In Vinyl Lives we spotlight and profile record stores around the country who offer music lovers an experience that goes beyond an iTunes purchase or a Spotify playlist. Vinyl has found a new resurgence in recent years and the good folks behind independent record stores are on the front line, directly responsible for curating a unique collection of music. Here at Glide Magazine we feel that record stores are a valuable part of the community and to music as a whole, and are therefore worth celebrating.
Inspired by the epic, stirring sensibilities of post-rock groups like Explosions in the Sky, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Bowery Electric, DC group Requiem has a sound is characterized by heavy soundscapes, deep synthetic bass, and musical percussion. Following a series of EPs and mini-albums, Requiem’s first proper album, POPulist Agendas, is due out August 11th via Mutineer Records. On it, the band places their experimental sonic instincts in communion with a deep sense of emotional release.
The core members—veteran musician and multimedia artist Doug Kallmeyer, visual artist Monica Stroik, and guitarist/soundscape designer/conceptualist Tristan Welch—came together during that heady pandemic summer of 2020, motivated by a desire for a new creative outlet during destabilizing times. Tristan, a lifelong punk kid who grew up listening to bands like Rancid but has more recently become known for a string of acclaimed ambient/drone releases, met Doug, a longtime audio engineer and music lifer who spent decades on the road handling sound for Blonde Redhead, Phantogram and many more, through the D.C. underground music scene. Monica and Doug were running a label, Verses Records. All felt like perennial outsiders.
As veterans of the D.C. scene and with their own album just about to drop, the members of Requiem recently shared their favorite crate-digging spots in the region in this special edition of Vinyl Lives.
Northern Virginia is surprisingly quite the hub of record stores. When Mobius Records opened in downtown Fairfax, VA in 2014, the pleasant surprise was their focus on new and current vinyl. Most of the shops in the area – and plenty around the country – tend to focus on the used bins, which is great but it’s definitely a breath of fresh air to come to Mobius every Friday. Whenever we want a new indie or major release, Mobius is the shop to hit. Over the years the used section has begun to build up its bulk with its selection, which stays in line with the new record curation – it’s always chock full of indie titles. Great thing about Mobius too is the stock of brand new record players and other items for your listening station. It’s not dusty here. Other than simply commerce, the vibe of this shop is what makes it a great place to hang out. It’s a family run affair and Dempsey Hamilton and his staff have cemented this place as an overall supporter of music and arts in the community. Walking into the shop is like walking into your friend’s house who has the bigger record collection and just begs you to leave with a stack of all the shit you haven’t been hyped to yet.
This record store is out in Leesburg, VA and as far as we know you just hear about it from word of mouth. Kevin Longendyke, who owns the shop, has played in various cool bands in the area and definitely has a calling for what he named his shop after…digging crates. The focus of this shop is used records and it’s deep in rock, punk, garage, soul and that one-off private press folk record that you’ve been searching for years. When we want to take a drive and rummage through bins without expectation – this is the spot to go too. That’s why people call record shopping therapy – sometimes therapy is cheaper though. The upstairs of the spot has cool vintage finds as well, band shirts, long sleeves, womens clothing, vintage record players, speakers and receivers. If you want to find some cool stuff for cheap – and talk about all the forgotten albums of yesterday that the internet doesn’t even remember – this is the place to hang out. Downtown Leesburg is always fun to be too – anyone going makes sure to grab some apple pie from Mom’s which is right next door.
Crooked Beat Records is a great D.C. story. Opened up in 2004 in Adams Morgan – it specializes in all things punk, alternative and new wave with other hefty focus on all things local and other genres like jazz, soul, blues and rock and roll. This place was always a crate digger’s store. Like many other working class people, he moved the location to Virginia in 2016 in the Alexandria Waterfront, which did make for a good visit. A hidden gem down by the water and bars – a humble record store with proper worship of The Clash, Gang of Four, The Jam and plenty of reggae singles. Once again, seven years later the store is moving locations to another location in Del Rey, Alexandria and we are happy to keep supporting this shop. Along with the shop, Crooked Beat serves as a record label issuing fantastic special edition compilations, serving as community space with great in-store shows, and a general servant to all things vinyl
