JP | Japan record shopping, Part 2: In search of Jazz bars and vinyl: I was really pleasantly surprised when the Shinkansen (bullet train) from Kyoto to Osaka arrived at Osaka Central Station after no more than a 15-20 minute ride. We put our stuff in the room and headed out for Minami, one of Osaka’s main commercial areas, adjacent to Little America, an Osaka neighborhood with a reputation for being young and cool. Minami was the first place I’d been in Japan that wasn’t spotless, and it was super touristy and overcrowded. My daughter quickly became consumed with shopping, with my wife in a supporting role, but my threshold for clothes shopping, while longer than when marriage first began rubbing off all my sharp edges, is still limited. I put “jazz bar” into Google Maps and lo and behold, there was a hit a mere three minute walk down the main shopping drag and up a side street to Jazz Bar Top Rank. I did my now well- rehearsed up and down the street “where the hell is this place?” before finding the staircase and heading to the second floor.
Dearborn, MI | Stormy Records in Dearborn celebrates 20th anniversary: Entering Stormy Records is a blast from the past. Records are plastered to the storefront windows and posters of Miles Davis and David Bowie hang on the walls. Sift through the massive record collection and you’ll find artists ranging from Etta James, ZZ Top, Parliament Funkadelic and the Sugarhill Gang. Nestled between Mekkah Islamic Superstore and Bridal House Fashion on the east side of Dearborn, owners Windy Weber and Carl Hultgren have been supplying music lovers with a healthy dose of used vinyl, CDs and cassettes for 20 years. Along with retro artists, the store offers new releases as well, but it won’t be anything from Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran. Stormy Records specializes in genres such as experimental and ambient music, underground pop and avant jazz. “It is easier to sell music that you are more familiar with,” said Weber. “We don’t tend to listen to mainstream artists…”
Merge Turns 30: Co-Founder Laura Ballance on Perils of Running an Indie Today: “There keeps being this question lately of, ‘Do we need record labels?’ I think people don’t recognize what we do and the value of our work,” says the Superchunk bassist. “When we started, we had no expectations,” says Laura Ballance, co-founder of the North Carolina-based independent record label Merge Records and bassist for the scrappy indie rock band Superchunk. “It was a punk rock hobby. We didn’t think it was going to be a successful business.” Ballance, who grew up in Goldsboro, N.C. — “a tiny little town with lots of tornadoes,” she says — started Merge with co-founder and Superchunk guitarist-vocalist Mac McCaughan in 1989, originally to release music from local bands whose life cycle would otherwise last a few DIY shows. Thirty years later, their “hobby” is an indie powerhouse that has released critically acclaimed albums from such acts as Arcade Fire, Neutral Milk Hotel, Spoon and She & Him.
Port Macquarie, AU | 2019 Port Macquarie Record Fair draws vinyl lovers from near and far: Vinyl lovers came from up and down the North Coast to find an old treasure at the 2019 Record Fair on July 20. RAWR Music, Dark Alley Collectables and Hold Steady Records presented the event with vendors from across NSW bringing their extensive collections. Craig Singleman was delighted to find ‘Desire’ by Bob Dylan. “It is one of my favourites,” he said. Organiser Travis Fredericks said there had been a “vinyl revival”. “People are really starting to get back into listening to music on vinyls which is great,” Mr Fredericks said. (What would be great is not saying “vinyls.” —Ed.)
This fall, Keith Urban goes back to the beginning with 20th anniversary vinyl: CMA and ACM Entertainer of the Year Keith Urban will mark the twentieth anniversary of his self-titled, debut album this fall by releasing it on vinyl for the very first time. The platinum-selling Keith Urban will be available as both a limited-edition lavender LP and on standard black vinyl as well. The record — which originally came out on October 19, 1999 — set the Aussie superstar’s career in motion with the hits “But for the Grace of God,” “Where the Blacktop Ends,” and “Your Everything.” Keith’s 2009 effort, Defying Gravity, marked its tenth anniversary earlier this year, and will once again be available on vinyl as well. Previously, it was available only as a limited-edition white disc. That version will return, plus a standard black disc as well
This record company wants $800 for their Woodstock 50th anniversary box set: On August 2, Rhino Records will release a massive box set for the 50th anniversary of Woodstock. Spread across 38 compact discs and 36 hours, “Woodstock – Back to the Garden: The Definitive 50th Anniversary Archive” features almost every note of music performed at the iconic 1969 festival. The screen-printed plywood box in which the set is packaged contains more than just the music that was performed that weekend half a century ago. It also includes a Blu-ray version of the “Woodstock” documentary, a hardbound copy of the “Woodstock: Three Days of Peace and Music” book by original promoter Michael Lang, as well as posters, prints, a guitar strap and other memorabilia. A set this comprehensive is likely to be the last word on the legendary rock festival, and indeed, it’s hard to imagine that any detail has been overlooked. Still, one possible sticking point remains – the price. The set sells for $800, and it’s worth wondering if sticker shock might be a potential obstacle to selling all 1,969 copies that have been pressed.
This limited edition all-black speaker displays animated lyrics: Japanese company COTODAMA has teamed up with luxury brand Saint Laurent for a limited edition, all-black version of its Lyric Speaker Canvas that is only available to buy in the fashion house’s Rive Droite stores. COTODAMA makes two kinds of lyric speakers, both of which display a song’s lyrics while music is playing. COTODAMA’s Lyric Speaker Canvas first came out last year and the original has a silver and black design. The silver back board is the actual speaker, while the black front board is the screen that displays song lyrics. It’s one unit, but looks like two pieces, and is meant to evoke the idea of vinyl record jackets leaned up against your wall. The size is a bit bigger than an actual record sleeve, but not by much. The Lyric Speaker Canvas is 18.7 inches wide by 14.7 inches tall, so it’s still pretty compact.
