Run the Jewels Named Record Store Day 2018 Ambassadors: Run the Jewels are the ambassadors for Record Store Day 2018. “BRING ME MY SCEPTER AND CEREMONIAL ROBE,” El-P tweeted of the honor. “I was told I can park anywhere now.” Last year’s RSD ambassador was St. Vincent, and previous ambassadors include Metallica, Iggy Pop, Ozzy Osbourne, Jack White, Chuck D, and Dave Grohl. Last year’s RSD offered records including unreleased Smiths demos, David Bowie LP sets, and more. Record Store Day 2018 will take place on April 21.
Redditch’s Vintage Trax marking birthday with Primrose fund raiser: A retro Record Shop in Redditch is celebrating its third anniversary trading in Headless Cross with a charity fundraiser in aid of Primrose Hospice. This Saturday, February 17, will mark three years since Ros Sidaway launched her retro vinyl record shop, Vintage Trax, on Birchfield Road. It came after two successful trials in the Kingfisher Centre and since then there has been a huge growth in demand for classic and rare albums and 45s around the UK and overseas…“It’s been hard work to build the business but, as my family and friends know, I love music and really enjoy what I’m doing and it’s a great feeling to be helping people build their record collections and track down the albums they are looking for.”
California record dealer Pacific Beach Vinyl starts GoFundMe to remain open: Pacific Beach Vinyl is asking for support to keep its doors open. The San Diego dealer and wholesaler launched in 2014 and quickly became an important hub for European and US imprints pressing up house, disco, Balearic and world music. Their business hit financial trouble two years ago, when they entered into a bad debt consolidation deal with a predatory lender. “With growth came the need for expansive working capital,” they explain on their GoFundMe page. “PBV navigated a planned borrowing course and a clear path to continue an upward arc. In late 2015, PBV was offered an agreement that would consolidate its existing debt and allow it to grow to the next level and unchain itself from the toxicity of the high-priced loans on its books.”
‘A force of character, determination, or nerve:’ Moxy Music opens shop in Ridgecrest: Moxy Music is a new music store in Ridgecrest that opened its doors on Saturday at its location at 219 Balsam Street. Contact them through email at MoxyMusicStore@gmail.com or by phone at 760-667-2747. They carry new and used CDs and cassettes, posters, apparel, guitar strings, stereos, turntables, and more. However, one step into the building shows immediately shows you their focus: vinyl records. “I like the sound of vinyl. It’s got a lower deep end and it’s a warmer sound all around. It sounds a lot better,” said Moxy Music co-owner Joel Rodriguez. “I can’t listen to one track by an artist. I want to listen to the whole thing from side A to B.”
Scene (Near) South Bend: Rumor Records: Reflecting on the frailty of relationships, Penny Lane (played by Kate Hudson in Cameron Crowe’s acclaimed film “Almost Famous”) speaks wisely, “if you ever get lonely, just go to the record store and visit your friends.” A word of warning: If the record store in question happens to be Rumor Records in Niles, Michigan, do not (seriously do not!) Uber there alone, unless you want to spend more time (roughly 103 minutes) than expected with your new friends. It just so happens that Uber will take music-loving loners from Main Circle to Niles, but it does not offer the return trip. That said, I would recommend paying Rumor Records a visit — preferably by car with an actual human friend.
From Salvador Dali to Jeff Koons, a New Show Reveals the Artists Behind History’s Great Album Covers: Since vinyl records first began appearing in paper sleeves in the late 1930s, the album cover has become a unique artistic medium all its own. Many of history’s greatest records are synonymous with the artworks in which they are encased—think of Robert Mapplethorpe’s confrontational image of Patti Smith on the cover of her debut record Horses, for example, or Jeff Koons’s garish graphic for Lady Gaga’s ARTPOP. But it might come as a surprise to discover who the artists are behind many of this past century’s album covers…“I literally rediscovered my collection when I started to look at who did the covers,” De Beaupré tells artnet News. “This was the first step.”
Event set to celebrate history of Little Rock’s True Soul Records: A live music event is planned for this month to celebrate the history of Little Rock’s True Soul Records. A panel discussion will accompany the performance at 7 p.m. Feb. 23 at the Ron Robinson Theater, 100 River Market Ave. in downtown Little Rock. Lee Anthony started True Soul Records in Little Rock in 1968, according to a news release about the event, which describes him as a pioneer of Little Rock soul music. Anthony opened up the first black-owned record store in Arkansas, Soul Brothers, in 1966. The store is said to have anchored Little Rock’s soul and funk scene at the time.
