Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 52

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE Thursda 5, 2012 WWW.POST-GAZETTE.COM w-12 By Scott Mervis Pittsburgh Post-Gazette hese the best of times for small businesspeople we need to tell you that but if you Google something like industries for small you do come up with a number of viable ideas: casual dining, sales, physical therapy, candy, beauty care, that kind of thing. Record store? no suggestion of that. In fact, on a list of best prospects for small business opportunities, probably down around a millionth. The reasons are obvious: CD sales have plummeted since 2004, digital sales just topped physical sales for the first time, and nothing compared to illegally downloaded off the Web. But this is Pittsburgh.

More specifically, this is Bloomfield, and a storefront at 4526 Liberty Ave. that is, for all intents and purposes, hallowed ground for music geeks. It has been a destination for vinyl and CD junkies since the when Jim Spitznagel opened it as Records, and the tradition has continued for the past 18 years under the banner of CDs. In September, a shudder went through the music community when rumors started circulating that Paul Olszewski was getting out. For people who regularly make that pilgrimage to Bloomfield, it immediately whipped up a terrifying image of a dollar store or a nail salon daring to occupy that space.

not like you would never be able to buy a CD on Matador or Sub Pop in Pittsburgh again. Flying in the face of consumer trends and economic feasibility, the city has more than its share of old and new, from the legendary to long-running to the upstart Mind Cure to the chain of Exchanges. But the thought of not having to circle Liberty Avenue and its narrow side streets for a parking space, walk past the fragrant pizza shop and the store with the dusty Catholic icons, and possibly have to navigate around some kind of Italian parade so you can pick up the new Cloud Nothings on vinyl is almost unimaginable. Then one man, who had shown no previous inclination toward rash decisions, like trying to buy a bridge or a failing baseball team, stepped forth and said, take Hanging Karl Hendricks, who turned 4526 into Sound Cat Records this week, was 14 the first time he walked into Records. parents both worked in Oakland.

I lived in McKeesport, and my mom said, I saw this store in Bloomfield that I think My parents brought me here the first time, and after that I started coming on the bus with my friends. That was about He had been into Def Leppard and Quiet Riot and that kids growing up in McKeesport might be he says, around that time, through reading Rolling Stone, that my mom subscribed to, I discovered more underground they called indie bands at the time but bands like Husker Du, The Minutemen and the Meat Puppets, and less underground bands like The Smiths and R.E.M.” Whatever you needed in that area, had it. The store actually started on Federal Street on the North Side in 1972, moved to Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield in 1973 and then a few doors up into the current location a year later, replacing Shoes, which had been there for 40 years. had no plan at that says Mr. Spitznagel, who lives in Ithaca, N.Y., now and performs in an electronic duo called The Electric Golem.

a movement came along punk and I was the only one into it, store-wise. I was the only one I loved In the early days of punk, distribution what it was today. When he heard about a pioneering art-punk band called Television playing at in New York, he went up to the club, met the band and said, own a store. Can I buy 10 copies from He bought copies of Patti proto-punk single, directly from her manager. Even as other stores caught on, remained unique.

You could walk in in March 1986 and not only find the new Husker Du album on Warner but get on SST as well. You could get the Queen Is while also getting the British imports of earlier albums with an extra song or two. first went there when it was and I was new to coming to says Johnny Lerner, one of the longtime regulars at the store. remember the first thing I bought Mudhoney always been a great place for me to start the same Steve Albini argument or discussion about by the Stones that started a hundred times. The best thing about the store has always been the Indeed, unlike shopping at one of the big chains or mall stores say, the giant National Record Mart it was a homey place where you could chat with Jim or the knowledgeable people hanging out there, and get turned onto new stuff.

even put it on for you. was like a big person candy Mr. Spitznagel says. Mr. Hendricks started working at as a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh in March of was a customer and he seamlessly became an the former owner says.

One thing that set Mr. Hendricks apart from the average consumer was he soaked in all that music and then had the talent to spit some back out. In fact, he has to be one of the few record store owners who can proudly stock six of his own CDs. TH KHT He started writing songs in the summer of and by fall, when he was enrolling at Pitt, he had recorded a solo tape called that was described as Dylan meets Bob In late he formed noise-rock ensemble Sludge- hammer with Jay Brain and Johnstown native Ian Williams, who would go on to play with math-rock heavyweights Don Caballero and now Battles. Mr.

Hendricks, who leaned more toward more wry, heartbreaking love songs (with a good dose of noise), formed the Karl Hendricks Trio and turned it into one of the finest musical exports. It debuted in 1991 with on the Peas Kor label and built a buzz in the indie press and via the College Music Journal seminar in New York that led to a signing with the prestigious label Merge for its fifth album, a While, It Was The KHT became an acclaimed national act, touring with the likes of Neutral Milk Hotel, Superchunk and Smog. In the year he was working on and Wom- things started looking up in that department. He was working at on Aug. 2 when nursing student Megan Balog came in looking for a Pavement album.

She had seen the band the night before in Philly, and it was her first day back living in Pittsburgh. She and Mr. Hendricks hit it off right away, and one of their first dates was seeing the legendary Sonic show at Metropol. Their first daughter, Maeve, was born during those Merge years in 1995. As successful as he was on the indie scene, he says, think that very early on, I understood that playing music was not going to be my No.

1 priority more like third or There was fatherhood, of course. There was the store, Because KARL HENDRICKS started going to Records when he was 14 and working there at 18. Now, the McKeesport native and acclaimed musician is turning CDs into Sound Cat with the hope that an old- fashioned record store can still thrive in the digital age SEE PAGE -20 Above, Jim Spitznagel, former owner of Records in Bloomfield, changed careers to manage the Warhol Museum gift shop in 1993. Right, the Karl Hendricks Trio in 1996: Tom Hoffman, left, Len Jarabeck and Karl Hendricks with daughter Maeve. Sound Cat Records GRAND OpENING pARty When: 6-8 p.m.

Friday. Featuring: Saxophonist Ben Opie and Will Simmons The Nougat Boys (featuring Bob Jungkunz on percussion), plus snacks. RECORD StORE DA When: 9 a.m. April 21, with 5 p.m. in-store performance by Hidden Twin (Phil Boyd of the Modey Lemon solo).

w-13 Lake photos Karl Hendricks, top, bought the former CDs in Bloomfield and turned it into Sound Cat Records. Customers browse the racks at the store. things started looking up in that department. He was working at on Aug. 2 when nursing student Megan Balog came in looking for a Pavement album.

She had seen the band the night before in Philly, and it was her first day back living in Pittsburgh. She and Mr. Hendricks hit it off right away, and one of their first dates was seeing the legendary Sonic show at Metropol. Their first daughter, Maeve, was born during those Merge years in 1995. As successful as he was on the indie scene, he says, think that very early on, I understood that playing music was not going to be my No.

1 priority more like third or There was fatherhood, of course. There was the store, Sound Cat Records have long to wait for its first Record Store Day. The fifth annual celebration, which sends record store owners and collectors scrambling for rarities, will take place April 21. Among the other stores taking part locally will be The Attic (Millvale), (Downtown), Music Mine (South Side) and Mind Cure (Polish Hill). Going for the win this year will be Flaming Lips, releasing a whole new double LP set, Flaming Lips and Heavy featuring collaborations with the likes of Chris Martin, Bon Iver, Nick Cave, My Morning Jim James, Yoko Ono, Erykah Badu and Biz Markie.

It will be pressed on multi-colored vinyl, with tracks including Working at NASA on and David Bowie Other Record Store Day highlights (which will be available in limited quantities and not at all stores): The Grateful limited edition LP of Star: Europe 72 Olympic Theater Paris France containing the longest version of David single backed with a recording of the track from his Tops of Pops performance on a 7-inch picture disc. Bruce track and a live version of on 7-inch vinyl. recent Whole in a special limited deluxe box set. Arcade 12-inch version of from The Civil 7-inch vinyl of its cover of Michael Grace Potter and the LP and CD at the Legendary Sun Jimmy and Iggy and The at All Tomorrows 12-inch picture disc. Paul 25th anniversary edition on vinyl.

Janis reissued in mono with companion vinyl, Highlights from The Pearl Sessions, featuring several previously unreleased versions. Mastodon and Feist 7-inch trading covers of and the EP on blue vinyl. Vinyl reissues of Patti Uncle first three studio albums, Lou and live album Roll in Seattle Run Chocolate by series covering Be on green vinyl. Flogging 7-inch vinyl single of with B-side of Prayer for Me in Ryan 7-inch of two Bob Mould covers, a and Sheets of recorded in Los Angeles last November. Scott Mervis Record Store Day is two weeks away SEE PAGE -20 Sound Cat Records GRand OpeninG aRty When: 6-8 p.m.

Friday. Featuring: Saxophonist Ben Opie and Will Simmons The Nougat Boys (featuring Bob Jungkunz on percussion), plus snacks. ReCORd StORe day When: 9 a.m. April 21, with 5 p.m. in-store performance by Hidden Twin (Phil Boyd of the Modey Lemon solo)..