Rodriguez, oh Rodriguez. Perhaps you haven’t heard of internationally renowned, Detroit-native Sixto Rodriguez yet. Maybe you haven’t been given the opportunity to sample the fine, fine music that graces his amazing debut Cold Fact. You might not even know about how Large Professor and Nas sampled his classic hit “Sugarman” many years ago.
But you will. Light In The Attic is re-issuing his absolutely stellar 1970 debut Cold Fact (August 19th, save the date ’cause the lines going to be craaaaaaazy) and the world will soon know the magic that is Rodriguez. Drop down to the bottom of this post for a free download of “Sugarman”.
For now, be excited about this: for the first time ever, Rodriguez will play a live show in the United States of America. The man has been playing music for almost half a century, and now, for the first time ever, he’ll be playing, sunglasses and all, live in Montauk, New York (Long Island) this Saturday, the 26th of July.
That’s right, you East Coast folk are the luckiest people on Earth this weekend. Get your friends, scrounge up a little gas money, buy a six pack of road sodas and get to the Surf Lodge in Montauk, New York this Saturday for the first ever live appearance on American soil of RODRIGUEZ.
We’ve been excited about our soon-to-be-released brand spanking new reissue of Rodriguez’s Cold Fact for months now. Don’t you worry when this hot, hot piece of classic 60s psych-folk arrives on August 19th, you’ll be just as excited. Seriously, we’re three weeks out and two of the big mags, Mojo and Uncut are already showering this much deserved masterpiece with love.
We don’t want to gloat or anything, but, well, this is kind of a big deal …
I mean MOJO gave the album four stars, called it a “proto-rap classic” and placed the freely given away single “Sugarman” on their playlist for the week. Not bad right?
Well, Uncut (a brilliant little UK rag) also gave it four stars, referring to him as one of the “stars that fame forgot”. Both articles/reviews will be published in the forthcoming issues of MOJO and Uncut. Pick ‘em up at local convenience store along with three cans of malt liquor and pack of Newport Lights. Do it for Rodriguez.
Yeah, we know, you’re probably not from Britain, but, c’mon you’ve most likely heard of The Guardian, the British newspaper that is read by over 300,000 people in the UK alone and lord knows how many in this wide world of ours. If not, then it’s time to start caring, it’s time to start knowing what’s going on in this wide world of ours. Why?:
Because, Rodriguez, the man behind our absolutely amazing new reissue Cold Fact, has just received an feature in this famed newspaper.And you can read it right HERE.
It concisely, and quite eloquently, explores the fascinating rise, fall, and rebirth of the musical career of Rodriguez, interjecting amazing quotes from the man about his very own life.
Our favorite:
“I’m trying to stay in good shape here, because I’d like to get out and meet the people, and play them my songs. I’m not old – I’m ancient. But there’s only one age: either you’re alive or you’re not.”
Because, if so, we’ve got a bit of a break in plans for you. Our good man, and brand new, most-amazing of reissue artists, Sixto Rodriguez, will be hitting the blonde-headed soil of Sweden to play a show. And this, friends, isn’t just any show, it’s a show at Mosebacke Etablissement in Stockholm, Sweden, the oldest theater in all of Sweden. If the idea of Rodgriguez playing in a historical monument doesn’t shorten your pants a bit, then what about this: he’ll be backed by a full band, horns and strings, in an attempt to exactly replicate the sound of Cold Fact.
Rodriguez, playing the closest thing to a live version of one of the best reissues of the entire year, in a venue that’s hundreds and hundreds of years old. We’ve already booked our private jet for the weekend. You can come, but you can’t bring your friends.
Finally. The day has come when all of you, lucky lucky folk can be exposed to Rodriguez and his amazing reissued debut album Cold Fact. We’re not joking here, this is a classic, a hidden gem buried beneath the dust of time, and we’ve spent long hours unearthing it so the world can know of Rodriguez’s masterpiece. It’s part late-60s psych, part Dylan-folk, smattered with a touch of the Funk Brothers’ Motown horns. It features classics like the Nas-sampled “Sugar Man” and the brilliant folk piece “Crucify Your Mind”, and these are just the beginning. We are most certainly tooting our own horn because this is a reissue for the ages, a true timeless piece of music that is only now going to be able to be exposed to the legions of fan who deserve to be exposed to it.
Our good, good friends over at Aquarium Drunkard do a column called “Off the Record” every once in a while that combines there love of two things: travel and music. Each column features an artist discussing their, er, “places” in the world, the locales they call home and all the wonderful things that make these places special in the slightest. Well, Aquarium Drunkard asked us if we could do a column with Rodriguez where he reported on the various, sigh, “spots” in his hometown – the notorious Detroit, MI.
Here’s a sampling of what Rodriguez gave in response, and we promise you, the rest reads something similar:
“Stop in at 36th District Court. Be witness to the sociology there. The Courthouse sits next to Ford Field (NFL) and Comerica Park (MLB), reflected in the strobe lights of the Fox Theatre and Hockeytown Cafe (NHL). Once there, betwen Woodward and Griswold, pass by what is known as, Urine Street. The stench of it will almost knock a person down.”
Whoa.
As co-owner Matt Sullivan stated, “It’s like he wrote the lyrics to an entirely new album”.
For this week’s Record Store of the Week, we give you Other Music (New York, NY)! Other Music is an essential stop on any NYC trip (hey, it’s an essential stop online too!!) and a part of the daily routine for tons of New Yorkers. Their selection is stellar, the staff is knowledgeable and helpful and their in-stores are not to be missed. Co-owner Josh Madell was kind enough to take time from his busy schedule to have a chat.
So Josh, tell us some stuff about Other Music.
We are a NYC-based LP and CD shop, open since 1995 – we’ve been on East 4th Street in Manhattan for 15 years now! We also do mailorder and MP3 downloads.
Some Other Music alums have gone on to have success making records as opposed to selling them. I remember hearing that Animal Collective was one such case…any current employees making killer sounds?
Yeah Noah and Dave worked here, and we’ve had so many staff go on to successful careers as musicians, DJs, label jobs, fine arts – we’re a great temporary thing until you hit it big! And there are, of course, several talented musicians on staff right now.
In 2007, Other Music was one of the first independent record stores to create an online digital music store. How has that been going?
Though I can’t say that our download store completely takes up the slack from shrinking physical sales, it has been great for us, and we definitely feel like we need to have a foot in that world to stay relevant if we want to carry new music.
...yerTunezzz
What records are on heavy rotation in the store right now?
The Psychedelic AliensPsycho African Beat on Academy LPs is amazing. Alva Noto & Blixa Bargeld‘s new project ANBB has been spun a lot the last couple of weeks. And the Gonjasufi remix record has been in heavy rotation for awhile now. Dam-Funk‘s Adolescent Funk keeps popping up too – so fun!
Other Music is known for its awesome and well attended in-store shows. You’ve hosted so many bands/artists over the years, do you have a favorite?
That’s tough, we have had so many special shows. Tinariwen was pretty incredible. I was just reminiscing about the Elliot Smith/Softies show. The very first Digital Hardcore show in the States, when Alec Empire and Shizuo kept blowing our circuits. The Breeders was pretty crazy – in so many ways! Boredoms!!!! It goes on and on, I always forget all the great bands that have played our store. Bill Callahan on Record Store Day a few years back was really beautiful. Ya Ho Wa.
Dirty Projectors in-store. Photo by Mikey "IQ" Jones.
Tinariwen burning up Other Music - Photo by Tim Soter
Boredoms perform In-Store at Other Music. Photo by Tim Soter
Also, in the last few years, you’ve started filming select in-stores and streaming them for free on the Digital Music Store site. How did that come about?
Out of the blue I was approached by Natalie Johns of Dig For Fire, which is a music film production company, because she loved our in-stores, and within a month we had filmed Vampire Weekend, No Age and St. Vincent. Those films are really fun to make, because I sit down and interview all the artists, and the final product is a really intimate and special document of these tiny shows by some pretty big names. Natalie’s work is just beautiful, great sound, 3 or 4 HD cameras. But they can be quite expensive to produce because of that, so we’ve been taking a break from filming as we look for sponsors. Other Music and Dig For Fire also collaborate on a couple of big SXSW events every year, great big outdoor shows – this year our two days were headlined by Thurston Moore and The xx, with a ton of other great bands.
OK, shameless self-promotion time! What is your favorite Light In The Attic release…and why?
Oh there are so many, I often think Light In The Attic is making records just for our customers; SergeGainsbourg, Betty Davis, Rodriguez, Monks, Karen Dalton, The Free Design… the list goes on and on. All of those artists were huge sellers for us as expensive imports or even more expensive rare LPs. LITA is doing a public service making great albums available in great packages, for the whole world to hear!
Any funny/weird/strange encounters with customers over the years?
Um – all of them – have you ever met any record collectors? We get all types here, crazy collectors, industry types, all of our favorite musicians. We love them all!
How about celebrity musician sightings?
Yeah, we get all of them, and besides all the great musicians who shop at our store, it turns out a lot of actors have pretty adventurous taste in music too. But recently Laurie Anderson was performing in the shop, and she was having some trouble with her gear – all of a sudden Lou Reed slinks in in his sweatsuit straight from the gym. He couldn’t really help Laurie with her pedal, but he gave her some sort of pep talk. Lou’s love – inspirational! [ed. - OMFG!]
What are your thoughts on the record store scene in NYC right now.
It’s rough – the collector’s spots like Academy and A-1 seem to be holding up, but so many great shops are gone.
And lastly, Other Music has been around for some time, how do you see your role in the greater NYC music scene?
So many things have changed in New York in the 15 years since we opened, and as far as the music world goes, many changes are for the worse, but there is a great scene of young bands right now – we support each other I guess. They keep making great music, we’ll keep telling people about it!
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Other Music 15 East 4th Street NYC www.othermusic.com 212.477.8150
M-F 11-9
Sat 12-8
Sun 12-7
This week we give you Steady Sounds (Richmond, VA)–our Record Store of the Week! Steady Sounds may be the new kids on the block (though they don’t sell NKOTB!), but they have a damn fine store with lots of cool used LPs and tons of new must-haves. So, if you live in Virginia, drive on down and say “Hi!”. Tell ‘em LITA sent ya!
Tell us some stuff about Steady Sounds.
We’re an independent (I guess they all are these days) all vinyl record store in the heart of Richmond Va, we carry new and used records of all styles and genres. It was started by Myself (Marty) and my friend Drew back in September of this year.
Photo by Fill Bowne.
Tell us some stuff about Steady Sounds.
We’re an independent (I guess they all are these days) all vinyl record store in the heart of Richmond Va, we carry new and used records of all styles and genres. It was started by Myself and my friend Drew back in September of this year.
What kinds of folks frequent your store, and what sort of records do they typically buy?
We get all types. College students, locals young and old. We are selling lots of new records at the moment, mostly indie titles but we occasionally get the hardcore psych, jazz and soul collectors in looking for goodies.
Photo by Fill Bowne.
What record do you always find yourself listening to in the store?
What is your favorite Light in the Attic release and why?
I’m glad that the Rodriguez records were reissued, I love those records and they sound incredible. Plus the guy deserved a second chance.
Rodriguez - Cold Fact
Do you do instore performances? If so, who is your favorite band/artist that has played in your store?
Being that we are so new we haven’t had many instores. We had Jeff The Brotherhood and they were incredible as always. We’re having Fabulous Diamonds and Pigeons soon and some other down the road. We’ve also had a few art and photography openings in the store as well.
Jeff The Brotherhood live at Steady Sounds. Photo by Nicole Lang.
What’s the funniest/weirdest/strangest encounter you’ve had with a customer in the store?
All record stores have their fare share, but being new we haven’t built up to that level yet. We do have a local guy that comes in the store and we give him dollar records for free. The next day he usually tries to sell them back to us forgetting that we gave them to him.
What is the coolest/most prized record that has come into your store that you never thought you’d ever see?
I actually have’t found that “Holy Grail” yet at this store but we’ve gotten some interesting things in. I did find a minty copy of Milton Wright“Friends & Buddies” on the street a year ago on the way to see a movie with my wife. Talk about random.
What do you love most about working at a cool independent record shop?
I love the community aspect of it. It’s a great feeling when you can hook someone up with a recording they’ve always wanted, and that you can have a venue for local artists to sell their releases. It’s really cool that the record store has gone back to the Mom & Pop, a place where people can meet others and listen to some new music that they may have never been exposed to even in the age of the internet.
And lastly, how’s the scene out in Richmond? Do you carry any local artists?
The scene is pretty strong right now…there’s some cool labels and bands in RVA. I’ve been digging The Diamond Center lately. We’re also lucky to have some other great shops in the area, like Deep Groove and Vinyl Conflict. We all try our best to support the local scene and carry local vinyl.
Located some 2,500 miles from its namesake state, Mississippi Records (Portland, OR) manages to exist in an old-world cloud that floats around at 78 RPMs. Although they eschew modern conveniences like credit card machines and even cash registers, their taste and curatorial sense is very modern. Not only can you find albums by contemporary artists in the shop but just turn around and there are bins over flowing with rare folk, blues, rock, punk and all the rest. Don’t forget to check out their own releases on the Mississippi Records label, too. So saddle on up for this week’s Record Store of the Week: Mississippi Records!
Tell us some stuff about Mississippi Records.
We’re a small store in Portland that sells records, tapes, books & used stereo gear. We’ve been around for almost 8 years & haven’t evolved much in that time – no cash register or computer or credit card machine or answering machine or any advance business tools like that. Just inventory, a notebook & a calculator. We did recently get a cat.
The all too familiar "downward dig" pose.
Seems like the store’s / label’s motto is “Always…Love Over Gold” which is adorned above your doorway. Can you talk a bit about this…would you call it a philosophy?
Yeah – it’s a philosophy. I put that above the door to haunt whoever is working & whoever is shopping to making decisions based on more pressing things than finance – like asthetics & the golden rule & all that kind of thing.
it's a philosophy
And speaking of the Mississippi Records label, can you give us a brief history of it?
The first four releases (ed. – for a discography, check this link) had little to do with what came after – they were all friends projects or me & fellow label runer Alex Yusimov’s personal music projects (His being a pop LP under the name Duck Duck Grey Duck & mine being the Illegal Guardians cassette – my punk band with a 10 year old lead singer. Only 30 copies of that were made) After those two releases an audio zine about Police brutality in Portland & a memorial record for a much loved member of our community followed.
MR005 - Various: Last Kind Words 1926-1953
A year or so later me & my old friend Warren Hill decided to start putting together reissues of stuff we liked in very small pressings. Another old friend of mine Alex Yusimov got in on it & started adding more punk oriented records to the catalogue. We were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time as not alot of labels were doing LP reissues of the type of things we were into back then even though the demand was there.
Thanks to timing & our practice of keeping everything relatively cheap we managed to sell alot of records fast which gave us the freedom to crank out alot of product. We’ve released only what is inspiring to us with little regard to whether it is salable or not. Somehow we’ve managed to keep selling this weird stuff. I am thankfull for that everyday. We’ve released 78 records & are just getting started.
What kind of folks frequent your store, and what sort of records do they typically buy?
We get all kinds & they buy all kinds. We have every type of music except modern electric dance stuff & modern corporate shlock (But we do have some pre 1990′s corporate shlock despite my problems with it).
I can spot at least four records on the wall that I want.
What is your favorite Light in the Attic release and why?
It’s hard to choose between the RodriguezCold Fact(LITA 036) record & the Monks Black Monk Time(LITA 042)…..but when shit comes to shovel I got to go with the Monks. It was one of my favorite rock records for many years but only pretty shoddy bootlegs were available on LP for a long while that didn’t capture the true granduer of its sound.
When the Light in the Attic edition came into the store I ran not walked home with it & played it so loud the walls of my house shook. It sounded like a holy angels choir of truth shaking down babylon like a m**ther f***ker & I was so happy. It was like hearing it for the first time. Just a perfect record. (ed. WOW, we couldn’t agree more!)
OK, now for a ridiculous question. In mortal combat between Blind Lemon Jefferson and Blind Willie McTell, who would emerge as the victor?
I believe those two gentlemen would never resort to mortal combat but would rather work out there differences conversationally. They were both very eduacated men with calm angelic demeanors despite what you might read into their personalities based on the large amount of murder ballads & lines about beating women in their song repetoires.
Musically, I think Jefferson is the more strikingly original & revolutionary guitarist (His music freaks me out a little) & McTell is the more technically impressive. I’ll go with Jefferson even though I listen to McTell alot more. What the hell kind of question is this? (ed. – exactly…)
What is the coolest/most prized record has come into your store that you never thought you’d ever see?
I once bought a copy of Buffalo Springfield’s second record that my sister had scrawled her name all over 27 years ago. I remembered her doing it. The guy who brought it in bought it in New York which means it travelled from LA to New York to Portland to find me 27 years later. That tripped me out.
maybe that angel brought the record back??
What’s the funniest/weirdest/strangest encounter you’ve had with a customer in the store?
One time a lady came in & asked if we had any Gogie Grant LPs (Gogi was a middle of the road 1950s pop singer who had a hit called the Wayward Wind). I pulled out one & showed it to here & she said, “You know, I’m Gogie Grant” I held up the record next to her & she did indeed look like an older version of the face smiling at me from the cover. We small talked a bit about her career back in the day & she left.
About 6 months later an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT older lady came to the store & asked if we had any Gogie Grant records. I pulled out the same record & showed it too her & she said, “You know, I’m Gogie Grant.” Before I could ask her anything about the previous clamer of that name or the fact that she looked nothing like the women on the cover of the LP she corrected herself – ‘Well, I was the original Gogi Grant. I had a huge hit with my first single, The Wayward Wind on Columbia Records. Right after that I was captured by the Turks & put in a prison. An African tribe broke me out & rode me to freedom atop a glowing albino elephant. I stayed amongst the tribe as their Queen for many years but soon grew homesick. When I came back to the states I was mortified to find that Columbia Records had hired a proxy to capitalize on my hit song. They had some other lady…the lady on the cover of this LP….recording & touring under my name. It was tragic.”
Gogi...where are you really???
Whatever the real story may be, I thought it was amazing that the two Gogi Grants would both happen to stumble into the same record store to tell their tales so close in time to eachother. I have since looked at many photos of Gogi Grant & have found a few early press photos that more closely resemble the African princess version of Gogi than the one on the LP.
What do you love most about working at a cool independent record shop?
It gives me a good reason to put on a suit & tie everyday.
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Mississippi Records
4007 North Mississippi Avenue
Portland, OR 97227
(503) 282-2990
