Portland, OR | Iconic record shop in Portland shuts down amid skyrocketing crime: “It was finally after the third break-in, I had just said, ‘If this happens again, I can’t do it anymore.’” On Thursday, Exiled Records closed its location at Southeast Hawthorne and 47th Ave in Portland, OR after 15 years in business due to multiple break-ins and a decline in foot traffic at the location. In a post on Instagram, the store wrote, “To say we are sad to leave the Hawthorne community is an understatement.” The post continued, “We are hopeful that those who visited will come dig at EXILED WEST, where we will continue to have an incredible selection of new and used vinyl as well as CD’s and tapes!” According to KATU, the move comes after the location experienced three break-ins and vandalism in the last year and a half. The most recent incident occurred less than two weeks ago when a man experiencing a mental health crisis smashed store windows with a skateboard.
Philadelphia, PA | Latchkey celebrates anniversary with tunes and treats: If you haven’t made it out to Latchkey, the vintage and vinyl boasting East Passyunk hotspot, this weekend holds the perfect opportunity to check it out. On Saturday, June 10, from noon to 6 p.m., Latchkey is throwing their First Anniversary Karaoke Blowout, which will be packed full of refreshments (from Otto Distilling Co. starting at 3 p.m.), games, prizes and the main event of karaoke, hosted by DJ Pat Pharari. Those who pipe out the best performances also will have a chance to win $20 Latchkey gift cards. Then, Philadelphians are also invited to join in on an afterparty celebration called the “Afterparty Like It’s 1999.” The ticketed 90s-themed bash will kick off at 7 p.m. and run until 10 p.m. and will feature more karaoke, burlesque and drag performances, a best-dressed contest, complimentary cocktails and light bites, and other surprises.
Jacksonville, IL | Local Record Store to Host Outdoor Music Festival: Local record store Pizza Records have announced they’ve organized their first outdoor musical event. The first ever Pizzapalooza will be held Saturday, June 10th in the Gilham House parking lot, located at 326 West State Street, at 4PM. The line up of musical acts include local talents Sean Taylor starting things off at 4, followed by Scratching the Surface at 5:30, and Robinia Groove closing the night 7. Food vendors Coatney’s BBQ and That’s My Jam! A Sandwich Company will be serving from 4-9PM. Shopping will also be available inside Gilham House during the event. Pizza Records has been in business since October and have been hosting monthly music shows inside Gilham House since January. Owners Devin & Heather Smock said in a press release that they are starting the event small, with plans to grow the event each year.
Manchester, TN | Upcoming vinyl album sale to benefit Historical Society: From classic rock staples by Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles to the folk stylings of Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary, more than 300 vintage vinyl albums will be available for purchase during the Manchester Community Market Saturday, June 10. The albums are being sold by The Coffee County Historical Society. “The albums were donated by Button Dale and she was one of the founders of the museum,” Historical Society volunteer Bonnie Gamble said. …While a collection of vinyl albums was started for the Coffee County Historical Society Museum, located in the historic Coffee County Courthouse on the Manchester town square, the museum is trying to refocus its collection on items more directly related to Manchester and Coffee County. “She started the collection of the albums, but at this point, now that we have so many items we need to weed out a little bit,” Gamble said.
Major audiophile record label prepares to enter pressing plant game: If making the world’s most revered audiophile recordings wasn’t enough, this company is preparing to expand with a state-of-the-art pressing facility. …With the past few years having been plagued with the dilemma of over-run and backed-up vinyl record manufacturing, this should feel like an answer to the prayers of many; both the consumer and the music retailer, even if it is only one more record pressing plant being birthed. And even though it technically is only one record manufacturing facility, it will still make way for some of the industries pressures to be eased. Moreover, it will not be your everyday, run-of-the-mill music media manufacturing house. It will operate with a multitude of top-of-the-line presses and the highest and most advanced record cutting and plating technologies and processes.
The craziest substances musicians have pressed into vinyls: From blood, to tears, to ashes of the Holy Bible – we take a look at some of the most bizarre phenomena that has made it into vinyl pressing. We all know that musicians put their blood, sweat and tears into their music, but there’s no better way to tell fans “we love you” than by literally sharing these, and other bodily fluids, with them in the purchasable form of a vinyl pressing. KISS invented blood-splattered merch in 1977, printing their Marvel Comic with ink mixed with their own blood. As a comment on the spiteful barbs levvied at his sexuality, Lil Nas X played the satanic card by dropping 666 pairs of black and red “Satan Shoes” which contained human blood in an air bubble in the sole. It also came with a pentagram charm, an inverted cross, and a price tag of $1,018 derived from the Biblical verse of Luke 10:18: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”
Glasgow, UK | VIP records fair with ‘rarest and cheapest’ vinyls coming to Glasgow this month: A VIP records fair is coming to Glasgow this month. On Saturday, June 10, the rarest to the cheapest vinyl ‘on the planet’ will be on sale at the Bellahouston Leisure Centre. The exciting pop-ups will also take place in Manchester, Nottingham and the one and only Alexandra Palace. The Ally Pally fair will see giants VIP Record Fairs, Alexandra Palace Antiques Fair and Pop Up Vintage Fair come together to deliver the best on offer to music lovers.
You’ve never seen a turntable like this – and it’s vinyl bliss: If you’re looking for a high-end turntable that won’t totally decimate your budget, the Rega Planar 8 might be just what you’re looking for. I’ve gone through a number of turntables over the years. From the inexpensive Christmas presents I received as a child, to the low-end turntables I purchased as an adult, all the way up to my current hardware, the Rega Planar 8. The Planar 8 was inspired by the Rega Naiad, which was a carbon fiber wonder that would most certainly break the bank of most consumers. …What Rega had created would continue to inspire more cost-effective offerings, which finally came into focus as the Planar 8 and 10. I purchased my Planar 8 about 3 years ago and it’s still just as brilliant as it was the first day I switched it on.
Buena Vista, CO | Bill Keathley’s record collection donation paves the way for a listening library at BVHS: With the donation of crates upon crates of records, Buena Vista High School’s library has a listening library in its future. “Back in the day, we used to sit and read the album covers. That was part of the process,” said Marti Bott, BVHS and BVMS band director. “There’s a resurgence in interest in vinyl, and people are into it again.” Bill Keathley, a local music teacher and saxophonist with the CMC Jazz Project and the Jazz Merchants Big Band, had a large collection of records. Though they were housed under a workbench in the garage after his passing in 2019, his wife and former Avery-Parsons Elementary teacher Laura had planned to get rid of them when moving last November. Dave Schiefelbein, Times editor and record rescuer, said he saved them from an uncertain fate.
