SKULL MUSIC IN-STORE

2.18.11
a date we had all somewhat cautiously approached. many concerns were brought up and for a tiem, there was consideration the entire show be moved. for one, the HOMOSTUPIDS are not your average punk rock band. with at least one ex-nine shocks terror member (and he's not really the "crazy" one), i personally have attended shows of theirs were i thought my life was endangered. but buffalo proved itself once again.
*

no, it wasn't tame by any means. and thats a good thing. these shows are not meant to be tame. they are supposed to be a little dangerous. and by god, it was. but we incurred minimal damage, no theft (that we are aware of) and most of the attendees are customers/friends...all who kept an eye out for anything over the top.




the evening of music began with the beloved UTAH JAZZ, Buffalo's long awaited spastic, bass-less garage punk band featuring members of MAYDAY!, Brown Sugar, Baast and a couple ex-City Creeps.
The smiling bloke on right guitar was instrumental in putting the entire thing together, along with an unpictured Chuck Barrels--both of whom saw that the Spiral Scratch Dungeon was game ready.
Of course, one of punk rocks finer units, HOMOSTUPIDS, returned to Buffalo to play where they enjoy most--below sea-level. Some fans frustrated with their lo-fi recordings get a taste this trio means serious business, can play and have songs to back it all up in the live setting. They seemed tickled to be back in Buffalo--which they are admitted fans of. Tickled pink and even rare smiles:

Rounding out the evening was post-hiatus PLATES. Eventually, and without being too self-indulgent, we took to the floor and banged through a set that began under cover of darkness.
*

We'd like to think it was a smashing success and thank all who took time out of their busy friday evening to converge upon the 'Scratch to witness this show.
Our crack security squad: Chuck Barrels, Malik, Marisa & Sam, Stokes!, Carson and all of our customers and friends who again, had fun and got ugly--but respected our little place. And although these particular shots were taken by Anchovies and Stokes--a special thanks to Clint Carr for his hundreds of shots that can be seen here: lots of pics and video

anchovies
2.22.11
3:18am

return of the BLOG

(banner by mark "joops" hatley--A+ dude)

where did it go? laziness? perhaps...but then it vanished. and now its back.

no further questions!

it's been a long, cold winter for all of us...and, for many of us, that means being a hermit more often than not and what better way to hole up in your crib than with some cool records to keep things interesting? none, i say. and we've got what you need (in most cases...if not, let us know what you need and we'll do our damnedest to find it as quickly as possible).

our pal Felix von Havoc (and the man who helped coined our store "Spiral Scratch" has, through his fine Havoc Records label, reissued some classic punk rock. We are proud to serve up reissues from DISCHARGE, VARUKERS, MDC and more. This is also our source for classic titles from BAD BRAINS (Rock For Light---superior euro mix), The PIST, REGULATIONS, POISON IDEA (Feel The Darkness) and more.




a snapshot of some recent units to have come through the door (and out the door, in most cases)

FEBRUARY 18th: a day that might live in infamy.
of course, there is much more happening every day. we have been making a conscious effort to unleash hundreds of used backstock, which had been sitting unpriced for months as we try to keep up with collections coming in frequently. in an effort to make room for the upcoming HOMOSTUPIDS/PLATES/UTAH JAZZ show on february 18th. if you plan on attending, we ask you respect the Scratch, our neighbors and everyone around you. any dickheads will be promptly removed by our "Heavy Dudes Security Team™". And yes, the cameras do work. we ask you not to be that guy (or girl). also, keep in mind space is LIMITED. we love you all, but in the interest of safety, the law, our lease and others who want to enjoy this show--we will be forced to turn folks away if it becomes too crowded.

SCRATCH and SNIFF zine:

Issue #3 will be out soon! If you missed the first issues, a small reprint will be made available for a time. After issue #1 is gone, it will be gone for good...don't sleep. Editor-In-Chief B. Gaffney is hard at work laying it all out while our foxhole buddy Chuck Barrels will man the repress machine.

SOME LOCAL RELEASES OF NOTE:
A four-way split involving some of Buffalo's coolest singer-songwriters, playing acoustically for the most part, a part of the BORN TO KILL vinyl compilation 7".
Fences Make Good Neighbors (members and/or ex-members of Exit Strategy, Failures Union, Palomar Sky Survey (!)), Ellen West (Missing Planes), Tony Flaminio (Failures Union) and the amazing Bill "Tracey Morrow" Nehill. A digital version includes extra tracks. Brought to us from One Percent Press/Headless Actor.

Another comp of note comes to us from Warm Bath Label entitled BUFFALO BRUTALITY. As you could imagine, this title is self-explanatory. Some of Buffalo's most br00tal including Inerds, Resist Control, Avulsion, Morax, Ordinary Men & Women, Scheisse Krieg & Ancients of Earth round out this crushing 7" record.

Lindsey & Jack Topht, Buffalo's favorite "power couple", make their 7" vinyl debut (in anticipation of a lengthy tour), all with handmade covers. Everything you'd come to expect from this eccentric dynamic duo, right down to the incredible artwork on the sleeves.

To Hell And Back -- technically an Albany outfit, THAB features the beloved Matto and have unleashed a full length of straight ahead ROCK. Think Turbonegro sans homosexual imagery or Kiss with balls and without the make-up. LP is pressed on opaque blue wax and comes with a digital download. Keep an eye out for their release show coming up when the weather breaks. Another Peterwalkee release. (Don't forget the Figgs "Sucking In Stereo" reissue from a few months back)

Unwelcome Guests also have graced us with their latest 7".

From the ashes of long running, under appreciated BLOWTOPS rise the FATAL FIGURES. More Scientists, Pussy Galore influenced dark garage punk. They are now armed with a debut 7" which includes, surprisingly, a Pussy Galore cover. After parting ways with their frontman Creepy Dave Brand, the remaining members forge ahead as a trio proving that these folks are "lifers" who are unfazed by the criminal lack of attention they have received locally while achieving acclaim internationally. Released on none other than BIG NECK RECORDS.

We will also be re-stocking crucial Feral Kid Records releases including Mayday!, Coworkers/Inerds split, Rational Animals, an upcoming Death Trap 7" and pretty much everything else that is offered from this important prolific Buffalo imprint.

Other new releases of note:
Dismemberment Plan - Emergency 2xlp reissue.
OFF! 4x7" box set with fancy booklet. Playing at the Mohawk Place 3/30.
Low Threat Profile 12" long player.
Dirtbombs - Party Store 3x lp. An adventurous homage to detroit electronic/house music played by one of the greats, led by garage legend Mick Collins.
Mogwai - Hardcore... 2x lp/7"
Lemuria - Pebble Hardworking Buffalo outfit unleash breakthrough album, out of place, on Bridge 9 (!!!).
Lemuria/Cheap Girls split 7"
Boomgates 7" - Aussie outfit featuring Brendan Suppression of Eddy Current Suppression Ring, his girlfriend and some other blokes.
Straight Arrows import LP - More Aussie greatness...one of my favorites in recent months, a psychedelic-pop killer of an album.
Gentleman Jesse - ...Wrong Guy 7" After unleashing one of the great power pop albums in recent years in 2008, Gentleman jesse & His Men hit the road hard for a time and return in top form with this limited 7" ep. Another gem that no self-respecting power-pop fan should be without. And make no mistake, this is the real deal--not some Warped Tour schlock pop punk turd masquerading as power pop.
Ride - Nowhere A classic shoegazing masterpiece available on thick vinyl for the first time in...quite some time. Includes their standard Vapor Trails. An all around classic of the genre.
plus new stuff from DESTROYER 2xLP, AGAINST ME (7"), DUM DUM GIRLS 12", SUPERTOUCH 7" and plenty more.
Restocks (partial)
The Fall - Live at The Witch Trials/Dragnet/Grotesque LPs. One of the greats. Now significantly cheaper than previously. Why are you paying more, sucker? We also have This Nations Saving Grace and the Wonderful World of the Fall in stock.
Shangri-La's - Leader of the Pack/'65 LPs - still on Red Bird!--sorry collector geeks, but these are identical to the originals and sound GREAT!

Blind Willie Mctell - One of the great country-bluesmen; a fantastic collection of many of his great numbers. A must for any early acoustic blues fan. Which brings us to:
Bukka "Booker" White LP, reissued by the excellent 4 Men With Beards Label, the same bearded fellas who bring us fine reissues by WIRE, TELEVISION, BUZZCOCKS, FUNKADELIC, FLIPPER and more. Top quality.

That's all for now. Stay tuned for Part II of this entry and we'll keep you informed of things going on at the Scratch.

Don't forget to tune into SPIRAL, SCRATCH & SNIFF RADIO every saturday at our NEW time, 10-midnight on saturday evenings. Too anti-social for the endless dance-party circuit? Dig the longest running (15 years?!) free-form rock and roll radio show in Buffalo! With hosts Anchovies, Chuck Barrels & Get Mugged! Rock and roll, punk rock, hardcore, power-pop, post-punk, proto-punk, new wave, noise and whatever else feels right.
Tune those transistor radios to 91.3 fm or check it out on streaming live at wbny.org

thanks for reading and come visit us soon!

anchovies
2/14/11
5:07 a.m.

Thanksgiving, Danksgiving & Indie Black Friday

Black Friday,a pockmark on our society, our country and those who inhabit it. People literally are killed in a mad rush in the freak hours of the day in seek of a bargain. no self-respecting Spiral Scratch customer would be caught dead at one of these freak shows (we hope---geeze). plus, you'll find plenty of bargains at the Scratch every day. Typicallly not our busiest day of the year, the folks who have brought to us Record Store Day had a brilliant idea--Indie Black Friday. Thats right, we've been sitting on this box of stuff, only to be unleashed on Black Friday. However, there is no chance of us opening at 7 a.m. Unless you hear different--regular hours. (flexibly, noon.)
Whats in the box, you say?
Exclusive releases from Drive-By Truckers, Gaslight Anthem, Iron & Wine, Jimi Hendrix, Slayer, Soundgarden, MGMT and more. yep, thats all the info you get. In addition, we are outing a bunch of recently discovered used records that have been in storage since the move to Bryant Street. some real winners in there, and other gold nuggets we've acquired recently. More collections coming in as the days pass, too much pricing for one man.
Speaking of this madness, Matador, and 4AD recording artists The NATIONAL have released an expanded edition of their album HIGH VIOLET (cd only). This disc will be made available separately for the one day only price of $8. that's right, *8 bucks for a full companion disc/download featuring an updated recording of Terrible Love, unreleased tracks, and some bonus live material. A 7" will also be released in conjunction with the disc. Violet Friday, Goddamnit! *one day, only.
Spiral Scratch is the ONLY VIOLET FRIDAY participating store within a 100 mile radius! This includes surprises from Matador, 4AD, too pure & XL Recordings...things you might be interested in like reissues from the Fall and other cool stuff. Prices viciously slashed.


Lastly, the highly sought after Spiral Scratch Gift Certificates will make their return this week, along with some brow-raising re-stocks, new releases and whatnot.
-The Parting Gifts - Strychnine Dandelion (featuring Greg 'Oblivian' Cartwright)
-Tyvek - Nothing Fits Tyvek, who we watched grow up, are peaking with their second proper full length, not to mention some nifty cover art.
-Iron Lung - Life. Iron Lung. Death. (re-issue just released last week)
-Neil Young - Le Noise accidentally sent to us, we are selling this a hair above wholesale making this overpriced record almost affordable. we will be returning them after next week. you wont find it cheaper--if you do, someone's cheatin'
Torche - Songs For Singles
Earth - A Bureaucratic Desire For Extra-Capsular Extraction
Purling Hiss - PSA/Hissteria/Purling Hiss. Michael Polizze plays guitar for 'lo-fi' guitar psych creepers, Birds of Maya when he is not recording his own, fuzzed out psych/space blasts on his solo albums. As someone noted, Polizze sounds, at times, like he's playing guitar to save his life. Fans of heavy, fuzzed out, spacey psych-ROCK take note...three solo albums re-released on 3 top notch indie labels (Richie, Woodsist and Permanent Records (super cool folks from chicago, who double as chicago's best record shop).
Man Or Astro-man? Debut lp from surf astromen. where were you in '92? Loserpallooza? Bringin'the mosh™? Look what ya' missed! Estrus has unveiled more copies of this classic debut. We have them for you.
NEW 7" records!
OHSEES, DUM DUM GIRLS, KITTY LITTLE/SCIENTIFIC MAPS split, INTEGRITY reissues and more restocks. Lots of killer used vinyl priced to move unveiled this friday (11/26). No peeking...



Support your local labels!
In addition to our constant touting of the mighty fine Feral Kid imprint, and ex pat label BIG NECK RECORDS--several regional labels are putting out quality, good looking product. The bands are not necessarily local--these are people pouring their hard earned money into releasing music they believe in and should be commended, if nothing else, for their efforts in making Buffalo a better place to be--musically speaking. I mean, what else is there, anyway? also: Buy their records.

--Peterwalkee Records! Matto seems, from afar, to defy "time constraints" of daily life. he's in like 5 bands, goes to school and runs a record label. Most recently, Peterwalkee has reissued the class act Figgs "Sucking in Stereo" album. Thats just the tip of the 'berg, as they say from this Capital District DIY Maniac. A recent Kitty Little/Scientific Maps 7" and another Figgs release, the Casino Hayes 7", are recent releases from this ongoing label.

-WARM BATH LABEL. Recently cherry picked 7 of buffalo's most brooootal and released a compilation on 7". (one band per inch!) Resist Control, Inerds, SCHEISSE KRIEG, Ordinary Men & Women, Avulsion, Ancients of Earth and Morax.
Warm Bath also has a gnarly distro which can probably be accessed at their myspace page

-Desire Path Recordings upstart label with an LP release of Solo Andata's Ritual. read more about Desire Path here.

-One Percent Press No stranger to buffalo music and beyond, good ol' boy stephen "percent" floyd has, upon relocating to the Empire State, dedicated resources to putting out records by (and playing bass for*) Everything Falls Apart, Failures Union and more recently non-localized bands like Venice Is Sinking and involvement with a split band/split label 12" from the Convocation. Read more about the label, whats going on and the mysterious Minnesota "connection" at their official website, which boasts audio and visual clues as to what to expect from the labels offerings.

*i wanted that job.


-Last, but not least, the pretty prolific Vega Vinyl, which has put out area and non-regional releases. The Giant Squid album looks about as cool as anything i've seen released in quite some time. VV spares no expense. Also in stock from the label is Damiera, Constants and a 3-way lp featuring East Of The Wall, Year of No Light & Rosetta. Read all about them here.

if you know of any other labels releasing good stuff based in the area, let us know.
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11/26 [friday] Don't forget the JOE BOMPCZYK MEMORIAL TRIBUTE SHOW.
this show is a benefit for joe's kids, as joe, a founding member of buffalo's legendary ENEMIES, succumbed to a bout with cancer. he was a dear uncle to our own richie and a buffalo music benchmark. we will be donating a gift certificate in addition to the other stuff the organizers have going on.

12/1 [wednesday] Spiral Scratch Night at the Mohawk!!
The Scratch and Mohawk become one as staffers unite and play their favorite records.
DANCE PARTY! Donations to the Buffalo Animal Shelter will enter you automatically to win a hefty gift certificate, too. please check their site, see what they do and do NOT need and if you have some laying around...bring it down. If you cant make the dj night, bring it here!
celebrity dj's include:

anchovies
still bill
"mark"
t.m. street pervert
barrels, chas

shenanigans shall ensue.

anchovies
11.21.10

"what's the name of this place again, brah?"

*******
blogging. time consuming, yet crucial to the curious consumer. this posting is dedicated to my late best friend, my dog of 9 years--rescued at 2-ish, the british bred chocolate labrador retriever who stumbled into my life (as it was crumbling), took shits in the weirdest of places, would eat anything but celery (good for him, i wont eat that crap either)and probably the most willing to hang out with me these passed few years. He succumbed a year long battle with cancer and arthritis a few weeks ago leaving my world quite emptied. I understand this is the STORE blog, but i would be remiss without eulogizing one of the creatures on this rotten planet that meant the world to me.
as a result, some things have slowed down (he telepathically helped me order in new stock). i apologize if these have effected/affected you in any way, or i've been a grouch behind the counter-- and i have been. short wick. but things continue blah blah blah. the milkbones remain on the counter and if yer strolling by with your french poodle, don't hesitate to bring them in. this goes for your bikes, too. now, on to the business at hand.
I: Incoming/New Releases

the latest from legendary imprint, In The Red Records, brings forth a batch of new and upcoming releases.
CHEAP TIME - Fantastic Explanations A few years back, Memphis' Tennessee unleashed Cheap Time's debut, a herky-jerky catchy punk rock record that drew comparisons from early Redd Cross, most notably. The band even, through much begging with basement show folks, played a blazing set at the late Death Trap located at 29 Custer Street. They were unknown at the time, but managed to leave with a hundred bucks, some food and a batch of new fans. Then Jeffrey Novak retreated to the bedroom and unleashed a major departure solo album, all of which he wrote and played. The light pressing (500?) was so good, it stunned folks. 60s pop influenced (someone said it made XTC sound like george jones) all around, it was packed with well written hits.
On Fantastic Explanations, that solo album style worked its way into Cheap Times uptempo punk style and these are the results. A top shelf sophmore album.

FRESH & ONLYS - Play It Strange The girls are gone, the uptempo garage rock ravers are gone, but the mood isn't quite as dark as their previous album. Not content to sit in one place for long on their third album (an 8.0 on Pitchfork so you have to own it). While the rest of the world is catching up with the Fresh & Onlys, Spiral Scratch customers have been snatching up their singles and lp's--3 in a year and a half with this being the first to escape any semblance of an unfair "lo-fi" tag. Well crafted and memorable, often dreamy 60s pop (i think they've left the garage completely) songs that fill an album that is being critically acclaimed and coinsidered a "best of so far" by some high brow publications. **Waterfall= from "Play It Strange"


coming soon from In The Red (11/11) TYVEK Nothing Fits LP (their masterpiece?) and The PARTING GIFTS (featuring Greg 'Oblivian' Cartwright of Reigning Sound!)
*all Reigning Sound lp's back in stock and several 7"'s on the way.

BELLE & SEBASTIAN - Write About Love - The latest from this force of indie rock comes with a free 7" with "bonus tracks" and a contest in which you....write about love (300 words) and send it back to Matador (secret code inside). More details at the counter. This may be Belle & Sebastians finest moment in years, at least a few. A certain step away from the preceding album, which, if you like, is available alongside reissues of Tigermilk, If You're Feeling Sinister and the Boy with The Arab Strap.

More from el Matador: the recent efforts from RATATAT (LP4) ,DEERHUNTER 'Halcyon Digest', BRITISH SEA POWER 12" (6 songs), MISSION OF BURMA (plus the reissues now available as single budget priced lp's and deluxe editions, Pixies and pavement back catalogs.

Some other newer releases:
NOBUNNY-First Blood (incredible follow-up to the smash hit debut (also in stock) plus an assortment of Nobunny 7 "'s.

WOVEN BONES- In and Out and Back Again LP - not that new, but worth noting--comparisons to VU and Jesus and Mary chain abound, the Woven Bones stand strong on their own merits and the recent 7" shows them stepping away from the minimal fuzz and offering 2 great tracks of new material.

INSUBORDINATES s/t - These Rochester punks are no joke, though their frontman with the dangling earing would like you to think so. Maybe he has pissed you off and maybe he tried hard in doing so, but just let the record spin and realize one of the best straight forward punk rock records released recently has come from nearby Rochester, NY. Alongside "buddy bands", 7" records Braincar and the Narc's are in stock, there is finally something brewing in Rochester besides homicides.

WIPERS - OUT TAKES - Recorded between 1979-1983, these 13 tracks are culled from the bonus tracks of the original first 3 lp box set, hand picked by Greg Sage and drawn from the original tapes. This, along with the first 3 WIPERS albums, have been stocked-ordered direct from Jackpot Records in seattle who spared no expense. These are by no means throwaway tracks, rather different approaches and takes on essential tracks from the early days.

A-FRAMES - 333 A 3 record set of singles, demos, unreleased tracks from one of the great, yet criminally overlooked, bands of the last decade. (Drummer Lars now fronts the Intelligence) A career spanning behemoth of a package not just for superfans. Probably limited, but i'm not sure.

Moonhearts s/t - Debut longplayer from the artists formerly known as Charlie & the Moonhearts (Chaz plays drums, by the way), with assistance from the amazing Ty Segall (we have his latest 2 albums and a split with UK band Black Time in stock) present their 7 track (no joke) is full of fuzz and scuzz and memorable blasts of raunchy goodness. Dig in while they last.

more recent units:
Black Angels - Phosphene Dream 2x lp (playing Buffalo soon!)
!!! - Strange Weather Isn't It (marked down!)
Azure Ray - Drawing Down On The Moon LP
Real Estate - s/t 7"
Antony & the Johnsons - Swanlights lp
Fucked Up - Year of the Ox 12"
Jeff The Brotherhood - Heavy Days
Forgetters 7" (Blake from Jawbreaker)
Make Do & Mend - Bodies of Water
Les Savy Fav - Root For Ruin
Ex-Humans - s/t (catchy punk from ex-Carbonas)
Red Red Red - New Action LP
Circle Pit - Bruise Constellation
Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
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II: Reissues Current

Some reissues instock include those demented Swedes BRAINBOMBS and their Urge To Kill LP and SINGLES compilation. Lyrically, they claim to be influenced by a writer named Peter Sotos (whatever, dudes), but this is clearly not for the faint of heart. Musically, the seminal style is minimal, noisy slashing with spat out singing in broken english, words that would make a feces slinging gg allin cringe. This is not of much consequence, since the music is so good and these records have been sought after in the years following their initial release (when they were ignored). Keep in mind the last record to spin before fire claimed our North Buffalo location was, indeed, a Brainbombs record.
DROPDEAD reissues, 3 lp's straight from the Armageddon Shop.
Influential metal/hardcore heroes Zero Tolerance have had their first 7" reissued, with early Sick of it All and Agnostic Front records.
A 10 song 7" from Negative Approach slap's their first demo onto wax for the first time.

Don't forget previously enjoyed/used records are going out every day, trying to keep up with a recent influx.

Entry to be continued...suns coming up.

anchovies 10.28.10

PART 2 More Reissues and Restock Action & SCRATCH & SNIFF #2



Post Modern Blooze & Propoganda. From the makers of Spiral Scratch and carefully edited and put together by our own "employee", damage controller and general rock and roll wunderkind, Get Mugged Gaffney--comes the second installment of Buffalo's Only Rock and Roll Mag. Chock full of writing about our favorite music, interviews and grainy photographs. Going fast.

MORE REISSUES & RESTOCKS: A quick look
Reissues from
STRIKE ANYWHERE (Exit English and Change Is A Sound)
DISCHARGE - War Is Hell (featuring 1978 demo 7" tracks). we are expecting the first 2 Discharge records in the coming weeks, as well. These, i gather, will sell out quickly.
DRI - Dirty Rotten LP & Dealing With It
GODFLESH - s/t
LUNGFISH - Pass and Stow
This coming week is a huge week for us with new orders coming in, so stay tuned for more....Integrity, Converge reissues en route. We bet the farm this week.

Next post: A look at some local/area labels and their releases.

anchovies
10.29.10

3 weeks. Semi-Update.

it's taken some time to adjust to the new digs here at 291 Bryant Street, as it has our UPS™ driver who cant seem to find the place. we've had a few orders sent back--but they should all be back in our grimy hands this week.

keeping up with demand has been an issue, but have no fear--we're catching up as we speak. please try to be patient with your special orders as we...get our heads around the continued support. we didnt expect an AV cover, but thank all who made it happen. and BuffaloNews™ coverage. truly, we are not worthy...well, maybe a little. show us a quality photoshopped version of the cover and you can walk home with a gift certificate worth your while. ok, now to business:

in stock this week includes, but is not limited to, new releases from:

The Sword
shellac
Birds of Maya (fans of heavy ROCK, take note)
The Intelligence (lars, ex-drummer of a-frames). Their best since Icky Boyfriends?
Sex Church (staff pick) this is an addition of 500. we have a few more left.
Pelican
Double Negative
Personal & the Pizzas
Dirty Projectors
waaves
Libyans
Ty Segall
and more...

reissues
DROPDEAD (3 different titles)
DRI
Mummies
Pretty Things

plus plenty of restocks of new and classic titles. in addition, new & hip used records are coming in more frequently than ever. Keep an eye on the incoming bin.

**cool local music supplied by the prolific Feral Kid Records label, which has most recently offered up a split record with Inerds and Coworkers, an incredible surf-punk record by Mayday and a healthy back catalog of singles, 12 and 10 inch records--mostly buffalo and rochester bands. in addition, new releases from White Whale, Iceberg, Gas Chamber. A few more i'm forgetting, but are no less worth checking out.

stay tuned for a real update as our influx of orders land at the counter (we hope) in the coming days.


we'll be carrying tickets as promoters see fit to bring them to us. no service charges, unless you use a credit card in which we must claim a buck. limited tickets to a rather interesting show coming up will also be announced in the next update.

doors open at noon.

wednesday august 11, 2010.

after a complicated trail of snags, good times and good people (we would have possibly shut down for good if it weren't for the outpouring of support), sweat, lamenting lost records...out of print favorites...and finally, being forced to move the entire shop...we re-open SPIRAL SCRATCH in the Elmwood Village today at noon.

we are still struggling with electrical, banking and pricing issues--the place looks good enough to soft open with a GRAND OPENING being planned.

starting over in a empty room painted pink was no easy task. we changed colors.

to show strength and resolve, we brought what was left of the old counter--which was rebuilt by Martin K.--it's original owner at Sit-n-Spin. He received much support from his beautiful son, Foster. Norelle and my mom donated computers and we used benefit money to buy a new register and credit card terminal, along with fantastic wood bins and displays built by Marcus...an idea we spied from a reborn shop in Pittsburgh (also a generous doner of records), Mind Cure Records Mike. His shop was built by himself and buffalo native Pat C., but Pat C. now lives in Pennsylvania.
Anyway you get the picture...well...you will.
here:


pretty fancy...and a sneak peek at some of the fine slabs we carry...just a peek.

one of those puppies is not for sale, however...an autographed 12" (one of 3 of the remaining copies) encouraging autograph by the legendary Jon Spencer (Blues Explosion, Heavy Trash, Pussy Galore, Boss Hogg, Honeymoon Killers, etc) following his show a few weeks back. Spencer is a soft spoken, nice guy--contrary to his stage presence or whatever has been said about him over the years. here's a close-up:


someday, i will sit down and make a giant list of all the people, record labels, bands and such who have lent a hand in slowly getting us back on our shaky feet. that day wont be today, however. Don't think for a minute we have overlooked anyone. We are and will be here for if and when YOU get knocked down and need a hand...that, you can depend on.

Team Scratch. Richie, Marisa, Brandon have been the core during the rebuild. There have been others, too. Donating time, sweat, ideas and work. We have received help moving in the heat from several others, too. We, again, appreciated it all. It cannot be stressed enough how important everyone coming together was to the survival of the store. Starting with Norelle, Rhinoceros, Bill/Spicoli and the massive Mohawk Benefit, Iceberg & Stokes and continuing from there. I fear if i continue, i will forget someone, but soon an S.S. Hall of Fame post will detail it all. In the meantime, the minds of Team Scratch (in lieu of my own spinning head, brainless & hairless head) have put together a new look Spiral Scratch in the Elmwood Village. Once again, the focus remains the same, the prices stay as low as possible and we ask you to avoid tripping on extension cords, touching electrical outlets (you WILL get tazed, bro) and if someone wanders in and asks for change to "catch a bus", go ahead and suplex them on the sidewalk.

pictured: Chuck Barrels, Interior Design/Record Guru/Termbro

It's come a long way, baby.

"some" new stuff in stock or on it's way, includes (but is not limited to)
* new marked men 7"
* broken social scene lp
* against me lp
* black sabbath 180 gram reissues
* jimi hendrix experience 180 gram reissues
* brian eno bbc sessions lp
* sst records restock (minutemen, descendents, black flag, etc)
* gg allin "always was..." lp and early 7"
* riverdales lp
* gaslight anthem lp
* arcade fire lp (cheap!!)
* leadbelly
* lee 'scratch" perry lp
* mummies (both estrus and telstar lp's--limited again!)
* oblivians (popular favorites, soul food, 9 songs)
* real kids s/t lp
* pretty things lp
* of montreal (several)
* off with their heads/dear landlord 7"
* corpus dei split 7"
* neu! & neu '75
* can monster movie (UA press) lp
* bastard noise lp (should be in on wednesday)
* death - for all the world to see
* personal & the pizzas - raw pie singles comp (punk!)
* cap'n jazz reissue lp
* Touch & Go Book assembled by Touch & Go founder Tesco Vee! all the zines in one book...an absolute must-have for an early 80s hardcore fan. these will vanish quickly.

plenty more, too. including used stuff donated. more to come, too.

we'll be in touch. thanks again, all.

-anchovies 08.11.10

it's been awhile...

Sure as shit has been awhile. Rebuilding a record store ain't easy and truth be told, we hate to move.

yes, North buffalo is not the ideal spot for a record store--but things were going ok. Nobody had been run down crossing the street and the non-existent parking situation
wasn't in everyone's best interest (your knowledge of NB streets was crucial to this...or your willingness to park at KwikFill™.

We held out for the windows and door to be replaced and the minor damage to be addressed, but as of press time we have seen nothing but an electrician take a peek at some outlets and the plywood remains. We will miss our clubhouse that was, for a brief time, Sit-N-Spin before we moved in. We loved our neighbors at Rise Above Tattoo and Kellys Korner, as well as customers who lived nearby. And it was, well...close to home. For me. But they say the customer always comes first....somehow you still found us. Thank you.

Since the first wave of benefits and donations, we have received a steady stream of care packages to beef up the used section/replace my personal stuff lost from all across the world.

And if you're ever in Pittsburgh, seek out Mind Cure Records. The owner, Mike, personally donated me a huge box of killer albums and he is just getting on his feet himself.

So the big news is it isn't blue inside and its off of Elmwood on Bryant Street. A few more details to pound out and we will be ready to serve you the latest, the best vinyl available today. We have been able to make some orders, but rebuilding a shop costs money, takes time and the ordering will pick up even more after we open. Meanwhile, keep in tune to when exactly that will be...it will be soon. It's gonna be weird, it's gonna be different, it's gonna be pretty interesting...a new adventure to embark on.

More to come in the coming days....but get ready for Spiral Scratch Grand Opening 2.0.
Counters By martin K.™