Monday, November 12, 2007

Support Your Local Record Store

If there's one thing that unites the WDR crew besides our love of hard-core, barely legal pornography*, it's our shared musical taste (as for the pornography, let's just say it's that weird stuff that you have to get through the mail in brown paper bags). Much time has been spent discussing the relative merits of latter-period Pearl Jam, the mind-expandingly awesome nature of The Flaming Lips, or just how freakin' awesome that one(International) Noise Conspiracy concert was. So I'm sure they will be with me in spirit as I write this.


I spent the last weekend searching for a copy of the brand new Sigur Rós album, because I need a small rectangular box that conveniently shows just how pretentious I can be (and at the same time, how much of a pussy I am). I mean, we're talking about a fake album (it's two EPs put together), from a band that sings in a fake language a lot of the time. However, the big-box retailers all failed to have this album in stock. But you know, I totally could've gotten a sweet deal on a karaoke mic. Though strangely enough, Best Buy all of a sudden had 3 copies of the Airbag: How Am I Driving EP, after being totally absent from the shelves for years. But since they're too late, fuck 'em.


Eventually I rectified the situation and hit up the local record store establishment and found myself a copy (though at a price that more than a few would balk at paying). I then got into a discussion with the clerk about other post-rock bands and other bands on the Icelandic music scene. On top of that, I got my hands on a Guided By Voices album that is currently burning up my iTunes. It's this kind of personal touch that you have to love--the entire WDR crew is friends with the owners of Harvest Music, and as such not only have become good friends, but also get some pretty sweet deals for being regular customers.

Thank God Oregon has a passion for independent businesses, so we have more than our share. So make sure you stop by tomorrow, and do something like pick up the latest Hives record. Good times.

*Not true at all.

3 comments:

Mr. Zhuang said...

It's been much too long since my last trip to Harvest. I will definitely hit it up when winter break comes around, if not before that.

As for the pornography, speak for yourself. I'm with Neil. I don't care if it creeps out the rest of the band!

Anonymous said...

Walla Walla has an independent music store called Hot Poop. I haven't purchased anything there, but I have a couple of friends who have...one time, the guy who owned the place stayed past closing to look for a CD my friend wanted, and then called her once he found it and opened up the store for her. Another friend of mine was waiting for weeks for the new Ben Lee album to come in, and when he finally got it, the owner gave him a discount for "patience and good taste."

So yeah. Indie stores are awesome.

Nic Ouzo said...

Hot Poop?