I have been thinking a lot about history lately and how we are in the process of writing new chapters right now. In my opinion, nothing tells history truer than music. You can read a stack of books about struggle, but nothing makes you understand it like a song when you can truly hear the fight or the pain and sorrow in a person’s voice. If you share my opinion, then there is no better historical library than your music shop. They guard and protect that history and much like our ancestors before us, they pass that knowledge and history on. They very often are the ones that help provide a platform to the voices of tomorrow as well. I like to think of our stores as cultural discovery zones, and it is more important than ever to protect those places.

This week I wanted to share a link to the Smallbiz live interview between Brandi Carlile and Matt Vaughan of our Easy Street Records. I remember seeing Brandi perform so many years ago for our group and Matt saying to me, “this girl is the real deal, she is really gonna be something.” He was not wrong… and that is just the thing, there are so many stories like that. I can’t tell you how many record store owners/employees that I owe thanks to for tuning my ear to something new, and I like to think over the years I have paid that forward as well… contributing to that all-important oral (and sonic) history.

This interview touches on so many of those points, and Brandi and Matt are a perfect example of that relationship, so I will just let this video speak for itself. You can tell there is a lot of love, and when you are watching the interview, it is actually hard to tell who is the bigger fan of who. I love to see that, it means we are still doing something right.

Here are the charts,
Andrea

Andrea Paschal
Executive Director
Coalition of Independent Music Stores
ThinkIndie Distribution
3738 4th Terrace North
Birmingham, AL 35222
Phone: 205.595.1932 x.208
Fax: 205.595.1938
Email : andrea@cimsmusic.com
cimsmusic.com
#cimsmusic

Haim Women in Music Part III (Columbia)  Andrea Paschal - CIMS/ThinkIndie Executive Director There is a new Haim album so maybe just maybe, summer is going to be okay. I can’t even tell you how much I Iove Haim other than to say I love these gi… — Haim
***Women in Music Part III***
(Columbia)

**Andrea Paschal - CIMS/ThinkIndie Executive Director**
There is a new Haim album so maybe just maybe, summer is going to be okay. I can’t even tell you how much I Iove Haim other than to say I love these girls like they were my own sisters… (I once got asked by a girl at a festival if I was “one of the Haim girls” and I have to confess, it was VERY hard to say no). Plus, they are hella talented too with their songwriting, craftsmanship, and those sister harmonies…. enough said.