The might of Third Man Records extends far beyond its diminutive store in downtown Nashville. Jack White’s record label/performance space/hole-in-the wall shop is yet another instrument he plays to equal parts acclaim and annoyance. His unwavering adherence to garage-rock releases on vinyl discs makes him both a hero to new analog believers and the ultimate hipster pest to grumpy (old) detractors. Is he just doing it to further his rebel-cool image, or because it’s something he truly believes in?
Well, either way, you’ve got to admit that no one matches White’s vinyl showmanship: a clear 12-inch filled with blue liquid! A single-sided 12-inch with a 7-inch single inside! Flexi-singles tied to biodegradable helium balloons and released! And then there was the Ultra LP for his Lazaretto solo album, possibly the ultimate expression of White’s vinyl record gimmickry, which included everything from a hidden track under the label (who the heck is going to ruin their stylus playing the label?!) to a side that plays from the inside out (better be quick on raising your tonearm when the side runs out). Silly? Most certainly—but White’s always been in on the joke. And when he releases a passion project like his Paramount Records box sets—each one a work of remarkable beauty—you can only admire his marketing creativity.
Now you can immerse yourself in Third Man vinyl mania without making the trek to Nashville—the record store is coming to us with a visit from the Third Man Rolling Record Store in the parking lot of Lost and Found Records on Sunday, Nov. 22, from 2-6 p.m. (It’s free, unless, of course, you buy some records.) There promises to be a live in-store performance from a yet unnamed Third Man Records recording group plus, well, lots of records.
I don’t know if they’ll have room to haul over the brick and mortar store’s novelties lounge and its Third Man Record Booth (which records and presses your performance on the spot), but it should have some interesting slabs of wax on hand for the vinyl faithful.
Editor Coury Turczyn guided Knoxville's alt weekly, Metro Pulse, through two eras, first as managing editor (and later executive editor) from 1992 to 2000, then as editor-in-chief from 2007 to 2014. He's also worked as a Web editor at CNET, the erstwhile G4 cable network, and HGTV.
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