Waukesha, WI | We’re Open: High-end collectible shop opens in downtown Waukesha: A new high end collectibles shop opened in downtown Waukesha in January called Music Nostalgia and More. The store located at 321 Main Street sells video game soundtracks on vinyl, standard records, and vintage video games/consoles. “It is vinyl and video games it is meant to recapture the soul of your childhood,” owner Stephen Howitz said. Howitz is a lawyer turned shop owner. He said this is his shot of living his dream. “They always say what would you do if you have a million dollars? What would you do if you won the lottery? This is what I’d do.” He sells limited edition video game soundtracks like the Super Smash Bros Nintendo 64 soundtrack, Doom, Pokemon, Fallout 3, and so many more. If you don’t necessarily know what those are, that’s okay. They are very popular video games. You might not expect it, but these sell fast. …He also sells regular records like The Doobie Brothers, The Beatles, and Katy Perry. What might be most impressive about it all, is that almost every record in the store comes from his own personal collection. He said he has around 4,000 records.
Dallas, TX | Female-Owned Record Store Red Zeppelin Is Now a Music Label: Katie Scott has not let a matter as small as a global pandemic get in the way of her dreams. Last July, the teacher-turned-business-owner opened Red Zeppelin Records in downtown McKinney, a punk-grunge haven for crate diggers. Soon after she opened the shop, Scott began to receive music submissions from local bands and singers. These artists only wanted Scott’s opinion, but she was blown away by the talent, which inspired yet another bold, mid-pandemic move. Earlier this month, Scott launched an independent record label, aptly called Red Zeppelin Records, to create a launching pad for North Texas musicians. “I spoke to a few others who have experience in the record label business,” Scott says, “and made the decision that I would create a platform for these musicians.” So far, Scott has signed two artists to the label: Juno Uno, whom she describes as a “captivating character that creates dreamy synth-pop sounds combined with classic singer-songwriter elements,” and the store’s manager, Bayleigh Cheek, “a quiet storm of a human that mixes haunting vocals with raw and bold instrumentation.”
Denver, CO | Music lovers are buying records in record numbers: Special sounds are produced when a needle connects with vinyl. “How it breathes through your sound system, you just don’t get that through your iPod or digital speakers,” said Jason Price, a professional DJ. That vintage sound and excitement that can only be heard on records are now spreading to a new generation. “Young people are into old things,” millennial Mykail Cooley said. “With the technology advancement we have right now, it’s that we can explore everything.” While we might be living in a digital world, when it comes to music, many are moving back to analogue. “When the death of CDs and retail happened, everyone just started looking for more ways to explore and collect,” said Price, who also holds a degree in music business from Loyola University New Orleans. Due to this increase interest in vinyl records, he’s started collecting and selling records. With record sales surging so much, he’s now working with a new independent business devoted to this vinyl revival, Larimer Records Cafe.
10 Great Album Covers, Chosen by Melissa Severin of Cramer-Krasselt: Joanna Newsom, Brian Eno, Silver Jews and more. Records were my first exposure to ideas and art far beyond anything available to me growing up in South Omaha in the ’80s. Looking back, it’s clear just how much of the world music opened for me, beyond the music itself. It gave me friendships, cultures, literature, politics, geography and on and on. In fact, it opened up a career. I would go on to work at a record store in college and started my post-college “real job” life doing public relations at Drag City Records. Music is also signposts across time. And a coping mechanism. That’s where my list comes in. These are my favorite covers for the music that’s been helping me cope lately—at turns broody, soothing, optimistic and angry.
St. Louis, MO | St. Louis artist creates tribute piece of Kobe Bryant using vinyl records: She used at least 150 vinyl records in making the life-sized art. Jan. 26 marks a somber remembrance for sports fans. One year ago, NBA legend Kobe Bryant died along with eight others, including his daughter Gia, in a helicopter crash. St. Louis artist Lindsay Wanner is a big fan of Bryant. She uses pieces of vinyl to create her works and put together a tribute to him. It’s more than 8 feet tall, the biggest piece she has ever made. “It goes perfectly with Kobe’s, you know, story; he’s such a larger than life story,” Wanner said. She used at least 150 vinyl records in making the life-sized art. “It’s layered and stacked upon each other to create the 3D effects,” she told 5 On Your Side. “It’s almost like you’re looking at him and that he’s playing right in front of you.” She added wings on the figure made out of snakeskin to symbolize Bryant’s nickname, the Black Mamba. “I wanted it to be something that was kind of like heavenly,” she said.
