Helsinki, FI | A new record store has opened in Helsinki: A new record store has opened in Helsinki over the last weekend. A party marked the launch of OK Sound in Helsinki, which opened for the first time on August 14 with sets from Antti Salonen and a guest DJ. Local pub Pien Brewpub provided liquid refreshments for the occasion. The store was founded by Sense Blue and Olli Koponen, and can only fit 20 people in at once due to ongoing COVID restrictions in Finland. Vinyl sales have skyrocketed over the past year, increasing 108% since the year began, and In July, a new open-air club also opened in Helsinki, adding to the city’s rich and diverse entertainment and music scene. Located at Fleminginkatu 28, the store is open from Tuesday to Saturday, and both new and second-hand records are available for purchase, with a focus on electronic music.
Barrow, UK | TNT Records in Barrow announces festival: A record shop has announced it will host its first ever festival stage in Barrow. TNT Records will showcase music acts including The Native Cult , Hayden J Barlow, Jon Dawes, Chris Butler, and many more on its stage on the corner of Duke Street and Cavendish Street on Friday. The event starts at 10am and will run until 4pm. Shop bosses said online: “Who’s ready for some LIVE MUSIC??? “We are very excited to announce that TNT Records is hosting its first-ever festival stage in Barrow town centre this Friday!!! “We have an outstanding lineup: The Native Cult , Hayden J Barlow , JON DAWES , Chris Butler, Jack Hartley and SOFAKING (The Lock In) will be taking to our very own outdoor stage on the corner of Duke St and Cavendish St! Music starts at 10am and runs all day until 4pm!!!
Oakham, UK | Oakham record shop owner Dave Graham heads back on tour with Showaddywaddy: A musician is going back on the road with the legendary seventies band Showaddywaddy. Dave Graham first performed with the band between 2009 and 2011 before leaving to embark on other interests. As a former music teacher at Oakham School, Dave set up his music agency DG Music. With live events put on hold last year because of the pandemic, he changed his business focus again and set up a record shop in Oakham. Several of his old Showaddywaddy bandmates paid Dave a visit at The Piano Café, and now he’s joining them as saxophonist and guitarist for more than 100 gigs. The tour starts next month and runs until the band’s 50th anniversary in 2023. Dave said: “It’s been fantastic to perform in front of audiences once again.”
Port Townsend, WA | Port Townsend Record Show returns: Vendors bringing wares from all over the state. The man approached, his attire seeming to indicate a liking for heavy metal music. Chuck Moses, seller of vinyl LPs at the annual Port Townsend Record Show, was worried. He didn’t have much in that category. “Got any John Denver?” the tough guy asked. Oh yes, Moses replied. And Denver records are alive and well — along with thousands from other artists — at the resurrected record show this Saturday. Admission is free to the main event from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., while early birds hungry for disks can get in at 8 a.m. for $10; the venue will be at the American Legion Hall at the corner of Monroe and Water streets. DJs will play records, lots of records, and people will have all day to talk with one another about music, Moses promised. That might be the only topic left that just about anybody can converse on peacefully, he added.
UK | Vinyl reissues from Sinead O’Connor and Roisin Murphy announced for National Album Day 2021: Sinead’s Best Of will be pressed to vinyl for the very first time. New vinyl versions of albums by Irish artists Sinéad O’Connor and Roísín Murphy are part of National Album Day 2021 which will celebrate women in music. O’Connor’s So Far…The Best Of greatest hits, first released in 1997 on CD and cassette, will make its vinyl debut as part of the UK music industry event. The album is available to pre-order now and will be released on October 15, the day before National Album Day. Featuring hits from Sinéad’s first four albums, this first-time vinyl release also contains extra songs from the original US version of the album including Heroine which originally featured on the 1986 Captive movie soundtrack which preceded her debut album, and Just Like U Said It Would B from her 1987 debut album The Lion and The Cobra.
This new vinyl storage system is designed for your tabletop: “A sanctuary for the records in your current playing rotation.” Record Roots has launched a new tabletop record storage system, straightforwardly named The Vinyl Record Tabletop Storage System. Each container is handmade from Oxford weave fabric reinforced with solid inserts and wooden feet, and is capable of holding up to 45 12” records. “We built this product so you can really appreciate the album art on 12” records; one of the many benefits which this format offers,” explains product designer Felix Kenchington.
