Bossier City, LA | Locally owned music shop in Bossier City says goodbye: Local businesses are the heart of a thriving community and sadly a Bossier City business has announced their final days in business are coming up. I’ve always admired the spirit of family-owned and small businesses here in Shreveport, I’d gladly drive from North Bossier to go get pizza at Pop N Pizza because I know that’s directly helping my community. One of my favorite hobbies is collecting vinyl records, and back in 2021, I discovered the gift of J&W Music. J&W Music opened in 2018 and even expanded to a location in Ruston for a few years. In 2021 they moved into the Pierre Bossier Mall and upon my first sight I fell in love upon seeing crates of records and a wall of guitars. Well, the bad news is due to personal illness and other private issues they took to Facebook the other day to announce that sadly they will not be renewing their lease.
Columbia, SC | Five Points’ Papa Jazz is getting a refresh after 44 years slinging vinyl records: Over the course of July, Five Points’ popular Papa Jazz Record Shoppe will undergo two major interior renovations, requiring them to temporarily operate out of a new location. Papa Jazz is home to hundreds of CDs, vinyl records and other music-related paraphernalia. From new releases to timeless classics, the shop has remained a cornerstone of the Five Points community since its opening in 1980. The store — and its physical facilities — have been through plenty of wear and tear, from years of patrons leafing through records to an automobile crash into the side of the building during the early 1990s that caused the store’s flooring structure to slope downward. Now, said owner Tim Smith, is the right time to give Papa Jazz a refresh.
Cambridge, MA | What makes it into the $1 Cheapo Records bin? Xylophones, bear rugs, most folks named Mort. The beat marches on with our latest spotlight from the “Totally Excellent” Cambridge Day Record Walk: Cheapo Records (538 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge). You’ll recognize the beloved Central Square music shop by the discount shelves flanking your left and right as you enter through the vestibule. That’s the proper way to start an afternoon of crate digging—respectable $1 selections on offer before you even walk through the door. Once inside you’ll notice the shotgun-style floor plan. The inventory is packed into shelves along the wall and in the central island, which customers circumnavigate via a narrow aisle, clockwise or counterclockwise, more or less cognizant of other souls as they flip through the stacks intently. The inventory trends toward “used,” rather than “new arrivals.” Exactly what you’d expect in a place called “Cheapo.” Vinyl predominates, but there are plenty of CDs to hunt through, plus a few tapes and DVDs.
Seattle, WA | Slash announces in person Seattle record store performance: Slash will visit Easy Street Records in Seattle to play an in-store set celebrating his star-studded new album Orgy of the Damned. On Sunday, July 7th at 7 pm, the guitarist and his blues band bassist Johnny Griparic and keyboardist Teddy “ZigZag” Andreadis, drummer Michael Jerome, and singer/ guitarist Tash Neal will perform live at Easy Street Records ahead of their S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival show on Monday, July 8th in Redmond, WA at Marymoor Park, with Warren Haynes Band, Samantha Fish and Eric Gales. Capacity for the Easy Street Records in-store is minimal. Fans who purchase the album via Easy Street Records online are guaranteed admission. No in-store signing or meet and greet will be happening. This is a live performance only.
Bristol, VA | Lonnie Salyer recovers Tri-Cities’ lost indie record label history: The Birthplace of Country Music Museum announced that the latest Speaker Session will feature Lonnie “Big Lon” Salyer at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 9. His presentation, “After the Big Bang: A Record Collector’s Discovery of Local Independent Record Labels,” will be held at the museum and live-streamed on WBCM Radio Bristol’s YouTube channel. There is no cost to attend, but those who plan to attend in person are asked to RSVP prior to the event. In this session, Salyer will share his journey from novice record collector to an esteemed historian of local music. He will provide an overview of the independent recording studios, record labels, and artists that have helped shape the landscape of the Tri-Cities music scene. Attendees will get a behind-the-scenes look at his experiences in collecting, as well as enjoy a selection of vintage 78-rpm and 45-rpm records from his collection, which he will display and play during the session.
Detroit, MI | The Metro: New upscale lounge The Vinyl Society has Parisian flair with Detroit history in mind: Do you want to pull out your best dress or favorite suit and go out for a night on the town? A new French-inspired bar and lounge situated in the heart of Paradise Valley — with a strict dress code — might be just the place. The Vinyl Society is modeled after the thriving nightclub and theater scene in Paradise Valley from the 1920s through the early ’60s—when the historic Black neighborhood was destroyed to make way for the Interstate 375 freeway. The bar’s owner, Dennis Archer Jr., joined The Metro on Wednesday to share more details about the new upscale lounge. He says The Vinyl Society was inspired by his international travels, featuring Parisian vibes—but with a Detroit-style flair, commemorating the history and culture of Black Detroiters. “We wanted to be very intentional about that history,” said Archer. “And so you know, one whole wall is vintage photographs and advertisements from that era for all of the entertainment, hospitality venues and those entrepreneurs from that time.”
Nashville, TN | Making Vinyl Nashville 2024: Three Shades of Green, Michael Palm, Associate Professor, Department of Communication, UNC-Chapel Hill: Making Vinyl 2024 was the first I attended since 2019 in Los Angeles. The 2010s had brought a wave of new presses and plants to meet climbing demand, and the new organization’s annual gatherings were heady affairs for a revitalized industry. (LA was the third, after two in Detroit.) Last week when I checked into the Hutton Hotel in Nashville’s West End—and had a complimentary record player and Fender guitar delivered to my room—I knew the past five years had been tumultuous ones for record makers. I’m a professor of media and technology studies writing a book about vinyl’s revived economy, and I’d followed the industry through the pandemic years. But it wasn’t until the opening panel about “the state of the pressing industry,” that I realized just how topsy-turvy the ride had been.
Batavia, IL | The Batavia Record Riot! Over 10,000 LPs in one room. At the Batavia Downs Casino, Sunday July 14th: The Batavia Record Riot! It’s a WONDERFUL vinyl record POP-UP sale at the Batavia Downs Casino ballroom. Over 10,000 vinyl records in ONE ROOM! Great music and amazing family fun. The Batavia Record Riot is vinyl record heaven! Think of a GIANT music flea market in the ballroom of Batavia Downs Casino! Over 10,000 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 ($10). Plus a FIVE DOLLAR CASINO credit to all entrants over 18 years of age. Don’t miss the BIG VINYL DIG!
Local Comic Shop Day 2024 is coming: Here’s when it is, what to expect, and where to find your local comic store: It’s record store day but for comics fans. What’s not to love? For those of you that need an excure to visit your local comic store, we have one. Local Comic Shop Day. And it’s coming sooner than you think. Inspired by Record Store Day (which was itself inspired by Free Comic Book Day), Local Comic Shop Day is an annual tradition in which me, you, and all your friends and enemies are encouraged to make a jaunt to your local comic store (LCS) – whether its your first time there in a long time, or to make a special trip to see what they have that’s new and unique to the special day. With Local Comic Shop Day 2024 scheduled for September 28, we wanted to make sure everyone is up to speed on what to expect—and how to participate!
