[kj] More bitching

[LONESTYLE at aol.com]

Yes, and he was a walking and talking encyclopedia of music  knowledge.  
Really? Scruffy the Cat? How funny! For when we were little  punks we used to 
make fun of that name for there was a cat in my neighborhood  who we called 
Scruffy for he looked to the curb. HA! And we would see their  albums all 
the time at Rhino records. :)
 
~ LB
 
 
In a message dated 9/30/2010 11:54:02 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
gregslawson at msn.com writes:

Byron  Coley was one of the originators of the Boston rock scene (I think 
by being  involved in Boston Rock magazine)! The early 80s were amazing, with 
bands like  the
Neighborhoods and Del Fuegos and Scruffy the Cat (who played at my  
wedding) playing every single night.

 
____________________________________
From: LONESTYLE at aol.com
Date: Thu, 30 Sep 2010 14:32:23 -0400
To:  gathering at misera.net
Subject: Re: [kj] More bitching

As kids we used  to bug the shit out of the guy (forget his name) at  
Second Time Around and the infamous music writer and extraordinaire Byron  Coley 
@ Rhino Records about if this band and that band and when is this coming  
in? Blah, blah, blah! Byron was good enough to call us at times to tell us  
what came in new and used and then hold it for us. Great times and  memories. 

:)

 
~ LB 
 
 
In a message dated 9/30/2010 2:58:08 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
paulwady at hotmail.com writes:

Worth  going in there just to chat to the staff, I tell you.    


Which is I think a major point you are hiding.  Cool environment.  People 
we can relate to in a certain way.  Have you seen pixx of  the posters/albums 
n things on the wall in the main Ladbroke Grove shop?  Woah!  That place is 
a shrine, a temple.  Folks go in to  bathe in its beauty.  Mick Jones tried 
to do that with his rock and  roll public library, a gigantic collection of 
ephemera he has hoarded over  decades.  Seen it twice.  Had my first proper 
chat with him the  second time, after all those Carbon Casinos I went to.  
Kind of to do  the same thing as above, be in a certain space.  


I really feel for your posting.  When I hit New York last year I  went 
roaming around Greenwich Village, kind of looking for the same there.  Found 
this awful shop in the end, full of teenage kiddies rock n roll  merchandise.  
But in the street outside there was a Delorean!  I  got pictures!!  Should 
have used it to go back to CBGB.  If you  visit London have a look at the 
Intrepid Fox in the centre of town, too.  





From:  gasw30 at hotmail.com
To: gathering at misera.net
Date: Thu, 30 Sep 2010  08:23:10 +0000
Subject: Re: [kj] More bitching

Back in my home town there is a small local record store that still seems 
to  be going strong. It manages to be mainstream yet also position itself to  
catch the main musical currents in the town (metal and alternative) but  
without scaring off the Easy Listeners and pop teens.

So it's got a  paradoxical specialist, yet broad, appeal. However, the 
store also sells  musical instruments. It also has a separate shop down the road 
selling only  musical instruments, and another store in our nearest city 
which also only  sells musical instruments.

Maybe this is how it has  survived.

Back in the mid/late 80s, when I were a lad, there was an  indie 
specialist. It lasted a few years through the gothic era and while  'alternative' 
actually meant something. But then it died and the owner went  to manage a 
mainstream national chain (remember Our Price anyone?), which  also subsequently 
disappeared. Yet the small local shop persists, having  even seen off Our 
Price. 

Hurray!

Rough Trade in London might  be a good case study. It opened in Notting 
Hill in the late 70s. It owned a  record label for a while but got rid of it. 
It is still going strong. It  runs a service The Album Club, "a premium music 
 recommendation service aimed at those people without the time or 
opportunity  to visit a store like  ours..."

http://www.roughtrade.com/site/about.lasso  







> Date: Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:46:36  +1300

> From: bq at soundgardener.co.nz

> To:  gathering at misera.net

> Subject: Re: [kj] More bitching

>  

> It's almost impossible competing with iTunes, Amazon etc, because  they

> have scale, distribution costs are far smaller with electronic  data, and

> there are no retail middle-men. They're giving most  consumers what they

> want...

> 

> The rest of us might  lament the demise of indie record stores, but

> honestly, how much  money would we throw their way per month if they were

> around?  Because you'd be a bit daft buying anything other than rarities /

>  imports from them when you can get large distribution releases cheaper  

at

> Wal Mart etc.

> 

> > Like both local television  stations and newspapers, record stores need 

to

> > rethink  themselves and once again appeal to[today's] people's local and

> >  immediate needs and tastes. 

> > How about a shop that sells  anything out there but specializes in the

> > local

> >  music/video/arts scene or some underserved niche, maybe even helping  

to

> > promote

> > local gigs, clubs, festivals,  etc.  If they can become locally 

relevant,

> > knowledgable  (become 'authority figures' or 'experts') and trustable to

> >  know,

> > provide, and be able to 'hook up' people's gig, tkt,  pre-order,

> > band-updates,

> > release dates and similar  needs, they'd become an unsubstitutable local

> > focal

>  > point and prized local resource. If they can get  industry-'insider'

> > access, and

> > even priviledges,  they'd have a place in people's lives again.

> >

> > It's  sort of what dj music stores provide now, and why some are valued

>  > (and some

> > more than others). Radio stations (Pirate radio,  Indie 100.3 in Los

> > Angeles, for

> > example) are  trying this to some extent. 

> >

> >  

>  > That all said, I am not saying record stores/mgm't. did it all wrong  

or

> > got

> > lazy; they didn't.  I loved them  stores and miss them lots. The only 

thing

> > they

> > got  wrong was how fast changes would come and how to stay abreast of it

>  > all

> > (that said, i'm sure the Much More Powerful Forces  still would've 

crippled

> > the

> > local music shops,  methinks). I think they still have a niche to fill, 

and

> >  I

> > think with the right mind and gameplan, they will come  back.

> >

> >  

> > How to make it all  profitable, fuck if I know, but I hope someone 

figures

> >  it

> > out.

> >

> >  

> > Question  to Gatherers:

> > how much of your music-knowledge/product needs  that you used to 

satisfy at

> > your

> > local record shop  do you now turn here to the Gathering (and Gatherers'

> >  associated websites) for?

> >

> >

> >

>  > ________________________________

> > From: Alexander Smith  <vassifer at earthlink.net>

> > To: A list about all things  Killing Joke (the band!)

> > <gathering at misera.net>

>  > Sent: Wed, September 29, 2010 4:23:23 AM

> > Subject: [kj]  More bitching

> >

> >

> > I think the sticking  point that really burns my toast this time around 

is

> >  that

> > time was when US release dates and UK release dates didn't  matter.

> > Invariably

> > the Brit edition would come out  first, and I could stroll down to any 

one

> > of

> >  several independent mom' n pop record/disc shops here in the great C 

of  NY

> > to

> > buy the imported version only days after its  UK release.

> >

> > Nowadays, with very little exception,  ALL THOSE INDEPENDENT DISC SHOPS 

ARE

> > GONE.

> > Sure,  there is a tiny clutch of them left, but they're struggling.

>  >

> > Both the culture and the very way we "consume" music has  changed so 

much

> > that

> > the old methods of obtaining  albums is completely outdated. Hell, 

albums

> > THEMSELVES are  completely outdated in many people's perceptions.

> >

> >  LAZY, SPOILED YOUNG PEOPLE & TECHNOLOGY RUIN EVERYTHING.

>  >

> > Alex in NYC

> >

> >

> >  _______________________________________________

> > Gathering  mailing list

> > Gathering at misera.net

> >  http://four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/gathering

> >

>  >

> >

> >  _______________________________________________

> > Gathering  mailing list

> > Gathering at misera.net

> >  http://four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/gathering

> >

>  

> 

> _______________________________________________

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