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Vinyl Record Bowls, by Modern Artisans.
Do I believe Slashdot when they say that vinyl is getting its groove back? I sure want to; even though I don't have a turntable, I spend hours at record swaps, thrift stores and Record Exchange, and find myself with a growing collection of vinyl I can't play. Which is why it is strange that I never made it down to Euclid Records after it moved from the CWE to Webster. Two Saturdays ago was my first visit to that location (yeah, that's pretty embarrassing to admit) but I was reminded of the pleasures of thumbing through actual, physical recordings, be it vinyl or CD, and taking home something totally new and unexpected. I suppose iTunes also offers the possibility of serendipity, but for me, new music serendipity is a much richer experience when it occurs because you connect with the art on the cover of an album. Or watch someone get really excited about finding a particular artist, then buy the same thing. Or take the advice of those little bin stickees that proclaim that Marty or Stu or Frankie or Joe the clerk recommends this or that. Ounce for ounce, the experience of buying music on iTunes will never be as satisfying to me as shopping in a record store. Or even browsing in a record store. That's the thing, maybe: I find joy just hanging out in record stores and dreaming, and don't even have to buy something to feel happy. Whereas on my computer, it's a very clean transactional thing, and if I don't buy music I feel like I got nothing out of the experience but a flatter butt and a dose of monitor radiation.
So: April 18 is "Record Store Day," which is a national holiday in the same manner in which the original Valentine's Day was -- that is, it's industry-driven, though in this case I'm giving it a pass, since it's independent record store owners. And you know these guys are not in it for the money. Here in St. Louis, Euclid will be doing a bunch of cool stuff:
"There will be live performances on an outdoor stage set up on Summit Avenue by the Bottle Rockets, Jason Ringenberg, Troubadour Dali, Grace Basement, Bent, Farshid Etniko, the Trip Daddys, and more. In addition, Euclid will be offering a store-wide sale, a spectacular sidewalk sale, and exclusive Record Store Day merchandise. As if that wasn’t enough, there will be food and drink available from Cyrano’s and the Highway 61 Roadhouse. And, when the day seems to be over, we’ll be showing the brand new live DVD from Wilco, Ashes of American Flags, which is being released on Record Store Day."
Curious thing about Webster Groves -- it has two independent record stores, so don't forget to swing by Webster Records while you're in the neighborhood. Nikki Furrer from Pudd'nhead, another Webster fixture, is also offering a free coffee to folks who bring in a receipt from an indy record store that day. Apop Records and Vintage Vinyl are participating too, as are a whole mess of record stores across Missouri (go here for the full list). For the finer details on Euclid's superexciting lineup next weekend, go here. Euclid Records, by the by, is located at 601 East Lockwood; call them at 314-961-8978 for more info.
And hey! One more St. Louis/music-related news bit before signing off: Son Volt is releasing a new album this summer, called American Central Dust. Billboard, Kevin Johnson and every other music writer in the world has beaten me to this one, but it's a related topic, and good news, so I mention it now. Ha-cha. --Stefene Russell
