Staff Picks

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone is having a good week. While it doesn’t really feel like October here in Raleigh with 80-degree weather, we’ve still been getting into the Halloween spirit here at Sorry State. We’ve got some decorations up and also have gotten in some pretty cool Halloween-themed records and soundtracks. Come by the store if you’re local and check ‘em out. Yesterday while me and Dom were working, he pulled out a couple soundtracks we recently restocked and said we should give them a listen cause I might dig ‘em, and he was right. One that I ended up grabbing was a Numero Group release of a soundtrack for a 1964 film that was lost to time called You’re Not From Around Here. Except upon further investigation, I don’t think this movie exists at all and Numero just wanted to make this compilation. I think it’s kinda lame to earnestly claim this as a real soundtrack to some lost film’ just make a cool compilation and give it a name. On the other hand, I don’t really care cause I like the music on here, so it doesn’t really matter. It kinda has a lot going on, but definitely a mix of 60s lounge-y, surfy, jangly country, so it’s right up my alley. It even has a couple train songs and a spooky song, Haunted After Midnight, that also appears on the Halloween-themed Numero compilation Haunted Presence. The standout tracks for me on here would be the opening tune, A Song For Mary, First Love, and Spaceman (Out of Nowhere). After listing those and listening back, I realize those three tracks sound very similar. Oh well, I like what I like. Check this one out, even if the movie doesn’t exist.

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone is having a good week. I’m holding down the fort at the shop this week while Dom is out for the week at Shakori Hills, a cool little festival that happens every fall and spring at this big farm about an hour outside of Raleigh. Dom usually goes to both every year and DJs throughout the festival, so if you ever find yourself attending, check out the vinyl lounge to see big Dom on the ones and twos. Also going on this weekend in downtown Raleigh is the Raleigh Wide Open bluegrass festival. This takes the spot of the IBMA festival that moved to Chattanooga last year sadly. While it doesn’t quite pull in the same crowd or names as IBMA, I’m glad Raleigh has a free bluegrass festival every year for people to attend. So naturally, I’m spinning a few bluegrass records at the store this weekend. I’ve been on a real JD Crowe and The New South kick recently; they just play so fast and tight, especially on the earlier albums with Tony Rice on guitar. We had a copy of their self-titled LP come through the store that I snagged. This record also has Larry Rice playing mandolin on it as well, so both Rice brothers. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. I really dig the opening track, “You Can Have Her,” but my favorite on here is definitely the cover of Gordon Lightfoot’s “Ten Degrees and Getting Colder.” Such a banger of a tune. That’s it for me this week, if you’re local in Raleigh go check out some bluegrass downtown this weekend. It’s good for you.

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone has been enjoying their September. A couple weeks ago I was flipping through some of the new records we had put out and stumbled across some of these R. Crumb and His Cheap Suit Serenaders records. I was familiar, and fond, of Crumb’s artwork, but I honestly didn’t know he put out some records as well. I grabbed Vol. 2 and threw it on and was definitely digging it. It pretty much sounds exactly like how you’d think his music would sound: ragtime style tunes dipped in cartoonish psychedelics. The only song I was really familiar with going into it was the first track, Alabama Jubilee, which has been covered by various bluegrass and country artists I’m a fan of. Fine Artiste Blues is definitely the big ear-worm on this album for me. I also really like the song Persian Rug, and Mysterious Mose is growing on me as we approach Halloween. Overall it’s just a very fun and kooky album. I need to watch the 1994 documentary about Crumb. They were showing it at the Alamo here in Raleigh a couple of months ago and I was gonna go, but ended up being out of town.

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone has had a nice week. I can’t believe it’s already September. This year is flying by. I probably say that at the start of every month, but it’s true. Last week Billy Strings released his new album So Much For Goodbyes. Dom and I gave it a spin when our copies arrived and we were both digging it. About a quarter of the songs have been performed already live at shows so I was familiar with those, but it was cool to hear the studio versions of all of them. The rest of the material are all new songs. I think this is probably the best studio album the band has put out at this point. It just sounds like a really put together project that isn’t trying to do anything too crazy. Some standout tracks to me are Lay Me Down, Bluewater Breakdown, and the final instrumental track Debra’s Waltz. With an album like this though, it’s always fun to see down the line which tracks really grow on you or kinda get stuck around in your head. I’m excited to see all of these songs evolve in a live format as well, cause sometimes it just takes hearing it live for one to really click and stay with you. That’s it for me this week, I hope everyone has a good September and cooler weather comes to everyone.

What’s up Sorry State readers? Yesterday was a very sad day for many people as we said goodbye to Dolly Parton. I learned of her passing while working the front counter at the store and had to hold back some tears as the news seemed to hit me like a freight train. I honestly didn’t even throw on any of her music at the time cause I felt like it’d make me too sad. Even if you never really listened to her, or even like country music, I feel like everyone loved Dolly. How could you not? She had such a sweet voice and energy about her and just seemed like a genuinely good person. Plus Dollywood fuckin rocks and is the first place I remember riding an old school wooden rollercoaster. Any story I’ve ever read about her seemed to back up that she was the same person behind the scenes as she was on stage. Probably about eight or so years ago I had a friend who played bass and was asked to play in a backing band for Dolly at some charity event or something along those lines. He told me afterwards that Dolly came up to each member of the band individually and thanked them, told them what a great job they had done and took a picture with them and that she was just so nice and sweet. I feel like there’s a million stories like that one. It seems silly to be so sad over someone I’ve never even met, but it clearly says a lot about her that so many people feel that way.

During peak Covid era while being bored as hell, I got super into VHS and tapes n shit. I bought some cords and connectors so I could plug my laptop into my CRT TV and I could burn whatever I wanted onto VHS tapes. I would try to just find cool videos or movies I liked to put on them. One day I stumbled upon this 1983 HBO special Dolly In London and instantly fell in love with it. If you’re looking to celebrate Dolly, I think this special is a great way to do it. Not only do you get to see what an amazing performer she was on the stage, it also does a great job highlighting her incredible personality and how funny and full of life she was. Truly one of a kind, there will never be another Dolly. I’ll include one more video here to close this out, Doc Watson and Dolly rehearsing The Last Thing On My Mind backstage at MerleFest in 2001. Who’s cuttin onions in here? Thanks for everything Dolly, we love ya!

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone has had a nice week. Recently at Sorry State, we’ve been beefing up the reggae section and we’ve gotten some really cool titles in. One record I was happy to finally snag was Sister Nancy’s classic One, Two. I think the most recent repress before this one was last RSD and I missed out on it, so I’m glad to finally add this to my collection. This release also comes with some pretty cool liner notes that go over all the tracks and also how she got screwed over from receiving royalties from her hit, Bam Bam, for over 30 years. Like my pick last week, this is another album that’s pretty much all bangers. All killer, no filler. One of my favorites on here is the third track, Ain’t No Stopping Nancy. For some reason every time I listen to this album that’s the one that always is kinda sticking around my head. Kind of a side note, but earlier this summer when I was in Seattle, I searched online to see if any cool shows or anything were going on while I was in town and to my surprise there was a Sister Nancy show happening the next night. We already had tickets for a Mariners game that night though so we didn’t end up going, but I thought it was pretty cool she was still performing. Anyways, come by the store and check out our reggae section or if you’re not local, check it out on the website.

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone has had a nice week. It’s still hot as hell outside, but I feel like fall is gonna be right around the corner before we know it and I’m looking forward to it. This week I’m writing about a record I’m pumped to finally add to my collection, The Tony Rice Unit’s 1979 album, Manzanita. I’m not saying anything groundbreaking here when I say this is probably the greatest bluegrass album of all time. There’s a reason so many people give this album that title, cause it’s that good. It's rare I can say I love every single song on a record, but this is definitely one where that is the case. The opening track, Old Train, is one of my favorite songs of all time. The quintessential train song. The first time I ever heard it was actually at my first Billy Strings show I went to, where there may or may not have been some extracurriculars at play, but this song felt like an old familiar tune to me, even though I knew I had never heard it, which eventually led to me looking it up the next day and discovering this album. The next song is the title track, Manzanita, which is one of the coolest instrumental bluegrass songs ever. Then the third track hits you with one of the best traditional murder ballads, Little Sadie. Songs about trains and murder… I don’t know what more you can ask for in an album. The band is also stacked with grade-A players Sam Bus, David Grisman, Jerry Douglas, and Ricky Skaggs, all tearing it up in their own right. Basically what I’m saying is this is a perfect album and I think everyone should listen to it once in their life. Even if you’ve never listened to bluegrass and don’t think you’d like it, if there was an album that could change your mind, it’s this one.

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone has had a nice week. It seems like it’s rained almost every day here in Raleigh for the past two weeks, but we honestly probably needed all of it after a long dry spell. Definitely some thunderous summer storms going on though, which can be nice. A couple weeks ago we got these Bjork: Free Jazz Festival - Rio 1996 LPs into the store, which is sort of a “grey area” release of that live show. I’m always a fan of stuff like that as long as the quality is decent enough, which you can usually figure out if there’s a recording on YouTube, cause that’s where they’re probably ripping it from. I love me some Bjork, but I don’t think I had ever listened to a whole live show of hers. It was really cool to hear these versions of songs I was familiar with that have completely different instruments than the studio cuts. For example, this performance of Big Time Sensuality sounds crazy. I don’t know how to properly describe it, but it has this bubbly, almost underwater sound to it and then these crazy breakbeat drums. It almost sounds like a completely different song, but I love it. Venus as a Boy also has this crazy accordion going on during it, which may sound off-putting but it’s kinda sick. Of course Bjork herself sounds incredible as well. All around a great show to check out if you’re a fan of Bjork, we have a couple copies left here at Sorry State or if you’re just curious, you can check out the show on YouTube.

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone has had a nice week. Yesterday Dom and I hit the road once again to catch our favorite bluegrass virtuoso Billy Strings in Roanoke, Virginia and had an absolute blast. A couple months ago in April, Billy broke his leg while doing a skateboard trick right before an encore, so he’s been out of commission for a bit. Very fittingly though, he did a cover of “If You’re Gonna Be Dumb, You Gotta Be Tough” for the new Jackass movie. Anyways, this Roanoke show was his first return to tour after the injury and I’m happy to report, he still rips on one leg. I was curious how the show would be in terms of sitting/standing and it was a pretty even mix of both, standing for a few songs then taking a seat for a couple. Being seated didn’t bring the energy down at all tho. One of the most electric parts of the show came from a seated Billy tearing up Reuben’s Train. Of course, being in Virginia, they had to throw in some Stanley Brothers songs like White Dove and Our Last Goodbye for the closer. All in all, like every Billy show, it was amazing from start to finish and a good time was had by all. The drive home through the late night also ended up being interesting as well cause my maps decided to direct me some weird ass way home that was pretty much all through dark, winding back roads. I think we passed by pretty much any animal you could imagine you may see late night in the woods, including a dog that was just casually walking in the middle of the road and didn’t really seem to care that we were driving by. I think we saw more deer than cars. I wouldn’t want the drive home after a Virginia barn burner to be any different.

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone has been keeping cool out there. It’s been brutally hot/humid here in North Carolina,=; it feels like the second you step out your door you’re immediately covered in a layer of sweat. I love me some summer weather, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to some cooler temperatures this fall. Last week I wrote about a New Order record and mentioned I had been on a real 80s kick and if anyone had any listening suggestions to send em my way. Well, someone recommended this record by The Wake and it’s awesome. Thank you for sending that over, I’ve really been digging it! Anyways, for this week I wanted to talk about this Sugar Minott at Studio One record. Sometimes when I’m flipping thru my collection at home I’ll come across something I totally forgot that I even had, even if it’s something I love! Sometimes things just slip thru the cracks, but while I was thumbing through my records I was greeted by this and was thinking “shit, I haven’t played this in forever!” I picked this record up on my trip to London a couple years back and haven’t given it the proper playing time it deserves. It’s Studio One, so it’s no surprise that this record is amazing from front to back. There’s not a bad track on here, but if I had to pick a favorite, it would probably be the first song on side three, Give Me Jah Jah. It’s just such a good laid back tune, perfect to listen to while melting out in the hot summer sun. Thank you Soul Jazz Records for always putting out quality releases.

What’s up Sorry State readers? It feels like it’s been AGES since my last write up. It’s been a busy summer here. I just got back from a nice trip to Seattle to visit my dad and got some good eating and hiking in while I was there, and then headed over to Boulder, Colorado for my best friend’s wedding, which was a blast. Oh yeah, and the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup, which was pretty fucking awesome. Now we’ve got the World Cup going on here in the US. I’ve never been a huge soccer guy, but I’ve gotten sucked into this tournament and have been watching and keeping up and it’s been pretty damn entertaining. I hope everyone reading has found some ways to enjoy this summer. Okay, now to the music. For some reason, the last month or two I’ve been on a big 80s kick. Not really sure why, but I found myself gravitating to a lot of stuff from that era. OMD, Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Go-Go’s, you get the picture. Recently, we got a beautiful older pressing of New Order’s Low-Life that I decided to treat myself to. I had been listening to the song The Perfect Kiss a bunch after I watched Marty Supreme earlier this year cause it was featured in a cool ass montage scene in the movie. I love the frog noises in it; they just blend in so well and sound so cool. The last week or two ,though, I’ve had Sooner Than You Think stuck in my head. Probably the most dance friendly song on the album, just a total banger. I think I just really love synths honestly. That’s all for this week, but if anyone has any cool ass 80s albums that kinda fly under the radar, send em my way cause that’s an era I definitely need to explore more.

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone is having a nice week. I’m sure most of you are aware Record Store Day was a couple weeks ago. Whether you love it or hate it, there’s always some cool titles that are released. I know there was a bunch of stuff this year that caught my eye, but I had to limit myself. One record I did pick up though is this awesome compilation from Stax: Killer B’s – 14 Fabulous Flip Sides, which if you can guess from the title, is a bunch of old B-Sides from past Stax releases. Just banger after banger on this compilation featuring artists like The Bar-kays, Booker T. & The M.G.’s, Little Sonny, Margie Joseph and a whole bunch more. The pressing seems loud and punchy, which is nice. My only complaint is there’s no inner or anything with descriptions of the songs, just a tracklist on the back of the jacket that has some credits and the original release dates. Every song on here is great, but I’m partial to the Booker T instrumental Soul Clap ’69 and the Eddie Floyd track Consider Me. Definitely worth checking out if you’re a Stax fan.