“My girlfriend was gone for the weekend and I was bored,” Reef Coleman laughed. “That’s what started this.”

Hey, check this out:

Vinyl Record Trick Shots – Watch More Funny Videos

More info at Huffington Post.

Winner summary: Adele, Adele, Adele, Adele, Adele, Adele

I’m a cynic when it comes to award shows like the Grammys, but I thought that this year’s outing wasn’t as bad as it has been in the past (I didn’t catch the whole show though).

• I’ve loved Bon Iver since For Emma… came out in 2008. I didn’t know until tonight that you can be nominated for “Best New Artist” as long as you haven’t been nominated for a Grammy before. So it was cool that Bon Iver won. I love his/their current self-titled album (but I still prefer For Emma…).
• It was cool to see the living Beach Boys back together (I don’t count the only-one-original-member (Mike Love) version of the Beach Boys as truly being the Beach Boys). They sounded pretty good on “Good Vibrations” and I’m glad they’re taking the act on the road withBrian Wilson.
• The final Paul McCartneyAbbey Road medley jam was pretty cool. Some people were criticizing the old guys jamming it out on guitar at the end, and while none of them were exactly shredding, I thought it was pretty cool. The drummer looked like he was having fun and he was killing it.
• Adele. You may have heard her once or twice this year and you saw a lot of her tonight. While I’ve grown a little tired of the 21 songs after so much exposure this year, you’ve got to give her credit for making a great album and being a great singer. And it’s great that a good album and artist won Album of the Year.

There were other good moments too. Of course I rolled my eyes at some moments, but overall, I give the show an 8/10.

A little something different for this site… a silly comic that I sketched when I shoulda been doing more important work! “The Eighties Rocker Hair Lifecycle”. Click the image for a larger version. Enjoy!

Nirvana Nevermind was originally released on September 24, 1991. There’s not much more to say about this album that hasn’t already been said… to say that the record exploded and had a huge influence on music would be a huge understatement.

A new Nirvana Nevermind 4LP Vinyl set is coming out on September 27, 2011 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of this ground-breaking record.

wax.fm is running a contest to give away a copy of this awesome new release of the ground-breaking record!

To enter you need to write a short message describing when you first heard Nevermind. Share your feelings or a story. The message needs to be 113 characters or less and additionally must include the link http://wax.fm/nn20 (which simply points to this contest page, the link does not count against your 113 characters). Enter via Twitter or Facebook.

To Enter Via Twitter

Include both @wax_fm (so I’ll see it) and the link http://wax.fm/nn20 in a Tweet.
An example qualifying Tweet entry:

@wax_fm http://wax.fm/nn20 I drove into a ditch when I 1st heard ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. I was 17 & driving my dad’s brand new Mustang.

To Enter Via Facebook

Write on the wall of http://www.facebook.com/waxfm (I think you’ll have to “like” wax.fm first, but I’m sure that you already do! ) and include the link http://wax.fm/nn20.

An example qualifying Facebook wall post:

http://wax.fm/nn20 My sis gave me a cassette copy when I was 12. I listened to it 4 times in row then went & bought my 1st guitar

That’s it!

• Entries must be posted by 11:59PM CDT on September 24, 2011
• Winner will be announced September 27, 2011.

Good luck!

Check out Nevermind at wax.fm (and see a video me spinning a white vinyl version of the album!): Nirvana Nevermind on Vinyl

Happy Labor Day to all U.S. citizens (to non-U.S. citizens: happy September 5th!)

I just posted a Featured Vinyl Video – Beatles Revolver. Revolver is probably my favorite album ever! The video shows an original Parlophone U.K. release of the album and a late 1970′s Capitol U.S. pressing of the record. The Capitol release is taken for a quick spin on the turntable.

Enjoy your BBQ’s, parades or whatever you’re doing this fine Labor Day… and then settle in at home and drop the needle on your copy of Revolver… enjoy George Harrison’s vitriol towards the Taxman and the rest of this pop and psychedelic masterpiece.

Peace! Check it:

The Beatles Revlover on vinyl

Lenny Kravitz is releasing a new record with four separate parts intended to be listened to as a whole (four sides of the double album). Whether you like him or not, I think you’ll like what he had to say about the lost art of the album (from http://newyork.ibtimes.com/):

Kravitz hopes that the Vinyl will encourage more people to buy record players; the shift from records to CD’s and MP3′s is one that the singer begrudges. “An album used to be a thing — just like a piece of art, a sculpture, a painting — and it’s just sad to me that that’s gone, because when I’m working on an album I’m working on an entire body of work and it matters how it all sounds together,” Kravitz said. According to Kravitz, when an album is released people take it apart in such a way that it can end up having nothing to do with what the artist intended for the album as a whole. He also complains that the music quality gets smashed down on versions for the iPod, which he said are only good to run around with.

Until the new record comes out, as always, you can find …

Lenny Kravitz’s older vinyl records right here!

I’ve always loved this Peanuts with Schroeder and Lucy (don’t know where I found this image, but you can find more copies here )

A real record store is always the best cure, but buying records on Ebay is always a decent substitute when I’m feeling low… plus I love the renewed gratification when those 13″x13″ boxes show up in a few days!

So you should go: Buy Records at Ebay!

Clean records sound better and last longer!

I saw some folks using the DISCWASHER D4+ Record Cleaner to clean some records and it was clear to me that they were not quite using it correctly, so I made this video to show how to use the record cleaner:

In a nutshell:

1. Clean the Discwasher with the little red brush
2. Put the record on the turntable and get it spinning
3. Apply 3-4 solid drops of the D4 Fluid on the leading edge of the Discwasher (the arrow on the side of the Discwasher points to the leading edge).
4. Gently place the wet edge of the Discwasher onto the spinning record for at least three turns of the record
5. Slowly turn the brush to an upright position to collect the dust and grime and start to dry the record. Leave it there for a few spins of the record
6. Continue turning the brush so that it angles in the opposite direction that was in when the cleaning started. Leave the brush in this position until the record is dry.
7. Remove the Discwasher from the record and clean off the brush with the small provided brush.

Your record should be clean and ready to play. Feel free to repeat the above steps for extra-dirty records. Happy record spinning!

Note, I’m not sure that I made it clear in the video that you do not want the needle on the record when cleaning with the Discwasher (I hit the “up” button on my turntable so that it did not drop onto the record).

Remember: clean records sound better and last longer!

Discwasher D4+ Record Cleaning System

Live music is one of the best parts of Record Store Day

One of my favorite parts of RSD is all of the live music in-store performances. Lots of big names came out to play shows at various record stores around the world today. One not-so-big (yet) musical act that I saw was students from the School of Rock of Chicago performing the songs of Nirvana at Record Breakers. Check these video snippets of them rocking out (you’ll hear Heart-Shaped Box, Rape Me, In Bloom and School):

Pretty damn good, I’d say (the iPhone video/audio doesn’t really do them justice ). Good to see that these kids (who probably weren’t even born when Kurt died) are into Nirvana!

The youngsters of School of Rock rock out Nirvana as Record Store Day attendees look on with smiles.

The primary ingredient in the makeup of a vinyl record is petroleum. How many records could have been made from all of the oil in the gulf?

Well, 90.1 million gallons of oil spilled into the gulf as of June 11, according to CNN.

Let’s assume a typical 12″ record is made up primarily of oil and is 120g or approximately 0.26 pounds (there are other filler ingredients in the vinyl, but let’s say that the whole thing is made up of oil).

Crude oil weighs about 307 pounds per barrel. There are 42 gallons per barrel, making crude oil about 7.3 pounds / gallon.

7.3 pounds per gallon of oil / 0.26 pounds of oil per record = 28 records/gallon.

90.1 million gallons of oil (as of June 11) X 28 records per gallon = 2.5 billion records!

Whooaaaa!

If records stacked upon each other are 16 records per inch, that would be a stack 13 million feet high! The Sears Tower is 1707 feet high including the spires, meaning you could make 7,695 stacks of records the height of the Sears Tower! (BTW, I refuse to call the Sears Tower the Willis Tower unless they acknowledge that the Willis that they speak of is Chicago’s very own Wesley Willis! )

2.5 Billion records would make over 7000 stacks the height of the Sears Tower!

Whooooaaa!

The circumference of the earth is 24,901.55 miles. If we placed 2.5 billion 12″ records placed end to end, that would be about 475,000 miles, or enough to circle the earth over 19 times!

One of 19 strings of 12" records spanning the circumference of the earth!

Whoooooaaaa!

I’ve got no estimates on how many double rainbows that those 2.5 billion records could span

Obviously is this totally un-scientific and just for fun, but if anyone has any updated data to make this more accurate, I’m sure that the world would want to know, so let me know!

Check out this fantastically bizarre “Data Too Short” production … Record Store in Space (A True Story). Stick with it. You’ll confusingly like it.

A very special role for Genesis – The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway!

Watched Zappa host SNL in Season 4 last nite. Enjoyed this little clip where the Coneheads enjoy his “Compressed Petroleum Binding Polymers”:

Transcript

Prymaat: [holds a vinyl copy of Zappa's record album, Studio Tan] Connie has many of these discs which are gifts from this human.

Beldar: [takes the album, holds it up, impressed] You? Produce these?

Frank Zappa: Yes, this is a collection – an unauthorized collection – of my latest sound patterns.

Beldar: I, Beldar, approve. Au revoir.

[Arm in arm, Zappa and Connie head for the front door.]

Prymaat: Return at the pre-designated time coordinates!

Connie: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Frank Zappa: Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Conehead!

[Zappa and Connie exit. Beldar and Prymaat inspect the album.]

Beldar: Mmmmm. [Beldar rips open the cardboard jacket and removes the vinyl record] What fine compressed petroleum binding polymers!

[Prymaat and Beldar each take a couple of bites out of the record and chew the crunchy vinyl noisily.]

This Thursday, there was a good story on NPR’s All Things Considered about Jack White and his Third Man Records.

Listen here: Jack White’s Record Label: Old Sounds, New Tricks (NPR’s All Things Considers)

Third Man Record’s motto: “Your turntable’s not dead” (adapted from the motto of his old company, Third Man Upholstery, “You couch is not dead”).

Here a cool quote from Jack:

Vinyl is real deal. I’ve always felt that until you buy the vinyl record, you just don’t own the album … It’s not just me, it’s not just a little pet thing, it’s not just some retro romantic thing from the past. It’s still alive.

Another motto of the label: “Digital where necessary. Tangible where possible.”

Third Man Records has a small performance venue and all shows played there are recorded to eight track and pressed on limited edition colored vinyl available only to the audience from the particular show. How cool is that?

Listen to the story: Jack White’s Record Label: Old Sounds, New Tricks (NPR’s All Things Considers)

When I was out and about for Record Store Day two weeks ago, I ran into John Boston of Whiskey Bender Productions and his cameraman at three different record stores. They were taking some final shots for their upcoming 30 minute documentary on Chicago, record stores and the resurgence of vinyl. The trailer has snippets of interviews with record store owners and Sound Opinions‘ Jim Derogatis and Greg Kot.

Check it:

A trailer for “Re-Vinylized”, a 30-minute documentary about independent record stores in Chicago. The film celebrates the culture of independent record stores while examining the effects of downloading and the recent resurgence of vinyl record sales. “Re-Vinylized” was produced by Ryan Howard, shot by Carlos Ginard & Greg Cozzi and directed & edited by John Boston for Whiskey Bender Productions and Flashpoint Academy. Visit www.whiskeybender.com for more info about the film.

My better half and I visited 11 Chicagoland stores for Record Store Day 2010. Here’s a quick video of me outside each store and 3 quick in-store performances:

Friendly worker at Second Hand Tunes in Evanston

The World-Famous Vintage Vinyl

Dealing on the Street Outside Vintage Vinyl

Digging for treasures outside of Vintage Vinyl

Reckless on Broadway

Dave's (Solomente Vinyl!)

Reckless on Milwaukee

Me!

Luck of Eden Hall at Vintage Vinyl

Digging at Laurie's Planet of Sound

Visitors from Memphis outside of Groovin' High

Two couples feeling the love on Record Store Day!

I picked up the Superchunk signed picture disc as well as a couple cheap used LPs and an “I Buy Vinyl” T-Shirt.

Overall, it seemed like the busiest Record Store Day yet. Most places were packed (to the point that it was hard to look for records!), especially stores with bands playing. Good times! I had at least five more places to visit on my list, but I got wore out and had to hang it up for the day. Next year I’ll have to do some pre-RSD conditioning to improve my endurance!

Check out some more Chicago RSD: Gapers Block RSD Coverage and at the wax.fm Facebook page

Now go out there and let’s make every day Record Store Day!

I don’t know how I missed this one, but tipped off by Future of Vinyl, I saw this intro video by Paolo Campana who is making a documentary about vinyl. This guy is very serious about his music and records!

The Vinylmania Film website describes the film:

Vinylmania is a journey about life through the grooves of music, an investigation of the filmmaker about vinyl as a symbol that represents – in the past, the present and the future – a passion shared by different generations in the age of the internet. The film is a 75 minute documentary about the search for an identity, one cry against the “fast-food” music.

Walking down the staircase into the dingiest, dustiest and most hidden-away record shops, we travel through the fascination of the qualities that make vinyl a legendary object. Dancing in the clubs where the groove of vinyl beats out its rhythm with djs, we discover contemporary artists that make music with vinyl or still release their music on it, and interact with people via a dedicated blog and social networks.

Exploring the five senses of vinyl, the movie approaches with an ironical and anthropological eye one of the most amazing collective researches, together with archive film footage that looks at vinyl as a cultural phenomenon.

With a chorus of musicians, artists, djs, collectors, experts and simple music lovers and teenagers, we discover an object that today represents a huge part of human heritage.

They’ve already got a ton of great footage and photos on the website from his visits to Prague, Berlin, Turin, London, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco (I wish I would’ve caught up with him while he was in the U.S.!).

Follow him around the world on Twitter and Facebook.

A new documentary by Jony Lyle for Goosepimple Productions is coming soon. The 8 minute preview has lots of good stuff in it including interviews Chuck D, Questlove, Danny Krivit, Bruce ‘Bluenote’ Ludval and others set among each of their massive record collections. Check it out:

To Have & To Hold – Taster Tape from Jony Lyle on Vimeo.

Check out ‘To Have and To Hold’ on Facebook

I was wandering YouTube when I stumbled upon this video from a little over a year ago where 2TurntablesAndAGuy received 20 or more crates (for FREE!) of records from a guy who was moving and couldn’t bring them with him. It reminded me of going through the giant motherload of two pallets of crates that I picked up a few years ago. I love that feeling you get before you go through them … not knowing what you’ve got.

Anyway, it’s nice to know that there’s still some kindness and good folks in the world. Here’s the video:

Also check out 2TurntablesAndAGuy ‘s other videos including crate digging and DJ tutoring.

I saw the following quote in this post attributed to KT Tunstall:

“Independent record stores are like a casino where you put down your money and you always win. How amazing to discover gems you didn’t know about, to meet someone more passionate than you are, and to feel at home in a place you may never have been to before. I’m convinced they will never lose their place – Long may they rule”

Love that.

I Googled a bit and found a ton more great quotes from artists about record stores on the Record Store Day site: Record Store Day Artist Quotes.

I love this nuggest sandwiched in Jack White‘s quote:

“I trust no one who hasn’t time for music.”

Amen!

Don’t forget to mark your calendar, Record Store Day is Saturday April 17th this year!

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have the records that I am looking through to be organized. If something’s blatantly out of place, I try to help out the store & fellow record scavengers. I put it where it belongs. Here’s me putting a Prince record in the right place:

So be a pal to your fellow record buyers and store owners and keep the stacks in order when hunting for vinyl.