My Vinyl Weekend

What a successful weekend it was! If one measures the success of a weekend by how many awesome records one buys. And everyone does, so, again, what a successful weekend it was!

What with finances being tight, I haven't wiled away as many hours searching for records as I might like these days. But on Saturday, my roommate and I took a walk down to Bedford Avenue and the first stop was naturally Academy Records. I love this place. It's 95% vinyl and 100% awesome. They even have an adorable cat!

Anyway, I wasn't planning to buy. That is, of course, unless I found Combat Rock, the only Clash LP I didn't yet have (Cut the Crap doesn't count as a real Clash LP). And I did find it. Along with the single for Rock the Casbah. And then I found Thriller, and I HAD to get that too! (I also found a HILARIOUS record that I can't post about just yet, but I will soon, promise). My roommate came away with a $4 big band-y Frank Sinatra record.

Monday, finding ourselves with another day off, my roommate and I headed down the block to The Vortex, a great junk/thrift store across from the Montrose L station (after egg sandwiches at our favorite cafe, natch). I was actually looking for a nightstand, but we ended up looking through the vinyl crates anyway. I was pumped to come across Black Market Clash, a B-sides and rarities LP. And I was THRILLED when I found Hunting High and Low, by A-Ha featuring, you guessed it, "Take on Me." AND THUS RETURNS THE DINOSAUR IN BROOKLYN TAKE ON ME PROMISE. Missed it, didn't you? To finish off the story of my great vinyl weekend, my roommate found a copy of Boston's self-titled (with "More Than a Feeling") that I informed her if she didn't buy, I would. And she did.

Ch-ch-ch-check it OUT:


Why yes, I did buy Rock the Casbah almost exclusively for that amazing cover.

Anyway, I spent way too much much money, but dancing with my roommate to "Take on Me" or sitting here now listening to "Straight to Hell," I am way too much happy. So it's worth it.

On a related note, Insound is having another Wharehouse sale coming up on October 23-24, in case you also want to stock up on some vinyl (or CD's or free beer). Here's the flier with details.

Law & Order: Hipster Intent

How do you know a trend is played? It's featured on Law & Order.

Turns out Jeff "The Genius" Goldblum's first episode as a CI regular is about the death of a Williamsburg hipster. Seriously. They actually use the word hipster in the episode description (titled "Rock Star," by the way).

Things I learned about my neighbors and neighborhood by watching Law & Order: CI (in real time):

• Hipsters are rich, white, and racist
• They live in loft communes
• Williamsburg is where "worlds collide," what with all the Jews and "Urban Blacks" and Musicians
• Williamsburg is a slum
• The difference between Rappers and MCs (see below!)
• Every hipster is in a band
• and has bedbugs
• and go to Spelling Bees? "Nostalgia and beer. Who can resist?" (ok, I have to give L&O that one, that actually sounds like real hipsters)
• It is extremely hard to get gigs as a hipster band
• Girls can drum
• No-name hipster bands magically have audiences
• Everyone wants to be a rock star (ok, that one's true too)
• JEFF GOLDBLUM PLAYS A MEAN PIANO (holla!)
• Hipsters kill to get spots in hip bands
• A girl who paints canvases with her own body fluids! (that sounds like a hipster too)
• Bed bug epidemic. ew.
• You have to be "ready" to play clubs in the East Village
• All 20-year old girls sleep around
• Developers are trying to push out the artists to build condos (true story!)
• OMG! that's Albert Hammond Jr's (and Medium Cool's) guitarist Marc Philippe Eskenazi! What's he doing on Law & Order? as the bassist?
  
• scarves and leather are totes in.
• "He's gonna be bigger than Brooklyn"
• Near McCarren Park is a "dangerous neighborhood"
• No one insults Bo Diddley and gets away with it! Irreverant kids!
• The Grammy's are irrellevant (true)
• Don't trust aging "rock stars." (oh, i get it....)
  

Also, how dare that redhead doubt Jeff "The Genius" Goldblum's brilliancy, even for a second!

Despite the ridiculous premise, JGold is AMAZING. Tivo it if you get a chance.

Here's a taste (courtesy of Videogum):

Goodbye Sound Fix

Bedford Avenue just got a little sadder.

According to Prefix, Williamsburg's Sound Fix Lounge is closing.

Granted I didn't go there often, in fact, the one show I saw there was Dave Lerner's post-Pharmacists project Spectacular Bird ( a little disapointing after being such a fan of his work wih Ted Leo, but "C'mon Katherine" is catchy). All shows were always all ages and free. The bar served cheap drinks, and even made chai teas in mason jars for my friends when asked. It was intimate and adorable and will be closing (apparently) because of neighbors complaining about noise. Neighbors suck.

Sound Fix the Record Store plans to remain open.