When a local band decides to put out a CD, getting it to the hands of fans and friends is pretty easy: Sell 'em at the shows, sell 'em through your Web site, have Mom hawk 'em at work to her friends like Girl Scout cookies.
Mmmm. Girl Scout cookies.
But I digress. Of course, there are actual record stores in town happy to carry local product. Bands usually sign a consignment deal with the stores - retailers make a small percent of the sale - drop off a few discs and then, a few weeks, months or years later, show up to see how they did. The stores that carry local albums often are smaller, independent ones.
Here's a peek at a selection of places that usually stock local artists. Remember, these are not the only shops that sell local material. Call around and ask.
And maybe, if enough people ask for local music, every store in town will pick up on it. Ha, ha!
Everybody's Records
6106 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge. 531-4500.
If there's a local band or artist that has a CD out, this is probably the best place to find it. The store mixes in some local stuff with the regular releases (de-stigmatizing it, as it were) and its local music bin is the fattest in town. The local material is located at the front of the store's music section.
What else they carry: Good selection of new and used CDs of all genres.
Sample of local stock: Punk from Koan, Jazz from Art Gore.
Unique find: Lots and lots of local Hip Hop artists.
What you probably won't find: Not much that you won't find, at least from a local band standpoint.
Rating (between 1-10): 10.
Shake It Records
4183 Hamilton Ave., Northside. 591-0123.
This relatively new store (and sister of the Punk/Garage/Roots label of the same name) gives the bustling, eclectically hip Northside neighborhood its musical heart. Local music gets its own bin in the center of the store.
What else they carry: If you've been searching the city high and low for Garage or Mod band compilations, music from The Shaggs or classic vinyl LPs, this is your one-stop supershop. They also have the latest major and indie label releases.
Sample of local stock: You'll find indigenous Northside sounds from the Comet Bluegrass All-Stars; the entire CD discography of prolific singer/songwriter Maurice Mattei; and, of course, the local and national stuff from the Shake It label.
Unique find: The only place I saw anything from local Blues legend Big Joe Duskin. Used, it was a mere $3.
What you might not find: Scenesters buying the new Third Eye Blind CD (they go to the mall and do that anonymously).
Rating (between 1-10): 9.
Buzz Coffeeshop & CD-O-Rama
2900 Jefferson Ave., Corryville. 221-3472.
Here you can get a good coffee buzz downstairs, maybe see the night's musical entertainment lugging in equipment and then wander upstairs for the used CD department. The shop gives big props to local acts, displaying local disc covers over the main bins.
What else they carry: It's all used, in a variety of genres, though largely Rock/Alternative/Indie/Punk.
Sample of local stock: Tracy Walker, The Simpletons, Short Millie.
Unique find: All three of the compilations of local music from Deary Me Records.
What you might not find: Decaf.
Rating (between 1-10): 8.
Mole's Record Exchange
2622 Vine St., Corryville. 861-6291.
This Corryville cornerstone is a good place to find recent used CDs at about two-thirds the price at Media Play. In the University of Cincinnati-area hotbed known as Short Vine - home to Bogart's, Top Cat's and the currently music-less Sudsy Malone's - Mole's has its selection of a variety of local music (heavy on Indie and Alternative acts) in its front glass counter.
What else they carry: Besides a decent selection of local and regional band CDs and singles, the store stocks a healthy selection of used CDs, cassettes and vinyl.
Sample of local stock: Leap Skyward, Ric Hickey & the Loose Wrecks (ask Ric to sign your copy - he's often the counter-dude).
Unique find: Local 7-inch singles, a lost art form, find a home at Mole's, with wax from bands like Counterpoise and The Tigerlilies on hand.
What you might not find: A lot of local Jazz or Hip Hop.
Rating (between 1-10): 8.
Joseph-Beth Booksellers
2692 Madison Road, Norwood.
396-8960.
This chain bookseller has a surprisingly large offering of local music. And, unlike the indie stores, it isn't heavy on the Do-It-Yourself AltRock/Punk type of bands, so Mom and Dad can look too!
What else they carry: The music section is heavy on Jazz, Folk, World and Classical music. And I think they sell some books or sumthin'.
Sample of local stock: All of the folksy releases from local Blue Jordan Records, Christian sounds from Ben Gulley and Jazz from the PsychoAcoustic Orchestra.
Unique find: Half of the local music stock (probably around 250 discs) is Cincinnati Pops and Cincinnati Symphony releases.
What you probably won't find: The cassette release debut of Norwood Punk sensations Cherry-Flavored Placenta.
Rating (between 1-10): 8.
