Dallas, TX | KDT Presents Love and Vinyl Set in Good Records Store: Love and Vinyl, by award-winning playwright Bob Bartlett, has its area premiere with Kitchen Dog Theater in a unique setting. All performances will take place inside indie record store Good Records in Dallas. The romantic comedy marks the final production of KDT’s “out of the box” season of theater. For the production, KDT has assembled a great team of Artistic Company Members. The three-person ensemble features Max Hartman (Zane), Karen Parrish (Sage), and Jamal Sterling (Bogie). The small production team is comprised of Sean Hennigan (Assistant Director), KDT Co-Artistic Director Tina Parker (Costume and Prop Design), and KDT Company Member Ruth Stephenson (Stage Manager).
Moorhead, MN | Facing closure, Mother’s Music owner rallies to keep 51-year-old family business open: Owner Brady Bredell hopes donations and a benefit concert can help cover bills. ‘It’s a historical store,’ he said. ‘I feel like the curator of a museum rather than a business owner.’ Days after ominously posting that his family’s store of more than 50 years may have to close, Brady Berdell was singing a happier tune on Monday. On May 15 Berdell posted on the store’s Facebook page that the Moorhead business needed to raise $5,000 in two weeks to get caught up with bills or face eviction. He asked for donations of cash and used media he could sell to keep the store afloat. Citing the 1995 movie “Empire Records” as inspiration, he also suggested throwing a benefit concert similar to the one that saved the store in the movie. By the morning of May 20, Bredell said things had started to turn around. “I’m feeling optimistic,” Bredell said.
Dayton, OH | ‘You can get a lot for very little at our shop’: Skeleton Dust Records moving in September: Skeleton Dust Records is planning to move from Dayton’s Fire Blocks District to the Huffman Historic Area on East Fifth Street in September. “I love that location and part of me will miss being there, but I’m excited for what’s to come,” said Owner Luke Tandy said. “This part of town, there’s stuff happening and I want to be a part of it.” …The move is largely motivated by the opportunity to be located next to Pink Moon Goods, which is owned by his wife of six years, Kathleen Hotmer. Tandy is expecting to have a “seamless as possible transition.” He’s planning to close the record store in mid-August. With the move to the Huffman District, the record store will be a little bit bigger. Tandy said customers can expect an expanded selection of music, as well as a new selection of books and movies.
Wichita, KS | Local Spotlight: The Record Ship. It’s been close to two years since The Record Ship opened at 230 N. Cleveland. They are a family owned and operated independent record store in Wichita who buys, sells, and trades records, tapes, CDs and more. What they really specialize in though are vinyl records. If you didn’t know, vinyl is back and has been for some time. For the last two years, vinyl record sales have surpassed CD sales. And if you’re curious, people do buy cassette tapes. Nearly half a million were sold in the past year. With the surging popularity of vinyls, it makes sense to have another record shop in Wichita and that’s where The Record Ship comes in. The Record Ship carries new and used spanning all the genres, pop, rock, hip-hop, you name it. It was incredibly nostalgic browsing through all the albums and seeing so many records I listened to as a child and into my teens, like Soundgarden, Nirvana, Alice in Chains and more. You could literally spend an hour or two just flipping through the selection.
South Wiltshire, UK | Only South Wiltshire record store to keep trading as owner steps back: Owner Paul Smith is handing over the reigns. The only record store in South Wiltshire will remain trading despite it’s owner stepping back from day-to-day running today. Paul Smith, owner of Vinyl Collectors and Sellers is moving into semi-retirement but has hopes of a bright future for his store. That’s because he’s handing over the reigns to Dorset-based record company Boiler Room Records. “Initially Boiler Room Records are going to have a concession in the shop. We’re going to have a massive selection of new vinyl come into the shop, which we haven’t had for a long time,” Mr Smith said. He told Greatest Hits Radio that he’s going to be ‘fading into the background’ over the next few months as Boiler Room take more control. “It’s just a bright new future for the shop,” he said.
Owensboro, KY | Romp and Roll vinyl record show to offer wide range of music: Vinyl records lovers will have a major opportunity to add to their collection next month during the inaugural Romp & Roll Record Show, a 3-day event featuring approximately 100 vendors offering all manner of music items. The event is scheduled for June 28-30 inside the Owensboro Convention Center and will coincide with the annual ROMP Festival activities. Event organizer Jeremy Bonfiglio said vinyl lovers will feel like a kid in a candy store. “Walking into a room like that and seeing that much music during what is the biggest 3-day record store in the area for that weekend, people will take advantage of the opportunity. You’ll find some music you love and talk to the dealers because we’re in this because we love music,” Bonfiglio said. He noted that when planning the event, they were instantly attracted to planning around ROMP Fest and adding a layer of music to the weekend.
London, UK | What’s the carbon footprint of a vinyl record? Vinyl has made a strong comeback in recent years. But the materials from which records are made bring ecological considerations that the music industry can no longer ignore. Internationally renowned artists such as Billie Eilish, whose new album was released on May 17, are promoting a more eco-responsible approach to vinyl production. You may never have even thought about it, but the vinyl record — which has been seeing a comeback in recent years — also has a carbon footprint. To highlight the issue, singer Billie Eilish, whose new album Hit Me Hard And Soft was released May 17, is promoting “greener” vinyl. A few months before the release of her new album, the Ocean Eyes singer explained on her official website that she would be releasing “eight variants of vinyl.”
This small device can stream your vinyl to any smart speaker, not just Sonos: The A2D2 Stream converts your analogue vinyl deck into an audio streamer that works with any smart speaker. You can also use it to stream playback to Bluetooth headphones via the dedicated app on your phone. Audio tech firm A2D2 has announced a small, unassuming device that can turn any analogue turntable into an audio streamer, enabling you to wirelessly stream your records to speakers around the home. …The A2D2 Stream is a relatively small box that you connect to your deck (or another analogue audio source) via its stereo phono inputs. It comes with Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity to hook it up to your home network (the same network as the speakers), and there are also stereo phono and 3.5mm line outputs for good measure.
