazz and more. Dust off that turntable and come on down. DOOR PRIZES TOO! Regular admission starts at 10 AM ($5) with early admission at 9 AM ($15). Don’t miss the BIG VINYL DIG!
A Phenomenology of Spotify and Vinyl: The larger world of music. …As with any other object, the reality of a vinyl record corresponds with one’s intentional experience of it. By intention, I mean the term as phenomenologists use it: the mental effort to hold something presently in one’s mind; to focus on that thing, both in itself and in its relationships with the rest of the world that it occupies. To use a different example, I may intend a baseball. I picture the rubber material, the seams and stitches which hold it together, the colors of red and white, and so on. I also intend the thing as it relates to the rest of the game, e.g., in the hands of a pitcher, or in contact with a bat, and in the air above the diamond after a hit. Likewise I can intend a vinyl record in more ways than I can with a digital service both because the record is more in tune with various physical phenomena and because there are more perceptible physical qualities at play.
This Memphis inspired turntable seemingly plays the vinyl record floating in mid air: …Dubbed Brick, the turntable is a class apart both in design and audio quality. It has a very sharp aesthetic with geometric shapes, vibrant colors, and playful patterns. The audio equipment brings the energy of the nostalgic 80s to the modern era with a form that’s hard to ignore. Any vinyl record you play with the Brick is guaranteed to deliver high-fidelity sound while being wrapped in an artful and retro-futuristic vibe. Spinning your favorite records on this turntable is going to be an elevating experience as nostalgia meets innovation. It has a geometric form that’s cone-shaped, seemingly suspended in the rectangular body giving the illusion of floating in mid-air. When the vinyl is placed on the platter it seems to be floating which creates a completely new perception. To top it off, the downward taper elevates the design compactness which goes very well with modern design ethos.
There’s A Small Faces Box Set On The Way: A new boxset from legendary drummer Kenney Jones features unreleased and rare versions of Small Faces songs. Jones has announced the release of a 3LP coloured vinyl and 3CD expanded editions of the Small Faces’ final album, 1969’s ‘The Autumn Stone’, to mark the 60th anniversary of British record label Immediate Records. The boxset will be available from March 28, and is released in conjunction with Kenney’s own label, Nice Records. Newly mastered by Nick Robbins, it includes stripped-down acoustic mixes showcasing the talents of late frontman Steve Marriott. The collection includes previously unreleased track ‘Olympic Jam (“one more!”)’, plus an unreleased version of ‘Red Balloon’, and the compilation’s title track. …Fans can also get their hands on a limited-edition ‘autumn stone and gold’ colour 180-gram 3LP vinyl boxset
Dua Lipa Announces Future Nostalgia 5th Anniversary Vinyl: Special edition features original album, deluxe Moonlight Edition, and remix album Club Future Nostalgia. Dua Lipa is celebrating the 5th anniversary of her sophomore album, Future Nostalgia, with a special 3xLP set. The expanded edition is currently available for pre-order ahead of its release on March 28th. Featuring one yellow splatter vinyl and two traditional black discs, the special edition includes the original 11 tracks from Future Nostalgia along with the deluxe Moonlight Edition and remix album Club Future Nostalgia. After dropping in March 2020, Future Nostalgia served as a pandemic soundtrack thanks to hits like “Don’t Start Now,” “Physical,” and “Break My Heart.” It was also a massive commercial success, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 while topping other album charts around the world.
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