Vancouver, CA | Rik’s Picks keeping the love of vinyl on hifi: New vintage record shop opens in Port Alberni. When Rik Abel got laid off, he decided it might be time to do something new. The web developer turned to his love of music and has opened Rik’s Picks, a vintage record shop in Port Alberni on Johnston Road. The store boasts more than 5,000 albums and a wide variety of amps, speakers and turntables. He moved to Port Alberni two years ago from England, but has been visiting with family in the Valley for 25 years and has made the community home. Abel’s large collection of vinyl came primarily from two collectors in the community, including stock from Portal Oddities and Curios, a shop in Harbour Quay that closed last year. Since opening in the late fall, Rik’s Picks has had a “steady stream” of people in the store, says Abel. “There have been some nerdy hi-fi conversations with guys who have come in,” laughs Abel, who says many people are happy to see a vintage record store in town.
Record Store Recs: Luna Shadows Invites Us Into Her Los Angeles Vinyl Daydream: “…It’s been a while since I’ve been to a record store in person due to COVID-19, but what I miss most is the flow-state that you can get into while looking through seas of titles. I have so many amazing memories of times I went to record stores with my friends where we all split up, didn’t speak for hours, ended up together at the check-out counter, and finally spent the whole car ride home talking about our finds. Permanent Records (temporarily closed due to COVID-19 but taking online orders) is my local record store in Echo Park—previously the same space that housed Origami Records. I go in here all the time not only to buy records, but also to buy supplies to ship my own records. In non-pandemic times, I would go here on occasion to see local artists perform. Additionally, the bar across the street, El Prado, used to host Origami’s Record Store Night, which was always a blast.
Why I Sold A Significant Classic Rock Vinyl Collection In 2008 and Never Looked Back: There are Baby Boomer writers over at Stereophile and TAS pulling out their Jerry Del Colliano voodoo dolls as I type in preparation for this article being published. You see, the audiophile community doesn’t like change. In fact, they despise it with every fiber of their beings. In the eyes of the elders who still control the hobby to this day, poorly performing “vintage” tube amps are somehow better than the most state of the art Class-D amps. Digital room correction (or even equalization, despite EQ being used on every track of every recording audiophiles listen to, as well as on the “house speakers,” in the mastering lab, and beyond) is looked upon as evil, because it uses actual science to measure the physical acoustics of a room, and provides digital solutions that can provide wholesale upgrades. These fly in the face of the “preamp of the week club” or blindly changing out expensive, inaccurate, EQed cables in search of one’s own personal audio utopia. But no one retro move in the audiophile hobby has been more hurtful to the business and broken in logic than the so-called comeback of vinyl. [An opinion we think is well, dumb. —Ed.]
Legendary Music Label Philadelphia International Records Celebrates 50th Anniversary In 2021: Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Chappell Music, the global publishing arm of Warner Music Group, are thrilled to announce today the launch of the yearlong campaign in 2021 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of music’s most historic record labels, Philadelphia International Records. The anniversary campaign will highlight the extraordinary musical output of this storied label and spotlight milestone musical moments, artists and songs from the remarkable Philadelphia International Records family that have defined the landmark label and its incredible impact over the past 50 years. Throughout the year, Legacy Recordings, Warner Chappell Music and Philadelphia International Records will collaborate on an exciting series of exclusive partnerships, product and content releases, artist initiatives and much more.
San Diego, CA | Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold Virtual In-Store Performance: Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold will commemorate the release of Shore on vinyl & CD at independent record stores with a virtual in-store performance, streaming at NoonChorus. Fans can get access to the mini solo set by pre-ordering the album now at their local indie retailer, or by purchasing in the store or curbside on the weekend of its release, February 5. Available on an exclusive crystal clear 2LP vinyl set at independent record stores only. A limited edition Fleet Foxes art print by Bailey Elder will also be available as a free gift-with-purchase while supplies last. Praised by critics upon release, Shore topped year-end lists securing spots in the top 5 in Uncut, 6Music and Mojo, Uproxx, and placing on numerous lists including The New Yorker, NPR, Pitchfork, USA Today, Stereogum, Rolling Stone, and more stateside. Shore is also finding strong support from non-comm radio having secured #1 on JBE non-comm chart for the 14th week in a row.
