UK | Alvvays announce UK tour with record shop visits: After a half-decade-long break between studio albums, Canadian indie pop titans Alvvays are officially returning this fall with their third LP, Blue Rev. The band has already released their first previews of the new album with the singles ‘Pharmacist’ and ‘Easy On Your Own’, and the band are set to embark on a North American tour this fall, but no word has come through yet on when the quintet will visit the UK. Until today, that is. Alvvays have revealed five new gigs that are being promoted as an “intimate run of UK shows” that will feature visits to local record shops around the country. “The Transgressive & Record Stores Presents events will take place in association with Rough Trade (London and Birmingham shows), Crash Records (Leeds and Manchester) and Monorail (Glasgow),” the band share in a statement. “Fans can pre-order the record from these shops from now until 2nd September at 10am for exclusive pre-sale access…”
Canterbury, UK | Record Store in Canterbury closing amid demand for higher rent: A demand for higher rent and a longer contract has forced the closure of a record shop just 10 months after it opened. The Record Store in Sun Street, Canterbury, which has been described as a “mecca for used and new vinyl albums”, will shut tomorrow (Wednesday) with the manager saying she is “gutted.” But the business’ owner says it was not viable to continue at the new rent being demanded by agents for the Dean and Chapter, which owns the building. Vince Monticelli only launched the business in October last year and was hoping to build on the success of the record shop he opened in Ashford in 2016. “We got a short term deal when we opened but just cannot afford what they are now asking and to commit to five years,” he said. “They weren’t prepared to negotiate so we had no choice.”
Orlando, FL | Best record store: Park Ave CDs. Park Ave CDs isn’t Orlando’s flagship record shop for nothing. While the once-mighty physical product stream of the music industry has largely vaporized, PACDs has managed to buck the digital sea change and blossom. And they’ve done that by keeping it resolutely indie and catering to the culture of music lovers. With all their vinyl, merch and in-store performances and appearances, this place keeps old-school wisdom in perpetual relevance.
Winnipeg, CA | Vinyl records with mysterious messages popping up across Winnipeg: Mysterious, ominous and inspiring messages are appearing across Winnipeg. They’re written on vinyl records and being placed around town in an art installation that’s got Winnipeggers talking. There are 60 records in total – all with unique messages. “Buried deep down inside, I left a grave but it turned into a garden,” reads one of the vinyl messages. “Yesterday I saw a mountain, today I see a stone,” reads another. It’s got some in Winnipeg scratching their heads. “I came across this record up on the hydro pole, I read it and I’m still trying to figure out what it means,” said one person. “I enjoy them, I think they’re serving their purpose: they provoke thought,” said another. “Given the timing with COVID, the economy, just the way things are, I think the intention is to make us step back, pause, and think.”
Michael Stipe to Release World’s First Commercially Available Bioplastic 12″ Vinyl: Want to own a piece of music history? Now you can. That’s right, Michael Stipe has announced that he will release the world’s first commercially available bioplastic 12″ vinyl record, with music from him and Beat Wolfe, in support of EarthPercent. The new record will feature “Future If Future” by Stipe and “Oh My Heart” by Wolfe. And it’s set to launch on Friday (September 2). This will be the first bioplastic vinyl, which encompasses an environmental design solution by Evolution Music that is “a genuinely revolutionary moment for both the music industry and record collectors,” reads the press statement, “offering a non-fossil fuel future for vinyl recordings that globally is c180 million LPs (or 30,000 tonnes of PVC) a year.
Nintendo Fans Enthralled by a Vinyl Record of the Iconic Goldeneye 25 Years Later: Nintendo is one of the oldest gaming franchises in the world. They started as a playing card company before venturing into the gaming business. However, as time passed, the franchise grew on a drastic scale, releasing multiple hits in no time. It soon became the shelter of popular games such as Mario, Pokemon, Golden Eye 007, and many more. But Nintendo did not stop at just producing video games and it gave existence to high-end consoles such as the GameBoy, Switch, Wii U, N64, and a few more. The 90s was an exciting time for Nintendo fans as the franchise released multiple games/consoles in little time. Its world-famous N64 console gained traction in no time and it ran one of the fan favorites, the Goldeneye 007. The game was a hit during the time mostly because the character of “James Bond” was quite appealing to every fan. However, as time passed, its hype vanished, with Nintendo shifting its users to new games/consoles.
Redding, CA | Shasta College art gallery to feature album covers: The Record Cover Art Exhibition at Shasta College reflects examples from 80 years of album jackets. This free exhibition will run through Sept. 22 in the Shasta College Art Gallery. Meteor Music record store owner, Rockin’ Ron Sullivan, and Shasta College Art Instructor David Gentry will talk 1:30-2:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1 about record cover art, rare albums and record collecting in room 400 on the Redding campus. A reception will follow in the Shasta College Art Gallery 2:30-3:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. This exhibition showcases select records by recognized artists, unique designs by graphic designers, and the musician’s direct influence on the cover. The graphic artists chosen to create covers for the musicians often popularized innovative visual ideas and designs.
