Beaumont, TX | A family-owned record store, live music venue is coming to downtown Beaumont: The owners tell 12News that thanks to the City of Beaumont’s “neighborhood empowerment zones”, they’re saving thousands of dollars in opening costs. A new family-owned and operated classic record store is coming to downtown Beaumont soon. “For the Record” will be a classic record store with a live music venue. The owners envision the space as a sanctuary for musicians and music lovers alike. …The Trenbeath family wants For the Record to become a new hub for all Southeast Texas music lovers and the city hopes it’s just one of many future small businesses that will breathe even more life into the downtown scene. “Earlier this year, I had the idea to open a new records store. I mentioned it, in passing, to Mom over here, we both realized this was the time to jump on it if there ever was one…”
Norwich, UK | Record and punk shop Dirt open in Magdalen Street in Norwich: A record store that started life as a pop-up shop has moved into a big new home in the city. Mark Blenkiron opened his shop, Dirt, in Magdalen Street earlier this month. It is easily recognisable by its black frontage painted with white skulls. Mark said: “We’ve been really popular since opening a few weeks ago. “We are quite unique – we sell loads of punk and alternative rock CDs and vinyls, as well as leather belts, tote bags, badges and patches.” Dirt started gaining a following after Mark opened a pop-up shop in Magdalen Street between December 2022 and July 2023, before closing while hunting for a bigger new home. Mark added: “It’s been great to recognise a few faces from before. “We’ve also had a lot of new customers checking us out – it’s hard to miss us. “The space is wicked.”
Greenville, SC | Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan visits Greenville’s Horizon Records: We know it’s not Halloween yet, but one pumpkin decided to roll into a local record shop just before the season. During the early afternoon Tuesday, Aug. 27, an unexpected visitor popped up at Horizon Records in Greenville. Customers who were browsing for tunes stopped what they were doing to get autographs. The visitor was none other than Billy Corgan, frontman of the two time Grammy Award winning alternative band The Smashing Pumpkins. …Most recently, the band introduced album “Aghori Mhori Mei” into their discography, described by music reviewers as a return to their classic sound. Here’s what to know about Corgan’s visit and why he was in the Greenville area in the first place.
Minneapolis, MN | Lucky Cat Records Opens at Iconic Music Hub: Formerly Oar Folkjokeopus and Treehouse Records, the new record store honors the music legacy of its past. Michele Swanson never imagined she would open a record store. It wasn’t a lifelong dream. But when she moved back to Minneapolis, the idea became obvious. Her return to Minnesota came after she retired from her job in HR at Delta Airlines. When she heard the building that previously housed Treehouse Records was open at 26th and Lyndale, she was intrigued. So she reached out to Mark Trehus, the former owner of Treehouse and landlord of the building, to talk about the possibility of leasing the space. “I had never ever contemplated opening a record store,” Swanson says. “I’ve always loved music, I’ve always loved local music, but never ever contemplated that. This space was what really got me thinking about it. It was just kind of a pie in the sky idea about it.”
Stray-Inspired Cozy Vinyl Record Store Created in Substance 3D & UE5: Gabriela Santana showed us the working process behind her Stray Cat Record project, explaining how she visualized music equipment, stacks of vinyl records, and glowing neon lights using Substance 3D, Maya, ZBrush, and Unreal Engine 5. …Stray Cat Records is my mentorship project, and for such a special moment, I decided to combine two of my greatest passions: 3D and music, as I love collecting CDs and posters. I knew it would be a great concept to work on. I wanted to create a place that felt cozy, full of life, and somehow relatable to many people. And what could be a better setting for that than a vinyl record store? Interestingly, the name of the record store was inspired by the game Stray (top 5 on my list!), as I was drawn to its strong color palette and vibrant neon signs.
Manchester, UK | “I’m like a pig in s*** here”: The iconic south Manchester shop that inspired Noel and Liam Gallagher. “I’m like a pig in s*** here,” declares Pete Howard, perched behind the same counter he has manned for almost half a century. Shelf after shelf of vinyl records, CDs and cassette tapes surround him on all sides. Above the shop’s front door, a fading wooden sign reads: “New & used records bought & sold.” In the window, posters advertise everything from computing classes to a house swap and an appeal to find a missing cat. It may not look like it but Pete and his shop are part of musical history. The 76-year-old is perhaps best known by his nickname—Mr Sifter—named after his beloved second hand record shop in Fog Lane, Burnage. Both Pete and his shop were immortalised when he was namechecked in Oasis’s 1994 single Shakermaker. Sifters was once a favourite of a young Noel and Liam Gallagher, who would visit the shop to buy records before becoming famous.
Tucson, AZ | Vinyl Lovers Unite: HOCO Record Fair spins the black circle: …There will be at least 15 vendors attending the HOCO Record Fair. “There will be guys from Flagstaff and Phoenix coming in,” Wright said. “Collectors might find some things they never see. This will be a great place to come in and dig for something cool.” There will be DJs and a Bloody Mary bar. “There will be some cool DJs,” Wright said. “There will be alcoholic beverages. It’s a great environment for shopping with the DJs.” The HOCO Record Fair is one of DJ Carl Hanni’s favorite events. “I look forward to it every year,” Hanni said. “I make sure I spin there every year since it’s the best event. I’m not just saying that. Think about it. I get to play music for people who are really into records. It’s the perfect captive audience. It’s not a dance party but the music played is fun to shop by.”
Dream Theater to release 7 LP vinyl box set: Dream Theater Vol 1 will be available on September 27th. Grammy Award-winning progressive metal trailblazers Dream Theater will unveil their massive new 7 LP box set, Dream Theater Vol. 1, on September 27th. It notably includes four highly sought-after seminal albums on vinyl — Images And Words, Awake, Falling Into Infinity, and Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory. It will be exclusively available on Rhino.com in North America and via select Warner Music Group stores internationally, and limited to 2,500 copies globally. Assembling an essential package, Hugh Syme notably designed brand new slipcase art for Vol. 1. Over the years, fans have gone to great lengths to track down long out-of-print or rare vinyl pressings of these classic releases. Now, Dream Theater presents these albums in one comprehensive set. Plus, it paves the way for the release of box sets for Vol. 2 and Vol. 3 in 2025.
Rod Stewart’s ‘Merry Christmas, Baby’ Coming To Vinyl For The First Time: Rod Stewart’s debut Christmas album, 2012’s Merry Christmas, Baby, will be reissued this fall, including on vinyl for the first time. Rod Stewart’s 2012 Christmas album Merry Christmas, Baby is getting the reissue treatment this fall. The Platinum-selling set will be released on vinyl for the first time as part of Merry Christmas, Baby (Anniversary Edition), out Oct. 4. Pre-order is available now for the album, which features production from David Foster, Kevin Savigar, and Stewart himself. Stewart’s first full-length foray into Christmas fare, Merry Christmas, Baby is highlighted by duets with a wide range of his fellow stars. Mary J. Blige guests on “We Three Kings,” while Trombone Shorty makes appearances on the Cee-Lo Green collab “Merry Christmas, Baby” and the album’s lone original song, “Red Suited Superman” (penned by Stewart with David and Amy Foster).
The dB’s ‘Repercussion’ Set For Reissue Including Vinyl Debut: Repercussion, the second album by The dB’s, will be reissued on CD, vinyl (its first time on vinyl in the US) and all digital platforms on October 18, 2024, through Propeller Sound Recordings. The first digital single will be “Neverland,” due out on August 28, followed by “Ask for Jill” on September 25. Both will be available on streaming services. When The dB’s released their debut Stands for deciBels in January 1981, critics were virtually unanimous. The New York City (by way of North Carolina) quartet had delivered a set of songs that was smart and irresistible, rooted in rock traditions yet fresh and new. Intelligent lyrics, inventive melodies and sharp hooks were wedded to a forward-looking musical sensibility. Drawing influences from both well-known and obscure-but-great sources, The dB’s earned widespread praise. What they didn’t find, however, were significant sales.
