The Plural Of Vinyl Is Vinyl: Vinyl + Vinyl = Vinyl. For the record (pun intended), the plural of vinyl is vinyl, not vinyls. Even though it’s commonly (mis)used nowadays, vinyls is not a word. You won’t find it in any standard dictionary… at least not yet. And if you say vinyls in the presence of almost anyone who’s been dealing with vinyl for more than about 20 years, they might bristle a little bit upon hearing it. Vinyl is a word that is considered to be a mass noun; essentially meaning that its singular and plural versions are the same. Think, for example, of the nouns rice, literature, blood, or furniture. Hopefully, you get the idea. So how did this misnomer come to be It’s hard to say exactly, because language is a fluid thing and word origins can be difficult to pin point, but I have a theory.
San Francisco, CA | The new San Francisco store that hates what it sells: I Hate Records is a new record store on Haight, and an aspirational hub for the SF’s DIY punk scene. “I want to look like a f—king idiot,” Cody Azumi tells me as he sits down on one of the chairs outside I Hate Records, his new record store in the Lower Haight. There’s not much time. The photographer is coming in 10 minutes, and two of Azumi’s friends use a hair spray canister to crop-dust a clump of his long, black hair in a doomed effort to fashion it into a spike. His hair stands up straight for a moment, then droops over. They spray some more; Azumi closes his eyes. Until a month ago, Azumi was the vocalist of the San Francisco punk band Surprise Privilege. Along with the band False Flag, Surprise Privilege threw guerilla punk shows on a moving BART train and outside of the building formerly known as the Westfield San Francisco Centre, plus two gigs where the bands performed while wearing shock collars.
London, UK | New pop-up club, Rave Yard, opens in East London: The space has been launched by the team behind neighbouring record shop Recycle Vinyl. A new pop-up club has opened in East London. Run by the team behind neighbouring record shop Recycle Vinyl, Rave Yard is made up of an outdoor terrace space and an indoor venue that takes over an industrial freezer adjacent to the shop. Following an invite-only soft launch last Saturday, June 28th, DJs such as Jerome Hill, Alex Nunes, TriForm and George Askaroff will play over the next few weeks, ahead of a closing party with Victor Simonelli on August 31st. “The venue is working with many local promoters to provide mainly free parties for those who can’t afford to go to festivals every weekend this summer,” the club shared in a statement sent to Resident Advisor. “There’s also a fully stocked bar that’s even cheaper than Wetherspoons, and the record shop, which is currently expanding to upstairs in the building, will remain be open throughout the parties.”
Leeds, UK | Inside beloved long-established Leeds record shop constantly reinventing itself and selling myriad of genres: Watch as we visit a popular record shop in Leeds, where a variety of genres are sold and the staff love talking to people about music. Jumbo Records in Leeds was founded by Hunter Smith, who played reggae and soul records around the city, and seeing there was a demand for these records, opened up the shop in 1971. Over the years, Jumbo Records has morphed into selling a myriad of genres. It has had a number of homes in Leeds, including the Merrion Centre twice (the store’s current location), the St John’s Centre and the Queen’s Arcade. Nick Fraser, owner of Jumbo Records, said: “Before getting involved as the owner of Jumbo, I was a customer of Jumbo and it was the principal reason why I’d come into town was my regular Saturday trips to Jumbo, to chat to the team, get recommendations. It was just one of those places you just liked to be.”
Glasgow, UK | Legendary 80s band plays at Glasgow city centre record store: A legendary 80s Glasgow band took to the stage at a city record store. The Bluebells played to their fans at Assai Records on Sauchiehall Street. The trio, Ken McCluskey, David McCluskey and Bobby Bluebell, played tracks from the newly updated and extended version of their 1984 album, Sisters. Hits like Young at Heart and I’m Falling were on the setlist, delighting the fans who gathered. The band played acoustic versions of songs from the album as well, including Red Guitars and Some Sweet Day.
Tampa, FL | Tampa’s first vinyl lounge launches with massive record collection: A new creative space is bringing analog sound and digital innovation under one roof. Before and After Sound Lab, a private-membership vinyl lounge and recording studio, is opening in Tampa with more than 14,000 records, a state-of-the-art VOID Acoustics sound system, and two fully equipped studios for music production, podcasting and live performance. The lounge, backed by local events group One Of Us Events, is being billed as Tampa’s first venue of its kind. It aims to be both a sanctuary for audiophiles and a collaborative hub for musicians, DJs, producers and content creators. “This is about music as an experience,” said founders Steven McClure, Curtis Viscome and Jason Kitchen in a joint statement.
Petaluma, CA | Montagne Russe Winery and Record Lounge set to open July 12: A 12 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony will be hosted by the Petaluma Chamber of Commerce. Ever since the move was announced in late Spring, locals have been anticipating to arrival of Montagne Russe Winery & Record Lounge, opening on July 12 on Petaluma Boulevard, right smack dab in the heart of the downtown area. A 12 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony will be hosted by the Petaluma Chamber of Commerce. “In addition to offering highly acclaimed wines, the lounge will feature over 4,000 vinyl records for sale, merging wine and music into one experience,” reads a statement on the tasting room’s website. “Founded in 2015 after a slightly rebellious start in a garage—and a brush with the federal government—Montagne Russe … specializes in small-lot, single-vineyard Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah from cool-climate regions…”
New David Bowie Box Set, I Can’t Give Everything Away, Collects Music From His Final Years: Featuring music recorded between 2002 through 2016. David Bowie’s final artistic years of 2002 through 2016 are lovingly chronicled in a new box set, I Can’t Give Everything Away. The collection is set for release on September 12th, and pre-orders are ongoing. I Can’t Give Everything Away will be available as a 13-CD, 18-piece vinyl and standard digital download/streaming box set. The release opens with the 2002 album, Heathens, which was the first album that Bowie worked on with producer Tony Visconti in 22 years. The pair worked on the record in upstate New York, reminiscent of their time spent making music in Berlin, Germany. “There was no control room. The console was at one end of the studio, and the band was placed at the other end,” Visconti recalled in a press statement. The acoustics were quite live, and from my experience of making ‘Heroes’ at Hansa Studios in Berlin, in the huge Grand Hall (known as Meistersaal recording hall), I wanted to make these acoustics work for us.”
Long Beach, CA | Vinyl Lovers Can Spin Out At A Live Vinyl Listening Party This Sunday In Long Beach: Good Luck Vinyl Club is one of Los Angeles’ grooviest spots for vinyl aficionados to share the magic of analog musical moments. Tucked into the heart of Long Beach’s Retro Row, Good Luck Vinyl Club is a monthly gathering where music lovers come together to celebrate the art of vinyl. Hosted at The Social List, the club offers an intimate, high-fidelity listening experience centered around full-album spins, from classic hip-hop and soul to haunting trip-hop and dancefloor rarities. …This Sunday, July 13, Good Luck Vinyl Club is hosting a “Cumbia Y Vino” night. The event is co-hosted and curated by Valeria Denise Metz, a local film photographer and creative with a focus on Latinidad. Attendees can look forward to rare and never-before-heard Cumbia Sonidera pumping through the Hi-Fi sound system all afternoon long.
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