Fendermen “Mule Skinner Blues” LP 1962

listen here

Cool 1960s-70s Midwest Rock Music Festival Posters

Every once in awhile, I’ll run into someone who tells me about one of these. Great stuff. Thanx to FaceBook’s ‘Twin Cities Music Scene ’70s – ’80s’page.

An original handbill shows a map of how to get to the festival site just outside of Wadena. RICK CHASE / Courier Staff Photographer

MY FIRST CONCERT (I had just turned 14 years old):

PROPOSED BUT NEVER HAPPENED:

The Romulans: Billy the Monster b/w Black and White Days 7″ single, 1993

  Psychedelic garage-rock from Madison-via-Minneapolis. This is the 4th release from the band in which 700 copies were pressed for the Prospective label; cat# 593 at GoJohnnyGo. In case you were wondering, the cover art is a tribute to The Deviants’ third self-titled album. http://gojohnnygo.com/as_for-sale&product_category=447&productID=121722

If you already own a copy, you are one of the beautiful people.

Billy the Monster

Black and White Days

John Boyle “The Grind Column” six-song cassette from 1991

John Boyle gave me a stack of tapes 20 years ago; he used to work at Deaf Ear Record Store in La Crosse, Wisconsin. This one reminds me of The Swell Maps so much now. John- please contact me- you are tuff to find on the internet these days.

The Hinge

She Went Away_Many People Have

A Decade Ago

Force of Habit

The Envelope

 

Photos: Young at Heart Record store, Duluth, MN 1996

Sometimes I think I like record STORES more than the records themselves. The characters that run them are favorites of mine.

This photo courtesy of PROFESSOR BATTY and the Flippism Is The Key blog:

I took these photos during one of the last years the store was in business. Richard Wozniak opened up his record store in 1956, it was THE record store in Duluth until Musicland moved in sometime in the 1970s. The first time I made it up to YaH was in 1981 on the way to a canoe trip in the Boundary Waters. Mr. Wozniak was then in his early 60s. I bought a copy of Desmond Dekker’s “The Israelites” on 45 there. When I made it up there as a sales rep for ADA in 1996, he was in his late 70s. I had to wake Richard up- he was slouched over the counter snoring- just to buy some records from him.  The store was very pink, and there were cut-out hearts taped all over the boxes of records. My friend Ryan had a look at the inventory that was “upstairs” & “behind the curtain”- off-limits for normal customers- he said there were bars of soap wrapped up in among the records everywhere. So here was a record store that was pink & smelled nice- atypical, huh? Many of the fixtures in the store were set up for display at The Minnesota History Center about ten years ago. The guys at The Vinyl Cave in Superior Wisconsin eventually bought all of the inventory when Richard retired, it is now for sale in the other Port City across the bridge, right downtown Superior (I drove by last weekend, looks nice, but it wasn’t open). By the way, if you’re in Superior, try Julie’s Reasaurant for breakfast down the road, you won’t be disappointed!

Thanx, DAVE AHL

Sacred Order- Milwaukee’s finest, second demo tape, 1984

Notorious for all the right reasons, Sacred Order were the real deal back in 1984, and judging from recent YouTube clips, they still are. I got to see ’em live in Minneapolis & Milwaukee back in the day, & have very vivid memories hanging out at a club called Niko’s south of Downtown Milwaukee. Knowing his politics, I got a raised eyebrow & a smirk when I met Tim Yohannon while I was wearing my hand-made Sacred Order t-shirt. This cassette rocks hard, and you should go to myspace & find the band to buy their 25th anniversary CD.  Thanks to Peter Davis for turning me onto these guys, and to Mykel Podolak for allowing me to post these tracks here.

I.H.E. (I call it Everything Dies)

International House of DEATH

Ollie Scooba (I Love Alice Cooper)