Sheboygan, WI | Sheboygan’s Music Boxx is helping revive vinyl in the age of digital music: First a collector of CDs, it was vinyl records’ clean sound and nostalgia that Sam Lutzke fell in love with. “I started hanging them all over my wall after stopping at the Music Boxx buying five or so every week,” Lutzke said in a message. The Music Boxx, 1119 N. Eighth St., is seeing vinyl sales increase even in the digital age of music. “We probably sell four records for each CD we sell,” Music Boxx owner John Selak said. “It was probably like two to one, maybe like four or five years ago. So, I’d already seen that trend happening. I didn’t expect it to be like this big.” “…I feel like listening to vinyl to someone who is passionate about music and a musician like myself can really appreciate the clean sound it gives off,” he said in a message.
Edina, MN | Minneapolis comic and record store owner continues its Latinx legacy with new trans owner: On June 30th, Wizard Wax owners Ben Menas and Cal Woods will hand over the keys to artist and educator, Jex Arzayus. Wizard Wax, commonly referred to as “The Wizard” is a jem of the city, known for its $3 LP bins and variety of 45s, as well as diversity of comics, and Jex Arzayus said he will continue to build off the customer base already established. But, he’s also committed to something more. “As a Latinx transman, I want the store to reflect everything I am. I want it to be queer and BIPoC focused and artistic, and I want people to come into the store and find comics and records they can’t find anywhere else. I also want the Wizard to be a hub for queer and BIPoC artists to gather and feel supported,” said Jex. He added, “And we’ll be a site where you can sign the petition to get community control of the police in Minneapolis. Transphobic violence is at an all-time high and business owners can do their part to create a safe world for everyone.”
Phoeniz, AZ | The Sweet Story Behind the New-Ish Candy & Records: If you ask Josh Golembiewski why he co-opened Candy & Records, he has a very simple answer. “Well, I fell in love,” he said. “That’s what happened.” But the real story is a tad more complicated. Golembiewski, who moved to Phoenix circa 1994 to study at Universal Technical Institute, admits he was “drunk and belligerent for a long time,” hopping between jobs (auto mechanic, record store clerk, contractor, etc.). Until, in 2012, he met his future wife, Monika Golembiewski. “She never told me to do anything, “Josh Golembiewski said. “I just wanted to stop [drinking]. Once I stopped, it was nice.” Monika Golembiewski had a slightly different life path, and spent years working in radio and television. But they had a shared passion for music: Josh has played in local bands, including the long-running Dephinger; Monika was a longtime promoter in Prescott.
Asheville, NC | Tar Heel Treasures: Citizen Vinyl brings records back into mainstream: North Carolina’s first vinyl pressing facility calls Asheville home. Citizen Vinyl celebrates music and creativity with a vinyl pressing plant, a bar, a cafe, an analog recording studio and a record store. The business honors the legacy of its historic building and nostalgia of vinyl records. Citizen Vinyl is located in a 1939 building that once housed WWNC radio and The Asheville Citizen-Times. “Bill Monroe introduced for the first time over the airwaves that new bluegrass sound from this very room,” Citizen Vinyl founder and CEO Gar Ragland said. He started renting this space in 2020. “This is the original floor, which is a record itself, which we felt was a telltale sign this was meant to be…”
Berkley, MI | For the Sake of Vinyl, Berkley Library Director Shaves Beard: “…“We’re launching a new vinyl collection in a few months. We’ll be getting most of the beginning collection from our neighbors at Flipside Records. Record players for loan will be part of the collection as well,” he said. The $500 will help buy albums for the collections. From classic favorites, to local bands, and new music to discover, the collection will help introduce patrons to the sounds that can be made when groves are pressed into plastic, and spun around a turntable with a needle to pick up the sounds. “We’ll eventually be accepting donated vinyl but haven’t worked out the particulars yet,” Church said. For now, just as Church is bearing with the fresh growth of hair on his chin and cheeks, patrons must be patient until the music comes. But as soon as the records are ready to loan out, Church be there – donning a new beard – to tell the world.
Denver, CO | DU Field Notes: Vinyl Revival: Dust off that old turntable because vinyl is back! Vinyl record sales have been on the rise since 2006 and have skyrocketed in recent years. When monthly record club Vinyl Me, Please (VMP) launched in 2013, over six million vinyl LPs were sold in the U.S. In 2021, that number was closer to 42 million. To keep up with demand, VMP will open a new pressing plant in Denver at the end of 2022. Record collectors value the enhanced sound quality and tactile experience of listening to vinyl. If you find yourself digging through record bins looking for new vinyl to spin, you may discover what you’re looking for at any of these local record stores.
British company uses bioplastic in a bid to turn the booming vinyl industry green: Vinyl is making a comeback, and a British company says it has created the world’s first bioplastic record to help musicians sell their music in a greener way. Most vinyl records are made from Polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, which is described by Greenpeace as “the most environmentally damaging plastic.” Marc Carey, CEO of Evolution Music, tells CBS News that many people are surprised to learn just how toxic the process of making vinyl the old way really is. “We know it’s PVC, so there’s chlorine gases, there’s also dioxins,” Carey said. That led him on a four-year journey to reinvent the record — a mission to turn black vinyl, green. “I want sustainable products in a 21st century environment,” he said. “So, I had to form a new company and do it myself.” Now his company Evolution Music is turning the tables, testing an eco-friendly, secret recipe that includes sugar and starches — spinning out records they hope will one day become an industry standard. That’s music to many artists’ ears.
