Escondido, CA | Escondido welcomes new record store to historic downtown: A passion for vintage vinyl and a community’s enthusiasm for physical media has sparked the opening of Escondido’s first record store in roughly 15 years, smack dab in historic downtown. Track City Records, which debuted in early December, aims to reignite a local appreciation for records and other physical music formats while creating a gathering space for music lovers. The shop, located at 105 W. Grand Avenue, occupies a space that once housed a photography studio and, before that, a wig shop. Owners Bel Dacumos and Aubrey Espiritu, both Escondido residents, transformed the site into a haven for vinyl enthusiasts. The journey to opening the store began as an effort to purge their individual record collections through pop-up sales. “We wanted to declutter and let go of some of our records,” Dacumos said.
Kingston, UK | Kingston’s Banquet Records among 18 UK record stores crowned ‘the greatest in the world.’ The Financial Times has curated a list of 38 record stores worldwide crowned as the “greatest in the world”, 18 of which are in the UK. Among the 18 in the FT’s list is our very own Banquet Records. But why did Banquet Records make the list? The FT says: “Come for the comprehensive edit of contemporary indie, rock and dance records – stay for the 200 gigs a year the shop puts on, whether in its intimate onsite space, the Pryzm nightclub around the corner or St John’s Church on the outskirts of town. Tickets are not expensive and sometimes free when you buy an album. “While many record stores rightly cherish the past, Banquet feels like it’s got its eye on the future.” Speaking about the store’s recognition in the Financial Times, Banquet Records’ Jon Tolley told KIngston Nub: “It’s great to get such recognition.”
Los Angeles, CA | LA’s dublab and In Sheep’s Clothing announce record sale to benefit wildfire relief: Los Angeles radio station dub lab and hi-fi hub In Sheep’s Clothing have announced a benefit record sale to support wildfire relief efforts. Set to take place at Sound & Vision at The Row DTLA on February 2nd, the community fundraiser and market will feature donated vinyl, audio gear, music books, tapes, CDs, collectibles and more. Select dublab residents will DJ, local café Senses will provide coffee, and Remember This Feeling will offer massage therapy. The event runs from 11 AM through 4 PM—all proceeds will go directly to musicians impacted by the wildfires. Ahead of the sale, dublab is still seeking donations for their inventory. Those interested in donating should fill out this form—they may also drop off or ship donations to dublab’s studio at 1035 W 24th St. through January 29th.
Hexham, UK | Snap Records store, Hexham supports Blue Spirit charity: The proceeds of a vinyl collection were donated to charity. Blue Spirit is a charity established in Hexham that helps young people experiencing mental health challenges, or facing social or economic disadvantage, to experience the freedom of sailing. It was established in memory of Laury Gratiet, who died of a mental illness at 21 years of age. Andy Lees, Laury’s uncle, sold approximately 60 records and a turntable to Snap Records in the town centre and donated the proceeds of £550 to Blue Spirit. Solen said: “This amount is a significant contribution to Blue Spirit and it will allow one young person to go on a five-day group sailing voyage from North Shields or Hartlepool, or will allow 16 young people a half-day dinghy sailing session on the Derwent Reservoir. “These experiences are potentially life-changing, and at the very least give young people the chance to do something that would normally be out of their reach and that will enhance their mental well-being.”
Bury, UK | Record shop cafe looking forward to year ahead with ‘really good events in store.’ A Bury town centre record shop cafe is looking forward to another year of entertaining customers with its blend of hospitality and music. Wax and Beans in Market Street offers a relaxed and cosy coffee house environment and welcomes a plethora of bands at the venue. A range of live music acts play there, with them doing record signings and Q&A sessions. The establishment has played host to a number of prestigious bands from The Lottery Winners and The K’s to Cast and Ist Ist. Groups including Marseille, KEG and Novacane are set to take the stage in the coming months. The venue, run by owners Ben Soothill and Louise Jackson, also has a partnership with The Met theatre across the road to help organise music events. Ben said: “We just want Wax and Beans to be a nice experience.”
Her dad, the 10,000 records he left behind and a viral lesson in grief: After her father died, Jula began hosting daily “listening parties” of his epic music collection. Now nearly half a million followers tune in. …Since September, the 24-year-old Polish Canadian woman has held a daily “listening party” on her Instagram and TikTok pages, @soundwavesoffwax, to explore decades and genres of music that her father, Richard, loved — punk, disco, pop, jazz, techno, new wave and ’60s psych rock. The project has exploded online, resonating with more than 460,000 followers combined so far — and she still has nearly 10,000 records to go. …“He was always talking about music. My whole life it’s always been the number-one thing we connected [over] or even talked about,” Jula said. “I’d be, like, 8 years old, and he would be reading me lyrics and [explaining] a double entendre. … When I got older, I started showing him music that I liked, and we just continued that for the rest of his life.”
Sydney, AU | Vinyl addict’s 200,000-strong record collection gathered over decades: Jon Ordon remembers the first album he ever bought. The year was 1980, Jon was 12, and David Bowie’s Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) had gone to number one in Australia. It was the moment Jon’s love of music began. Jon said he would put on records and let himself be taken away. “It’s the warmth of the sound of a record playing that draws me in,” he said. “If you sit down and listen to a record on a quality system your mind can just drift … it feels like you’re there listening to live music. “There’s something about that vinyl sound that keeps pulling you back to the needle.” After leaving school, Jon became a chartered accountant, but music continued to be his passion. He started visiting markets looking for albums he could buy. “I’d often buy albums not knowing whether I’d like them … if I did like them I’d keep them, if not I’d sell them. “It started off as a hobby but then in 1991, I gave up accounting and got into the record world.” His world in the record business had begun.
Toms River, NJ | The Toms River Record Riot! 15,000 vinyl records in ONE ROOM! Sat March 8th A GIGANTIC VINYL SALE! It’s the RETURN of The Toms River Record Riot! 40+ tables of vinyl records! CDs too. Sat March 8th—Vinyl ranging from common albums to rarities. Great music and family fun. Don’t miss the big dig! It’s a GIANT pop-up LP & CD event in Toms River! 40 tables of LPs, CDs, 45s and more. Dealers from all over the east coast. Punk, funk, classic rock, country, oldies, disco and more—too many records, too little time. 10 AM-5 PM $5 admission at 10 AM, $15 early at 9 AM. Great music and family fun. Door prizes all day! Don’t miss the BIG DIG! See you at the show!
New York, NY | Acclaimed reggae documentary to make NYC premiere at Bronx Music Hall: On Feb. 1, the newly-opened Bronx Music Hall will host the New York City premiere of the 2019 documentary, “Studio 17: The Lost Reggae Tapes,” which chronicles the roots of the genre beginning from a family-owned record store in Kingston, Jamaica. The late legendary producer Quincy Jones called “Studio 17” one of his favorite documentaries at the time. “It’s documentaries like this that bring us closer to the music,” said Jones via Forbes. The film traces the beginnings of a used record store called Randy’s, founded by a Chinese-Jamaican couple in downtown Kingston in the early 1960s. The store evolved into a recording studio and starting base for poor but up-and-coming reggae artists including Bob Marley and the Wailers, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Peter Tosh, Gregory Isaacs and Dennis Brown.
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