Vinyl party, Alasdair and Intervision

by Chris Aaland

My first job on the grounds crew at Applewood Golf Club was merely a means to satisfy a vice that afflicts me to this day: my music fix. The net result of my first summer’s worth of labor was a Yamaha stereo that included an amplifier, equalizer, tuner, turntable, cassette deck and big-ass speakers. That and dozens of vinyl records and cassettes purchased from a host of used record stores in the West Denver suburbs.

Record stores were the libraries and classrooms where kids like me could escape their teen-age wastelands. Our teachers were guys who kicked out three chords and the truth in local blues and rock bands, loaded amps and gear at small music venues in exchange for tickets, and generally lived the lives we dreamed of. They politely showed us where the crummy Top 40 singles of the day were located, then lent us headphones to cue in on Frank Zappa, the Velvet Underground and Gram Parsons.

In 24 years since, I’ve spent thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours sifting through record bins. Sadly, in the last decade, the bulk of my shopping has happened online, where used CDs and rarities from around the world are just a click away. Other people simply pirate songs by downloading thousands of tracks.

The fact that dollars stay out of the pockets of the record companies doesn’t bother me. And if Michael Jackson or P-Diddy never sees another dime from their sales, they won’t land on skid row anytime soon. But the group that really suffers from the digital music revolution and online sales is your independent record store owners and employees.

This Saturday, hundreds of independent record stores will celebrate Record Store Day. Locally, it means everything will be on sale at Southwest Sound with lots of freebies. Nationally and internationally, it’s a grassroots effort spearheaded by the folks who have kept the music alive for decades and the artists who reap the fruits of their labor. Without record stores, where would the next generation of kids go to ask hippies, hipsters and burnouts about the merits of B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix and John Coltrane?

After three days of virtually nothing but bluegrass – and kudos to the Durango Bluegrass Meltdown on one of their finest festivals ever – you’ll have to look far and wide for banjos and mandolins this week.

Celtic takes center stage as master Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser appears with Julliard-trained cellist Natalie Haas at the Community Concert Hall at 7 p.m. on Sunday. Fraser has fiddled alongside the Chieftains, the Waterboys and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. Even if you know nothing of Celtic music, you’ve heard him in the background on films like “Titanic” and “The Last of the Mohicans.” Haas is also a member of Mark O’Connor’s Appalachian Waltz Trio.

Sunday also sees hip-hop superstars Akil (formerly of Jurassic 5) and Raashan Ahmad at the Abbey Theatre at 10 p.m. in a rare all-ages show. Akil, who was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, is credited with writing some of Jurassic 5’s best-known songs, including “Concrete School Yard,” “Quality Control” and “Thin Line.” As a producer, he’s worked with the likes of Ice-T, Meshell Ndegeocello and the
Pharcyde. Oakland-based rapper Ahamad is best known for his work with the Crown City Rockers, who play old school hip-hop with live instrumentation.

The Summit’s eclectic bill this week features the Good Neighbors and their blend of alternative rock and funk on Friday, Portland-based soul/R&B/pop outfit Intervision on Saturday, and reggae, funk, jazz and dub from Roots of Creation on Sunday.

Steamworks has its usual diversity of live music this week, with old school hip-hop by DJ Mowgli at 10:30 p.m. Thursday followed by tech and progressive house music by Benjamin K at 10:30 p.m. Friday. Steamworks also hosts a fund-raiser for the second annual Silverton Jamboree on Saturday with a silent auction from 6-9 p.m. and disco-funk-grass by Last to Know at 10:30 p.m. This year’s Jamboree, scheduled for June 13-15, features the Rev. Horton Heat, the Motet, Robert Bradley, Halden Wofford & the Hi-Beams, and Papa Grows Funk, among others.

The Abbey Theatre hosts an autism awareness fund-raiser at 7 p.m. tonight (Thursday). The event was organized by Amy and Michael McCardell, local parents of an autistic child. “Autism Yesterday” was produced by Generation Rescue, a group the McCardells credit with helping their son recover from autism. This 30-minute documentary shares the stories of five families who have recovered, or are recovering, their children using biomedical interventions.

In honor of Record Store Day, here are my 10 favorite independent record stores:

1) Amoeba Records, San Francisco. Not only do they have the greatest selection of music I’ve ever seen, they just released two shows’ worth of Gram Parsons and the Flying Burrito Brothers from 1969. If the industry can’t put out great music, unearth your own!

2) Twist & Shout, Denver. Vinyl still lives there, as do death metal T-shirts and Kiss lunchboxes.

3) PDQ, Tucson. Almost as good as Cactus League spring training games.

4) Southwest Sound, Durango. Hats off to the work that owner Robert Stapleton and his predecessor, Hal McLean, have done to reflect local interest in bluegrass, blues, folk and alt-country.

5) JB&H Records, Lakewood. Where I learned about imports, bootlegs and vintage posters. I cried when they shut their doors, but only after spending $500 on clearance items.

6) Zia Records, Tucson. A small chain of used CD shops to offer a diversion from PDQ.

7) Blue Sky Music, Montrose. My buddy (and Blue Sky owner) Dave Bowman has his finger on the pulse of all musical activities in the North San Juans.

8) Bart’s CD Cellar, Boulder. One of my biggest regrets is missing an in-store performance at Bart’s by Ricky Skaggs, Sam Bush and David Grisman during RockyGrass nearly 10 years ago.

9) Albums on the Hill, Boulder. Great collections of bluegrass and folk.

10) The Record Man, Durango. My dear friend (and former Record Man owner) Mike Sheehan arranged for an in-store meet-and-greet with Robert Earl Keen, catered by the late, great Taco Delight. •

Ever wonder could there somewhere be another lonely man like me? E-mail me at chrisa@gobrainstorm.net.

by Chris Aaland

y first job on the grounds crew at Applewood Golf Club was merely a means to satisfy a vice that afflicts me to this day: my music fix. The net result of my first summer’s worth of labor was a Yamaha stereo that included an amplifier, equalizer, tuner, turntable, cassette deck and big-ass speakers. That and dozens of vinyl records and cassettes purchased from a host of used record stores in the West Denver suburbs.

This Saturday, hundreds of independent record stores will celebrate Record Store Day. Locally, it means everything will be on sale at Southwest Sound with lots of freebies. Nationally and internationally, it’s a grassroots effort spearheaded by the folks who have kept the music alive for decades and the artists who reap the fruits of their labor. Without record stores, where would the next generation of kids go to ask hippies, hipsters and burnouts about the merits of B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix and John Coltrane?

Celtic takes center stage as master Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser appears with Julliard-trained cellist Natalie Haas at the Community Concert Hall at 7 p.m. on Sunday. Fraser has fiddled alongside the Chieftains, the Waterboys and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. Even if you know nothing of Celtic music, you’ve heard him in the background on films like “Titanic” and “The Last of the Mohicans.” Haas is also a member of Mark O’Connor’s Appalachian Waltz Trio.

Sunday also sees hip-hop superstars Akil (formerly of Jurassic 5) and Raashan Ahmad at the Abbey Theatre at 10 p.m. in a rare all-ages show. Akil, who was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, is credited with writing some of Jurassic 5’s best-known songs, including “Concrete School Yard,” “Quality Control” and “Thin Line.” As a producer, he’s worked with the likes of Ice-T, Meshell Ndegeocello and the Pharcyde. Oakland-based rapper Ahamad is best known for his work with the Crown City Rockers, who play old school hip-hop with live instrumentation.

The Summit’s eclectic bill this week features the Good Neighbors and their blend of alternative rock and funk on Friday, Portland-based soul/R&B/pop outfit Intervision on Saturday, and reggae, funk, jazz and dub from Roots of Creation on Sunday.

Steamworks has its usual diversity of live music this week, with old school hip-hop by DJ Mowgli at 10:30 p.m. Thursday followed by tech and progressive house music by Benjamin K at 10:30 p.m. Friday. Steamworks also hosts a fund-raiser for the second annual Silverton Jamboree on Saturday with a silent auction from 6-9 p.m. and disco-funk-grass by Last to Know at 10:30 p.m. This year’s Jamboree, scheduled for June 13-15, features the Rev. Horton Heat, the Motet, Robert Bradley, Halden Wofford & the Hi-Beams, and Papa Grows Funk, among others.

The Abbey Theatre hosts an autism awareness fund-raiser at 7 p.m. tonight (Thursday). The event was organized by Amy and Michael McCardell, local parents of an autistic child. “Autism Yesterday” was produced by Generation Rescue, a group the McCardells credit with helping their son recover from autism. This 30-minute documentary shares the stories of five families who have recovered, or are recovering, their children using biomedical interventions.

In honor of Record Store Day, here are my 10 favorite independent record stores: