Chicago, IL | Beverly Records to showcase rare photos of ‘the day the music died,’ Buddy Holly’s last concert: The music might have died that night, but the legacy lives on. Hours before the plane crash that killed all on board and catapulted Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens onto the rock and roll world’s eternal radar, the young men were performing their music at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. The stop on the Midwest “Winter Dance Party Tour” was a last-minute addition. So was the plane ride. Rare photos of the young pioneers playing on stage the last night of their lives will soon be available for public viewing right here on Chicago’s southwest side. On Saturday, Beverly Records will become only the second place in the world to display seven photos from that fateful night. The pictures were taken Feb. 2, 1959 by fan Mary Gerber and now belong to documentary filmmakers Jim McCool and Sevan Garabedian, who are close friends with Jack Dreznes, owner of the Western Avenue record shop. After the Saturday unveiling, the photos will remain on display at the store.
Walton, UK | Format record shop open in Walton: A NEW record shop will be music to the ears of vinyl lovers in Walton. Format, in High Street, is aimed at music lovers of the 70s, 80s and 90s, with more than 100,000 items in stock including vinyl, CDs, cassettes and memorabilia. The shop buys, sells and exchanges records and is encouraging people to dig out their rare records. The owners, Janice, Lee and Paul Phelps, have run a busy music mail order service for the past 30 years. They said: “We have had many people ask us if we had a shop, so we thought it would be a good idea to make that happen. “The shop is a real time warp experience for those who remember the record shopping experience back in the 70s. “New stock is added on a daily basis, so you’re sure to find something new and interesting on each visit.” The shop will be open every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10am until 5pm.
Fargo, ND | Savoring the local flavor: Ojata Records and the Dogmajal: The High Plains Reader spoke to Ojata Records and the Dogmajal owner and operator Jeremy Swisher about the ever-growing Grand Forks record store and hotdog shop. “…Learning that Ojata was a ghost town 9 miles west of here was interesting, it was the first train stop heading west from Grand Forks. Legend has it that Ojata was quite the party destination. It’s said that one could hop the train for a nickel or dime and head to Ojata for nightlife and entertainment. Ojata wasn’t much more than a few saloons and hotels, a post office & the train station. The last of the buildings there had burnt down in the 50s, and it was erased from the county map. I guess I envisioned that the shop would be, not only a place for cool stuff like vintage vinyl, books, comics, music, movie media, and gear… but a small live performance venue for in store shows and other parties/meetings. So I decided to resurrect the name to see if there were still good times to be associated with it, a historic reboot for the region, or just a fun story to tell.
Halifax, UK | ‘Bigger and better’ expansion for Halifax record store: Vinyl and coffee shop Loafers is all set to start a new chapter and new later opening hours. The independent business is moving from the second floor of The Piece Hall to bigger premises on the ground floor, between Elder and the entrance to Halifax Central Library. The move means as well as welcoming record and coffee fans during the day, it will also open until late on Friday and Saturday nights, adding wine, craft ale, bagels and pizza to its menu, extending the number of vinyl and limited edition artwork that it stocks and offering outside seating. Director of Loafers Mark Richardson said the new premises will have the same atmosphere as their current place but the extra space will mean they can hold more live music and other events. “It’s what we have been doing but a bit bigger and better,” he said. “And we’ll be right in the centre of The Piece Hall.
Aberdeen, UK | New record store to open in Aberdeen: A new record shop in Aberdeen is hosting a two-day long party to celebrate its opening. Forecast Records is opening its doors at 13A Belmont Street, formerly the home to Cavern Records, on Saturday and is inviting music fans to help celebrate the new venture. To mark the opening, a variety of veteran and amateur DJs will be performing at the between 11am-8pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Tauranga, NZ | Vinyl Word: Culling a record collection is not easy: I recently purchased an entertainment unit to house my turntable, vinyl collection and CDs. Yes, I still play LPs and CDs even though I use Spotify a lot. There is something special about the sound of vinyl. The problem I had with my LP collection, which numbered well over 300, was the new unit was not going to be able to hold all the albums, so a major cull was need. But where to start? I have been buying albums since the early 60s. Some are the worse for wear, having been carted around to a number of parties in the late 60s. Covers looking decidedly second hand and the vinyl itself scratched. For some reason I have not thrown them away. Going through a record collection that goes back many decades certainly brings back memories. So, should I throw, or should I file? …There is something very special about a vinyl collection and I know I’m going to spend many hours reminiscing. So, it’s back to sorting the good from the bad. No easy task.
David Bowie’s celebrated VH1 Storytellers live album is getting a vinyl release: David Bowie‘s live session for VH1’s Storytellers series is finally being released on vinyl, some 20 years after the original session. Bowie performed on the show on August 23 1999 and delivered a career-spanning set-list which leaned heavily on lesser-heard gems. As well as delivering ‘Can’t Help Thinking About Me’ live for the first time in 33 years, the set also saw him performing ‘Word On A Wing’ for the first time in 23 years. Despite being released on CD and DVD in 2009, it’s now been confirmed that Bowie die-hards will be able to spin the session on their record players for the first time. The new VH1 Storytellers vinyl will include all of the songs from his live session, including four bonus tracks. It’ll arrive on October 11. Bill Flanagan, the executive producer of VH1 Storytellers, explained the surprise of being able to book Bowie only three years after the TV show first aired. “We were used to dealing with legendary musicians. Still, landing David Bowie was more than a big booking. There’s no way to say this without being corny: it was an honor,” he said.
Interpol to celebrate 15th anniversary of ‘Antics’ with limited-edition vinyl: Interpol have announced a special 15th anniversary vinyl version of their classic second album, ‘Antics’. The acclaimed record, which was originally released back in 2004, is set to be reissued on limited-edition white LP. It will arrive on September 27 – the album’s original release date – via Matador Records. All 10 tracks from ‘Antics’ will appear on the reissue, including ‘Evil’, ‘Slow Hands’, and ‘Narc’. The NYC outfit spoke of a potential anniversary tour for the album earlier this year, following on from the success of playing their debut ‘Turn On The Bright Lights’ in its entirety to mark its 15th anniversary. “I like the idea of it,” frontman Paul Banks told NME. “Since [the ‘Turn On The Bright Lights’ tour], a lot of fans have told us that it was fun as shit. To see a band go back and play a whole record from top to bottom, I like it. “I don’t know if there’s any thought about doing that for ‘Antics’, but I’m not categorically opposed. I find those kind of shows to just be fun celebrations.”
