absolutely love this newsletter concept, god speed on your journey! i've been doing the same thing personally here in the states, particularly California where I reside and have been keeping a running list of the Los Angeles ones in general. So wild how many there are and excited to here some great recommendations as I'll be in London for 11 hours in August and def want to hit up one or two.
the first real record shop i remember was called Backside Records in Burbank, CA where I grew up. The store doesn't exist anymore, but i remember going to one in-store performance for RUFIO, which was a pop-punk band. Kids were moshing and crowd surfing up the ceiling lights. it was amazing. Amoeba Records in Hollywood is probably the most well-known shop in LA and it is incredible, but really, it's about the smaller mom-and-pop shops here that stand out.
First record I bought with my own money? Pat Benatar, "Fire and Ice" b/w "Hard to Believe," 1981. I was in fifth grade and $1.75 felt like a lot of money. The store was Barney's Records in Davis, California, which filled the high-ceilinged first floor of a former bank. The building is still there but the store is long gone. But if you make it to Davis, a college town, be sure to check out Armadillo Music, just a block from where Barney's used to be.
I bet that record got played A LOT, like everyone's first single does! Barney's sounds great, and I love the fact you can even remember how much it cost back in '81...
The main photo is one of my locals! Tomorrow Records in Portland, Oregon. I am grateful to live in a city with many indie record stores. At last count, there were at least two dozen, but there may be more. I regularly frequent 7-8 of them. I rarely use Discogs and when I do it's only because I have exhausted my search (often spending years looking for it), I really want the LP or I found it for a decent price.
absolutely love this newsletter concept, god speed on your journey! i've been doing the same thing personally here in the states, particularly California where I reside and have been keeping a running list of the Los Angeles ones in general. So wild how many there are and excited to here some great recommendations as I'll be in London for 11 hours in August and def want to hit up one or two.
the first real record shop i remember was called Backside Records in Burbank, CA where I grew up. The store doesn't exist anymore, but i remember going to one in-store performance for RUFIO, which was a pop-punk band. Kids were moshing and crowd surfing up the ceiling lights. it was amazing. Amoeba Records in Hollywood is probably the most well-known shop in LA and it is incredible, but really, it's about the smaller mom-and-pop shops here that stand out.
First record I bought with my own money? Pat Benatar, "Fire and Ice" b/w "Hard to Believe," 1981. I was in fifth grade and $1.75 felt like a lot of money. The store was Barney's Records in Davis, California, which filled the high-ceilinged first floor of a former bank. The building is still there but the store is long gone. But if you make it to Davis, a college town, be sure to check out Armadillo Music, just a block from where Barney's used to be.
I bet that record got played A LOT, like everyone's first single does! Barney's sounds great, and I love the fact you can even remember how much it cost back in '81...
Indeed, Portland's got quite a few of these mystical portals!
The main photo is one of my locals! Tomorrow Records in Portland, Oregon. I am grateful to live in a city with many indie record stores. At last count, there were at least two dozen, but there may be more. I regularly frequent 7-8 of them. I rarely use Discogs and when I do it's only because I have exhausted my search (often spending years looking for it), I really want the LP or I found it for a decent price.
Tomorrow Records looks like the kind of place you could spend a lot of time in... while getting your tyres fitted over the road ;-)
Glad to hear the indie store count is into double digits in Portland!