Schoolkids Records (Retail & Label)

Don’t you feel silly? While some of you were lined up in the freezing cold the other night waiting for Best Buy and Target to open up early for Black Friday (or was that Black Thursday?), the rest of us were sitting around by a cozy fire, sipping fine bourbons and reading the new print edition of our magazine. It’s been arriving in mailboxes and at newsstands across the land, and the response has been unanimous: #14 is the best thing to follow a previous issue of BLURT since #13! Find out what all the buzz is about by picking up your copy today. Among the goodies you’ll find therein:

            JASON ISBELL: Our 2013 Artist Of The Year. NICK ZAINO talked to Isbell about his masterful album Southeastern and the groundswell of acclaim that has accrued in its aftermath.

SPECIAL AMERICANA SECTION: In 2013, the “A” word isn’t necessarily synonymous with twangin’ and strummin’—as evidenced by the diverse sounds of Amanda Shires, Gov’t Mule, Kenny Roby, Barrence Whitfield and Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion.

MOBY: Longtime Contributing Editor A.D. AMOROSI sat down with the influential sonic auteur to discuss the twinned powers collaboration and, er, domesticity. Wait, what?

THE BEATLES: Amorosi also embarked upon a Fab Four mini-odyssey, probing the moptops’ early years and talking to both Yoko Ono and Beatles biographer Larry Kane.

MEGAFAUN: The North Carolina band’s multitasking muse is busier than ever these days, with members engaged in a host of projects—including a new collaboration with savant Arnold Dreyblatt. JORDAN LAWRENCE investigated.

THOSE DARLINS: STEVE WILSON put the Nashville combo on the couch—term used loosely—to find out how they made one of the best damn albums of the year in their masterful Blur The Line.

CHEETAH CHROME: What befits a punk legend the most? How about a new solo record and an appearance in the new biopic CBGB? Our resident punk expert JOHN B. MOORE INVESTIGATES.

THE REPLACEMENTS: A story from the deep, dark archives of Blurt editor FRED MILLS, in which he found himself thrust into the chaos of the original foursome’s rise to prominence, mid ‘80s style.

TOMMY KEENE: In our latest installment of the “Damn, Wish I’d Written That Song” the pop/rock legend outlines five classic tunes he’d mortgage his house to have his name affixed to.

ETHAN JOHNS & HEADY FWENDS: You think YOU know some cool people? Allow Contributing Editor LEE ZIMMERMAN to enlighten you…

ROBBIE FULKS: Senior Editor RANDY HARWARD gets the last word from the roots-rock singer/songwriter on everything from aging to politics to the Bible to Saturday morning cartoons.

EMEFE: Afrobeat never sounded sweeter, particularly when it mixes up in wild style with indie rock. Contributing Editor JENNIFER KELLY knows of what she writes.

Speaking of Black Friday… we had a good ‘un, scooping up limited edition Record Store Day Black Friday exclusives like U2’s “Ordinary Love” 10-inch, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Live From KCRW,  Bob Dylan Side Tracks 3LP set, Flaming Lips Peace Sword EP, Hard Working Americans (Todd Snider, Dave Schools and others) “Don’t Wanna Hurt Nobody” 45, Nirvana In Utero 2013 Mix, Puscifer’s 8-Ball Bail Bonds 10”—and of course that Vince Guaraldi Trio gold-wax 7” for “Linus and Lucy” plus the John Denver & The Muppets Christmas pic disc. Loads more offerings resulted in independent record stores (such as BLURT’s sister business, Schoolkids Records of Raleigh) being packed with customers and lines out the door early on. Unlike the crowds at places like Wal-Mart, however, there weren’t mass shove-a-thons, fist fights or random shots fired; something about music soothing the savage beast, perhaps?