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Published by Leonardo Calcagno
In collaboration with Kaneshii Vinyl Press
Dead Dog Records history?
Independent record store Dead Dog Records is a fresh and welcome addition to Toronto’s Bloordale Village. We carry a full selection of new and used vinyl records (both the hip and the hop, the pop and the punk, the heavy and the metal, the jazz and the blues, the classic and the rock… you get the idea). We continue to carry compact discs, DVDs, and Blu-Rays, all curated by a staff with more than half a century of collective experience in record retail. Dead Dog Records is home to an approachable staff with the passion and patience to help you find lost but not forgotten artists and titles. If we don’t have an item in stock, we’ll special order and give you a call as soon as the goods arrive. We’ve been doing it for years and now as Dead Dog Records, we’ll do it for you! Try us, we double Dead Dog dare ya!
What musical styles do you specialize in?
Both stores provide an excellent selection of current releases and back catalog artists/titles in all genres of music. Our jazz, punk-rock and hip-hop sections are often lauded by our customers. Our Used vinyl section has been singled out for its high standards of condition and selection. Perhaps It’s our fair pricing, both in(buying of…) and out(selling of…) of our used vinyl, has contributed to our ability to stock the best titles consistently, garnering praise from our ever growing clientele.
Can you give us a small tour of the music scene in your town?
Toronto’s music scene is unparalleled. So many clubs and bars and venues of all sizes and offerings feature live music every night. One need only look at the listings for the Dakota Tavern, Lee’s Palace, the Danforth Music Hall, the Cameron House, The Garrison, The Horse Shoe Tavern, to mention just some of my favorite live venues. The options might seem just as wide when speaking of Toronto’s record store scene, too! Besides Dead Dog Records two very well stocked and staffed locations, Tonality, Pop music, June Records, Rotate This, Stained Glass, among many more, provide Toronto with a plethora of options to quench the thirst of vinyl collectors from near and wide!
What’s it like working in a record shop?
Working in a Record Store is the best job in the world! Let me tell you why…
Awesome staff and wonderful customers! You can’t have one without the other…two sides of a coin really. Customers regularly compliment me for having so many young and promising positive people populate my record stores. Every one of them striving to offer the best service and thereby cultivate a curious collection of characters come to be known as our Customer. And then the co-mingle begins. The mixing of knowledge, the melting-pot where customer request mash with staff`s product knowledge…turning people on to new and worthy records and in turn hearing about bands not on our radar…Magic!
What mind-blowing album are you listing right now?
So many great new albums have hit the shelves at Dead Dog Records`recently… Jack Whites Boarding House Reach(Loud `n`Heavy Rock), Lindi Ortega`s Liberty(Country-noir), Sloan`s 12(pure pop excellence), Jeff Rosenstock`s Post(Punk), King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard`s Polygondwanaland(everything-all-at-once)…and, no, I am not making this up! This most recent King Gizzard record is completely awesome! They borrow influences from many great psychedelic rockers and spin a fresh contemporary sound blending rock and jazz and folk and the kitchen sink into a fabulous can`t -stop-listening-to-it listen! Perhaps it is the ability to hear the worth offered in so many different styles and approaches in today`s music, and creating a portal for those seeking to enhance their music collections with our competent selection, affords Dead Dog Records the ability to flourish in Toronto`s record store community.
What does Record Store Day, mean to you and your business?
Record Store Day is an opportunity for Dead Dog Records to provide our customers with an experience that hearkens back to the glory days of record retail. Line-ups at mid-night openings for hot new releases, Live in-store performances, meet`n`greets with favorite bands…ROCK`N`ROLL, baby! This experience has proven to carry over through the year, with many new and old customers bringing their children in to shop and start their own collections. Some of these youngsters even starting their own bands! Members of local artists Moscow Apartment(folk-rock), Sedge(post-punk), Brothers of North(pop-rock), Rough Spells(Metal-queen rock) Sparrows(Metal) have all shopped at, and then played live at Dead Dog Records.
The musical diversity in these five acts alone speaks to the brilliant local-music scene in Toronto. Each of them providing us with well-crafted professionally produced records and CDs, and in some case, merch, to sell in our stores during and after the in-stores.
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