Minneapolis, MN | A Music Lover’s Guide to Minneapolis: Twin Cities musical landmarks, concert venues, record stores, festivals and more. If you’re a music fan, you probably know at least a little something about the musical history of Minneapolis. (After all, there is an entire subgenre referred to as the Minneapolis Sound.) …But if you’re visiting – or hell, even if you live there—it might be hard to know what to do as a music lover. Concert venues, record stores, landmarks and museums, festivals—there’s a lot going on, and it’s not always easy to figure out what’s worth your time. Here, we’ve put together a guide for music lovers in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul). It’s by no means definitive, but as someone born and raised there, there are hopefully enough decent recommendations to keep music fans happy and occupied in the North Star State.
Edinburgh, UK | Edinburgh record store given precious copy of The Cure’s new album—one of only 24 in world. A record store that was previously named one of the world’s best has been given a rare copy of The Cure’s newest album. The acetate copy is one of just 24 that exist worldwide and is said to decay as it plays. Bruntsfield’s Thorne Records was chosen by remix duo Daybreakers to hold the record. The album, Mixes of a Lost World, is a remix collection made up of tracks from the band’s 2024 album Songs of a Lost World. Thorne Records posted on social media announcing the news yesterday: “This is a big deal. “We’re incredibly proud to be one of only 24 indie record shops worldwide to have been sent a ‘Mixes of a Lost World’ acetate from The Cure. “We will be spinning this lovely precious thing every day from now until May 26th when we will be auctioning it for War Child UK. “You are all welcome to pop in for a listen anytime. “The more we play it, the more it decays. Very on brand for the Cure.”
Edinburgh, UK | Plans for abandoned Edinburgh shop to become coffee lounge and record store: The ground floor unit would incorporate indoor seating with space for records and plants, according to a website created in anticipation of consent being granted by planning officers. An abandoned Edinburgh shop could be transformed into a record store and café if plans are granted. An application to change the use of 373-375 Leith Walk from retail to food and drink has been submitted to the council. It would see the unit renamed Lounge 33 – a coffee shop and record store hybrid. The ground floor unit would incorporate indoor seating with space for records and plants, according to a website created in anticipation of consent being granted by planning officers. A supporting statement also confirms the café would sell cold food only, including sandwiches and pastries as well as hot drinks.
Los Angeles, CA | The L.A. video store that has become a retro-cool attraction: Even Frances McDormand and her husband once received a surprise recommendation from the 70,000 titles at Vidiots, a film landmark that hosts daily screenings. If you ask Vidiots executive director Maggie Mackay why the video rental store and theater is a buzzy hive of activity in the age of streaming and megaplexes, she’ll respond with a story. This being Los Angeles, it obviously stars celebrities. The setting is Santa Monica, 2016. Vidiots, a cultural cornerstone for more than 30 years, was on the brink of closing because of changing tastes in entertainment. One June day, a note scrawled on a scrap of paper appeared in the store like a critical plot point in a Hallmark movie. “Dear Vidiots,” the note read. “Please tell Jack we loved his recommendation La Chienne!” It was signed “Fran and Joel McCoen,” short for actor Frances McDormand and her husband, one half of the Coen brothers. Jack was an unhoused regular customer and kindred cinephile.
Taco Bell Launches Feed The Beat Record Club: Following the announcement of the Feed the Beat Class of 2025, Taco Bell is kicking off the all-new Feed The Beat Record Club. This initiative launches as a Tuesday Drop in the Taco Bell app and 300 Taco Bell Rewards members will have the opportunity to claim a Record Club box. Each box includes a vinyl record from one of three Feed The Beat artists, a Feed The Beat vinyl slipmat, a unique insert with artist information, and Feed The Beat stickers. The drop will be first come, first served on Tuesday, May 20 at 2 pm PST. Featured Feed The Beat artists for this inaugural Record Club drop include the new albums from Anxious and Magdalena Bay, along with the yet-to-be-released album from Frankie and the Witch Fingers. …With the launch of the Feed The Beat Record Club, Taco Bell is now bringing the music directly to its loyal, music-loving fans with these thoughtfully designed, limited edition vinyl record boxes.
Hamptons, NY | Viva la Vinyl! LTV hosts Hamptons Vinyl Record Fair. No matter what kind of music you listen to, it can’t be denied that vinyl has made a big comeback. According to a 2023 article by Ben Sisario for the New York Times, vinyl records were “left for dead with the advent of CDs in the 1980s,” and are now the “highest-grossing physical format, with fans choosing it for collectibility, sound quality or simply the tactile experience of music in an age of digital ephemerality.” For Westhampton Beach resident, multimedia artist and DJ Esly Escobar, “vinyl is just superior.” “I went to school for audio engineering,” Escobar, a Guatemala-born graduate of Hampton Bays High School, says, “and I got to understand that vinyl is the best sound you can get. In every way, shape or form, vinyl is just superior.” Escobar, who also serves as a technician at LTV Studios, is spearheading the first-ever Hamptons Vinyl Record Fair at the Wainscott locale (located at 74 Industrial Road, 631-537-2777) this Sunday, May 18, from noon to 6 p.m.
Bromsgrove, UK | Plenty for all tastes Midlands Vinyl Fair returns to Bromsgrove: Music fans can get plenty of bargains at the first Bromsgrove Vinyl Record and CD Fair of the year. The event takes place between 9am and 3pm on Sunday, May 18, at the Bromsgrove Hotel and Spa. There will be a selection of more than 20 traders and over 50 tables selling thousands of vinyl records, catering for all budgets with both new and used vinyl. Whether visitors are looking for 90s Brit Pop, rock, punk, 00s collectables, 80s pop, reggae, hip-hop, dance, soul, rock ‘n’ roll and new records, there will be something to suit all tastes and budgets. Parking is free when registering inside the hotel and there is a cafe and restaurant.
Cheektowaga, NY | The Buffalo Record Riot! Vinyl Records! Sat July 19th, Knights Hall, 2735 Union Rd, Cheektowaga, NY: The Buffalo Record Riot! It’s a GIANT vinyl record POP-UP sale at the Knights Hall in Cheektowaga! Over 15,000 vinyl records in ONE ROOM! Great music and amazing family fun. LPs/CDs/45s, DOOR PRIZES. The Buffalo Record Riot returns! It’s a GIGANTIC vinyl record POP-UP sale at Knights Hall, 2735 Union Road in Cheektowaga! Over 15,000 vinyl records in ONE ROOM! Great music and amazing family fun. LPs, CDs and 45s. Dealers from far and wide converge for a giant music sale! 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!
These Amazing Fan-Made Vinyl Sleeves Reveal the Weird Minds of Music Obsessives: A new photo book called Sleeve Notes collects devotional DIY vinyl covers made from 1950 to 2000. Sleeve Notes, a new photo book from the London-based artist and documentarian Dominique Russell, is a beautiful, accidental archive chronicling the passions, fantasies, and daily routines of vinyl heads who’ve lived in the UK from 1950 to the present day. Via her father—who works at a second-hand record store in Essex called Crazy Beat—Russell came across a series of inner sleeves that were entirely fan-made, as the owners of the records let their subconsciouses spill out across the blank white paper. What is drawn on the paper varies. Sometimes, it’s a sprawling fresco from a genuinely talented artist. Sometimes, it’s a slightly stalker-ish collage of long lost pop pinups, made from magazine and newspaper clippings.
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