Red Lion, PA | York County record store owner unveils new Rock N’ Roll museum: A locally owned Rock n’ Roll music museum with thousands of records and memorabilia, recently made its debut in York County. The newly unveiled Tom’s Homegrown Rock N’ Roll Museum is owned and operated by Thomas Anderton who is originally from Birmingham, England, but moved to the United States back in 2000. According to Anderton, he has been personally collecting a wide variety of music memorabilia for the past several decades; anything from 60’s Rock N’ Roll, Jazz, Blues, Punk, and Reggae, all the way up to today’s most popular hip-hop music. …In 2006, Anderton unveiled his first business called Tom’s Music Trade, which is a record store that is located at 28 North Main Street in Red Lion. According to Anderton, Tom’s Music Trade buys, sells, and trades a wide selection of over 65,000 different albums, cassettes, and CDs, in addition to memorabilia.
Houston, TX | Serious Sounds and Crumbville, TX merge to bring music, sweets to Third Ward: The bakery recently became the new home for the longtime record store after its closure. For 30 years, Serious Sounds was a South Park staple. Located on MLK Boulevard, right next to 610, the record store was a haven for neighborhood folk who wanted to pick up an album but didn’t want to go to a far-out part of town to get it. That’s why South Park native Marketta “MusicLady” Rodriguez opened it in 1991. Years ago, fresh from graduating at the University of Texas in Austin, Rodriguez was incensed that there wasn’t a nearby record store around that had the Phyllis Hyman record she wanted. “Crack had hit the neighborhood pretty bad, so a lot of the businesses had moved out,” Rodriguez, 56, said. “I literally drove to Meyerland, and I was pissed the whole way. I felt like I didn’t have to leave my neighborhood to buy an artist that looked like me.”
Tallahassee, FL | My favorite record stores in Tallahassee: Vinyl sales have recently spiked over the last few years due to the younger generations bringing back record players, causing an increase in demand for vinyl stores and vintage looks. This resurgence of vinyl lovers is great for anyone who likes art, music or anything vintage. There have now been a slew of stores and events happening in town that cater to the vinyl crowd because of demand. If you’re new in Tallahassee and looking for a place to browse the stacks, here’s three of my favorite spots for vinyl around town. Retrofit Records is an independent Black-owned business that has been open since 2011. As Tallahassee’s oldest record store, they are fully stocked with both new releases on vinyl and a vast vintage collection, including first editions and specialty prints.
Lyndhurst, UK | Record store boss launches fundraiser to help young musicians: An independent record store has launched its first crowdfunder to support young, unsigned, and emerging musicians. Black Star Records founder Fran Jones, who runs a shop in the New Forest, is encouraging artists to use the community as a way of funding and accelerating their success. The first featured artist to release a crowdfunded vinyl LP is singer-songwriter Ella Bleakley. Named after the US jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, the talented 21-year-old will perform songs from her debut album, Somewhere Green, at the store in Lyndhurst High Street on Saturday, October 14 at 2pm. Fran said: “Releasing a vinyl LP that sells over 500 copies—without being signed—is a massive thing and should be a very enjoyable journey for any young artist. “Black Star Records is supporting Ella to achieve this dream. Once the crowdfunding target of circa 250-270 sales has happened, at a cost price of £14.99, then we print the record.
Newcastle, UK | Ex-Premier League and Champions League winner surprises record store owner: A former Champions League and Premier League winner surprised the owner of a North East record shop last week after arriving in the region to present at a Newcastle match. As Newcastle United were preparing to take on Paris Saint Germain on Wednesday (October 4) in the Champions League, a match that they ended up winning 4-1, former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel was too busy in the record stores of the city. After arriving in Newcastle, the ex-professional footballer, who won the Champions League and multiple Premier League titles with Manchester United, was seen at Beyond Vinyl; posing with the owner for a photo. On social media, Beyond Vinyl was excited about the surprise visit of the ex-goalkeeper, who also featured for Aston Villa and Manchester City during his career.
Newtown, CT | Newtown Record Show Mania, October 22 At Edmond Town Hall: The resurgence of vinyl sales among music fans will be celebrated this month when The Friends of Edmond Town Hall and Record Riots host a Record Sale on Sunday, October 22. The event will be in the gymnasium of Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street, from 10 am until 5 pm. Admission is $5, although serious collectors who want first dibs can enter as early as 8 am for a $10 admission fee. Parking is free, and plentiful in the building’s rear lot. Record Riots will present 40+ vendors with over 15,000 LPs, CDs and 45s. Watson House Brewery, The Grumpy Dumpling and Kash & Liv Coffee Creations will also be on-site to nourish attendees while they mingle with fellow music enthusiasts. Julie Brunelle, co-chair of Friends of Edmond Town Hall, says there’s nothing like “the thrill of thumbing through a crate of vinyl and finding the album you have always wanted. “The treasure hunt, the anticipation to sit down and listen to the music with all the cracks and pops that make vinyl so beautiful is what makes this an event not to miss,” she added.
Quad Cities, IL/IA | This is the free way you can stock up on vinyl in Illinois: Did you know 82% of Americans still listen to terrestrial radio every week? That’s not including the people who listen to radio stations but on streaming devices like websites, smart speakers, and station apps. Like perhaps the one you are reading this story on right now. Americans have had the ability to listen to music in different forms for nearly a century. So a radio station promoting a record and CD show shouldn’t be a surprise. We know there are options for music, but we also know how many of you come back to radio every week. And we appreciate that! …The Quad Cities Record Show will be held on Sunday, October 15th from 10 AM-3 PM at the East End Bolders Club in Moline, Illinois. The show will have FREE ADMISSION with over 20 vendors, featuring vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music memorabilia, stereo gear, and plenty more for the music enthusiast.
Spock’s Beard Announces ‘Feel Euphoria’ 20th Anniversary Edition; First Time Ever On Vinyl! Legendary US progressive rockers Spock’s Beard are pleased to announce a special 20th anniversary edition of their ‘Feel Euphoria’ album, arriving on vinyl for the very first time on November 24th, 2023. Dave Meros comments of this edition: “This is the first in a series of re-releases of the ‘Nick era’ Spock’s Beard albums. I hadn’t listened to this album in many years, and it was cool to hear how hard we rocked some of those songs, how unique it was compared to the typical prog-rock album of the time, and how different it was from both what we had done in the past and what we were to do in the future.” ‘Feel Euphoria’, originally released in 2003, was a landmark album for the band, being their first without Neal Morse, and with Nick D’Virgilio as lead vocalist. It also demonstrated a more band approach to song-writing. This brand new gatefold 180g 2LP edition has been newly remastered especially for vinyl by Patrick Engel at Temple of Disharmony, and includes the two bonus tracks from the original release as well as liner notes from each band member reflecting on the album.
