Comodoro, AR | “Here’s your album”: Merlin, El Duende or Chiquitita, the record stores that made history in Comodoro. Ernesto Capovilla feels comfortable between records and sound equipment. Since he was 14 years old, he has been related to music: he worked in record stores that he also considered his home and a place of enjoyment. “The recording world was very exciting because nothing was like now that you push a button and listen to what you want. The album was released three months earlier. Then the diffuser would come and bring you the photos of the LP and you would see how it was going to be. Then we would stick the photos on the window and people would walk by and look at them. There was expectation: first they were heard on the radio and after months, the records were put on sale ”, recalled Capovilla. Mariano Crespo, a Comodorense who was part of that time, assured that “Entering a record store was entering a toy store. That was the direct analogy for music lovers.”
Athens, GA | Celebrating 45 years of Wuxtry Records, a local music scene fixture: For the 45th anniversary of local record store Wuxtry Records, guest DJs Pip, Nate and Tim Schrieber accordingly spun 45 rpm singles at the Little Kings Shuffle Club to celebrate on Friday night. Attendees enjoyed beer provided by The Southern Brewing Company as they celebrated Wuxtry with both friends and family. Plates of home-cooked and party food were happily picked through and sat on a foldable table housed on the side of the club, as Wuxtry staff supplied food for early eventgoers. Wuxtry opened its doors in 1976 and has had several different storefront locations, but its heart has always been in Athens. The music groups R.E.M. and the B-52s, which helped put Athens on the live music map were intertwined with Wuxtry early on as some members were staffed at the shop. The connection to Wuxtry runs deep for some — attendee Paul Butchart said he traded in Top 40 albums for $1 punk albums during his college years because no one would buy them and he regarded it as a good deal.
Athens, OH | Republic of Athens Records opens in city of Athens: Michael Wood, owner of Republic of Athens Records, has been entranced by vinyl music since childhood, as shown by the photo of a young Wood with headphones atop his head displayed in the new store. As he grew older, Wood inherited his father’s record collection and his love for vinyl grew. The original turntable he used is on display in the shop as well, although it has had some serious upgrades since then. His personal collection, according to Wood, includes a lot of “sad dad rock”, neo-soul and music from the hit show, Insecure. “We used to listen to records all the time,” said Wood. “It was just always a part of what we did.” Starting off as a pop-up shop in Little Professor Books on Court Street, ROAR has grown into its own brick-and-mortar enterprise housed next to The Standard Salon on the corner of E. State and Stimson Ave.
Decatur, GA | The Record Loft opens near Avondale MARTA station in Decatur: A new record has opened in Decatur, providing a cozy loft space for music lovers to sell their records and find new treasures. The Record Loft, which opened in August, grew out of Steve Tockerman’s love for music and his online record shop. “It’s just a way for people to bring me records,” Tockerman said. “I was selling mostly online for years and going to Europe to sell [records].” Tockerman’s wife, Margo, also posts on various online boards seeking records and Tockerman constantly goes to garage sales, and other events, hoping to find some musical treasures to accumulate the stock for the store. The process of buying records varies in terms of finding records. People can drop records off at the store. They can either wait at the store or come back after the records have been evaluated.
Cedar Falls, IA | Des Moines based record store to open in Cedar Falls: We’ve seen the Cedar Valley start to burst with new businesses in the past few months, but a unique new spot is coming to the area sometime next year. I don’t know about you, but I love the vibe of a record store. It’s calming and everyone just seems incredibly relaxed. Plus, it’s usually a great spot to hang out and enjoy music with friends. A new record store is coming to Cedar Falls and it will be opening soon. A record store based in Des Moines, Vinyl Cup Records began as a Facebook group in 2017. A year later, the record store opened up to music lovers in the Historic Beaverdale Neighborhood of Des Moines. On the Instagram for Vinyl Cup Cedar Falls, the record store is described as, “…unique record digging experience focused around customer service and quality product!”
Seattle, WA | Easy Street Records is now pouring its first-ever house beer: Best of Hands Barrelhouse introduces Easy Street Records’ house beer People who are passionate about beer recognize the value of independent breweries. People who are passionate about music recognize the value of independent record stores. This is the story of the two coming together in the form of a new beer. Easy Street Records is an institution. Folks in West Seattle simply referred to it as “the record store,” but it’s more than a place to buy and sell music. It’s also a cafe and a live music venue. Now, along with all its other coolness, Easy Street Records is a bar with its very own beer thanks to Best of Hands Barrelhouse. The Bar is Open IPA is the first-ever beer brewed exclusively for Easy Street Records. The beer is described as an IPA featuring Motueka and Azacca hops, with aromas of lemon and lime and a savory hint of basil.
Buffalo, NY | Where to get your limited Black Friday Record Store Day releases: The holiest of holidays is just around the corner. No, we’re not talking about Christmas. We are talking about Record Store Day! The annual event for vinyl lovers was first held in 2007 and held on one Saturday every April and every Black Friday in November. The mission behind the day according to RecordStoreDay.com is to “celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store.” Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020, the event was altered and spread across three dates called RSD Drops. The same format was followed earlier this year as drops were held across two dates: June 12 and July 17. Things get back to normal next week when the Black Friday edition takes place on November 26th. As always, there are three categories of releases that you can choose from and this year is no different.
Why Sex Pistols singer John Lydon loves vinyl above all else: John Lydon has always defied expectations. From appearing on reality TV shows to using butter advertisements to fund his Public Image Ltd tour, the one-time frontman of the Sex Pistols refuses to be pigeonholed. His continually evolving worldview has made him incredibly difficult to pin down, but what is clear is that he loves music – and specifically vinyl – above all else. “My record collection is extensive,” Lydon began in an interview held back in 2015. “It’s spread out over three different countries. It’s so big that it got to the point where the friends that used to look after our house in London called to say we’d damaged the ceiling of the room below with the weight of the vinyl. But it’s my reference library. I find I can go back to records, years later, and find something new and exciting from them.”
Gary Allan reminisces about his lifelong love for vinyl: ‘You have to be more attentive to it.” Gary Allan loves his record player. He has one sitting in his living room and another one in his bar, and he can still remember when his first single “Her Man” came out on a 7-inch 45 rpm record for use in the jukeboxes of old. And if it was up to him, everyone would have a record player to experience music on. “It’s just different on vinyl,” explains Allan in an interview with Taste of Country, mere days after his current album Ruthless was released on vinyl. “I still listen to records. There’s just something cool about putting a needle on and hearing all the pops and hearing it old school.” While the multi-platinum-selling country music renegade loves a good download, he also loves the idea of putting a little work into the music listening experience.
