Soul Traveling

Soul Traveling Episode 16 (New York, NY)

Keith Foster — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 07:23:22 GMT

Destination: New York, NY Location: Turntable Lab NYC It's no secret that most of the stores profiled on Soul Traveling fit a very similar profile: wall-to-wall used vinyl. Sure, there are some new records in stores but in general they load up on the used stuff - which is what makes Turntable Lab stand out. Just about every record they stock was stocked new, even if it's been sitting around a while. What's more, records aren't the only thing Turntable Lab are experts on - they have significant followings on the clothing side, graphic design, equipment, graffiti... all kinds of things. I suppose purists may scoff at a store like Turntable Lab, but it's one of my favorite places - despite only stocking new stuff (including reissues), they do a lot of the searching for you and select the jawns they stock, so a lot of the questionable-quality stuff never even gets sold there. They're also knowledgeable across multiple genres: although their primary audience is DJs themselves (and therefore you see a lot of club bangers getting attention), their hip-hop, dance and funk sections are high quality. If you want some cheap, lowbrow eats you can walk about 10 minutes Gray's Papaya around 6th Ave and 8th St (I think) - they have a $2.75 recession special that gets you 2 hot dogs and a drink. And there's a good walk-in pizza spot in between 5th and 6th on Avenue A (the name escapes me though, sorry!) TRACK LISTING: 1. Trying to Get Next to you - Arnold Blair 2. Requiem Pour un Con - Serge Gainsbourg 3. Inside Out - American Gypsy 4. Raw Soul Express - Raw Soul Express 5. I don't mean to leave, I just came to say Goodbye - Shawn Phillips 6. Hybish, Shybish - Badfoot Brown and the Bradford Bunions Funeral Marching Band 7. The Heist - Bullet 8. By This Time Tomorrow - The Eternals 9. Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth - The 24-Carat Black

Soul Traveling Episode 15 (Pasadena, CA)

Keith Foster — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:37:53 GMT

Destination: Pasadena, CA Location: Pasadena City College Flea Market Who says all the Soul Travelings have to be in stores? Pasadena CC has a flea market the first Sunday of every month, and a few levels above the ground in a parking garage is (pretty much) an entire floor of Record Vendors. I've been trying to get there for a while but the schedule hasn't quit worked out and this time it did... and there are good records to be found there. I would suggest shopping around a little among dealers - you can find a lot of similar records cheaper if you have the time - it might save you a few bucks. And remember, in almost every case the prices can be negotiated down, or if you throw a bunch of records together you can get a nice deal. And if you don't have a portable turntable of your own, some dealers even have them for you to listen to your prospective purchases. Oh and by the way it's Sunny and 82 damn near every day! Track listing: 1. Mighty Mo - The Message 2. The Jive Turkeys - B.A. 3. James Brown - Giving out of Juice 4. Fred Fisher - Asa-Sa 5. Funkadelic - Maggot Brain 6. Marvin Gaye - A Funky Space reincarnation 7. Black Merda - Cynthy Ruth 8. Harvey Scales - A confidential Affair 9. James Brown - Turn on the Heat and Build Some Fire 10. War - L.A. Sunshine

Soul Traveling Episode 14 (Houston, TX)

Keith Foster — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 02:23:37 GMT

Destination: Houston, TX Location: Black Dog Records While not large compared to a lot of the record stores previously visited via Soul Traveling, Black Dog Records still has more than enough to hold your interest. The strength of the store is the Rock section, though large sections of Soul, Blues and Country (it is Houston, after all) are there too. The thing that stands out about this store is the condition and cleanliness - not only of the store but the records themselves. They are in NICE condition, and I believe all of them are cleaned by Cliff (owner). The selection is also not your standard records you find everywhere - probably due to the absence of dollar bins. While the podcast doesnt reflect it, I found a bunch of records there but did not include them because they don't fit the soul/jazz mold at all. The weirdest record of the trip was a country record by a group from Singapore - and the music is so authentic you wouldn't know by listening! In terms of good ol' cheap grub in the city, there are Whataburgers everywhere (local fast food chain). They make pretty good burgers, but the real gem is their breakfast taquitos with your choice of ingredients. I've had a lot of breakfast burritos / tacos, and these are on par with the best. If you want to take a long drive for a great chicken fried steak, drive to Goodson's in Tomball. And another local chain - Pappasito's - makes what I think are the best fajitas. Track Listing: 1. Lovin on Borrowed Time - Bobby Blue Bland 2. Capricorn - Cannonball Adderley 3. Soul Brothers Testify - Soul Senders 4. Cigrik - Mogollar 5. Destroy the Nihilist Picnic - The London Experiment 6. Waitin for the Bus - ZZ Top 7. Un Rayo Del Sol - The Chakachas 8. Sweet Potato Gravy - Maurice Simon 9. Right Back Where I started From - Fuzzy Haskins 10. The Mexican - The Baker Brothers 11. Ain't no Sunshine - Lyn Collins 12. Garbage Man - The Family Vibes 13. Super Duper Love - Sugar Billy 14. A Night in Tunisia (edit) - Art Blakey

Soul Traveling Episode 13 (Richmond, VA)

Keith Foster — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 16:49:58 GMT

Destination: Richmond, VA Location: The Record Finders "What you are looking at right now is the tip of Iceberg". If you've ever been in the Record Finders, you'll hear that phrase more than a few times - The Record Finders is primarily an auction site, with other records available to the public at the front of what are two large warehouses with the wall torn down. Why do you hear it so much? Because people stream in every few minutes to sell records and collections and wonder why they aren't bought considering the records they're looking at - which are a couple thousand records. That's when you get the line, and the door opens to warehouse, where four MILLION records are. When the door opened for me, it was a quasi-religious experience. You really have to see four million records to appreciate it! Despite only being able to browse through a few thousand of those records, the Record Finders delivers the goods, though its location is in a business park with other like warehouses. Still, it's worth your time. Just make sure they let you see the rest of the iceberg when you visit. Tracks: 1. Far Beyond - Locksmith 2. Funk it Up - Miami 3. Unspoken Dreams of Light - Eugene McDaniels 4. The Boss - James Brown 5. The Right Time - Mighty Diamonds 6. Scorpio - Zero Point 7. Second Wave - Roland Haynes 8. Silver Lining - Silver Lining 9. By the Time I get to Phoenix - Isaac Hayes

Soul Traveling: Episode 12 (Allentown, PA)

Keith Foster — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 01:06:56 GMT

Destination: Allentown, PA Location: Double Decker Records One of the things I enjoy about great record stores is the true democratic nature of their greatness. They're not all concentrated in big cities, they're not all around Universities, and just when you think you can draw a conclusion you find out you really can't. Great record stores are just great. In the case of Double Decker Records it sits in the relatively small town of Allentown PA (at least compared to nearby Metropolis Philadelphia) but is 99% vinyl and jam-packed with good stuff. The specialty of the store is definitely punk/hardcore but unlike other stores the stores really round out the other sections. The jazz and soul record sections are not particularly huge, but they're stocked full of good records, a lot of which I had never seen before (the more record stores you go to the less likely it is for this to happen). The store also had its share of tougher-to-find breakbeat classics. And the dollar section yielded some strong results, which is something I can't say is true in many places I go. I'll be going back soon, as a matter of fact! Tracklist: 1. Big Brown Drums - The Drum Set 2. Aquarius - Gal McDermot 3. Love is Love - Titanic 4. At the Soul-In - Count Yates 5. You Are the Sunshine of my Life - Gene Russell 6. Put Your Gun Down Brother - Riot 7. The Village Street Choir - ABC's 8. Happy Children - Osibisa 9. Miles Beyond - Mahavishnu Orchestra 10. Regiment - Brian Eno and David Byrne

Soul Traveling: Episode 11 (Columbia, SC)

Keith Foster — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:05:53 GMT

Destination: Columbia, SC Location: Papa Jazz Records Located near the University of South Carolina, Papa Jazz manages to pack a large punch into what is not a large record store by any means. Walking in, three levels of records greet you: dollar records on the floor, bins at waist level and more miscellaneous records such as 45s on shelves at eye level. It's a lot to take in at first, but one settled in there's a lot of good stuff to be had. The dollar section is essentially a 'dollar floor' - enough records to make a day out of just hitting the dollar stuff, made easier by the fact it's actually alphabetized! The new arrival section is very good and jazz-heavy, true to the store's name - and the 3 for $1.00 section of 45s has some good stuff in there if you're patient. Notes: I'm guessing it's a popular student-related place - Andy's Deli is right across the street from Papa Jazz and provides a nice chance to recharge and eat after a few hours of digging. I asked the owner what the best sandwish there was and got served 'The Andy' - turkey, swiss cheese and roast beef with 'special sauce' (similar to the Big mac special sauce) for dipping. Good stuff. Tracklist: 1. Let's Straighten it Out - Gwen McRae 2. Make the Road by Walking - Menahan Street Band 3. Bananeira - Emilio Santiago 4. I call Him - Masonic Wonders 5. Instrumental - The JBs (live in 1973) 6. Sorcerer of Isis - Power of Zeus 7. Hap'nin - Bernard Purdie 8. Lies - Asha Puthli 9. Jungle jazz - Kool & the Gang