Grand Rapids, MI | Vertigo Music: Quite possibly the best record store in Michigan: Goldmine’s Record Store Recon discusses why Vertigo Music might be the best shop in the state of Michigan. The Record Store Recon edition of the Goldmine Podcast puts the Michigan record shop Vertigo Music up for discussion after (somewhat) anonymous reporter Dr. Disc takes a trip there to review it. He brought guest Tom Trauma from the Punk Till I Die podcast along, and they come to the conclusion that this is probably the best store to go to in the state. Listen why.
Montclair, CA | Rhino Records readies Montclair shop for August 5 opening: The last days of Rhino Records in Claremont were wild, with old customers thronging inside for one more purchase. On the final day, June 26, a line of 100 people trailed around the block to get in as temperatures likewise hovered near 100. Some were weekly customers before the pandemic, others hadn’t been seen in a decade, but they felt the urge to breathe the atmosphere and take home a souvenir of a store that had been a touchstone. Grandparents brought in grandkids, who flipped through LPs by vintage bands and asked their elder which album by such-and-such was the one to get. “There’s something beyond commerce,” Aaron Kenyon, who’s clerked at Rhino for 20 years, mused to me in conversation last week. “Part of it was buying music and part of it was that place to go, that place to commune.”
Aberdeen, UK | Bruce Millers: Remembering Aberdeen’s beloved record shop: Making its debut in 1900, by Charles Bruce Miller, the shop quickly resonated well with people in Aberdeen’s music scene as they flocked to buy records, instruments, gramophones and sheet music. In its hay day, Bruce Millers would have been the place to be if you were looking for a new LP or tape for your cassette player. It’s no question Aberdeen has been home to many great stores and Bruce Millers is certainly one that many Aberdonians miss dearly. When it first opened on George Street, people flocked to buy records, instruments, gramophones and sheet music. Making its debut in 1900, owned by Charles Bruce Miller, it quickly resonated well with people in Aberdeen’s music scene. The shop was later taken on by various family members until it closed its doors in 2011. Undergoing a huge expansion during the 1950’s, the shop received a new look when it fashioned a new sign out front. As the shop got more popular throughout the years, the family business had to up and move a couple times.
New York, NY | New York’s Octopus Records opens bricks-and-mortar shop: It’s located at 204 Irving Street in Bushwick, Brooklyn. A new record store opened in New York over the weekend. Launched online in 2019, Octopus Records cut the ribbon on its first bricks-and-mortar shop last Friday, July 29th. It stocks a broad range of styles, from disco and classical to pop and rock. Current electronic recommendations include LPs by Mr. Fingers, Byron The Aquarius and Huerco S. The store is located at 204 Irving Street in Bushwick, Brooklyn, and includes one listening station, plus a selection of books. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own headphones. Browse the store online, and check out some photos via Instagram.
New Jersey record company celebrates 50 years: Jem Recordings, home of Jem Records is celebrating its 50th anniversary. “Working with many of the major labels” according to their website, “they were able to release first albums from such artists as The Cure, Simple Minds, Siouxie and the Banshees, X and exclusively distributed labels as WEA International, Virgin America and EG.” Jem is distributed by Orchard, a division of Sony. Jem Records founder and former president Marty Scott, who runs Jem out of his home in Annandale, came on my New Jersey 101.5 show to discuss the good old days as well as what’s ahead. “…I started selling albums in my dorm at college (Franklin & Marshall) at prices less than the local record store. It works so well, I enlisted my boyhood friends, Jeff Tenenbaum and Ed Grossi to do the same at their colleges (Cornell and Wesleyan).”
New York, NY | Vinyl Steakhouse combines fine dining with an excellent soundtrack: Recently, at one of the city’s newest eateries, a guest asked his waiter for some cream. Not a notable request to eavesdrop in a restaurant, other than what happened next. Within minutes the entire dining room was treated to a generous portion Creamwith a capital C – specifically that group’s ‘White Room’, from their 1968 double album ‘Wheels of Fire’. Vinyl Steakhouse, in the Flatiron neighborhood, is dedicated to the marriage of excellent food and excellent music. When you come from 19th Street, the first thing you notice is the music. Not just the sound coming from the Totem speakers — on this occasion, Side B of the Rolling Stones’ “Some Girls” LP — but wooden shelves full of vintage vinyl records. Further down, closer to the kitchen, diners sit under black-and-white photos of Debbie Harry and the Beastie Boys.
John Coltrane’s Blue Train Getting Special Vinyl Reissue: The Complete Masters edition will include never-before-released alternate takes and additional recordings. Blue Note has announced a new vinyl reissue of John Coltrane’s 1958 studio album Blue Train, out September 16th. Released in honor of the 65th anniversary of the album’s recording, it will be available in two different formats: a single LP mono pressing in a deluxe gatefold jacket and a 2xLP edition titled Blue Train: The Complete Masters featuring a second disc of alternate takes of tracks such as “Blue Train,” “Moment’s Notice,” and “Lazy Bird.” The album will also be released on streaming, digital, and CD. Blue Train: The Complete Masters will also contain a special booklet of never-before-seen photos from the album’s recording sessions shot by the late Francis Wolff and an accompanying essay by Coltrane historian Ashley Kahn. Both editions were produced by Joe Harley and mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes.
