Formed in Rochester in 1976, New Math was one of upstate New York’s first punk bands, though as compiled on Die Trying & Other Hot Sounds (1979–1983), which is available on LP, CD, and digital July 21 through the Chapel Hill-based label Propeller Sound Recordings, their approach is more aptly assessed as an energetic blend of power pop and new wave. It’s a familiar combination but a welcome one as the 11-track set has by and large withstood the test of time with panache.
Like a lot of folks I’m guessing, I first encountered the name New Math in relation to Jet Black Berries, the psych-tinged goth-horror outfit that recorded three albums for Enigma in the 1980s, and also contributed “Love Under Will” to the soundtrack to Dan O’Bannon’s 1985 zombie horror favorite Return of the Living Dead, where the band rubbed shoulders with such major names as The Cramps, 45 Grave, The Flesh Eaters, The Damned, and Roky Erickson.
Before there was Jet Black Berries, there was New Math, with both bands consisting of vocalist Kevin Patrick, bassist-songwriter Gary Trainer, guitarist Chris Yockel, keyboardist Mark Schwarz, and drummer Roy Stein. Along with a handful of singles (of which more below), New Math released the 12-inch EP “They Walk Among You” on San Francisco’s 415 Records in the USA and CBS in the UK.
In 1984, New Math issued Gardens on Brain Eater, a transitional album of sorts (as it includes a version of “Love Under Will”), but let’s rein it in; as corralled on Die Trying & Other Hot Sounds, it’s the early and unreleased stuff we’re concerned with here. Initially, power pop was a major component in their repertoire as heard straightaway on the album through “Die Trying,” a spirited galloping riff-laden mover that lingers in the neighborhood of classic status.
Columbus, GA | Columbus man to open only record shop in the city so people can ‘experience’ music: One day in Spring of 2021, Brian Cook was driving home with an obscene amount of vinyl records from an Opelika record shop. A man in his 40’s, Cook has lived through the progression of being able to listen to music from records and cassette tapes to CDs and then digital music. He’s bought the same albums multiple times in different media as technology changed over the years. The reason it’s important to listen to and appreciate records for what they are, Cook said, is because they aren’t just a way to listen to music. TOP VIDEOS “It’s an entire experience,” he said. “That’s the beauty of it. You have to actually pay attention to what you’re doing. And I think a lot of young people these days, and people my age, 
Washington, DC | Vinyl fever in US shows no signs of abating: …One of Stein’s favorite places for vinyl browsing is Som Records, a small music store hidden away on 14th Street amid restaurants and nightspots in downtown Washington DC. Its owner, Neal Becton, who had worked for a decade as a reporter for the Washington Post, founded that shop 15 years ago. Becton told Efe he saw a boost in customers shortly before the onset of the pandemic in the US and that the boom has not stopped since. According to the Luminate study, only around half of vinyl consumers have a record player at home, and in fact many of the buyers of these products are collectors. Becton, however, says he has seen his customer base expand. “When I first opened, it was mainly DJs and collectors (that) were my main two customers, pretty much. I didn’t get many young people unless they were in the club music (scene) or something. Now I get high-school children, 18-year-olds, 
San Francisco, CA | A New Record Store is Bringing Latin Vinyl Home to the Mission District: With its bold block letters above 24th Street, the Discolandia sign is an icon of the Mission District. But Discolandia, a Latin-focused record store, closed over a decade ago. Since then, there’s been no record store in the neighborhood that caters specifically to the Mission’s Latinx population. That finally changes this week with the July 15 opening of Discodelic, which specializes in vinyl from Latin American and Caribbean countries, offering Latin soul, cumbia, salsa, boleros, Cuban music, reggae and more. The store, a physical home for the record label of the same name, will operate at 3174 24th St., in a space where two vinyl record stores, Pyramid Records and Explorist International, once stood years ago. …Discodelic founders Ruben “Ruffy” Rangel, 43, and Maria Jose “Majoo” Salguero, 30, met through MySpace 13 years ago, bonding over their shared love of ska, rocksteady and reggae. Their conversations soon 
Salt Lake, UT | Diabolical Records: 10 years of being a ‘lifeblood’ for Salt Lake’s music community: …Adam Tye and Alana Boscan, the husband-and-wife owners of Diabolical, started their record shop in a shipping container at Granary Row, a now-defunct seasonal pop-up festival that used old shipping containers to create small retail stores. Six months later, they were able to move into their brick-and-mortar location on Edison Street, supported by a small loan and Boscan’s job with the state. “When we first opened, there was literally just a table with three spray-painted blue cardboard boxes with records in them, this little desk at the front and me in a chair,” Tye said. “I’m sure people thought we were selling drugs.” It took several years for Diabolical to become successful, but Tye said making mix CDs for friends and recommending new music to people is something he’s enjoyed long before he got paid for it. “That’s always been the biggest part of it — there’s a bunch of cool music out there, and somebody isn’t going to play it for you, so I’ll play it for you,” he said. “It’s still 
Canberra, AU | Records shops are not so RARE in Canberra these days: Is the Canberra market big enough for another record store? Of course it is. Is there a war of records shops in town? Of course there is. But not according to Tom Stockman, who has just opened Canberra’s newest record store, conveniently located in the heart of Old Kingston. He says there is always room for another shop because everyone loves music. “Of course there’s no records war,” he laughs. “No, not at all. There’s room for everybody. Absolutely.” RARE Records has opened in the Cusack Centre right on the corner of Eyre Street and Highgate Lane, Kingston. The store has its official opening launch this Saturday (15 July) afternoon with drinks, nibbles and maybe a few cheap records up for grabs. It’s a tiny shop full of mostly secondhand LPs with an added small selection of CDs, T-shirts, music books and memorabilia. RARE stands for Retro and Record Emporium and although it’s just opened it has 
Minneapolis, MN | Meet the Minneapolis salon owner helping make the music scene a cut above: Jon Clifford’s HiFi Hair and Records by Loring Park has rock-star clients and “the coolest waiting room in the world.” When he isn’t mistaken for Tommy Stinson of the Replacements—it happened several times in one night at last month’s Outlaw Music Fest—Jon Clifford has become one of the most recognized guys in the Twin Cities music scene. He doesn’t play music, though. Instead, the 58-year-old south Minneapolis native is in the business of trying to make other people stand out like rock stars. “I’m a goofy, skinny hairdresser who has a lot of really cool friends and clients,” is how he humbly put it. Through his HiFi Hair and Records near Loring Park in downtown Minneapolis — hair salon + record shop = genius — Clifford has become a beloved booster, cheerleader and benefactor within the local music scene. He’s sort of the Minneapolis equivalent of Los Angeles radio jockey Rodney Bingenheimer, a friendly fixture and superfan with 
