PHOTOS: RICHIE DOWNS | So, here’s something we’ve observed over time as we’ve taken bands and musicians to Som Records in DC for our record buying excursions—toss most preconceptions right out the window. Like that guy who’s the purposeful party proponent? He’s actually kinda low key, introspective and cerebral. The seemingly shy songstress behind sweeping, evocative compositions? Why, she’s bit of a Chatty Cathy frankly. (And actually we weren’t too sure if Oderus from Gwar would actually fit inside Som, so that was a thing too.)
All of this preambling brings us to our most recent visit to Som Records with Kevin Griffin, he from Better Than Ezra and on tour at the time in support of his debut solo release, Anywhere You Go. Now, if you’ve seen Better Than Ezra live—which we have more times than one can recall—Kevin’s kinda funny. No wait—he’s really funny, and with a setlist of 100% genuine earworms which linger for days, it’s one fine night out.
Here’s what we didn’t expect off that bat from Kevin—that he’d be such a rock raconteur. Certainly songwriters of a particular stripe know their stuff when plunked down in a record shop, and beyond just this, Kevin’s got anecdotes for days. (Well, certainly for an hour plus this day.)
So, come for the true tales of life on the road and elsewhere—and stay for the hilarious story of teen Kevin and Canadian superstars Rush in Monroe, Louisiana. Oh, and the Green Barchetta too. (Not a typo.)
Let’s go shall we? We’re record shopping with Kevin Griffin at Washington, DC’s Som Records!
Glasgow, UK | Herald Diary at Large: Why vinyl will never die. The year is 1993. The venue is Sony Music Studios in New York City. The band is Nirvana. Fans will later remember this MTV Unplugged performance as one of those rare TV moments that provide a jolt of dissonance, disturbance and drama to the established music scene. Like the Beatles’ first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Or Live Aid, when rock became the new religion; a globalised evangelical church sermon, saving us all from our sins. Although this particular evening in 1993 is low key. Stripped of hubris and hyperbole, yet quietly momentous all the same. Facing his young audience of rock disciples, Kurt Cobain hunches in a chair. A surly toad lumped on a lily pad. The cardigan he wears is the colour of dreich; knitted from wool that could easily have been sheared from a Scottish sky. His lank hair drizzles down his neck; its liquid limpness also redolent of Caledonia at its rain-raddled best. What won’t have any echoes of Scotland, however, are the songs Cobain is about to sing. They promise to be 
Lake Lanier, GA | Take a trip down memory lane at Moe’s: Moe Lyons was 16 when he purchased his first vinyl record in 1974. “It was ‘Rufusized’ by Rufus featuring Chaka Khan,” says Lyons, who owns Moe’s Record Shop on the east end of Flowery Branch’s Main Street, near the shores of Lake Lanier. “I still have the original at my house, but we have a couple of them here in the store.” As far back as the late ’70s and early ’80s, Lyons had dreams of opening a record store. By 1985, he was hired as Christmas help at a Record Bar store in his home state of Kentucky. Most recently, he retired at age 60 from Hall County Water Treatment after 18 years. He opened the store in April 2019. “I guess you could say I have a music addiction, but I really like to share music, especially on vinyl,” he said. Lyons has been collecting albums for years and now has more than 6,000 albums at home in addition to the 4,000 to 4,500 in bins at the store. Located in the former location of Lakeside Market, the store is filled with bin after bin of vinyl, sorted by genre and alphabetized by artist. Ask him about almost any artist who has recorded an album and he can walk 
Manhattan, KS | Throwback: Local store feels the rise of vinyl sales: According to an article from Rolling Stone, vinyl sales have grown tremendously. The article claims that “CD sales were declining three times as fast as vinyl sales were growing.” Sisters of Sound, a local music store, has taken note of this trend. Sarah Cunnick, co-owner of Sisters of Sound, said they started their shop with 50 percent vinyl and 50 percent CDs. She said she noticed that vinyl sales began doubling around 2010. Although she agrees with Rolling Stone’s research, she believes the numbers may be more than they’re claiming. “The way they figure out how many sales happen, they’re only counting new vinyl,” Cunnick said. “There is hardly a way for them to track old vinyl. The reporting only takes place with the new vinyl.” Cunnick has been doing her own research throughout her store and noticed that for every one new vinyl purchased, nearly ten used vinyl records are purchased. These used vinyl records aren’t tracked when research is being done, which is why she believes the 
Canoga Park, CA | It’s A Shame, But Vinyl Manufacturer Rainbo Records Has Closed: Artists, record labels, and music trends come and go, but an unseen backbone of the music industry since 1939 has closed – vinyl manufacturer Rainbo Records. Rainbo has been the place to go for indies since there was such a thing. This was not only for artists trying to get their initial break like Husker Du, NWA, Kacey Musgraves, and Childish Gambino, but indie labels like punk stalwarts Epitaph and SST; rap imprints Death Row, Priority, and Sugar Hill; early dance labels Moonshine, Mushroom and Thump; and Concord Jazz, Rhino, and American as well. Along the way the company pressed records for the U.S. War Department for messages from home to servicemen overseas, to General Mills for records built into Wheaties boxes, to Disneyland to describe its attractions. That’s why it comes as a huge surprise that Rainbo has gone out of business. Even as vinyl has seen a healthy resurgence, that hasn’t been enough to offset 
