Mansfield, OH | ‘Operation Fandom’ Completes Move and Reopens in Larger Fourth Street Location: Mansfield pop culture collectible shop and record store Operation Fandom / Blackbird Records has officially reopened in a new location. The store now occupies the space where “Uncommon Nostalgia” was operating from at 36 West Fourth Street. Owner Joshua Lehman says that having something to offer to people of all ages is a tough balancing act, but believes that the store is accessible to anyone. “We started Operation Fandom about six years ago in Wooster in the fall of 2020, during COVID,” recalled Lehman. “We actually decided to expand because so many people were coming from all over the state to our Wooster store, spending more time and money on collectibles and music. They wanted to obviously have more entertainment at home. We popped over in September of 2020 to 31 West Fourth Street, over by City Grill and, we were there for a little bit—over three years—and we were just kind of bursting at the seams.”
Washington, DC | Local record and vintage store Joint Custody showcases old treasures: Local record and vintage store Joint Custody joined Good Morning Washington to showcase all things second-hand. The store offers unique items such as old records and clothing. Brian van de Graaff took us to the DC brick-and-mortar store to talk to co-owner Gene Melkisethian and employee Jose Hernandez about the deeply-rooted vintage culture. They also described various rare items Joint Custody sells. Co-owner Gene Melkisethian discussed his appreciation for vintage apparel and music. “Since I was a little kid, I collected records, I collected shirts, I collected old magazines. Anything old I’ve always been into it, it’s my passion.”
Pontypool, UK | Record store owner frames moment he confronted Boris Johnson: A record store owner said he took off his jacket and pointed to his,‘The Stupids’ punk band shirt when Boris Johnson asked if the conservatives could rely on his vote. Mark James, 60, of Pontypool, a retired community mental health nurse and senior lecturer met the former prime minister at a record store at Newport Market back in 2017. Boris Johnson became leader of the Conservatives back in 2019 and became prime minister when they won a majority in the general election that year. The country has seen a lot of change since Mr Johnsons visit to Newport market and with the next general election now just days away, Mr James recalled the encounter. At the time, Boris Johnson was foreign secretary and visiting Newport Market to meet stall owners and support Angela Jones Evans, the conservative candidate for Newport West.
Atlanta, GA | Atlanta legend DJ Jaycee ‘always gravitated towards the record player.’ When it comes to the Mount Rushmore of DJs in Atlanta, Greg Street, DJ Nabs, DJ Jelly, DJ Toomp, DJ Drama, and DJ Jaycee are among the names often mentioned as among the best and who paved the way for future generations. WSB Radio spoke to DJ Jaycee during Black Music Month about his life, career and the art of DJing. DJ Jaycee, whose real name is Jayson Reid, said his undying love for music came from his family growing up in Detroit. “I have had a love for records since I was a baby in the crib,” DJ Jaycee told WSB Radio. “There are pictures of me in the crib sleeping with records. There are pictures of me in a highchair holding records. I was always fascinated with records and that is where it started.” Music is truly in his blood, he says.
Boston, MA | Berklee Online Offers $5,000 Scholarship with Women in Vinyl and Marshall: For the second year in a row, Berklee Online is joining forces with the non-profit Women in Vinyl and famed amplifier manufacturer Marshall, to offer a $5,000 scholarship for one recipient to study music business at the acclaimed online music college. This scholarship is intended to support a career trajectory of a female or female-identifying person who is interested in vinyl and physical media. “We are thrilled to be collaborating with Berklee and Marshall, as this provides us all with the opportunity to directly help someone into the field while furthering the mission of Women in Vinyl,” says Jenn D’Eugenio, founder of Women in Vinyl. To apply for this scholarship, applicants must submit a 500-word essay that shares their background and answers the following questions…
Rochester, NY | MFA student’s vinyl cover series garners major attention: Eshaan Sojatia ’24 MFA (visual communication design) captured second place in the Student Packaging category of PRINT Magazine’s annual PRINT Awards, which honors design work that embraces tradition and technology. The competition is juried by leading design figures from around the world. Sojatia’s second-place entry was a series of five vinyl record covers collectively titled “Dark Energy.” The project was made in Assistant Professor Anne Jordan’s Information Design course. “In order to show dark energy and other things in the universe, the project had to be done in black and white only,” Sojatia’s portfolio site description of the project reads. “I learned more about the strange world of dark energy through five cool album covers. “Each cover does a job of delving into a different part of this cosmic mystery, from acceleration of the universe, cosmological constant, modified gravity theories, quintessence, to emergent gravity…”
Los Angeles, CA | Rhino to launch ‘Sounds of the Summer’ exclusive vinyl releases throughout July: There will be limited-edition sea blue color Vinyl available each Friday of July. Celebrate the summer with Rhino; starting July 5, Rhino’s Sounds of the Summer will bring 24 exclusive, limited-edition vinyl releases each Friday of the month. Also rolling out this month are several titles from the Now Playing collection, a curated series of Greatest Hits from Warner Music’s legendary artists such as George Benson, Hall & Oats, Sonny & Cher, and Van Morrison. Sounds of Summer 2024 will also feature releases from Crosby, Stills & Nash, The Doobie Brothers, Fleetwood Mac, and Grateful Dead. All releases will be available exclusively at select brick-and-mortar retail stores while supplies last.
AU/NZ | Inside Australia and New Zealand’s Reissue Record Label Scene: Meet the passionate music fans on an obsessive quest to dig deep into the record crates and unearth forgotten gems. …Welcome to the world of reissue labels, a culture of deep music obsessives who trawl record stores, op shops, garage sales, and YouTube channels. Constantly searching for neglected, unappreciated, and forgotten gems from the past, they work with the artists and networks of like-minded DJs, broadcasters, journalists and film and television music supervisors to give these moments of magic the recognition they deserve. Over the last decade, a loose grouping of Australian and New Zealand-run reissue labels, including Left Ear Records, Efficient Space, Isle of Jura, Strangelove Music and A Colourful Storm, have pushed an antipodean voice into the global conversation. By uncovering half-forgotten alternative musical histories on both sides of the Tasman, they’ve given one-of-one originals like Lau a well-deserved spotlight.
