Keep your laws off my creativity

During the past few months, there has been a lot of articles talking about the revival of vinyl. While we still hear about the closing of some record stores, there is no denying that more and more people are getting into the treasured format. Do a quick search on the Internet and you will find vinyl lovers gathering to talk about a new find that they just snagged for a dollar, or simply appreciating great cover art. On Tumblr there are tons of blogs dedicated to solely posting pictures of vinyl, check out Pornographic Phonographic. On Twitter, I have a growing list of other websites that keep the vinyl spirit alive. While vinyl has been around for much longer than the Internet, they seem to be a great match. In fact, a reason why vinyl has become so popular again is due in part to the Internet. On one hand, a lot of people felt the need to go back to the better quality sound of vinyl because mp3s became such a big part of the listening experience. However, on a more positive note, people are better able to share their love for vinyl through the Internet and bands have more opportunities to promote vinyl releases.

When the Internet allows for so many ways for people to be creative and form communities around common interests like vinyl, it is startling to hear about the Stop Internet Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect-IP Act (PIPA). If passed, these two bills could make it so easy for large corporations to have control over websites that promote music and art. The editor of one of the websites that I write for posted a great call-to-action letter regarding these two acts, which you can read here. So if you have not heard much about SOPA or PIPA, please go check out the letter on REDEFINE. The website is getting together a list of other music/art websites that are taking a stand against the bills. Awfully Crate is happy to be in the company of other great websites and I hope you will join too.

Top five record stores of 2011

Sign at Planet Records

While many other music lovers have written about their favorite albums of the year, that topic has always been hard for me to cover. There are a lot of albums this year that I enjoyed and some that were on repeat for many weeks, but when it comes to actually ranking them and calling them my absolute favorites of the year, it is too much of a commitment. So instead of making a list of my top favorite albums of the year, I picked my favorite record stores of the year for dollar bin shopping. Whether they are in Los Angeles, where I live, or in other cities that I visited this year, these are record stores where I found great material for less than $1, records that I will be reviewing for the blog soon.

Backside: 139 North San Fernando Blvd., Burbank, Calif.

Backside is a great record store in the Los Angeles area with a wide selection of used and new records. While the store does not have a special section for $1 records, it is possible to find some within its collection. However, on Black Friday, Backside had an amazing store-wide sale and dedicated a space behind its shop for thousands of records, all priced at $1. After seeing a good response to the sale, Backside plans to have a $1 record sale on the last Sunday of every month. Some of my favorite $1 finds from Backside include, Talking Head’s True Stories and Love by Aztec Camera.

Planet Records: 54-B John F. Kennedy St., Cambridge, Mass.

Mystery LP package from Planet Records

While on a trip visiting a friend in Boston, I embarked on an adventure to visit as many record stores as I could. I quickly became fond of Planet Records. Located in Harvard Square, Planet Records has a large collection of records priced at $1. In one visit, I found records by Santana, David Bowie and Styx for $1 each. However, when I saw a stack of mystery packages, that said “5 LPs for $1,” I could not resist. Each package was wrapped in a paper bag and had a random drawing on it. I chose the pack with a farting strawberry, pictured on the left. Kind of cute, right? I wasn’t expecting much from the package, but was quite surprised with what I had purchased for $1. The pack included a compilation of Beatles music from 1962 to 1966, The Beatles’ Second Album, Back to the Blues by The Ramsey Lewis Trio, Dakota Staton’s Dynamic! and a compilation of Thunderball and Other Thriller Music by Ray Martin and His Orchestra.

Weirdo Records: 844 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, Mass.

Weirdo Records is a tiny shop in Boston, but filled to the brim with vinyl, CDs and cassettes. While it can get a little tight and you cannot be afraid to sit on the ground to sift through the lower shelves, the shop has a nice variety. The $1 are not separated from all the other records, but there are a bunch that are marked for less than a dollar. My favorite finds from Weirdo Records are Frank Holder Sings Calypso Cavalcade by Frank Holder With Kenny Graham And His Orchestra and the soundtrack to 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Cheapo Records: 538 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, Mass.

Cheapo Records is another quaint shop with lots and lots of vinyl. The shop does not have too many records priced at $1, but there are many that are less than $5. My favorite find was Latin-esque by Esquivel and his Orchestra.

Beat Swap Meet: Grand Star Jazz Club at 943 N. Broadway, Los Angeles

While the Beat Swap Meet is not an actual record store, it is a wonderful event that happens a few times a year in Los Angeles and Sacramento. A number of collectors set up at the event and offer everything from metal to hip hop. Some vendors are rather pricey, but there are some who have great deals. Besides vinyl vendors, the event also incorporates clothing vendors, performances and workshops. My favorite find from the swap in September was Pat Benatar’s Precious Time.

There are a lot of other stores that I visited this year and are great, but I just didn’t find any $1 records. However, follow the jump to see my list of record stores that I have either not visited or not spend a lot of time in. They are stores that will be added to my 2012 goal list. In the comments let me know your favorite record stores of the year. Did you find any great records for $1 or less?

Kick off the New Year with an ode to vinyl

One of BBC’s radio stations will be starting off the new year on the right foot by dedicating January 1st to vinyl. An article in the Guardian reports that the DJs at Radio 6 Music will spend New Year’s Day playing only vinyl records. Although playing vinyl is not a rare act for a lot of sensible college and community radio stations, it is pretty astonishing to hear that a radio entity as big as the BBC is taking this beloved format to heart.

The station is already known as a source for new and alternative music, regularly playing artist like Black Lips, Bon Iver, Bombay Bicycle Club and White Denim. However, the New Year’s Day celebration will include special programming, such as, an hour-long show with singer-songwriter Richard Hawley speaking with members of Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead about the recent resurgence of vinyl. In addition, musicians Jarvis Cocker and Elbow’s Guy Garvey, who already host shows on Radio 6 Music on a weekly basis, will be playing some of their favorite songs on wax.

Sadly, Radio 6 Music broadcasts only in a digital format, so it might defeat the purpose of playing the higher quality of vinyl. I’m not sure how the quality translates over, but the other than the actual feel of the music, another charming aspect of planning a show of only vinyl is that it requires extra thought and skill. Maybe this idea will extend to more than one day and inspire other radio DJs to incorporate more vinyl into their shows.

Don’t miss the festivities on New Year’s Day and listen to Radio 6 Music online. Check out the video below of Michael Kiwanuka playing live at Radio 6 Music.

Rhythmic biking

From radio to 8-tracks, cassettes, CDs and now mp3s, cars have been equipped to play music for many years. Sadly, the bicycle has not seen such a connection with music. Sure riders can enjoy music by carrying cassette, CD or mp3 players, but it has to be an external device. Earlier this year a group of creative and ambitious folks in Amsterdam, explored a way to create a stronger link between music and bikes. The group started a project called Feats Per Minute and found a way to add a vinyl player to the infrastructure of a bike. They created a prototype by placing the player within the wheel and a horn for amplification. While there are still a lot of aspects to work out and this might not be the best way to keep vinyl in good condition, the idea is pretty cool. Learn more about the project here: www.featsperminute.com and check out the bike in the video below.

Browse thousands of records at Sacramento’s Beat Swap Meet

As if last weekend’s Record Store Day wasn’t enough, those lucky enough to live in or near Sacramento will be treated to the second installment of Northern California’s Beat Swap Meet this Sunday. Beat Swap Meet has been hosting events in Los Angeles for a few years and most recently expanded up north to Sacramento. Vinyl fans will have the chance to check out several exquisite record collections which range from hip hop to punk, jazz, blues and everything in between. There will be more than 35 invited vendors, in addition to food, art, live music and showcases, all taking place at Sol Collective.

Some of the event’s highlights include a Q&A session with DJs Sleeprockers and showcase with producer Lee Bannon, who has worked with Talib Kweli, The Alchemist, Big Shug of Gangstarr, Zion I and many more. Any swap can have a long list of DJs spinning records, but it’s cool that this swap will also give people a chance to learn more about the craft from some of Sacramento’s well-respected artists.

Click on the flier above for the full details or RSVP on the official Facebook event page.

Record Store Day: LA Picks

While the United States Post Office has yet to commemorate Record Store Day with a stamp and officially make it a holiday, tomorrow will mark the fourth year that music fans from all over the world gather to show their appreciation for independent records stores. In hopes of never having to live in a world where a music fan cannot go into a store and physically spend hours sorting through records or get music recommendations from a knowledgeable record store employee, the third Saturday of April is reserved for these amazing entities that fight through hard economic times and continue to serve their local music communities.

Every year stores join the festivities by offering discounted prices and/or hosting live performances. Likewise, artists celebrate by releasing merchandise that is exclusive to Record Store Day, such as, previously out-of-print vinyl records, special-edition t-shirts, compilations of unreleased material, and the list goes on. While the focus is on the stores themselves, and not vinyl records, it is obvious that vinyl records are incorporated greatly into the culture.

With so many events planned in big cities like Los Angeles, it is hard to make it out to all the Record Store Day festivities. Keep reading after the cut for my top five LA picks, as well, as a message from Ozzy Osbourne, who is this year’s Record Store Day Ambassador. If you don’t live in LA, head over to the official Record Store Day website and search for events going on in your neighborhood. You can also view the list of exclusive Record Store Day releases here.

Record Store Day may officially only take place once a year, but it is important to note that most of the record stores host live music and bargain prices on a regular basis. So feel free to spread the holiday spirit throughout the year!

Happy Record Store Day to you all!

Art exhibit includes pieces inspired by vintage record collections, closes Saturday

From bowls to wall clocks and earrings, there are various knick-knacks that people have started to make inspired by and using vinyl records. While the pieces are often considered cool and artistic, I can’t help but to cringe a little. The thought of any record being destroyed sounds inhumane. Luckily, a few days ago the Los Angeles Times‘ “Home” blog featured a vinyl-inspired art collection that I can get behind.

The article focused on coffee tables that were made to look like turntables. One of the tables was designed by an LA-based studio called Bughouse, and it just so happened to be that some of its other music-inspired pieces were part of an exhibit at Hollywood’s Peep Show Gallery. So of course I had to check it out.

The collection was part of the “Coping Mechanisms” show, which displayed work by both Bughouse founders Jeff Klarin and Rebecca Johnson. I was expecting some of the music-inspired pieces, which were credited to Klarin, to look dull because of the wooden materials, but on the contrary, most of them were quite captivating. The wood actually added to the antique look. I was also surprised by the enormity of some of the pieces, such as, “Giant Spines,” which was one of my favorite works. Made to look like a photograph, the piece consisted of four panels of a record collection that music fans could only imagine in their dreams. Some of the artists in the collection included Micheal Jackson, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan and many others. According to the Web site, the piece was a faux photographic reproduction. I was really impressed by how some of the photographs transferred so well onto the wood. The stereo pieces had a cozy looked to them, which made me wish I could sit down and actually listen to the records.

The free exhibit closes on Saturday, April 9th so if you find the idea intriguing, go take a look for yourself. Peep Show Gallery is open every day from 8 p.m. to midnight and is located at 1621 N. Cahuenga Blvd. in Hollywood. Photos from my visit follow the cut.