Places – Page 5 – 7th Level Music

Wrecka Stow: Wooden Nickel Records & Tapes Budget and Collectors – Ft. Wayne, Indiana

The “Budget and Collectors” location of Wooden Nickel Records & Tapes in Ft. Wayne, Indiana (3422 N. Anthony) is one of the first record stores I went to way back in high school when I finally had access to a car. I bought many records there and hadn’t been there in decades. It was nice to see the place still in business and still offering a lot of good stuff.

They pack a lot of stuff into the space, and one thing that hadn’t changed was them offering a lot of good stuff at low prices – new and used.

The collector and limited edition stuff is still there. There are plenty of box sets, rare records, and, yes, tapes – cassettes and eight-tracks.

They sell records, of course. They have a whole section of 45 records, all kinds of LPs, and even some picture discs on hand.

Check it out if you’re in town. There’s a lot there and you can get a good amount of it for cheap. I scored a live Buzzcocks album and Donald Fagen‘s classic The Nightfly for barely over ten bucks.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Shake It Records – Cincinnati, Ohio

Be prepared to spend two things when you go to Cincinnati’s Shake It Records (4156 Hamilton Avenue) – time and money…A lot of both.

This place is deep with stuff and is two floors – the ground floor and the basement. Both are stocked with everything from LPs to action figures.

Yes, action figures.

So, yeah, this place is amazing. I could spend an entire afternoon here. The back of the front counter looked like this when I was there.

Plus, there’s funky art everywhere.

This thing alone is probably worth five figures, and I don’t mean the “Cat Ballou” DVD.

I debated getting that DC Comics 45-record case, not to mention that “High School Hellcats” poster.

Oh yeah, there are records…Boy, are there records.

Several of these would’ve fit in that DC Comics record case.

Some of the coolest records are special signed editions you can get there.

Those Screaming Females and Lydia Loveless records are well worth the purchase price.

They also have CDs and cassettes, of course.

By the way, this is just some of the stuff upstairs. As I mentioned earlier, there’s an entire basement with more records and books in it.

Most of their jazz, blues, classical, country, and soul records (and soundtracks) are down here.

They also have a big section each of books, graphic novels, and zines.

“Conan Saga” *and* “Love and Rockets” in the same place!

I walked out of here with CDs by My Bloody Valentine (a three-disc EP set), a double Ennio Morricone album, the new TV Priest album, and the soundtrack to the weird cult film Forbidden Zone. I could’ve spent more time and money there, but we had limited time on the parking meter.

Don’t miss this place if you’re in town. You won’t regret it.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Reckless Records – Chicago, IL

There are multiple Reckless Records locations in Chicago, Illinois. This one is at 929 West Belmont Avenue, and it’s a must-stop if you’re in that part of town and looking to do some music shopping.

Check out that album of Shel Silverstein poems – *A Light in the Attic*.

That Ray Charles Atlantic Records box set is well worth your money.

The place is full of bins and shelves jammed with stuff like this, and the store is deep.

Shirts, bargain bin DVDS, and plenty of vinyl for the record collectors.

I mean, just look at that small sample of soundtrack and lounge vinyl records. They have entire sections for Dean Martin, Ennio Morricone, John Carpenter, and Goblin. A copy of the Thank God It’s Friday score next to John Barry‘s for Thunderball is a win-win.

Are you looking for CDs or DVDs? No worries. They have you covered.

They even have two shelving units full of cassettes, for heaven’s sake.

I walked out of there with used CDs by Pat Dinizio, The Stooges, Chrome, The Who, and The Rolling Stones. The most expensive one was nine bucks. You can’t beat that. Go spend some cash and a few hours there.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Vintage Vinyl – St. Louis, MO

I was in St. Louis, Missouri a couple months ago in my first trip outside my home state in many months. I was staying not terribly far from a college campus, so I figured there’d be at least one good record store nearby. Sure enough, Vintage Vinyl was about a fifteen-minute drive from the hotel.

Unfortunately for me, I got there with only about fifteen minutes to shop before they closed. The place is open 11am – 6pm during the week. 6pm seems like an odd time to close a record store located in a busy campus shopping area, but the hours were probably altered due to COVID-19 restrictions – as the store’s website says they’re typically open until at least 8pm. I’d love to go back because I could’ve spent over an hour in this place.

As you can imagine, with a name like that the store is heavy on new and old vinyl records. This is just a small sampling of their large and eclectic collection.

A spoken word record featuring Aleister Crowley sandwiched between a record about baseball and another about stenography. Stuff like this alone makes the place worth a visit. They also had DVDs, shirts, and, of course, CDs.

That $1.00 bargain bin is where I decided to do my ten minutes of shopping. I scored albums by The D4 and Soulwax…for $2.21 total. I’m sure I would’ve dropped at least ten times that if I’d had more time to shop.

Take extra money for parking when you go. Finding a spot in the area can be difficult, and most of the spots have parking meters that will only let you pay for up to an hour at a time.

Take even more money for the store.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Feels So Good Records – Austin, TX

Located at 609 East 7th Street in Austin, Texas (right next door to the Barracuda live music venue), Feels So Good Records is a cool little shop that sells vinyl, vintage clothing, and other neat stuff. They also have their own print shop and support local bands and artists with art sales and music events they sponsor around town.

They have plenty of fine vinyl, as you can see. The woman working there, Tate, was spinning an old Spooky Tooth record while I was in the store. Those are vintage Easy Rider magazines near that crate of records, and dig that retro nude painting!

Need more cool stuff? How about cassettes, rare singles, Roky Erickson shirts, vintage jeans, and Richie Rich comics? They have a lot of fun stuff in a little space. Be sure to stop by there the next time you’re in Austin.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Square Cat Vinyl – Indianapolis, IN

Located in a hip neighborhood full of good restaurants, a comic book store, and live music venues, Indianapolis’ Square Cat Vinyl (1054 Virginia Avenue) offers live music of its own on a small stage in the midpoint of the store. They also offer craft beer, coffee, tea, chai (extra spicy!), and, of course, vinyl records.

They have a wide variety of genres. I saw everything from thrash metal to prog rock to the soundtrack for the third season of Stranger Things there. Their live shows range from solo acoustic sets to electronic acts.

Plus, how can you resist a place with this in it?

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Smash! Records – Washington D.C.

The slogan on that shirt you see in the window of Smash! Records (2314 18th Street Northwest) sums up the attitude of the store, the neighborhood, and D.C. in general toward the out-of-towners who work at the Capital and the White House. President Trump didn’t even get 5% of the vote in Washington D.C. in the 2016 election. He isn’t liked in town. Most politicians aren’t really. The nation’s capital is full of working class people trying to get by without having a voice in government. The license plate slogan there is “Taxation without representation.”

So it’s fitting to have a record store that focuses on punk rock, metal, goth, and hardcore in the midst of a gay nightclub district a short drive (by D.C. traffic standards, at least) from the National Mall. The town, any town, needs places where you can find stuff like this.

Check out all those cool books on cool music, zines, CD’s, comics, and other weird goodies. They even have shoes.

Don’t worry, they have plenty of music, especially if you dig vinyl.

That’s a rack of 45’s and 7″ singles there in front, plus some 8-track tapes to boot.

Those Bikini Kill, Bad Brains, and Capt. Beefheart records alone could be worth the trip.

I walked out of Smash! Records with CD’s by Captain Beefheart, Sons and Daughters, and Public Image, Ltd. Be sure to check this place out (and the neighborhood, which is pretty cool) if you need a break from packed tourist attractions or to stick it to the Man by keeping punk rock alive.

Keep your mind open.

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CHAI’s upcoming album, “Punk,” is going to be amazing if the single, “Fashionista,” is any indication.

LISTEN TO “FASHIONISTA”
https://bit.ly/2sPcNKG

WATCH “GREAT JOB!”
https://youtu.be/5Odk94mxeHU
Japanese four-piece CHAI may worship at the altar of kawaii – their homeland’s culture of cute– but they’re not about to be pushed around by the idle bosses and the ignorant patriarchy. The ultra-concise pop of their debut LP PINK is about to be overhauled on their new album. CHAI are ready to light the fuse; CHAI are PUNK (out March 15th via Burger Records).

“’PUNK’ for us, of course, is not the genre of music,” say the band. “‘PUNK’ to us is to overturn the worn-out values associated with ‘kawaii’ or ‘cute’ created up to this point. ‘PUNK’ is a word that expresses a strong sense of self. To be yourself more, to become the person you truly want to be, to believe in yourself in every instance!”

First single “Fashionista” is a rebellious demand for self-acceptance in the face of society’s pressures: “Even if you don’t dress or do your makeup like how society expects you too, you’re still a “Fashionista” by expressing yourself how you want to. You decide what you want to wear, how you want to look, what you don’t want to wear, and that is what makes you a Fashionista!”

At the core of their music is the concept of “Neo-Kawaii.” They outlined to concept in several interviews in 2018. In Pitchfork’s Rising interview, it’s described as “a move towards the embrace and celebration of human imperfection. ‘Neo-Kawaii’ is properly summarized on the single ‘N.E.O.’ from Pink, which directly comments on oppressive beauty standards, offering a list of supposed imperfections that translate to ‘Small eyes/Flat nose/No shape/Fat legs!’ CHAI seek to reclaim them as perfect.”

Late last year, the band also shared the delightfully insane video for“GREAT JOB,” another song off the forthcoming album, where CHAI compare house work to ridding yourself from all negativity. “Some people look at house work as a negative duty but it’s actually a positive duty that represents a refreshed, new you.” Yuuki picks up on this: “Of course we want to continue show our style of positivity-meets-pop but in life there’s definitely times of sadness, times of frustration and even irritating moments that with PUNK, we want everyone to know can be used as energy to fuel the positivity from the negativity”.

Their inner strength comes out in the music. If PINK was a plastic, hyper-bright introduction, then PUNK is a deeper, more impactful graduation. It’s the movement from vivid orange to radiating red. Drummer Yuna adds: “Compared with our first album, PUNK represents a more concentrated version of our individualities.”

Yuuki crafted the irrepressible album sleeve, with a laughing girl bursting through a shell. The message, they say, is clear: “Hello, New Me!”

PUNK TRACKLISTING
1. CHOOSE GO!
2. GREAT JOB
3. I’m me
4. Wintime
5. THIS IS CHAI
6. Fashionista
7. FAMILY MEMBER
8. Curly adventure
9. Feel the BEAT
10. Future

CHAI TOUR DATES
Mon. Mar. 11 – Sun. Mar. 17 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
Mon. Mar. 18 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage
Tue. Mar. 19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel
Wed. Mar. 20 – Toronto, ON @ The Velvet Underground
Fri. Mar. 22 – Sat. Mar. 23 – Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Festival
Mon. Mar. 25 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Moroccan Lounge
Wed. Mar. 27 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
Fri. Mar. 29 – Seattle, WA @ The Vera Project
Sat. Mar. 30 – Portland, OR @ Holocene

PRAISE FOR CHAI

“Moments of pure joy are in short supply these days; a Chai show is a reprieve.”
– Pitchfork [RISING FEATURE]

“Drawing inspiration from the likes of Basement Jaxx, Tom Tom Club, and Devo—groups that have also crafted their own signature, unconventional sounds that defy the pop landscape—the band plays preconceived definitions of cute against each other to create their own new one.”
– FLOOD Magazine

“CHAI bursts with an energy that is carefree, effervescent, and unmistakably feminine”
– She Shreds

“Giddy, frenzied pop” – Bust Magazine, 5/5

CHAI Online:
http://chai-band.com/
https://twitter.com/CHAIofficialJPN
https://www.instagram.com/chaiofficialjpn/
https://www.facebook.com/CHAIofficialJPN/

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: McKay’s Books – Nashville, TN

The photo above doesn’t do McKay’s Books justice. The place is massive and sells everything from vinyl LP’s and CD’s to books, vintage video games, DVD’s, and vintage media equipment. This photo is a better representation of the size of the place.

That’s just some of the books on the main floor of the Nashville location (636 Old Hickory Boulevard). The far end is where the DVD’s and video games are stored. The upper floor is where the music is kept. There’s plenty of it.

That’s just one section of the vinyl they had there. There are 45’s, too.

As you might’ve noticed on the sign above, there are plenty of CD’s, including “Very Scratched” models.

This is just the first aisle of CD’s and albums.

There are also plenty of music and concert DVD’s for sale. I even spotted a VHS tape of a Buzzcocks concert in here.

That Buzzcocks VHS tape in on the far left shelving unit, second shelf down, five in from the right. Look for the thick yellow box.

You can spend hours (and a lot of money) in this place. They also buy books, toys, DVD’s, CD’s, albums, and more. There was a constant line of people bringing in stuff to sell while I was there. It’s worth a side trip if you’re ever in Music City.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Vertigo Records – Grand Rapids, MI

If you have a couple hours in Grand Rapids, Michigan, you can easily spend them at Vertigo Records (129 Division Avenue South). The place is full of used and new CDs, LPs, 45’s, DVDs, and more. I didn’t get to spend a lot of time there on my recent trip to Grand Rapids to see Goblin, but I wished I’d come to town earlier as soon as I walked in the door and saw this.

The place is a crate digger’s heaven. They were playing some vintage Kate Bush when I walked in and I even found a Goblin record (Roller) laid out among some DVDs and used CDs when I started exploring.

There were so many boxes of used CDs that I didn’t have time to sift through all of them. There were vintage 45’s, of course, and plenty of jazz, funk, electro, punk, and metal to round out the mix of rock and rap. There was even this section.

I also liked the wall of patches.

Don’t worry, vinyl lovers. This place has you covered.

That’s only a small section of what they have to offer. I walked out of there with a Merge Records 2018 CD sampler, but I’ll be sure to give myself extra time in Grand Rapids the next time I’m there because Vertigo deserves deep exploration.

Keep your mind open.

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