This Hilton Head man’s legacy survives in a Savannah record store and an $800K gift: …Ryan Graveface, whose Savannah store and almost 20-year-old independent (“indie”) record label carry his name, calls Sippel a “curator” — someone who, through his work with labels, signed talent, promoted artists, sold records and, as a result, acted as a sort of quality-control filter and trusted guide for consumers. “That time in the industry, and the specific labels that he was working for, just seem to operate so much more like an indie than indies operate in 2018,” Graveface said. “Like, actually hitting the ground and talking to people instead of just doing mailing list blasts and targeted Facebook posts.” In many ways, and in various forms, Sippel’s life work was introducing people to music.
Farewell to the Record-Store Magnate Who Made Sacramento Cool Before Lady Bird: Growing up in Sacramento 25 years ago, I couldn’t conjure anything cooler about the city than Russ Solomon and Tower Records. Today, I still can’t. He and Tower were vastly cooler than anything in Lady Bird. And I loved Lady Bird! But let’s be honest: Lady Bird herself would have worked at Tower if she’d stayed in Sacramento in 2003 (at least until its last area store closed in 2006). It’s not difficult to imagine her hiding her Dave Matthews Band albums in a dorm drawer and applying to work at the Broadway store in New York City, or at least hanging out at the CD listening stations like all the other aughts-era NYU brats yet to be assimilated into downtown’s cultural fringes.
Tyler Vinyl Record Show March 10 – Buy, Sell, Trade: Looking for events in Tyler, Texas this weekend? Look no further. Tours of Tyler proudly announces Tyler’s SIXTH Annual Vinyl Record Show! The show will be on Saturday, March 10th. It will begin at 10 a.m. and continue with vendors selling all things music and music related until 5 p.m. at the Staybridge Suites at 2957 McDonald Rd. Tickets are just $3 each with children 12 years and under admitted FREE! It’s buy, sell or trade, so bring your own collection and let’s make a deal! Records, CD’s, Cassettes, 8-Tracks, Supplies, Turntables, DVD, Art, and More will be present! Tickets are on sale now at www.toursoftyler.com and available for purchase at the door!
IKEA is coming out with its own record player: Ubiquitous furniture and homewares giant IKEA is reportedly releasing its own record player as part of a collaboration with Swedish electronics concern Teenage Engineering. The group of music-focused products from the companies is called FREKVENS (Swedish for “frequency,” as noted by HUH) and includes the aforementioned record player, party lighting, and something called an “electronic choir.” So, are you ready to put an IKEA turntable atop your IKEA table? Teenage Engineering designs speakers and various electronic instruments, and the voguish link-up with IKEA is centered around the idea of a veritable party-on-the-go: Get all your friends together and groove out to some jams in a relaxed party atmosphere that’s quick and easy to set up.
Say goodbye to CDs: fading into obscurity: As CDs fade from cultural relevance and into the periphery of its memory, optimists might wonder if the vinyl revival might hint at a fated CD rebirth in the future. Popular opinion suggests that the original miniature appeal doesn’t provide the same aesthetic satisfaction that both collectors and casual listeners appreciate in vinyls. While the portability qualities of walkman players and the sound projections of jukeboxes have been replaced by smartphone streaming capability, records echo a more encompassing experience, embracing the imperfections that CDs and digital music after were built to erase. The future of consumption may be at streaming’s disposal, and the fate of physical may be dependent on nostalgia, but one thing might be for sure; compact disks are reaching their certain dusk.
Up with the Volume, Down with the Noise: Mahatma Gandhi once said, “There is more to life than increasing its speed.” That’s not a lesson modern American culture has taken to heart, is it? Seems like we’re more inclined to take Daft Punk’s advice and do everything “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.” …Listening to records has really compelled me to slow down and take my time with music. No more skipping tracks or listening to things willy-nilly. Nope. I have to take in a record one side at a time. That commitment to at least 20 minutes of music really helps me sit and enjoy. I tend to stay seated in my library more often to listen because I have to be there to turn the record over. (Plus, the sound quality really is better. That’s not just a fib propagated by vinyl heads.)
