Chattanooga, TN | Yellow Racket Records offer a tactile and aural experience: Ben VanderHart describes himself as “kind of stubborn,” so when the coronavirus pandemic hit just about a week or two after he’d signed a lease on a building on Main Street, he dove head first into opening the Yellow Racket Records store he has dreamed of owning for several years. Like everyone else, he has had to adapt his original vision, so the coffeeshop and live music aspects of the store are on hold, and customers can’t actually enter the store to browse his inventory. Instead, they can go online at yellowracketcha.com and shop. They can either have the product shipped to them, or they can drive up to the front door, text him and get the item brought out to the vehicle. He hopes to open the doors later this month or in early August, but is weary of opening only to have to close because the case numbers keep rising. …”It’s always growing, and it’s just been from word of mouth really. I’m almost out of cash,” he joked. People have also been buying, he said, noting that he did about $3,000 in sales in the first three weeks.
Springfield, IL | Dumb Records, Arlington’s open arcades: Three weeks ago, there were no arcades in downtown Springfield. Now, there’s two. Dumb Records, 418 E. Monroe St., unveiled “Dumb Arcade” earlier this month. A few days later, Arlington’s opened their arcade bar. The “Dumb Arcade” is hidden away in the back of the record store’s live event space in a dark room. Once there, customers are greeted with the sight and sounds of 10 machines, including a sit down racing game, 4 stand up classic arcade games, and 5 pinball machines. Dumb Records owner Brian Galecki said the concept came from business partner Jeff Black. Black formerly operated The Radon Lounge, a live entertainment venue, out of his basement. A key part of the experience was arcade games. With the end of The Radon Lounge last year, Black was looking to get his games “out of the basement” to where they could be enjoyed. Dumb Records became an obvious partner. “He was he was looking to bring what he was doing more out of the basement in terms of putting on shows and having an arcade,” Galecki said. After a brainstorm, they decided to put it in the back room.
Parry Sound, ON | Bee-Sides Radio is not just music from the vinyl era – it’s the actual vinyl record: The resurgence of vinyl records in the last decade has created a lot of new media and programming touting itself as ‘Vinyl ….this’ and ‘Vinyl…that.’ What makes the vinyl sound so unique is not how perfect it is, but how imperfect it is. In my opinion, unlike its digital counterpart, vinyl lets some of the source’s (a turntable) own tonal qualities seep into the music much like a concert hall’s acoustics affect how an orchestra sounds. Digital takes all those imperfections out of the equation creating a sound which many refer to as ‘sterile’ and ‘without character.’ While these imperfections on paper are not ideal, such a cartridge creating its own sound with harmonic and inter-modulation distortion (not to be confused with clipping that causes distorted buzz), that sound is now desirable. Nothing can compare to actually listening to a record through a vintage receiver or amplifier, however, Bee-Sides Radio tries to achieve the next best thing.
Kuala Lumpur, MY | Still rocking it old school: The market for vinyl records and CDs may be dying but to audiophiles, nothing beats the sensory experience these formats deliver. Music shop owner Joey Tan, 40, said vinyl records and CDs, which are still sought after by serious audiophiles, provide a different experience. “From the richness of the tune to the beats and to the rhythm of the music, these formats offer a fantastic experience. “The songs and music pressed into these formats are of excellent quality. “Through a good vinyl record, for example, you can hear the richness, the details in the instruments and truly feel the mood of the song. “This is why even after all these years some people are still adding to their collection,” he said when met at his shop in Komtar yesterday. He added that no matter how top-notch your sound system might be, digital formats were no match for the classics. …“Although I do not make big money, it makes me happy and content as I always come across music lovers who patronise my shop and I can chat or share my interests…”
Beethoven Graphic Novel Celebrates Composer’s 250th Birthday: A new Beethoven graphic novel reimagining the life of the legendary composer through striking new visuals will be published in November. Z2 Comics and Deutsche Grammophon have announced a new Beethoven graphic novel, The Final Symphony: A Beethoven Anthology, will be published in November, a month before the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth in December. The Final Symphony: A Beethoven Anthology reimagines the life of the legendary composer through striking new visuals created by world-class artists. The deluxe edition of the Beethoven graphic novel will be accompanied by an exclusive double vinyl LP following the story through the composer’s own works. Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most influential and significant composers of all time. Beyond his prolific output Beethoven faced many struggles in his personal life, including tumultuous relationships and the loss of hearing which affected him profoundly, however his music is a testament to the human spirit in the face of cruel misfortune.
