At Any Frequency

I have to admit, I thought he was crazy. Several years ago my friend, Tim Williams, told me he was opening a record store in Monticello, Illinois. An independently owned and operated record store? In this environment? I gave him six months.

After years of neglect by the major labels who put all of their promotional muscle into big box stores (Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, etc.) the fate of the indy store was left in a desperate state. Add in the downloading revolution and the deal was pretty much sealed: over the last decade, privately owned record stores have been closing at alarming rates. The slow decline of the physical disc and the mounting recession have imposed a high burden on the indy store. How do you continue when the very thing you sell is literally disappearing?

In 2008--as the big box stores have continued to reduce their footprint for music releases--the record labels began to support a new retail holiday created by an employee of Bull Moose records located in New Hampshire and Maine. The employee, Chris Brown, helped organize all of the independently owned stores for a combined celebration on April 19, 2008. Thus, Record Store Day was born. The holiday was invented as a promotional tool to bring together mom and pop stores and musicians to champion the cause of the indy store. The major labels actually invested in the holiday by creating special vinyl and cd releases that were not available to the big box stores. What a great idea!

And this Saturday, I took part in my first Record Store Day at Tim's store, Any Frequency (cool name, huh?).

Tim and I met in 1994 when I was managing Nightwind's Music and Video in Benton Harbor, Mi. We struck up a fast friendship based on a love of music and similarly esoteric taste. Tim--a terrific DJ--turned me on to dance music, while I like to believe that I fortified his knowledge of alternative rock.

After graduating from college, I left the indy store for the corporate world of Barnes and Noble. About a year later, Tim and his longtime companion, Tina, left Benton Harbor for a career opportunity in the Champagne, Illinois area. Tina, being a gifted veterinarian, was offered a position with the ASPCA that was too good to refuse.

While Tim's DJ career was flourishing in Champagne, he still missed the dusty bins of a record store. He found a small building in Monticello that would work as a start up for his new venture he dubbed, Any Frequency. Starting your own store is a true labor of love. Tim did it all on his own dime, and has gone years without paying himself as he has built his business. Like I said, it's a labor of love.

Despite the distance between South Bend and Monticello, Tim and I have remained good friends. He performed the dual tasks of groomsman and DJ at my wedding. And I don't mind telling you I had the best DJ anyone could ask for, and I got him cheap. Our consistency of contact has been sporadic on occasion, but eventually we always come back around.

In 2006, after my ill-fated (if honorable) run at working in music retail came to an end with my employer, Musicland going out of business, I reached out to Tim so he could buy our fixtures at the low rate that liquidation brings.

On Saturday, I saw those fixtures again, and it made me glad. It was my first visit to Tim's store and before I entered, Tim paused and said "It's a work in progress." Of course, any sole proprietorship is a work in progress. Just ask an owner of one.

Tim has been in his new location only since September of 2009. At a time when most record stores were shuttering their business, Tim chose to move his store to a larger space where he could add a staging area and a digital studio. Because as Tim said, "If the store is going to be successful, it needs to become a destination point."

On Record Store Day, Any Frequency was indeed a destination point. Through clever persistence, Tim secured in-store performances from blues queen, Shannon Curfman, and New York trip-hop duo, Phantogram. Both of whom have charted in Billboard magazine.

Curfman's own career in some ways echoes that of the indy store. She started out as a teen aged blues guitar wunderkind on a major label (Arista) in 1999, but now pursues her profession on a self started indy label called Purdy. As the major labels continue to shrink their rosters, talented artists like Curfman have been left out as the companies chase the next big thing and move away from niche artists.

Curfman certainly hasn't lost a thing. Her fierce five song set--replete with scorching guitar licks--lured in passers by and increased traffic in the store. After her set, Curfman hung around for photos and autographs with fans new and old.

In some ways, Phantogram provided a distinct counter point to Curfman's roots based five piece band. The duo supported by one guitar, a keyboard, and pre-recorded drum loops and effects, proved you could make a vibrant impression with minimal accompaniment. Clever beats, sharp guitar work, and moody synths provided the backdrop for the haunting voice of Keyboardist, Sarah Barthel and the earthier tones of guitarist, Josh Carter. Mixing shoe-gazer vocals with danceable grooves, Phantogram had the crowd of younger folk dancing and bobbing their heads as strobe lights and filmed background sequences added to the flavor of their performance. Signed to Barsuk Records out of Seattle (Death Cab For Cutie's original label), Phantogram is a group that we can expect great things from in the future. Remember, you heard it here first.

Tim had to leave shortly after the Phantogram set to DJ a private party. He had to have been cheered by the day his store had enjoyed. As one of Tim's very knowledgeable employees said, "We made serious bank today." Overhearing this put a smile on my face. Of course, Tim knows he'll need more days like this. Everyday isn't Record Store Day after all. But he has a plan, and it's a good one. Expansion of his vinyl business is going well, and the event space, as well as the possibility of a digital studio hold great promise.

Believe me, running a record store in this day and age takes courage, and more than a little crazy. Two qualities which Tim has in full supply. Long may you run, my friend. Long may you run.

Sumo-Pop
April 19, 2010