Wednesday, March 24, 2010

TVD's Record Store Day 2010 Label Showcase | Daptone Records


Over the course of the past few weeks and in the weeks to come, we've been blessed with whip-smart, take-charge coordinators at each label we've highlighted who've helped us put together and navigate our Record Store Day 2010 Label Showcases.

The odd this is though, we've yet to hear from one on the blog—until today as we're joined by The Honeydripper, Daptone’s right hand (wo)man and Soul DJ.


Big City Records is responsible for a huge portion of my record collection. Run by the previous owners of the original “The Sound Library” which was located on 13th street in the LES…Big City Records is just around the corner and opened in 2006. They are the place to go for Hip Hop, Jazz, Soul/Funk and Latin LP’s and 45’s, and they also carry a good amount of our catalog.


The guys running the place are DJ’s themselves and have an incredible taste and knowledge in music, nothing more important when running a record shop right? They are also very out-going and are known to pay attention to the stuff you like to buy and make sure to throw stuff your way to check out next time you’re in which is exactly what I hope to do when I’m record shopping…find new records that are up my alley and in great condition. If you have a record you’ve been after, mention it won’t be forgotten until one comes in.


They are located on a quiet street in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. But don’t let the small size of the shop fool you, there are no fillers, you won’t find a bad record in there making it a favorite stop for many hi-profile producers as well.

The LES is home to two other record shops you should absolutely hit up after Big City Records and that’s Academy Records (415 East 12th St. - They also have a Brooklyn location) and Good Records (218 East 5th Street ). Big City Records is located on 521 East 12th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B and below are some of my favorite purchases made there, all for a whole lot less then I would have paid had I gone to ebay.

The Four Puzzles “Especially For You Baby”
Deniece Chandler & Lee Sain “Hey Baby”
Carl Carlton “I Can Feel It”
The Harvey Averne Dozen “You’re No Good”
O’Jays “Shattered Man”


The Four Puzzles - Especially For You Baby (Mp3)
Carl Carlton - I Can Feel It (Mp3)
The Harvey Averne Dozen - You’re No Good (Mp3)

TVD Ticket (and CD and tee shirt!) Giveaway | Imperial China, Friday (3/26) at Velvet Lounge w/ Busses & Cephalopods


It's no understatement—we're hooked on Imperial China's latest, 'Phosphenes' which our friends over at Aural States championed with, "Phosphenes is a testament to Imperial China’s distinct sound, meticulously alloying innumerable flavors of rock and pop into something both fresh and familiar. . .overall the album is a confident, well-developed debut of a unique and vibrant voice in a somewhat stagnant scene. A sign of a fertile future for both artist and label, and if we’re lucky, one of the first major volleys in a bonafide new movement.

No faint praise there, hm?

The band is fresh off the road and ready to rally the locals this Friday night at Velvet Lounge and they're bringing along Cephalopods, (including Hugh McElroy, Fiona Griffin, and Wells Bennett), Busses, and Lo Moda (from Baltimore).

Now, typically this is where I announce that we've got a pair of tickets to give away - and we do. But the band's also tossed in the new 'Phosphenes' CD and your choice of one of the two tee shirts shown below in the: Mother of All Imperial China Giveaways.


You know you want to be there Friday night with the tee shirt on your back and the CD in your pocket. Let us know just how much the Mother of All Imperial China Giveaways would complete your weekend and the most over the top of you with your plea in the comments to this post—with contact email info!—takes it all home.

You've got til Friday (3/26) at 3PM!

Imperial China - Invincible (Mp3)
Imperial China - Go Where Airplanes Go (Mp3)

TVD's Ten Weeks of Record Store Day Vinyl Giveaways - Week 7


"Other people write about the bling and the booty. I write about the pus and the gnats. To me, that's beautiful," the late Vic Chesnutt told an interviewer in 2005.

Does more need to be said, really?

Vic's last gorgeous LP is Week 7's Record Store Day Vinyl Giveaway...



The rules can't be any simpler for our RSD2010 Vinyl Giveaways. All you need to do to enter to win is to leave a comment in the comments section to that week's giveaway letting us know why you deserve to win that week's LP.

Be creative, funny, incisive—whatever it takes to grab our attention to deem you the winner. Most important however is to leave us a contact email address! You can be brilliant as hell, but if we can't track ya' down, you're out of the running.

All winners will all be notified on Monday (3/29) upon the launch of the next RSD2010 Vinyl Giveaway!

Vic Chesnutt - Sewing Machine (Mp3)