Westwood Avenue (featuring Erin Rae)
Bachelorette Screams b/w Tennessee
scum stats: two versions, 25 copies on Wax Mage variant, the rest on pink (mine is pink)
HAPPY SEVEN YEARS OF RECORD OF THE WEEK WRITE-UPS!!!!!
Each anniversary here, I choose a record from the local Nashville label Soul Step. As a local vinyl focused label that is (essentially) a one-man operation.
I am disappointed in the missed opportunity to rhyme "bachelorette screams" with "Jason Aldean's" but otherwise, the a-side is a charming country ode to the "change" that has gone down in downtown Nashville, specifically the neon jungle of Broadway. Even more in the spirit is that Melvin, main man behind Soul Step, oversees a large corporate operation in the heart of Broadway and he described to me his release of this song as some quasi-payment of karmic debt to the situation.
Melvin explicitly said to me "I might only ever sell a handful of copies, but I just felt like I needed to put it out."
Having been in the game for nearly 25 years, shit, just this morning digging through decades old boxes of Cass Records backstock looking for a single copy of a record long-since declared unimportant by the masses of record buying public...I know the exact feeling. It's real. It motivates. It is arguably the reason I'm even here.
So while it seems like once a year is too infrequent to relay such a message, I will continue to relay it...SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL INDEPENDENT VINYL RECORD LABELS. They are not forever. They are not lucrative. They are not easy. They NEED it. They are imperative to the success of the overall vinyl (and music) ecosystem. Without small labels doing the leg work, taking chances, discovering the unknown...you don't ever get huge successes of the "next big things."
As a celebration of seven years of you folks continuing to read what I put here...I'm doing a giveaway. Post a comment here before Friday October 6th. Just make it good. Maybe it's about something YOU JUST HAVE TO DO. Maybe good equals funny. Maybe good equals emotionally heartbreaking. Maybe good is clever. You be the judge...until I be the judge.
Prize is...since I don't have anything specific sitting in my hands that makes me think that the winner will be all "oh boy oh boy oh boy!" I'm gonna call the winner, we're going to have a conversation about records and music and we'll decide, together, what record from the depths of my closet is commensurate with their award-winning commenting abilities.
So that’s a ‘no’ regarding any Tampa Bay Buccaneers deal sweeteners for this contest being sent your direction?
I have too many records. I can’t possibly give them the attention they deserve. I’ve often thought about paring down and selling some off. But – I can’t do it. I HAVE TO KEEP THEM. I made that mistake once, back in the day, with cassette tapes. Unless I’ve somehow ended up with a duplicate, I just cannot bring myself to part with any of them. Each one tells its own story. Some are awesome! Some are duds. But they are each unique and I love them. Eh, if giving up some square footage in the house brings a little joy, where’s the harm?
When my oldest daughter turned 15 she found an old record player in our basement that her mom had saved and packed along with us every time we moved. She never played it but we moved it. Anyway she wanted to bust it out and listen to the old vinyl. She is an old soul deep down. This started a fire in both of us to start collecting vinyl. Since then our “therapy” when things get rough is to go to local record stores and spend hours flipping through the bins. About a year ago we flew to Michigan to attend a funeral. it was going to be a quick trip but we felt the need to attend since we have never been to see my sisters family since they moved out there. My daughter had another reason for going however, the Detroit store was only a 2 hours drive (both ways) and she knew how much I wanted to finally visit one of the store fronts. She did too but her idea was to use the Voice-o-graph to record a marriage proposal for her girlfriend. Sadly it was not working that day but the visit was a memory we will never forget.
We just brought our son to his first music festival. He’s 10 and I feel like I just won the lottery looking at his smiles. His band count is up and his eyes to the world open. Selfishly looking to fill his brain will all the good elements in the world. We’d love a chance to win and keep this up for him.
Here’s some of bands he’s seen so far
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Jack Johnson x2
Taj Mahal
Greensky Bluegrass
Wood Brothers
Jake Shimabukaro
David Byrne (broadway)
Del McCoury Band
Alanis Morissette
Incubus
Sheryl Crow…
Send me more ideas.
Planning a trip later this year to Nashville. Primarily centered around Third Man Records but open to any suggestions. Want to hit a few places from Bourdain’s Parts Unknown visit and Cornell Brothers Coffee for sure. Hopefully there will be something in the box for Vault subscribers that I need. Still waiting on my Syd release. Hopefully that arrives soon.
I just retired today, 9/29/2023!! My retirement gift, from my wife is to visit the Detroit store and do the tour, if tickets ever go up for sell!! :) I want to visit because I whole heartly believe in what Third Man Records stand for! My retirement goal, besides treating my wife like a queen, is to catalog the ~67000 pieces of vinyl in my basement. Some are the popular crap that I grew up with, but the majority are from people who wanted to share with the world a message, a voice, an idea. I have around 12000 pieces not yet in Discogs. (mostly 78s & 45s) I want to do it for history, for learning and to let these kids know that there are others that went out on the limb and screamed out their message so everyone could hear. Sadly……………..Sometimes the world is not ready to listen. I want to preserve that message so that it will be there when the world comes around. Thanks Ben, digging through record bins is my favorite hobby.
I just retired today, 9/29/2023!! My retirement gift, from my wife is to visit the Detroit store and do the tour, if tickets ever go up for sell!! :) I want to visit because I whole heartly believe in what Third Man Records stand for! My retirement goal, besides treating my wife like a queen, is to catalog the ~67000 pieces of vinyl in my basement. Some are the popular crap that I grew up with, but the majority are from people who wanted to share with the world a message, a voice, an idea. I have around 12000 pieces not yet in Discogs. (mostly 78s & 45s) I want to do it for history, for learning and to let these kids know that there are others that went out on the limb and screamed out their message so everyone could hear. Sadly……………..Sometimes the world is not ready to listen. I want to preserve that message so that it will be there when the world comes around. Thanks Ben, digging through record bins is my favorite hobby.
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