Features

Vying for vinyl

local music stores cater to two generations of record buyers

BY ERIN HENK PHOTOS BY ERIC BOND

In the decades since the heyday of record albums, music stores that sell vinyl have become something of a novelty. Many stores have long since gathered up their remaining LPs and sold them in bulk. But with a close look around, you can find music stores that cater to a loyal vinyl clientele: fans of classic music who never got rid of their turntable; and a newer generation of DJs who scratch LPs–on purpose.

Roadhouse Oldies

Earl David is a production artist who often samples (borrows older licks) on his mix tracks using music he found on vinyl. He comes to Roadhouse Oldies looking for "odd grooves and drum breaks" that inspire him.

"These are messed-up records, but you can always find some gold," he said.

Located just off Georgia Avenue on Thayer Avenue, Roadhouse Oldies is the last remaining music store in Silver Spring that sells vinyl. The sounds of Freda Payne's "Band of Gold" and Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour" resonate from the store's outside speakers–enough to lure any passerby with an affection for soul and Motown.

Inside, the store is alive with customers thumbing through record racks filled with everything from The Supremes to Paul Simon. David and other young DJs mingle with customers such as Woody Woodard, who seek out vinyl for a nostalgic reasons.

"I look for albums I used to have," Woodard said.

Roadhouse Oldies brings in loyal customers, such as production artist Earl David (left) and life-long vinyl enthusiast Woody Woodard.

The store's center racks are filled with rows and rows of 45s. Adorning the walls are record sleeves and faded posters advertising concerts for Etta James and Jr. Walker and the All-Stars. Towards the back of the store is a listening station and turntables for sale.

Owner Alan Lee first got the idea to open Roadhouse Oldies while he was hosting his Sunday morning radio show on Georgetown University's WGTB. Lee received constant inquiries from callers wanting to know where they could buy the '50s and '60s music selections he played.

Seeing there would be a market for music other than the mainstream, Lee decided to open up a record shop with his then-partner Les Moss. The two of them pooled their records together, intending to create a haven for other collectors who, at the time, didn't have much of an outlet for older music. A few years after Roadhouse Oldies first opened in 1974 on Sligo Avenue, Lee and Moss soon found out that their patrons included more than just collectors. Three years later, Roadhouse Oldies moved to its current and larger location on Thayer Avenue.

Although Roadhouse Oldies specializes in '50s rock n' roll, '60s and '70s soul, and doo-wop, the store also carries a wide range of old blues, gospel, and jazz and more recent R&B line-dance music and new releases from older performers such as Barry White.

Lee himself is a '50s and '60s soul and doo-wop collector who counts Frankie Lyman and the Teenagers and Pookie Hudson & the Spaniels as some of his favorite groups. He currently hosts a weekly radio show called Forgotten 45s on Saturday nights from 7 p.m. till midnight on 102.7 WQSR in Baltimore. Lee says there are still people who call into his radio show asking how they can get a hold of the selections he plays.

Roadhouse Oldies manager "Scooter" Magruder DJed throughout the '70s, '80s, and '90s, but said his personal taste "dropped out" of the music scene after the '70s. Scooter, who grew up in a house where music was always a strong presence, now hosts a Sunday night radio show called The Sunday Night Train from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. on WBIG.

Scooter, whose white shirt bears his monogram, pauses and greets everyone who walks through the shop's front door. Most of them say hello right back, addressing him by name. About 40 percent of Roadhouse Oldies customers are regulars.

"There's nothing like this!" says Simon Steinhardt as he makes his way towards the front door, a brown bag filled with recent purchases. "I try to come here as often as possible–wallet permitting."

Steinhardt has been DJing for a little over a year and feels that Roadhouse Oldies is the place to go to talk to a staff whose musical knowledge is as extensive as its merchandise selection.

Roadside Oldies also sells CDs and DVDs. Scooter acknowledges that the popular format of music has changed, and said that without their selection of CDs and DVDs, they would not be able to run a great business.

"We have to keep up!" he said.

Second Story Books

"A lot of people who collect vinyl like the physical artifact," said Jim Hyland, head of Graphics and Records at Second Story Books in Rockville. "The jacket art of an album is significant because there is a lot you can't see on a CD cover."

Second Story Books, which celebrated its 30th anniversary this year, currently has three locations: Bethesda, Dupont Circle, and a large warehouse in Rockville. Although Second Story Books carries an extensive array of rock, classical, pop, country-western, and spoken word, it tends to put its emphasis on selling jazz and blues, which has an ardent following among vinyl collectors. Regulars usually come in once or twice a week to check out the selection, Hyland said.

Michael, manager of Second Story Books' Bethesda store, feels the high demand for jazz recordings on vinyl can be attributed to the fact that jazz is one form of music where a great deal of material has not always been available on CD. Also, a great deal of classic jazz was recorded on analog equipment which, when converted to early CD versions, lost quality.

Vinyl is in a funny market right now, Hyland added. Second Story Books is one of the last few places that buys record collections in volume and, like most record stores, it purchases the majority of its merchandise from personal collections, so it's at the mercy of what comes through the door.

Joe's Record Paradise

Some owners feel that most people who still collect LPs are the ones who grew up with them. Others believe that there is a great deal of interest from younger people, who continue to search out classic vinyl albums.

Joe Lee started Joe's Record Paradise in 1974 in Rockville, which carries a wide variety of music ranging from rock, country, folk, R&B, hip hop, and jazz. Lee used to feel that the majority of his customers were older, yet he admits that now it's harder to tell because of the substantial younger audience–specifically hip-hop and house music DJs, who use vinyl for scratch and sampling effects.

The demand from DJs has had an interesting effect on LP sales, Lee said. There has been an increase in the number of older albums that have skipped the CD revolution and are being reissued only on vinyl, Lee said.

Although many record stores have seen a decrease in the vinyl audience in the last few years, what really appears to be keeping a great deal of them alive are the die-hard fans. There is always going to be a new generation of kids with a turntable who are sampling Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin for the first time, and there will always be regulars who come in and make a beeline for a specific music section. There are many who believe that there is something magical between the vinyl and the needle.