E-Mail this to a friend
Submit As ArRocker
or
E-MAIL US YOUR STORY
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 Adam Ritchie and his band inside the DMZSteve Schmidt and Link Smith skating in DMZ parking lotSteve Schmidt, somewhere between the heights and downtownGrove Circle Punx - Andy Conrad, Utrillo, Bryan Spinas, Matthew Thompson, Jason White, Josh Bentley (92)
 added story to The Link Springs Forms Event The Link Springs Forms added story to New Wave Festival added story to DMZ opens added story to DMZ opens added story to New Wave Festival added story to Econochrist forms added story to Hatful Day plays their first show added story to Big Boss Line forms added story to Women's City Club Show  |
Arkansas Record and CD Exchange Newly open Arkansas Record and CD Exchange feeds vinyl-hungry LR  Tim Scott // I worked at AR-CE after I got kicked out of college. I was living at my parent's house in Levy so my skateboard commute was a lot shorter than Steve's was. Bill called me "Creepers", "Creeper", "Creeps", and then "Creep" when he was mad at me. At times I thought he must be crazy... but I can't thank him enough for trusting me, encouraging me, and turning me on to Spirit, Soft Machine, The Strawbs, and tons of other bands I thought I hated. I seriously listened to everything he told me to. Tunes have been sweeter ever since, and my collection a lot heavier.
Then I went back to school... I think that pissed him off... Then again he might have just been pissed off... BTW, A little tip for anyone planning to work there: I sold the shit out of the Megadeth CD's in the 2.00 bin by telling the customers that whatever particular album was in there sounded like whatever they happened to be purchasing... // I remember when I moved here I missed a lot of the early-early stuff in Little Rock, but i worked at the CD exchange around 93' and met some cool people and heard so many great local bands and artist. I was a huge Generation of vipers Fan and The Big Cats back then. I told Burt a few weeks back I had burned all my vipers stuff and The Big Cats Early Recordings on to a CD years before the First Album came out. I still have it in my Car. // ARE was/and still is great. It was a home away from home for me because I got a lot of my older punk/new wave records there as well. Even though it was hard to walk around it was still awesome. It was a great place to hang out and look at (drool over) records after having horrible days at what was hell (NLR High School). A lot of different people worked there and everyone was knowledgable about all that was there. I know John Goff worked there as well as Steve and Lousia. I know Tim did as well. There is no telling how insane Bill must have been driven. He was cool but at the same time he was really protective and uptight about his records...but then again we can't really blame him for that as that has been his life. // I remember when Steve Schmidt worked there, back in the early '90s. He lived near the McCain Mall in Lakewood and would ride his skateboard to work everyday, over 4 miles to the store in Levy. // Although Arkansas Record & CD Exchange (of North Little Rock) is clearly the most orderly and stuffed of the local record stores, some people have perceived Bill, the owner, as a tough cookie. Regular Customer, looking through "Jazz" section: "Hey, do you have any Marvin Gaye?" Bill: "Yeah, but you sure the f-ck ain't going to find him in "Jazz.'" Somebody overhears that and is shook up. But Bill would never talk that way to a stranger. I wish he would. What the music world needs are uptight Custodians of Sound dead-set on slapping awake the numb and sluggish. More power to them. Arkansas Record Exchange is buried with treasures--be prepared to give up half a day to the Search.
More at www.oxfordamericanmag.com/content.cfm?ArticleID=93  Trouble submitting your story? E-mail towncraft@matsonfilms.com Matson Films reserves the right to edit all responses. Please be courteous to your community. |
   |
Arkansas Record and CD Exchange
Burt Taggart
Generation of Vipers
