If you read the Times today, you might be aware that indie record stores are in the midst of hard times. Well, if you are a record shopper, you probably knew that before. Regardless, the Times article focuses on a store in New York with brief mention of Aron's in Los Angeles, which is odd considering that a) it's an LA newspaper and b) I can name ten record shops off the top of my head that have closed in the past few years.
When record stores close, I feel a twinge of pain in my heart for the folks that have so kindly assisted in providing the music I love and the music you might hear me play at clubs. There was Gideon at Roundhouse, who sold me my first Bikini Kill album when I was 15, Tim at Scooter's, who knew more about vintage rock and soul that anyone I have ever met, Fred at This is Music, who kept me up on the latest dance sounds and everyone at Vinyl Fetish for providing almost everything that marked my earliest DJ sets. I cannot say that about Aron's.
My animosity towards Aron's stems from an incident in late-1998. I had just returned from a trip to New York with three friends, where we purchased the last copy of a Wiija-released 7" for Bis' then-new single "Eurodisco" at Kim's Underground for the main stacks at KXLU. The song became the big hit of the station that year and would remain a staple of our shows until we graduated. I had to have a copy for myself, but no one in LA had it. I went to Aron's, where a clerk told me that I could order it if I put three dollars down. I did so and waited for my copy. Six months passed and despite my constant inquiries as to the wherabouts of the 7" that I had already partially paid for, the single never arrived. I imagine that my three dollars probably went towards someone's Del Taco lunch and my 7" found its way into a much less deserving record collection. Eventually, Grand Royal released Bis' album and Eurodisco ended up on a 12" with a Les Rythmes Digitales remix, both of which I purchased from other stores. After that incident, I returned to Aron's only rarely, basically as a last resort for some sought-after item that they probably didn't have anyhow. Once Amoeba opened, I stopped going to Aron's completely.
Today, Carlos and I returned to Aron's for the first time in years, not as patrons paying tribute to the store, but as vultures swooping in a carcass. Apparently, we were far from the first carrion-gnawing beasts to pass through its doors. I didn't check out the cds, but the vinyl section is nearly bare. There seemed to be very little of interest in the used section (although Carlos found a few obscure dance 12" releases) and the best bargains right now are in the new vinyl section, where everything is 30% off. I picked up some 12" singles and a Tiefschwarz album (if you want the details of today's picks, you'll have to come to Wednesday's gig). If you don't yet have New Order's Waiting for the Siren's Call or the corresponding singles, check out this sale because they still have quite a few copies. I also found a copy of Munk's Aperitivo, which I kindly left in the bin because I have a copy and one of you really should acquire it.