Author Archives: Tim Hibbs

“This project is near and dear to Jack’s heart,” explained Third Man Records’ Ben Blackwell when asked about the label’s Document Records reissue series. It should come as no surprise to Jack White’s followers that he would champion the music of America’s blues pioneers as he has always been very vocal about the musicians and especially the records that inspire him.

The fact that many of these LPs have been unavailable for decades was the driving force behind Third Man’s decision to partner with Document. Established 1986 by Johnny Parth in Austria, Document Records specializes in rescuing and reissuing early American roots music, with a heavy emphasis on blues. However, it has been nearly twenty years since Document has issued that music on LP. Who better, then, to fill this breach than the vinyl enthusiasts at Third Man?

The first three records in this Third Man/Document series are scheduled for release on Tuesday, January 29th with Volume 1 of The Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order from Charley Patton, Blind Willie McTell and The Mississippi Sheiks, respectively. Subsequent volumes will follow on a regular basis and new artists will be introduced as soon as the first series is completed.

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Lucky 2013 is here and with it, a host of happenings in Nashville. First of all, the New York Times just selected our burg as the latest “it” city. Um, does that mean we’re bad at playing tag? In any case, it’s good to see the “paper of record” recognizing us for something other than hillbilly moonshine dementia (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

Truly, the New Year is off to momentous start with all manner of music mania. Oh, let me count the ways.

MUSIC CITY ROOTS | The city’s best weekly radio show/ live music showcase began its winter season on January 9th with a sold-out doozy of a show starring the legendary Leon Russell. Have you ever wondered what God might look like with shades and a Stetson?

Every Wednesday, Music City Roots gathers an eclectic assembly of artists, delivering a fast-paced, 2-hour show, all for just $10/$5 for students. If you can’t make it in person, you can stream the show live at their site and catch up on past shows at the Roots Radio page.

THE STONE FOX | This West Side restaurant/ club quickly became a preferred gathering place for musicians and music lovers, not to mention fans of good food, since its opening last year. A just-completed renovation expanded the bar to wrap-around proportions and a pair of January residencies, Chris Scruggs on Sundays and Paul Birch on Tuesdays, promise weekly doses fantastic free sounds (but be sure and bring some cash for the tip jar!)

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Surely as Santa worries about his cholesterol, we all go a little fruitcake at this time of year. Between the holiday parties, in-law invasions, and high stakes gift roulette, it’s inevitable.

One way to reduce your stress AND increase your pleasure quota is to do your holiday shopping at local independent music outlets. There, you can park next to the store (and not in a separate zip code) and pick up unique gifts that won’t be forgotten by New Year’s Eve. Plus, you’ll be smiling bigger than a peppermint Schnapps-soaked elf. Even after all this time, music is still your best entertainment value.

Grimey’s New and Pre-Loved Music | First, a word about Grimey’s, Too. While Mike and Doyle had every intention of opening the addition by Thanksgiving, when city permits and codes are involved, it always takes a little longer than planned. Mike says they are aiming for a January grand opening celebration, so watch this spot and the Grimey’s newsletter for a firm date. Meanwhile, Grimey’s proper is stuffed to the gills with terrific new and used music for your gifting needs. A good selection of Xmas vinyl, including some new local singles, is in stock near the front of the store, so don’t forget to pick up a few for your pending Yuletide DJ throw down.

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It’s finally Friday and you’ve made it through another work-a-day week- huzzah! Now is the time to claim your reward and revel in all (or as much as you can) of Nashville’s musical bounty. Let’s start, as we always should, with our rockin’ record emporiums:

Grimey’s New & Pre-Loved Music | Our pals on South 8th Avenue have two major instores on tap. On Saturday (11/17), they welcome Kansas City Bible Company, reprising their triumphant appearance at Grimey’s Record Store Day 2012 celebration. This amazing 11-piece band is from Goshen, IN, so drop by and see if you can work “Land o’ Goshen!” into the conversation at some point. The music starts at 5:00 PM, but get there early because this one should be packed!

Speaking of packed, the store will no doubt be elbow-to-neck tattoo for Tuesday’s (11/20) instore appearance by Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit! He and the band will be celebrating the street date release of their new LP, Live From Alabama. The downbeat is at 6:00 PM, so do what you have to do to get there in time to claim your space. Hey, you were going to leave early on Wednesday for the holiday anyway, so ducking out before 5:00p on Tuesday shouldn’t be big thing, eh? I’ll be happy to provide you with a written excuse for your boss should you need one.

Stay on point for news of opening of Grimey’s, Too and Howlin’ Books coming soon!

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Greetings, fellow vinyl enthusiasts! My name is Tim Hibbs and, as a by-product of a friendly Facebook dust-up with TVD shopkeeper Jon Meyers, I am now the Nashville editor for this fair site.

I won’t bore you with my resume other than to say that my dad was a record collector and, therefore, I became one as well, practically from birth. I’ve spent my adult life working in various precincts of the music business, all the while building and maintaining a vinyl collection. It never entered my mind to purge it during the rise of compact discs or the subsequent digital file deluge.

Don’t get me wrong, I own plenty of CDs and more than a couple of iPods but the experience of listening to music on records always felt superior. Even though vinyl has made a much-welcomed comeback in recent years, I still find people who regard it as “quaint” at best and can’t understand why I just don’t download and be done with it. Invariably, their question to me is, “Why vinyl?”

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