Reviewing the local Record Store Scene
As many of you know... I have a healthy appetite for music and I make it a point to visit local record stores when I visit a location.
Prior to my trip to St. John, I did a Google Map Business search for "record stores" and I was surprised to see that there were 3 options within walking distance from my hotel.
As luck would have it... a lot of shops & store fronts close at 4:00PM so I couldn't make a proper visit until this afternoon.
So here we go... my review of the Record Store options for St. John New Brunswick.
CD/PLUS - If you're into mainstream music... or if you're hard up for picking up something for a misguided tweener - look no further than "CD/PLUS". The in store staff suffers from all the cartooney trappings of Empire Records.... I spoke very briefly to one employee... it wasn't a music related question. Apparently Don Cherry has released his 18th VOLUME of Hockey Nite in Canada....
Mr. Music - So... I'm really torn up about my visit to Mr. Music. On my first nite out... I was asked by a bartender if I stopped by "mr. music" yet. I said I hadn't... but I didn't want to trek across St. John while it was dark. With a scheduled "half-day" in hand, I made sure to jot down the street address and I set out this afternoon to make a proper visit. Despite checking the google.map twice before I left the hotel... I managed to get lost on my way out to the record store. What didn't help was the nasty weather and my reluctance to change from my work clothes to something a little warmer & shoes with better traction.
I eventually found the place... but I was deeply saddened when I walked in and the place had no more than 400 CD's on the shelf. The place seemed to be more of a local head shop... sadly, I had no real use for a glass bong or one-hitter. I was tempted to look at a few, but I then remembered that 1.) I don't smoke pot or tobacco. 2.) I don't need the hassle of bringing one back to the states.
There was a nice collection of knives and used Metal CD's. I saw a KISS patch that I was tempted to pick up... but I wouldn't know what to stitch it to.
I think that if I would have run across this place and not made plans to walk all the way out to swing by, I would have had a different opinion of the place.
Back Street Records - So here's my take on Back Street Records... If you're in St. John or if you're in the Province of New Brunswick... this may possibly be the best place to pick up Indie music or choice vinyl. The place is VERY small but the
selection is very nice. The store owner has a lot of influence on what's on the shelf... I saw Neutral Milk Hotel for example in a number of formats... I thought about picking up a few discs, but opted to wait till I got back to Texas. A large number of the discs i was looking at were imports (from the US) so I opted on just waiting till I got back.
Prior to my trip to St. John, I did a Google Map Business search for "record stores" and I was surprised to see that there were 3 options within walking distance from my hotel.
As luck would have it... a lot of shops & store fronts close at 4:00PM so I couldn't make a proper visit until this afternoon.
So here we go... my review of the Record Store options for St. John New Brunswick.
CD/PLUS - If you're into mainstream music... or if you're hard up for picking up something for a misguided tweener - look no further than "CD/PLUS". The in store staff suffers from all the cartooney trappings of Empire Records.... I spoke very briefly to one employee... it wasn't a music related question. Apparently Don Cherry has released his 18th VOLUME of Hockey Nite in Canada....
Mr. Music - So... I'm really torn up about my visit to Mr. Music. On my first nite out... I was asked by a bartender if I stopped by "mr. music" yet. I said I hadn't... but I didn't want to trek across St. John while it was dark. With a scheduled "half-day" in hand, I made sure to jot down the street address and I set out this afternoon to make a proper visit. Despite checking the google.map twice before I left the hotel... I managed to get lost on my way out to the record store. What didn't help was the nasty weather and my reluctance to change from my work clothes to something a little warmer & shoes with better traction.
I eventually found the place... but I was deeply saddened when I walked in and the place had no more than 400 CD's on the shelf. The place seemed to be more of a local head shop... sadly, I had no real use for a glass bong or one-hitter. I was tempted to look at a few, but I then remembered that 1.) I don't smoke pot or tobacco. 2.) I don't need the hassle of bringing one back to the states.
There was a nice collection of knives and used Metal CD's. I saw a KISS patch that I was tempted to pick up... but I wouldn't know what to stitch it to.
I think that if I would have run across this place and not made plans to walk all the way out to swing by, I would have had a different opinion of the place.
Back Street Records - So here's my take on Back Street Records... If you're in St. John or if you're in the Province of New Brunswick... this may possibly be the best place to pick up Indie music or choice vinyl. The place is VERY small but the
selection is very nice. The store owner has a lot of influence on what's on the shelf... I saw Neutral Milk Hotel for example in a number of formats... I thought about picking up a few discs, but opted to wait till I got back to Texas. A large number of the discs i was looking at were imports (from the US) so I opted on just waiting till I got back.
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