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.
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.George Burns knows the score.
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.
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 (outMarch 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
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.
[Need a New Year’s resolution? Resolve to subscribe!]
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.
I stumbled onto Paris’ Culture Factory / Elvis My Happiness wrecka stow while killing time before my wife and I left for the Levitation Music Festivalin Angers, France. It’s at 27 Rue de L’Armorique and a must-see place if you’re a fan of Elvis Presley. The place is full of Elvis records, discs, and DVDs (and probably more stuff I didn’t notice). They have more than Elvis records, of course. This was the first rack I saw when I walked into the place.
That’s a bunch of limited edition CDs that feature sleeves and artwork that reproduce the album artwork. I snagged a copy of Iggy Pop‘s New Values from this rack.
Back to the Elvis stuff, however. Like I wrote above, it’s all over the place. Apart from what you see above that CD rack, this below is just a small sampling.
They had seemingly every televised or recorded live performance Presley ever released (and some might’ve been bootlegs). The owners are obviously massive fans and if they didn’t have the Elvis record you wanted, it probably doesn’t exist.
They have over vinyl there, of course. Here’s a small sample of their wares.
I had a fun conversation with the clerk who rang up my Iggy Pop CD. He asked, in French, if I wanted it gift wrapped. He finally understood that I didn’t speak French well. He asked if I were English (a common occurrence on the trip) and I told him, in French, that I was American and my French wasn’t good.
“That explains why you looked at me like I was the devil when I spoke French,” he said. He looked at the CD and said, “Iggy Pop…He is the devil.” and then told me about how he used to work at a Virgin Records mega-store in London a few years ago. Pop was doing a signing there and he was seated next to him when a woman came up to Pop and asked him if his (unknown to her) newest record was his first. The look on Pop’s face of disbelief was priceless and he simply said, “No, it’s not my first record.” He signed the album and then said, “That stupid bitch.” to the clerk as she walked away.
Keep your mind open.
Yes, that’s a “Star Wars” Porg picture disk 12″ single.
Located at 53 Rue Notre Dame du Nazareth, Paris’ Superfly Recordsis the place to go in the City of Lights if you are looking for Afrobeat, jazz, Latin, soul, blues, and rare R&B.
The place is a vinyl lover’s dream. It’s full of rare and vintage reggae, bossa nova, soul, jazz, funk, and just plain weird stuff. The people who run the place obviously know their stuff and stock a lot of choice cuts.
That album above is a great example. It’s a rare LP from N’Draman Blintch called Cosmic Sound – a crazy, wild Afro-funk album about nuclear war, the return of Jesus Christ, and the general end of the world. I might have snagged it if I didn’t have to pack it for the trip back to the U.S. and worry about it breaking.
This is a can’t-miss wrecka stow if you visit Paris. You’ll find at least one thing you’ve never heard of before there.
Located at 26 Rue du Chateau d’Eau, Paris’ Smallville Records is indeed a small place, but it’s a good stop for lovers of vinyl records if you’re visiting the city. Vinyl is far more popular than CD’s in Paris, it seems, and Smallville has plenty of records to spare.
It’s mostly modern artists, but you can find some good electronica, hip hop, and European rock there. The record at the top left of the second photo is Zombie Zombie‘s Livity, which I highly recommend.
You can listen before you buy, and their turntable covers clearly show how much they love vinyl.
Located in the New Orleans’ famous French Quarter (907 Bourbon Street), Skully’z Recordzis one of those wrecka stows you could miss if you weren’t paying attention or stumbling around drunk, but is a music lover’s oasis from the Louisiana heat and / or intoxicated revelers.
It’s a small store, just one room, but they pack a lot of great stuff in it.
The Flaming Lips, Chvrches, Janelle Monae, the Soft Moon, Thievery Corporation, Ghost, and Parquet Courts all on the same rack.
I grabbed that Ladytron live CD (2nd rack down, 2nd in from the left) right after snapping this photo.
That’s some choice vinyl in the first picture. That soundtrack to Akira alone would be worth a trip if I were a vinyl collector. How about those racks of CD’s? This place has a lot of obscure, alternative, rare, and essential albums for sale, both old and new artists share shelf space. The stuff for sale here is curated with knowledge of music history and emerging new bands that are making quality sounds.
They have a good collection of music DVDs, too, as seen above. My cousin was stunned to see that DVD of rare Devo footage and videos.
The CD racks above look like they’re in a bigger store, don’t they? Trust me, this place isn’t much bigger than a living room, but it doesn’t feel cramped and it’s well-maintained. It’s not dingy or overflowing with dusty record bins either.
There’s also a great section of local artists and legendary New Orleans artists, too. Trust me, you need to find this store if you’re in the French Quarter. I will visit it anytime I’m in the city. Among the gems I scored there were CDs by Captain Beefheart, Ladytron, Television, Electric Wizard, and Ennio Morricone. It’s probably a good thing I don’t live in New Orleans, because I’d be at Skully’z every couple weeks spending money.
Keep your mind open.
[Subscribe to learn about more cool wrecka stows.]
Located at 809 East 6th Street in Austin, Texas, Encore Records is heaven for lovers of metal, hip hop, rock, and horror. One of the best things about this store is that you’re often greeted by this chap as soon as you enter the place.
He gets a peanut butter snack when he greets customers.
The place is full of cool vinyl and plenty of obscure CDs.
So…much…vinyl.
So…many…CDs.
It’s a bit cavernous, which lends to the atmosphere if you a metal fan. They also have plenty of horror-themed T-shirts for sale, like this gem.
Yep, that’s a Tomb of the Blind Dead T-shirt hanging above a bunch of jazz records. How cool is that? Or this?
45’s!
You can wander around in this place for an hour before you realize the time has gone. I scored a copy of Pink Floyd‘s The Piper at the Gates of Dawn there. I held off on the Tomb of the Blind Dead shirt, but there’s always next year.
