The dark and cold of these frosty months tends to provide the perfect backdrop for indulging in a good, winter wallow when it comes to music. Next up in our series of winter survival tips, we chat to Academy Records Annex’s manager Cory Feierman about his recommendations for some solid hibernation music. Check out our previous interviews here, here and here.
MUSIC: ACADEMY RECORDS | 85 Oak Street Cory Feierman, Manager
Greenpointers: What music would you recommend to people to feel more uplifted this winter?
Cory Feierman: I think that music is always directed to how you’re feeling and how the world is treating you and that includes the weather. What I find uplifting in the winter time are the classic power pop records like the first two Big Star records, Todd Rundgren Something/Anything? or maybe the second Carole King record. Something that is lyrically a little heart-breaking, but still sounds sweet and driving and moving.Continue reading →
Here in Greenpoint, we’re pretty lucky to have some seriously great record shops around. For this Sunday Snaps, I decided to drop by four of my favorites and ask employees and owners what recent items had come in that they were especially excited about. The shops I visited included Record Grouch (986 Manhattan Ave.), Academy Records Annex (85 Oak St.), Captured Tracks (195 Calyer St.), and Co-op 87 Records (87 Guernsey St.) Here are some of the albums they showed me, complete with a few pictures of these excellent local record stores!
“One side is live and the other side is the studio versions of all the same songs. I love the great Bauhaus-y cover; there’s rhythm, perspective, movement, a landscape. My favorite song on this album is called ‘Rubber Miro’.” – Ron at Academy Records Annex
Continuing our series of local shops compiling some of their favorite jams for us, we have a wintertime playlist to get you hot n’ bothered, from Ben Steidel at local vinyl nook Co-Op 87 Records (87 Guernsey Street).
From Ben:
Here’s a playlist of tunes to help us remember that moving your butt, whether on the dance floor or at your desk, is a great way to stay warm during these dark months. Leaning mostly towards slower & smoother grooves, I tried to pick songs that have passed through the store recently, and that are a mix of the rare & obscure, as well as things that you might score in the $1 bin. I also threw in a few new-ish releases. Hopefully they do the trick of evoking warmer climates or the friction of bodies in motion, preferably both!
Kicking off our series of local shops pulling together some of their favorite music for us, we have a mostly-vintage, acoustic-twinged and quite moody playlist from local vinyl source Record Grouch (986 Manhattan Avenue).
This is the kind of playlist you want to gently put on for a chilly and drizzly Sunday morning, while you curl up on the couch with a blanked sipping hot tea and reading zines. And by the time the Donna Summer track hits in the last half, your inner fire will truly be lit.
If you haven’t been down to Record Grouch, the cozy little shop’s got an eclectic mix of r&b, punk, metal, rock, kraut, and psych. You’ll find some rarer gems mixed amongst stuff you really should own but probably don’t have yet. This playlist, in addition to being Fall-themed, is a reflection of some of the things you might find there digging through the bins.Continue reading →
Vinyl might be making a comeback, but Greenpoint audio mastering legend Paul Gold never left it behind. At Salt Mastering (61 Greenpoint Ave.) in the Pencil Factory, he’s spent the last 10 1/2 years mastering for such acts as Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, and LCD Soundsystem.
I recently set aside some time to garner stories from Paul about his history in the business, and maybe get a few technique pointers along the way. Arriving at his place of business, I pried open his door on the fourth floor, and he shouted from the other room to come in.
Paul is a bit of a mad scientist. His hair bounces around as he moves about in his studio, and his large frame glasses are actually of his era, and not worn ironically. We sit in a relatively small unit, the front half filled with tools and scraps of audio gear, while the main mastering room is surrounded by large gear that looks like something out of those black-and-white Twilight Zone episodes on time travel from the 1950’s.
It wouldn’t be a summer weekend without a whole boatload o’ stuff to do, now would it? Here are some music events to check out, plus we catch up with the latest songs, videos, and offerings from local artists. Continue reading →
Tomorrow (Sat 4/19) is Record Store Day. This annual event is held at independent record stores all over the country and further afield. It offers many exclusive releases, in store performances, and other fun goodies. Since we have several awesome record stores in our neighborhood, we put together a little resource about what’s happening at each one this weekend. Continue reading →
I am a big fan of writing and music, so anything that combines the two in an interesting way will get my attention. I was excited, then, to learn about a very cool creative endeavor called Singles Club, which mixes music and writing and much more. Continue reading →
I didn’t realize it, but Williamsburg Cinemas (217 Grand Street) occasionally hosts art shows. They have a really good one going on through the end of April. If you go catch a flick there, you can also see the Vinyl Pop Art by Greg Frederick. His work depicts famous celebrity and cultural icons (the pop art) and he utilizes actual vinyl records reshaped and re-textured as his medium (the vinyl). Wow! Continue reading →
Continuing 
