Waupaca, WI | New Grooves In Waupaca: Music shop sells vinyl. One of Marty Milner’s favorite movies while growing up was “Back to the Future.” His high school friends called him McFly. His dream was to someday own a DeLorean. He never got one but he did follow through on another dream: to own a record shop. He named it Back to the Vinyl. He and his wife Jennifer run the shop on 102 Water St., across from Danes Hall. They opened two weeks ago. “Owning a music store was one of those dreams I thought I’d never actually get. We would walk our dog around downtown and look at spaces for rent. It was always a running joke: that would be a cool place for a record store,” he said. When the Water Street location came up, Jennifer asked, “If not now, when?” Milner’s inventory of vinyl records covers all musical genres. He sells both used and new records. He purchases records and is happy to look at collections and make an offer
Chicago, IL | In Chicago’s ‘top five,’ High Fidelity is a chart-topper: John Cusack will host an intimate screening of one of Chicago’s most impactful films at the Auditorium Theatre in early 2024. Some records never get old. Often on repeat, we grow fonder, more in love with our favorite tracks. Of course, there’s always the fear of getting sick of the songs we love the most, but let’s be fair: nostalgia isn’t easily muted. Like these sorts of records, High Fidelity, no matter how many rewatches, remains a classic hit in Chicago’s cinematic playlist. The movie is whimsical and undeniably fun, packed with a love for music, but not unaware of the troubling side of romance. It’s a film that reimagined the rom-com, inviting emotional complexity and cynicism into the love story, and its influence is still sampled today. And in January 2024, barring any further delays due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, John Cusack will host an intimate screening of the long-admired film at the Auditorium Theatre. The Evanston native will follow the screening with a conversation about his career and the making of the film, plus an audience Q&A.
Seattle, WA | Capitol Hill Rewind – Rubato Records: breaking the lease on Broadway. Exploring the neighborhood’s record-shop history. Rubato Records & Espresso’s brief existence at the Broadway Alley began in 1982. Capitol Hill was one of a few locations—Wallingford and West Seattle stores opened later—for a record shop opened in downtown Bellevue in 1976 by John and Helena Rogers. The pair—who later married and separated but remain friends—also co-founded the New Wave/progressive rock/avant-garde band Student Nurse. Helena remembers selling records to Bob Blackburn, the voice of the Seattle SuperSonics, and former Seattle Mariners ace Randy Johnson at the Bellevue shop. “[Randy] would come in and lowball us trying to sell crappy heavy metal records,” Helena told me during an interview this summer at Georgetown’s Equinox Studios, where she is also an artist who paints. “He would say, ‘That’s all you’re giving me?!’ It was, like, ‘Dude, you have millions of dollars, and we barely have enough money to buy a hamburger after work!’”
Tulsa, OK | Hot sellers: Studio Records keeping Swifties and 90s fans happy: While recently perusing the vinyl at Josey Records, I continued my search for a Jesse Ed Davis record. Never having found one there, I asked an employee how often they hit the shelves. “Rarely,” he said. “You should go check out Studio Records over by the Church. They usually have it.” He was correct. I had two choices, the reissued debut “Jesse Davis” or a used (and more expensive) copy of “Ululu” – Davis’ second album. I went with the debut. Studio Records, 409 S. Trenton Ave., has been in business for five years helping fuel the sustained resurgence of interest in vinyl. On this day, owner Mike Nobels is manning the register when he’s not restocking the shelves. He has fun buying, selling and trading records of all genres. “The kids are really into the ‘80s and ‘90s music because that’s what their parents listened to,” Nobles says. Cue a record needle scratching to a stop.
Abertillery, UK | Motörhead guitarist promoted Abertillery record store: A couple are gearing up to open their own shop – packed with magic and music. Drummer Kenny Kendrick and the Welsh Witch Jo Kendrick have outgrown their space – at Dutch Courage Tattoo in Abertillery – and are preparing for the grand opening of their own record store. Kenny’s Vinyl Vault, on 15 High Street in Abertillery, will officially open this Saturday (September 23). Excitement has been building up ahead of the big day—and Phil Campbell, best known as the guitarist in Motörhead from 1984 to 2015, has promoted the Abertillery record store on Twitter. Mr Kendrick shared the backstory behind the business. “My wife Jo bought me a record player a few years ago and she curses the day,” joked Mr Kendrick. “There were records that I wanted to buy, and sellers would be offering the full collection – I’d end up with records that I didn’t want so I started selling them online.” His stepsister Kate “kindly offered” some rented space in her tattoo parlour, Dutch Courage on High Street in Abertillery, enabling him to sell music records and merchandise in person and online.
Laguna, PH | Into the Groove: Meet audiophile Yayo Aguila. Although initially best known for her role in Bagets, actress Yayo Aguila has become one of the country’s most sought-after actresses with numerous teleseryes, movies, and even reality shows to her name. Who would’ve thought Yayo would land a serious role with a cast and crew full of music lovers and entrepreneurs? Apparently, there’s no stage fright for Yayo in wearing different hats. She revealed that since childhood, she’s always loved music because it makes her dance and feel happy. “As I mature, ngayon, yung music is therapy talaga eh. Parang it de-stresses you, takes you away to a different world, away from your problems and everyday stress,” Yayo told SoundStrip in an interview during the One Stop Record Fair 2023 at the Estancia Mall. The 56-year-old actress shared that whenever she’s in her room, in a car, or resting at work, she always listens to music since she finds it therapeutic and calms her down. But what drew her closer to music was her non-showbiz boyfriend, whom she opted not to name. It was this guy who introduced her to the “old-school” music format: vinyl records.
St. Joseph, MO | Music lovers avoid the rain at the St Joe Record Show: Vinyl-record enthusiasts found a way to spend a rainy day with St Joe Record Show presented by Rolling Records at the Stoney Creek Hotel. Multiple vendors filled the area to sell vinyl, CD’s, cassette tapes, eight tracks and much more. This is the third show and event organizer Andrew Goodwin hopes to continue to grow the music loving community. “Record conventions changed my life” said Goodwin. “Once I found out there were groups of people like myself who all gather together, it really changed the way I looked at things.” If you missed the twice-a-year show, Goodwin plans to bring it back in 2024.
UK | NME: The high-end magazines making a vinyl-style comeback: Throughout the second half of the 20th Century, the weekly trip to a local newsagent to pick up your favourite music magazine was a rite of passage for millions of British teenagers. The iconic covers of titles like NME, Melody Maker and Sounds were graced by everyone from the The Beatles to The Clash, Nirvana and Oasis. Then came the internet and, like the music industry, the magazine business would never be the same again. But fast forward to this century and vinyl has done something that very few expected – like an ageing, once-huge rock star it made a comeback. As records have returned, albeit in a different form, now British music bible NME is back with a similar twist. The new NME magazine has a £10 cover price, will be published every two months, with a small print-run – in the hundreds rather than the hundreds of thousands. Its owner – Singapore-based Caldecott Music Group – says the new print version is aimed at “super-serving our super fans.”
