It’s time again! This one’s a good one, kids. Lots of great finds, including some cassettes, even though I do not collect cassettes. I don’t. I can’t. But some of those bands I love don’t release on any other medium, so I have to take what I can get.
What have you been picking up these days?
When you order a big box of goodies from K Records, it’s always fun to show everyone what you got. Enjoy!
By the way, friends, someone please tell me how to properly pronounce Lois Maffeo’s last name. I always assumed it was Mah-FAY-oh, but I’m thinking that’s probably wrong. Someone enlighten me! I love her work, and it seems absolutely crazy that I don’t know the proper way to pronounce her last name.
This morning, my alarm went off at 3:15 a.m. so I could be ready to leave the house at 4:30. We got off to a tiny bit of a late start, but arrived at Joe’s Albums in Worcester, MA around 6:30 and secured our spot in line. The doors opened at 8:00 a.m. sharp, and by 8:05, I’d already made my purchases and was headed out the door. I got everything I wanted, plus some. Couldn’t be happier with how RSD16 went down. Check out my trip and my recap below.
I love Quasi. Love them. In fact, I’m listening to “The Poisoned Well” as I write this. But for all my days of record collecting, and the many shops I’ve visited, I had never been able to find any Quasi vinyl in person. Only online. I was so flummoxed by the sheer absence of Quasi in stores that it became kind of a running joke, and then an obsession. Sure, I could buy any Quasi album I wanted online, but I refused. I wanted to find it “in the wild.” With every record store I visited, I’d wonder, Is this it? Will today be the day? But we remained ships in the night, me and Quasi vinyl…
…until Friday, March 25, when I stepped foot inside Rough Trade for the first time. And there, behind the Q divider, I pulled out a copy of Quasi’s “Mole City.” It was a moment of pure joy. Achievement. I may have even done a fist pump. I was sad that my partner in crime was not there to witness the moment, but my good friend Girl + Records was, and she documented the event for me. I finally found Quasi IN THE WILD. And now that I have, I’m free to spend unlimited amounts of money on Quasi from the interwebz! Kidding. But not really.
I talk about my Quasi find and many others in my new haul video below. Check it out and watch me wrangle my cat who insisted upon doing his best to knock my camera over.
And after you’ve watched my video, go listen to some Quasi. You won’t be sorry.
It’s been a mere six weeks since my last haul video, but I’ve gathered quite a few gems in that time. Not only have I been finding some fantastic things on the interwebz, but I visited two new record shops a few weekends ago and scored some of my best finds so far this year.
I’m not too sure why it’s taken me so long to visit the record shops in Florence, MA, considering the town is only a little over an hour away from me, and I’m in nearby Northampton quite often. I’d been meaning to check out Wild Mutation Records, but they announced early this year that they were closing up shop and moving to Philadelphia. I was a little bummed I never made it there because I’d heard good things about their punk selection, but I still wanted to stop off in Florence to check out Feeding Tube Records.
A few weeks back, I discovered that Feeding Tube had a record I really wanted to get, so I started to plan my trip for the weekend. In browsing through their Facebook page, I noticed that they recommended a new record shop (Electric Eye Records) that opened in the space once occupied by Wild Mutation. I checked out their page and saw a photo with three Bikini Kill records, and that’s when I knew I had to go there. The photo had been posted ten days earlier, so I wasn’t expecting those records to still be hanging around. But the shop had opened only three weeks ago, and my hope was that not enough people knew about it yet to grab all the good stuff.
Saturday I headed off bright and early, stopping first at Electric Eye Records. The shop was small, but stocked well. My partner in crime (hereafter referred to as PIC) pulled out a Kill Rock Stars compilation for me, and then found the three Bikini Kill records I was hoping would still be in the bins. Bikini Kill only put out three seven inches, all on Kill Rock Stars. They also had a seven inch with Team Dresch, but these were the only three that were just them. The covers were perfect, and the records were mint. I was floored. Plus they were exactly the right price. The owner, Andy, was a really nice guy. He gave me the KRS comp for free, which was pretty sweet. I know I’ll definitely be stopping in there again the next time I’m around Northampton.
Next up was Feeding Tube. I went in knowing that I wanted to pick up the three-LP YoYo a GoGo compilation, and a Dub Narcotic Sound System record with a guest performance by Miranda July. They have a nicely curated selection of records out in bins, and then they have their online inventory stored in the back. I cruised around and looked through the seven-inches, which were categorized by geographical area. The Northwest section was made just for me. I found a K Recs International Pop Underground single for Girl Trouble in pretty good condition. The owner pulled out the records I’d seen online, and I was thankful that the YoYo a GoGo comp had really clean, NM records, and a decent cover, with the exception of a little creasing along the bottom from being improperly stored at one point. He gave me an excellent deal on the comp, and I was so thrilled to have that in my hands. Live 1994 recordings of bands and artists like Excuse 17, Heavens to Betsy, Unwound, Karp, Team Dresch, Lois Maffeo, Beck, Halo Benders, Fitz of Depression, Neutral Milk Hotel, Mecca Normal, and so on. Killer, right?
Between that and the Bikini Kill records, it was definitely my best in-store finds of the year. Vinyl karma was on my side Saturday. Watch my haul video to see what else I’ve picked up over the past six weeks.
After a month of collecting some gems off the interwebz and a successful record shopping trip to Boston and Worcester, MA, I decided it was time for another record haul video. I scored some excellent Kill Rock Stars and Villa Villakula gems, and grabbed a few new items I’ve been wanting. So check it out!
I’m new to these videos, so let me know your thoughts. Am I speaking too slowly? Too quietly? Do I need a haircut? The answer is most definitely yes to that last question. But in all seriousness, I’m looking for some feedback. I’d like to grow this venture a little and try to reach some other women out there. Strength in numbers. I’d love to know what experiences my sisters in vinyl collecting have had, and I’d love for all of us to gain more visibility and recognition in the collecting world. Our voices and knowledge and collections deserve that. It isn’t just a boys’ club; obsessing over music and records is for everyone.
After spending many hours watching YouTube videos documenting record finds, I decided to make my own Vinyl Hysteria haul video. And what a perfect time to start, since it’s only a few weeks into 2016. Check out my first video below, and subscribe to keep up with all my latest vinyl acquisitions.
vinylhysteria.com 