Barcelona, ES | 5 Barcelona Gems Music Lovers Need To Close Out Summer 2019: Hit up a record store. The innovative Sir Hotels recently opened their newest Barcelona addition and the chain has brought a special energy to the city. You’ll feel extra chic just walking into the trendy building. With the sleek Mr. Porter steakhouse coming all the way to the Catalonian region from Amsterdam located in the lobby and a dazzling rooftop restaurant, what’s not to love? However, the dining options aren’t even the best part. The hotel also gives guests the chance to visit Barcelona’s oldest and trendiest record stores with a local vinyl expert. Their carefully selected guide will help those on the three-hour tour hunt down vinyl at the popular WahWahRecords and Discos Paradiso. The tour will end with a drink at Curtis Audiophile Café, a cocktail bar with an unbeatable musical selection. It’s priced at 80 euros per person, but is capped at six people making the experience as engaging as possible.
Cardiff, GB | The Trip – Cardiff’s Best Record Shops: D’Vinyl Records. This is one of those shops that I wish I hadn’t come to first on my visit. I could spend a day here, especially as I have turned up during one of the veteran store’s regular sale periods, with everything half-price. This is certainly the Cardiff venue with the widest range of 7″ singles, and there are plenty of collectables up on the walls that catch my eye, including the five-disc 7″ picturedisc set of Spandau Ballet’s I’ll Fly For You. It’s interesting that their big rivals Duran Duran were employing the same chart-friendly tactic at the same time with a multi-member set for The Wild Boys, which I have already picked up over the years. This set had passed me by. There are also some really nice early Cliff Richard EPs in pristine sleeves that are a real bargain, and I spend some time wading through the crates of singles, picking up quite a selection.
Dublin, IE | Record lovers rejoice as Dun Laoghaire Vinyl Festival has returned! Dublin is set to transform into a record lover’s haven as the Dun Laoghaire Vinyl Festival is set to take place. Now back for its second spin, the festival will take place over three days from November 1 to November 3 in a selection of venues around Dun Laoghaire including the dlr LexIcon Library Studio, the National Maritime Museum, the Pavilion Theatre, and the Lighthouse. There will be two live gigs featuring Johnny, Barry, and Jim of Horslips on the 1st and 2nd in Pavilion Theatre and Line of Duty star Vicky McClure’s DJ set in the Lighthouse on the night of the 2nd. …The festival will also see a variety of talks and the line-up includes Leslie Dowdall, Damian O’Neill & Michael Bradley (The Undertones), The Cranberries’ Noel Hogan (discussing the band’s latest and final album, In the End), authors Stuart Cosgrove, Geraldine Quigley and Jennifer Otter Bickerdike, as well as directors Richie Smyth and Kevin Godley examining the relationship between video and vinyl sales.
Kutztown, PA | With Bring Your Own Bag campaign, Kutztown record shop helps teen athletes Niki Nolte and Anthony Myers battle cancer: Like a lot of retailers, Young Ones Record Store in Kutztown encourages customers to reuse bags or go without as a way to reduce their carbon footprints. But the record store, which set up in the borough 29 years ago, took the effort one step further recently by starting the BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) for Charity campaign. By declining a plastic bag, a customer can choose to donate the 6-cent cost to one of two selected charities. Porter Holt, son of owner Chris Holt and the store’s assistant manager, said many customers dig into their own pockets, giving $1, $10, even $20 to the causes. “Our customers are really good with donating very selflessly,” Holt said. The store changes the charities quarterly and this summer has been raising money for two teenagers close to the hearts of borough residents who are battling cancer. The BYOB campaign money is being distributed to the #NikiStrong Foundation and the Team 17 Strong Foundation.
Dinosaur Jr, are reissuing their four albums from the 90s: Dinosaur Jr. have announced they’re set to release all four of their 1990s albums on vinyl. Green Mind, Where You Been, Without a Sound, and Hand It Over will all be reissued via the London-based record label Cherry Red, with each album including B-sides and other previously unreleased material. All reissues are available on coloured vinyl and CD, and are set to be released on September 27. The band will follow the release with a month-long tour of the USA, with Kurt Vile and Steve Gunn joining them along the way. Fronted by J Mascis, the band have amassed eleven albums to date with their most recent, Give A Glimpse Of What Yer Not, being released back in 2016. Over Your Shoulder, from their 1994 album Without A Sound, recently found itself on the Japanese charts as a result of an upturn in YouTube views for a television show in which the track was used.
Christina Aguilera Announces 20th-Anniversary Editions of Self-Titled Debut Album: …The digital edition will feature the original album’s songs along with rare versions, remixes and a cappella tracks that were previously unavailable for streaming. In Aguilera’s store, there will be a limited amount of special collector’s bundles that include the following: a picture disc vinyl edition with an autographed and numbered Certificate of Authenticity, a collectible Christina Aguilera cassette, the digital download and a selection of 20th-anniversary retro merch. Lastly, Urban Outfitters plans to stock an exclusive limited edition of the original album pressed on “Genie Fiery Orange Vinyl.” That will be available both in stores and online on Aug. 23 as well.
Creed are reissuing ‘Human Clay’ on vinyl for its 20th anniversary: if you had your finger on the pulse back in the day, you could have scored yourself one of the limited edition vinyl versions of the record that were released. These days, you can pick up a copy for north of $600, which is a far cry from the $5 CD versions you’ll find in the bargain bin of your local Sanity. …Now Creed are set to celebrate the record’s 20th anniversary with a special vinyl reissue of the classic album. Releasing on October 11th, the 20th anniversary package will be out via Craft Recordings, who will issue the famed album on two discs, complete with that divisive artwork gracing the front cover. In related news, Creed have been inactive since 2012, when the band went on a hiatus following their 2009 reunion. Although guitarist Mark Tremonti has been busy with Alter Bridge and his titular solo project, troubled frontman Scott Stapp has frequently asked for a reunion, and released his third solo album just last month.
