Music Millennium

Saturday April 18th will be the 2nd Annual Record Store Day. Over 500 independent record stores across the country will celebrate. It was a day put together to let many people know that there are still record stores out there in the world though the media has painted a picture that they are going away. There will be o...ver 100 special releases (most limited editions) coming out just in these indie stores for that day with many of them be vinyl. 7" singles by Bob Dylan, Blitzen Trapper, Leonard Cohen, Gomez, the Decemberists, & Depeche Mode. The first Queen EP on CD that was never released in the US. My Morning Jacket double 10" with a CD recorded live in Louisville, Kentucky, much at our friend John Timmons' record store Ear-X-Tacy. The list just keeps growing.

We'd like to invite all of you down that day to Music Millennium. We will be giving a free gift bag of goodies to all customers. Each will have free music in them, including vinyl if you request a vinyl gift bag. At noon, you can meet Queensryche as they come to support the store specifically for Record Store Day. There will be free refreshments throughout the entire day. At present we have 2 live music events scheduled. Mary Flower and Lloyd Jones will play for the first time together at 3pm. Preview of the the new Bob Dylan at 2pm. Paula Sinclair will celebrate the release of her new album with a live performance at 5pm.

Please pass the word on this event. It was a fun time last year and promises to be an even better time this year!Read More

In celebration of being here in Portland for 40 years, it seems appropriate that we get into the modern age and start a blog. I guess we have always been blogging in one form or another whether it's been on paper or the computer. Some of you may remember the couple of print publications we have done over the years, com...plete with interviews, reviews and full of information about great records. I'll try to continue that tradition onto thi. Hopefully you can find out more about some of the artists that will be playing our store in the near future.

One of the joys of being a record store in Portland, is being able to experience all the great musical arts that our local artists give us. Today we get the new album from the Decemberists called the "Hazards of Love". My first listen was not till yesterday as we did not get an advance from the label. I've since listened to it twice. They did not try to stay on course with making a continuation to"The Crane's Wife", instead taking on new ideas and musical direction with great results. An odd opening of prelude morphs into the title track "The Hazards of Love", which set's a tone to the album. If you are old enough to know the Incrediable String Band, there are some overtures of their sound here but better yet, a favorite British Folk-Rock band from the early 70's called Trees (a masterpiece of an album by this band is "On The Shore" and has been remastered and reissued recently). Let's get this straight, the Decmemberists are not trying to emulate anyone's sound. They have their own unique sound and with "Hazards of Love", they stretched out a little more. You can find quiet and beautiful passages in the album along with some powerful sections that jump right off the turntable or CD player. I'd give this album a 9 on a 10 scale but with it sounding so great the second time I heard it, it could deserve more.

The Decemberists will perform at Music Millenium including a CD Signing! Purchase their new album and receive a limited-edition, hand-signed, hand-numbered poster.Read More

Hey Folks in Musicland,

Music Millennium on E. Burnside and 32nd has been struggling to make ends meet for some time now and we've started a national PR campaign to help save the Portland landmark, cause after 35 years that's what their business would be considered, a landmark.

We've come up with BUY-IN DAY at Music Mill...ennium on Monday Feb 2nd, 2009. We want as many people as possible to commit to spending $5 or more on that day (or the days before and after, that's ok too). Why Groundhog Day? Because I'm hoping, like in the Bill Murray movie, that day will be repeated again and again by shoppers in the future and we'll keep our beloved music store alive!! Music Millennium has supported local musicians for so many years, I especially urge musician types to participate.

They are open all day...10am to 10pm, stop in. Show them how much this town really does care about the store and the impact it has on the community. The best thing you can do to help is tell a friend to tell a friend to go (even if you go, you can still do this too). The more people that know this business needs continued support, the better. Mark your calendar and pass it on!

BUY-IN DAY!

Bring $5 and a friend.Read More