I finally made it into The Ghost of Eastside Records last night, and it was awesome. A little hard to find, sure (someone yank that "Records" sign from Smoke Shop Records, er, Headquarters and hang it up at the new spot), but worth the search. What it lacks in size (and natural lighting) the place makes up for in excellent selection, a killer soundtrack, and trademark Eastside banter.
Benjamin Leatherman brings us the tale of Eastside's unlikely resurrection, speaking with owner Michael Pawlicki about the pop-up style store and its future: "We really won't be ready at all like I wanted to be, but if it wasn't Christmastime right now, I'd wait another week or two. I'm just going to have to wing it."
Nicole Smith brings us a conversation with onetime New Times cover-girl Courtney Marie Andrews, who's spent the year touring in Jimmy Eat World (including a slot onstage at Coachella), and working on her excellent new album, No One's Slate is Clean, a record of and inspired by the road. "A lot of [this record] is really about traveling," Andrews says.
Elsewhere, Guns N' Roses bassist Tommy Stinson discusses the possibility of a followup to the band's divisive Chinese Democracy, which could actually come sooner than later: "You know, I just see us making a record much quicker, in hindsight. Because a lot of what happened with Chinese Democracy in hindsight, we could get around now . . . You know, it's been a good gig for me. It's been fun and, you know, it's served me well in a lot of ways."
We've also got shorter previews on Paul Gurvitz, Packrat, Bob Seger, Cover the Crescent, and A Boy Named Sioux.
