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What’s up Sorry State readers, my name is John Scott and you’re going to start seeing me around the store more. I’m excited to get to know all of you, so if you see me around don’t be a stranger! I’ve been in Raleigh for about ten years now, but I’ve moved around quite a bit in the Memphis and Nashville areas. In my free time, I enjoy going to the flea market and antique stores and places like that and just looking out for anything that catches my eye. I love finding old random stuff you can tell someone really cared about and give it life again. Naturally, that led me to start collecting records. A few years ago, I moved a couple blocks down the street from Sorry State and I discovered the store at some point down the line during my ritualistic morning walk. It quickly became my favorite place to shop. I started coming here in my free time whenever I was bored and wanted to find some new music to listen to. There is nothing more rewarding than digging through the bargain bins and finding something that looks cool, you take it home and it sounds equally awesome. This is how I discovered my love for jazz records. I would come in near the end of the day and go through the Jazz bargain bins and grab a few records (often along the lines of Bossa Nova or Brazilian Jazz) that piqued my interest. I’d go home and throw them on and lay out on the couch and just go over the things that were running through my head during the day or maybe think about nothing at all and just listen to the music. Have you ever had Astrud Gilberto serenade you at the end of a long day? It’s very soothing. They’re also perfect to throw on when having people over for a nice laid-back shindig. My friends tell me I have a great selection of “Lounge Music” to pick from. That’s why I love throwing on a record. There’s something about the act of physically picking out an album and putting it on and getting everything just right that makes people really appreciate the music.
More recently, I decided to embrace my southern roots and dive into more country and bluegrass, and I’ve been loving it. I used to be one of those dorks that would go around saying “I listen to all music genres EXCEPT for country.” How lame is that? I guess I was that way because I was exposed to it all while growing up in the south, so it didn’t seem very exciting to me. There’s so much cool shit to be heard when you don’t limit yourself, though. Who doesn’t love getting back home on a late Saturday night with some friends for a final final and moaning out “Lord I love to hear her when she calls me sweet da-a-addy” along with Hank Williams? If you haven’t before, I highly recommend it. This leads me to my first staff pick, Country Casanova by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. I found this a few weeks ago in the country section and the cover art alone was badass enough to make me check it out. I immediately loved it after my first listen. “Everybody’s Doin’ It” is one of the most fun and catchy songs I’ve ever listened to, and it is exactly what you think it is. That is, of course, if your first thought was truckin’ and fuckin’. I’ve yet to play that song for someone without seeing a smile come over their face. “Shall We Meet” is also a great song and sounds like something you would hear Billy Strings cover today. Another one of my favorites off this album is “My Window Faces The South,” a classic country song that’s been covered by many artists over the years. It’s just got such a warm feeling to it that reminds me of a southern summer day. Maybe I also just really like it cause I’m usually listening to it laying on my couch that faces a big window I’m aimlessly staring out of. At the time of writing this, there’s another copy of this album in store so if you ever feel like a little bit of honky tonkin’, come stop by and pick up this record!