Here at THE VINYL DISTRICTwe're good consumers. All Mp3's are posted to promote and give exposure to the music and are linked for a limited time. Please download to preview, then head promptly to your local vinyl vendor (or - OK, CD store too) and fork over your hard earned cash. You'll appreciate the piece of mind.
Got something you think we should be listening to or reading? thevinyldistrict (at) gmail.com
Greetings from Laurel Canyon! Here is my "gratitude list" for this Thanksgiving week and my muse for this this segment of the Idelic Hour I'm calling, "fanx"!
Thanks for:
My beautiful wife and kids
Health of parents and friends
Evan's birthday in December
Nick Drake on a cold misty evening
Obscure soul records on 45
The magic of The Beatles
The words of Bob Dylan (pre-motorcycle accident)
Leon Russell's "strange land"
Al Green's love songs
Intelligentsia coffee
New albums by The National, The Black Keys, BRMC & Tame Impala
Everything about Jim Morrison
The Vinyl District (TVD), Aquarium Drunkard, Funky16 Corners
Our Seven Days of ROIR Records Vinyl Giveaways concludes today with The Stimulators' classic release, "Loud Fast Rules!"
Remember you have until next Monday (11/129) to enter any and all of our ROIR LP giveaways! Our thanks go out to ROIR for making the past seven days possible.
This record is a must for any self-respecting punk’s collection. After all, are there any three words that sum up the punk sound better than “Loud Fast Rules!”?
In 1977, after hearing The Damned, Motorhead and The Clash, guitarist Denise Mercedes returned from London and decided to start her own band. She recruited LES poet Patrick Mack on guitar and vocals, artist and fashionista Nick Marden on bass and, after trying out the likes of Jerry Nolan (Heartbreakers, NY Dolls) and Johnny Blitz (Dead Boys) on drums, settled on a then 11 year-old Harley Flanagan (Cro-Mags, Harley’s War). Soon the Stims gained a rabid fan club of the youngest rock ‘n’ rollers in the city and became regulars at legendary clubs like Max’s Kansas City, CBGB’s and Danceteria, sharing bills with bands like Richard Hell & The Voidoids, Bad Brains, Suicide, B-52s and The Cramps.
A long awaited re-issue on vinyl & CD of the celebrated ROIR cassette, the Stimulators’ Loud Fast Rules! is more than just a record; it’s a piece of New York punk history. “Loud Fast Rules!” is the Stimulators’ only full-length piece of work (their only other release being a handful of coveted 7”s) and it captures the band doing what they do best, playing a sharp, fast, energetic live set of catchy, feisty songs that mix punk with metal, reggae and good old fashioned rock ‘n’ roll. A perfect soundtrack to a slam dancing, pit slamming, pogo party!
The rules for our seven days of ROIR giveaways are simple—tell us your ROIR story or sell us on why a particular LP should be yours in the comments to this post and the most compelling to any degree will find the record in his or her mailbox in time for the holidays.(Please note - we can only ship within the US.)
We'll close all seven contests on Monday, November 29 and remember to leave us your email/contact info—important!—so we can notify winners!
Given the number and frequency of our ticket giveaways, I've often felt remiss that after a week or so of a build up, there's been scant follow through here—most likely stemming from not wanting to be just another review and photo site.
But if you've ever wondered, "Hey, how was that?" we'll try from time to time to provide some documentation.
This time, we've sent our friend and intrepid photographer, Erica Bruce over to The Posies show last week at the 9:30:
Alex Chilton was said to be rather cantankerous, but it's fair to say his ghost was smiling brightly on the 930 Club last week. His old Big Star bandmates, The Posies and their catchy power pop stylings were in town Wednesday night with another Big Star-influenced performer, Brendan Benson. The Posies, brought their usual energetic and interactive live set in support of their latest release, BLOOD/CANDYand supported Benson as his backing band.
Power pop bands should never travel far without a little Big Star, so it was nice to hear Benson, and Posies guitarists/vocalists Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer deliver a mighty fine version of "September Gurls" during Benson's encore. In the wrong hands, power pop can be schmaltzy and ear-cringing. But when it's done right—as was the case Wednesday night—it showcases how, in the right hands, you can be reminded of all the reasons you love music.
It’s like watching horses run in slow motion, losing your footing while listening to waves crashing, like having your record player needle touch the surface of Suburban Nature.
Sarah Jaffe steps on stage. I'm pretty excited (hoof-beats in my head) at this point grinning in anticipation of one, a performance worth writing about, and two, the chance to see if her live performance inspires like my music-hunch-organ told me.
I love being right.
I love being pleasantly surprised.
Sigh. Both.
Her voice was everything I'd hoped. Clean, melancholy, and a little raspy when strained. It was lovely. The crowd was receptive as well—you could hear beer moistened lips mouthing her words, excited like me, to see her out of Denton,TX, out of Europe, and on our coast.
The Living Room is an institution in New York City and I've seen less than my desired share of shows here. I'll make the trip up again, however. Very soon. With her in mind. And I look forward to a full and beautiful set. (Thanks NYC, CMJ 2010, and The Living Room...)
Suburban Nature, Sarah Jaffe'sfirst full length album (available on vinyl this summer after its May, 2010 release)awards the listener with lovable, bedroom-strumming mixed with a voice that grips us like Dolores O'Riordan (The Cranberries) and thoughtful, stinging lyrics that folk so sorely misses. Sarah manages to take me places I didn't think to listen, unafraid to play one string and rely only on her voice—her confidence is disarming.
Check out her video for "Clementine" which officially debuted September 16th.
We all deserve a second chance and you're being granted that chance. Sarah Jaffe plays The Living Room (again) on Friday, December, 3rd and The Rock Shop(in Brooklyn) on Saturday, December, 4th.
You don't have to leave DC to catch a good show but, you will have to catch a bus to catch the next big thing in folk music this calendar year. This is clearly an ongoing love-affair. I'll report back December 7th.
TVD and the folks behind Record Store Day would like to remind you that Black Friday needn't be spent at a dreadful, overcrowded mall. Your local mom and pop record retailers should just as easily be considered among your 'must shop' stops this coming Friday—and Saturday on something called "Small Business Saturday."
The Record Store Day team has assembled a number of exclusive vinyl releases for the day and you can find that list right here.
Here's some background direct from the RSD site:
"Word is out that your local indie record store may just be the place to be this Post-Thanksgiving-Shopping-Melee-Day, also known as Black Friday. And that’s because indie stores across the country will be the place to get special releases created just for you, for giving and getting this holiday season, and they’re scheduled for release on Black Friday.
Now, this is not Record Store Day, Jr. or RSD 11 or Son of the Return of Record Store Day. This is just a group of special releases that you can only find at record stores. Some of them are uber-limited, some of them are available at record stores before they’re available anywhere else. But they’re all special, and they kind of fly in the face of what Black Friday has become, which is “I have to shop, let’s see how fast and cheap I can get it over with.”
The magic of these pieces is that every one of them is something someone will really LOVE to get, and you’ll really ENJOY giving. And you’ll have the extra nice feeling of supporting a local independently owned business during the holidays."
At the moment it's a bit unclear whether DC's shops have been able to put their hands on any of the Black Friday exclusives, but why not pay the stores over there in the left column a post turkey visit and find out?
Our Seven Days of ROIR Records Vinyl Giveaways continues today with Suicide's classic, "Half Alive."
What the critics said when "Half Alive" was released on ROIR cassettes close to 30 years ago:
“Suicide recorded some amazingly seductive and terrifying music. Their profound influence on a generation of younger bands is readily apparent. They are the source point for Soft Cell, Erasure, Bronski Beat, Yaz, Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle, you name em’.” —All Music Guide To Rock
“Half-Alive consists of live tracks circa 1978, plus a hand full of unreleased lo-fi studio gems from 1974-1975. Suicide warrant legend status. They found their most fertile reception outside America in the form of Soft Cell, Woodentops, Spacemen 3, Sigue Sigue Sputnik. They should have been the American “Kraftwerk.” —Spin Alternative Record Guide
“They were ahead of their time. Rev’s repetitive wall-of-noise keyboard and pneumatic rhythm machines with Vegas’ Presleyish vocals provide a link to the rock n’ roll tradition, with a form of controversial art performance on stage.” —Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of RN’R
“A pounding reminder of industrial dance music’s early beginnings. They produced a unique obsessively American electronic music of enormous energy and enduring influence – throbbing sequencers and “Morrisonesque” vocals: Awesome.” —Trouser Press Record Guide
“Suicide’s acid triggered visions from the NOO YOIK gutters. Electro-boogie rears its psychic-savage walking bass head.” —Sounds, UK (FOUR STARS)
“The most interesting ROIR cassette yet. Contains tracks from their live assaults, including the London Marquee in ’78 when they were probably at their most psychotic.” —Zig Zag, UK
“The first real IRT-lurking move anybody had made since the Velvet Underground. Suicide’s music is truly the sound of NYC for me.” —Lester Bangs (from Liner Notes)
“One of the half dozen most important acts in rock n’ roll. They are the real thing.” —Roy Trakin (Now an Editor of Hits)
“Lester Bangs liner notes place Suicide in its proper historical context: A document of a force of nature – the filthy loud subway station heart of NYC. Suicide pioneered everything from synth-pop to industrial disco – low rent electronic angst-fest. Vega runs rough shod over the whirring blast of Rev’s homemade synth.” —Rolling Stone Record Guide
The rules for our seven days of ROIR giveaways are simple—tell us your ROIR story or sell us on why a particular LP should be yours in the comments to this post and the most compelling to any degree will find the record in his or her mailbox in time for the holidays.(Please note - we can only ship within the US.)
We'll close all seven contests on Monday, November 29 and remember to leave us your email/contact info—important!—so we can notify winners!
It's our weekly Twitter #MusicMonday recap of the tracks from last week that the folks in the press offices and PR agencies want you to be hearing. We post—you decide.
Greetings from Laurel Canyon! These last few days have been very busy. As the week wore on I didn’t have a clue where my inspiration would come from for this week’s Idelic Hour. It’s often hearing a random song that provides the “spark” for many of my shows. I refer to these welcome songs as “friends” who guide me into a playlist.
Friend is a loaded word. Certainly for many of us the meaning of a friend has been highlighted by experiencing Facebook. Maybe some of us now appreciate or question what our friendships are a tiny bit more? I don’t know? Most of the time I use the term loosely and with ease. Sometimes on the Idelic Hour I refer to someone as a “pal.” For me it’s a category of “friend,” someone I know personally but would not be too bold in stating a deep connection. One thing I do know is that it’s good to have friends. Fuck man, I’m lucky enough guy to have many.
Originally when I started putting together this week’s mix I thought I’d pull out a bunch of records that my friends in bands had made over the years. As I started getting this playlist together it became clear that a set with all songs about friends was possible.
Four songs immediately came to mind. Joe Cocker’s version of “A Little Help from My Friends,” War’s fun and silly “Why Can’t We Be Friends,” Best Coast’s blogger anthem “Boyfriend” and Dylan’s haunting cover of “He Was a Friend.” I even got to drop a few of my pals into the mix. All in all I guess I’m giving you a prelude to Thanksgiving. Grab an old friend and wish them a cool weekend.
Spaniards Delorean play the Rock and Roll Hotel next Tuesday (11/23) but before they have you dancing and sweating the night away, they're holding a fan meet and greet at the Sweetgreen location on Capitol Hill.
We've got an opportunity for one of you to score their latest True Panther release, Subiza on vinyl—and if you're here in DC—to come by the meet and greet and have your LP signed in person by the band. If your not in DC (or can't get to the Capitol Hill Sweetgreen) you can still win the LP and have it personalized by Delorean.
First, the info on the meet and greet:
Meet Delorean at Sweetgreen on Capitol Hill Tuesday, 11/23 at 4PM 221 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20003
Let us know why you should be chosen to win Delorean's newest on vinyl and have it personally autographed by the band in the comments to this post and the most convincing of the bunch will have a new autographed LP to add to his or her collection.
We'll close this one on Tuesday (11/23) at 9AM to give you plenty of time to conjure up your response—and remember to leave us a contact email address with your entry.
"Mostly, addictions are harmful and I don't want to be a slave to anything (of course not, I'm British.) However, mention er...VINYL to me and I begin jabbering incoherently, on and on.
Can't help myself...tried to kick the habit once , bought CDs and sold off a lot of those records but....no, I don't wanna go back to that time. Too traumatic.
Now the new Dots' album is on vinyl ...DOUBLE vinyl. Bonus Tracks!!!! And IT's REAL....." —Edward Ka-Spel
The rules for our seven days of ROIR giveaways are simple—tell us your ROIR story or sell us on why a particular LP should be yours in the comments to this post and the most compelling to any degree will find the record in his or her mailbox in time for the holidays.(Please note - we can only ship within the US.)
We'll close all seven contests on Monday, November 29 and remember to leave us your email/contact info—important!—so we can notify winners!
Our Seven Days of ROIR Records Vinyl Giveaways continues today with Dub Trio's "Exploring the Dangers of..."
"When I first discovered the music of dub/reggae it was on vinyl, so I had an affinity towards it from the start. I remember sitting at and listening to hours of dub records.
The inherent sound on wax does the music justice too. The low frequencies come popping out of the speakers (the thicker the better,) the midrange is right in front of your face and the highs are rolled off just enough. There was something organic and visceral about those listening experiences that almost transcended the music.
When Dub Trio released our debut album, 'Exploring the dangers of' on ROIR, we were all really excited to learn that they would be pressing up a 12" along with the CD. Actually, the first thing we pressed was a 7" which I will always treasure." —Joe Tomino, Drums, Dub Trio
The rules for our seven days of ROIR giveaways are simple—tell us your ROIR story or sell us on why a particular LP should be yours in the comments to this post and the most compelling to any degree will find the record in his or her mailbox in time for the holidays.(Please note - we can only ship within the US.)
We'll close all seven contests on Monday, November 29 and remember to leave us your email/contact info—important!—so we can notify winners!
It's our Thursday flashback, culled from the rare and ultra-obscure (and often bizarre) crates of 80’s vinyl, curated by our pal Gil:
The Ninth – Planet Love LP
This indie group of five from just right outside of Washington, DC was formed in the early 80's and were together until the late 80's. They sound at times like a more edgy B-52s type formula with periods of campy lyrics and offbeat quirky arrangements. They also get serious at times and crank off some synth wave boogie a la the title song (hear below in the download.)
The group was founded and led by the eccentric David Van Ninth, who was very active in the DC indie music and club scene. There are both female and male vocals on this twelve song full length platter.
This was to be the group’s only album. A private pressing via Elysium Records, Washington DC. It’s a collection of loose and fun new wave with plenty of variety to keep the listener attentive and wanting more….check out some songs below:
Gothenburg-based Swedes Junip—Tobias Winterkorn (keyboards), Elias Araya (drums) and José González (vocals & guitar)—are touring behind their most recent release Fields and bring their hazy, organic, melodic, and hypnotic music to the Black Cat next Tuesday night, 11/23.
And wouldn't you know it - we've got a pair of tickets to give away.
Let us know why you should be chosen for the pair of tickets to see Junip on Tuesday night in the comments to this post and the most convincing of the bunch will take home the tickets for the show.
We'll close this one on Monday (11/22) at noon to give you plenty of time to conjure up your response—and remember to leave us a contact email address with your entry.
Remember, we've teamed up with ReadysetDC for all of our ticket giveaways so you can enter to win either here at TVD or at ReadysetDC.
Our Seven Days of ROIR Records Vinyl Giveaways continues today with MC5's "Babes in Arms" on limited edition, white vinyl!
Almost fifteen years ago, ROIR, then a cassette-only company, released “Babes in Arms.” Wayne Kramer, guitarist and spokesperson for the band, put together a collection of tracks from his private tapes, consisting of rare out-takes, mixes, remixes, uncensored and experimental works in progress, and rehearsal tapes—all privately recorded during the years 1966-1971. The cassette “Babes in Arms” was acclaimed critically and commercially. It became one of ROIR’s best sellers. For many years, ROIR has been asked to make an LP version. So, giving in to the demands of the public, ROIR has released “Babes in Arms” on white vinyl.
The rules for our seven days of ROIR giveaways are simple—tell us your ROIR story or sell us on why a particular LP should be yours in the comments to this post and the most compelling to any degree will find the record in his or her mailbox in time for the holidays.(Please note - we can only ship within the US.)
We'll close all seven contests on Monday, November 29 and remember to leave us your email/contact info—important!—so we can notify winners!
Kelsey Kopecky | It seems to me that the only comparison to my feeling about vinyl records is one with riding in a horse drawn carriage, or canning vegetables. To 20-something year olds, this not-so-common ritual usually is presented by our older family members in a story that starts with, "When I was your age..." My grandma Carolee, a hippie at heart who had me dressed in vintage threads at age 7, was the first to help me admire the craft of vinyl records. She explained to me that the beauty was not only present after the needle found the groove and started sliding, but in the large square texture and ink. Vinyl records offer something to hold in two hands.
I remember filing through Grandma's records on her steps next to her Native American/western decor. With each flip of cardboard she told me why the Carpenters were so tasteful with harmonies only siblings could create, and why it is alright for naked body parts to be central for album artwork. After all, bodies are beautiful and God is an artist.
To this day while I shuffle through my own record collection, the smell of dusty attic mold is just as attractive as a pie in the oven. When I smell it I know something wonderful is close by. Vinyl is an interactive way to listen. It requires attention to be paid to the artist, lest down time cause the show to stop between side A and side B.
David Krohn | About five years ago I discovered listening to music on vinyl and it has changed the experience of listening to music for me in a way that I will always be grateful for. My appreciation for music began when I was in middle school, which was during the Napster era. As a result, I viewed music as a free, endless commodity where my friends and I would have an arms race to see who could build up the largest music library on our computers.
Having a large, well rounded music library is great, but it doesn't allow the listener to give the music the proper time and respect that it deserves. I am a strong believer in listening to music in the way that the artist intended the listener to hear the artist's work. When you listen to music on your computer or iTunes, it is far too easy to create a playlist and distract the listener from hearing the artist's work in the entirety that the artist intended. Being an artist, I know that my band records an album or EP with the intentions of creating an experience where a lot of thought is put into the track-listing and transitions in between songs.
This is why I love vinyl so much: it forces the listener to hear the artist's work exactly in the way that the artist intended the listener to hear it. You cannot make a playlist with LPs and you cannot skip from favorite track to favorite track with the same ease of iTunes. I typically buy a record because there is one song in particular from a band or artist that I love. Initially, when I listen to the record my experience revolves around my desire to hear that one song, and I will typically dislike most of the other tracks on the record. After listening to the record a few times that desire fades and the songs that I didn't particularly like emerge as the underdog, becoming my favorite tracks on the record. It breaks my heart to think of all of the people creating playlists, missing out on having to make an effort to understand and enjoy the songs surrounding their favorite single on an album. Listening to music on vinyl creates a ritualistic experience for me. When I listen to vinyl it forces me to actively pay attention to the music, opposed to just listening to it in the background. After a few songs, I have to get up, walk to my turntable and flip the record. If I want music to be playing, I have nurture my turntable and flip the record when it needs to be flipped.
Vinyls add value to music for me. There is something magical about the weight, the large album art and the need to handle your records with care. I don't have any prized mp3s or even prized CDs, but I have a handful of vinyls that I wouldn't hesitate to grab first if my house was on fire.
When I am looking for a particular classic record, I will do everything in my power to get a first print, the older the records, the more of a story that they have to tell. My mom gave me her copy of Bill Wither's Just as I Am on vinyl that she grew up listening to. It is one of my most prized possessions not only because it is a masterpiece, but because each scratch and hiss reminds me of my mother listening to that exact record having the same listening experience that I am having today.
Benjamin Kaufman | I have only been listening to music on vinyl for the past few years, but the transition has been more than satisfying. My love for vinyl is very similar to my love for film photography: it is real and it is tangible. For instance, when someone takes a picture using film, light is exposed for a millisecond on to a small piece of plastic film which creates an invisible image that only appears once the film is developed. Once light is exposed through the film onto photo-sensitive paper and is processed with chemicals, the previously invisible image appears out of nowhere. Not only do I love the fact that this tangible piece of paper is a representation of a moment I experienced in a different time and place, but also it is the result of completely scientific process…no iPhoto, no computers.
Same goes for vinyl records. What especially thrills me is that the music I am hearing when I put a record on is the actual workings of a needle passing over tiny little grooves that produces real, analog sound. I remember the first time one of my friends turned his stereo all the way down as the record was spinning, and showed me the sound the needle makes without amplification…I never knew a needle scratching wax could be so fascinating. Thanks again, Edison!
Ever since then, I've learned that music can be a completely different experience with vinyl. Yes, of course it is nowhere as convenient as your iPod shuffle, however listening to records forces one to make time to just sit down and listen to music in the way it was meant to be experienced: on album at a time.
A few favorites in my collection are Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest, Billie Holiday's Greatest Hits, and one of two records of Sigur Rós' () album.
Gabriel Simon | My vinyl fascination started with my Dad's Jim Croce Photographs record. I remember seeing the picture and being caught off guard by the look on the mustached man's face. I recall the lyrics that were large enough to actually read and a black disk that I had no means to possibly listen to.
Later my 2nd college roommate Jordan would let me borrow his record player and I would sneak vinyls from his closet when he was at band practice. These extra records were an easy way for me to seem cool when I brought girls back to my dorm room... until he finally got mad about me stealing his records. M. Ward's Hold Time was the record of choice.
When I finally moved into my new apartment I smuggled my friends record player when he wasn't looking and placed it in my kitchen. I remember I had just brought a box of records back from my parents house and had been sifting through the good and the bad... and there I found it - Photographs by Jim Croce.
Still my favorite record ever written to date, I was finally able to listen to that little treasure, spurning a further love for vinyl, and a record collection that lines my entire living room wall.
