Chicago Record Stores-The Last of a Dying Breed? (An essay)

That elusive, yet ultimately fulfilling feeling you get when you find That Sound. That eerily familiar sound you've been looking for; that ridiculous new band your friend told you about; that intellectual MC who's been saying all the right things at precisely the right time; that music that is somehow a life full of memories for one person, yet completely brand new for the new listener; that feeling, that sound lives at the remaining independent record stores across the country, but I want to tell you why Chicago's, in particular, are second to none.

Whether you're an old school, hard core collector of records, CDs, and the like or just looking to supplement your iTunes with some actual finished products, Chicago's record store community will hook you up with what you need to bolster your musical aptitude. Some people take their music more seriously than others. I am one of those serious musical aficianados, so I want other like minded folks to be able to get the most out of their musical lifestyle while they are here in Chicago. 3 things you will need (and if you don't know, you better ask somebody!):

1.) An unparalleled understanding of the history of music in Chicago
2.) An appreciation of what other cities' music stores have to offer
3.) An open mind to the evolution of all types of music

Every city I've visited, I've checked out their respectful record shops. I've been to the closest competition in New York. I've seen Seattle's best. If they sold records at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland would be worth mentioning. DC was disappointing. Kansas City has some cool, ecclectic selections. St. Louis needs a savior. Even little Dayton, OH beats St. Louis. I'm on my way to Boston this summer to see what they have to offer. Now I realize Los Angeles and San Francisco are not represented on my short list of best, but I doubt anyone is actually reading this, let alone someone from the West Coast, so I promise, I'll get there. Yet I digress...While I realize it takes more than just a 2week trip to any city to fully grasp what they're all about, I'm here to make a statement that Chicago's crop of record stores is the best in the country based on a few criteria:

*knowledge/open mindedness of staff
*selection/relevance of music in house
*music the staff chooses to play on the overhead speakers
*community involvement, if any
*experience/cool factor/overall vibe in store

Buying records (or buying CDs, for that matter) is becoming somewhat of a lost art, similar to the lost art of conversation in that both art forms are not generally considered by the masses as actual art mediums. When was the last time you visited the National Conversation Museum or the Record Collector Hall of Fame? I am not suggesting either of these art forms need such museums, just that they reemerge into the forefront of what makes us human. After all, the word "human" is derived from the Latin meaning "reverberation of sound." With that being said, I present to you Chicago's Cream of the Crop Record Shops:

(RIP) Revolver Records
Pilsen (set to reopen this year)

Groovin' High, Inc.
Lakeview (call first, as Joe is cool but not always open)

Laurie's Planet of Sound
Lincoln Square

Hard Boiled
Roscoe Village

Deadwax
North Center

Hyde Park Records
umm...Hyde Park

Reckless Records (I don't care what anyone says, they rule supreme! that's why they have 3 locations, dummy.)
Lakeview
Downtown
Wicker Park

I truly hope to open up some dialogue here, and if I've inspired you to support your local record shop, then all is well in the world. I urge you to take pride in what your area of the world's music provides. If it sucks, make it better. If it's any good, let me know, and I'll check it out and let you know for sure. That concludes this edition of Why Chicago's Awesome. Join me next time, as topics will range from Totem Poles to George Carlin.

Peace and Love(...and Music!),
T

A Higher Par

Fantastically blasted-superbly sober?

Is ignorance just indigenous to humans?

Is the opportunity for revolution over?

Hell no, not as long as I'm alive vibin'

Hello, can you hear me? If you do then start signin'

The petition to commission a new day,

A new start,

A fresh wave,

A higher par

for the course's ways...

The Words

Segment 1:

I go by the name of VegeTERRYn the Wordsmith aka The Urban Hippie aka Mr. T aka Terr Bear aka Pterodactyl aka T-Bag aka The HumaniTERRYn aka T-Bone aka TERRYbull aka T-Rex aka Terrington Puffington aka T-Bread aka Teester aka The EsoTERRYc Chronicler aka T and I am:

composing compositions freely from memory
opposing dispositions of negativity ahead of me
supposing accomplishing the impossible is actually a possibility
symposium on common sense/self fulfillment/goodwill has become necessity
don't want to preach to the choir anymore, you see?
set forth an effort to signify the super power of our synergy

...let's see who is paying attention within the proximity...

That's a snippet from "Tales from The Upper I in Imaginarium"






Segment 2:


This week in:

Music: Doom, Born Like This
Vampire Weekend, Contra
The Spoken Word Revolution Redux
Sufjan Stevens, Come On Feel the Illinoise!
Lupe Fiasco, The Cool (about to cop that Enemy of the State...I'll report back soon about it)

Sports: Brett Favre is a maniac; I'm still picking New Orleans over Indy in SB XLIV
The Hawks are playing great hockey; although lost tonight 4-1 to Ottawa
Bulls lose badly to Golden State on MLK Day; I still have them advancing in this year's NBA playoffs though

Books to finish: reading a few things right now (although mostly writing): Basketball Diaries, Aesop's Fables, re-reading Don Luiz Miguel's: The Four Agreements...such good stuff! Check them shits out!

Movies to watch for: Fantastic Mr. Fox, Avatar, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, Men Who Stare at Goats?

Peace and Love,
T

Mission Statement

At the moment, nothing more majestic than the mounting suspense of the moon dive sunrise at Montrose Beach today.

As the new day dawns, awesomeness, if I may, discussions, percussions on display...

And so, I suppose a proper introduction is born out of necessity.

Blessed I be with the opportunity to be open for and to interpretation, available for question and answer sessions pertaining to topics of interest including, but ABSOLUTELY NEVER LIMITED to; for free thinkers are dangerous:

Welcome to The EsoTERRYc Chronicles, the natural and supernatural alike, the real and the surreal, seriousness and humor, urban and suburban comparisons, sociopolitical, socioeconomic, sociological experiments. Literature lit a fire, inside off put by anyone trying to put it out, the subconscious, the subnormal, subway systems, music, some say rhythms, sports of sorts, funky, off the beaten path fashions, counter cultures, ratified religion, survival of the fittest, wit mixed with optimism, descriptions of situations, culinary equations, relationships among the cosmos, dare I say, must i say:

Namaste.

Consider the air waves open at all times...