DC Music Entrepreneurs: Alisha Edmonson and Joe Lapan of Songbyrd: For local music lovers, Songbyrd is a one-stop shop that stands out from its neighbors in Adams Morgan. It boasts a record cafe, restaurant, bar, a 1947 Voice-O-Graph and music venue all within its two-story space. Songbyrd’s name pays homage to the late Charlie Byrd, who reportedly came up with his jazz/bossa nova fusion album Jazz Samba at Showboat Lounge, an old venue that used to reside in the space.
Wilco in-store at Bull Moose for a rare acoustic performance and signing. Wed., January 27 at Bull Moose in Scarborough: Starting now, purchase a copy of Star Wars at any Portland Area Bull Moose (Portland, Scarborough, or Mill Creek); and receive one FREE priority wristband for the in-store. Limit of 4 per person.
When Elton John worked in a record shop: “In 1970, 71, there was a music store called Music Land on Berwick Street in London which my friend worked in, which imported records. “Every Saturday, if I wasn’t working, I’d go and work behind the counter and I loved it because I was just fascinated with what people bought and I loved being around 45s, EPs, cassettes, four-tracks, whatever, as long as it’s music,” said the Oscar and Grammy Award winning talent.
Life in vinyl as music fan lives dream surrounded by records: While the popularity of vinyl records has ebbed and flowed over the decades, one man’s passion for the medium had led to a life filled with music. Gold Coast local Ray Parsons has had a lifelong love affair with music. As a teenager in the 1960s he did not even own a record player, but loved listening to the radio. He played in bands and his first job was at a Hobart radio station; with his second week’s pay he bought his first vinyl.
Record show supports student radio station: Caitlin Flora, a Salem senior and WSDP program director, said vinyl remains a significant part of a record show that raises money to support the student-operated radio station, which has an adult Top 40 format. “In recent years, vinyl has been making a comeback even with newer bands,” Flora said. “It’s vintage. It’s cool again.”
Rebirth of vinyl: sales of records boom again: Solo Records, a small operation that started in Royal Oak in 1982, has seen music formats come full circle – from records to tapes to CDs and finally back to vinyl. “Vinyl pretty much grew cobwebs until about 2006, 2006, we noticed a little resurgence but now it’s huge again.” Proprieter Lorna says it’s a mix of curiosity, nostalgia and a belief in purer sound quality driving the current boom in turntable culture.
