Tim Friedman has sat on an idea he’s wanted to do since he took ownership of Culture Clash in 2017.
On this year’s Record Store Day, April 13, that idea will come to life.
Culture Clash, 4020 Secor Rd., is known to host live music inside its store from time to time and, about six months after Friedman took ownership, he started recording each live session and storing the audio onto a hard drive. Now, he’s ready to release that audio, exclusively on vinyl.
“Record Store Day is the perfect opportunity to start doing something with those recordings,” he said.
His store will have a couple of split LPs, including one side featuring two bands who have performed inside the store within the last year, Waterville folk band Oliver Hazard and folk musician Libby DeCamp. The other sides of the LPs will include two other local bands who have performed at the store within the previous year and who will perform during this year’s Record Store Day, such as Violent Bloom and Bliss Nova.
The splits will be Oliver Hazard and Bliss Nova on one release and Libby DeCamp and Violent Bloom on the other, both splits representing a set from RSD 2018.
Friedman also plans to release more live session compilations throughout the year.
“The goal is to get local bands that have played here, brought a good crowd, had a great experience, had a great set, and to give them something that's physical, [which is] their music available on vinyl format,” he said. “It’s something that represents their music, and they can have physically and sell at shows, as well as show the world what we're doing here.”
The live sessions were cut to vinyl through a partnership with Little Elephant in Toledo, a business that hosts bands and artists throughout the country to play a live set in the business’ living room and uses a lathe-cutting machine to cut the live session directly to vinyl.
Rob Courtney, who owns and operates Little Elephant with Mark Metzger and Brian Gross-Bias in Toledo, said the local aspect of partnering with Culture Clash was an easy decision.
“We have been talking about working together for what seems like forever,” Courtney said. “We make vinyl, and Culture Clash sells vinyl, so it honestly just seemed very fitting to team up on this project.”
While Friedman still carries the legacy of former owner Pat O’Connor within the store, he’s made a few changes.
Aside from a few painted walls and on-going trim work, he altered the layout of the store and restructured the vinyl. Now, all of the new and used vinyl of an artist or band are together and separated by genre. He’s working with Toledo artist Erin Kunz in rebranding aspects of the store, which includes an evolved logo, and he’ll be erecting a green awning outside the store’s entrance.
“Everyday I feel more and more like this is my store and I love my store,” Friedman said. “I loved Pat's store, but I’m falling in love with this store that I’m rebuilding. It’s so many of the same elements put together in a different way.”
Local bands Excellent Enemies, Wax, Bliss Nova, and Violent Bloom will also perform at Culture Clash on Record Store Day, and food from Rusty’s Road Trip will be available.
“It’s the store reborn which has been a lot of fun, but in truth, it’s the spirit of the store that I don’t think has changed,” Friedman said.
First Published March 28, 2019, 10:47 p.m.
