Mississippi/Change

Here's one for my "open minded" readers - which is to say, I don't expect most of you knuckle-draggers to give a damn about this particular post. You may recall me mentioning my neighborhood record store in the past because I designed their softball jerseys and contributed the mix tapes Satan Is Real and The Sound of Fear (volumes 1, 2 and 3!) to their carefully curated line of low-fi cassette tapes, designed to expose causal listeners to the deep tracks of a particular genre. Mississippi Records has become an invaluable Northwest vinyl stronghold and an internationally acclaimed micro-label that specializes in the more obscure spectra of Blues, Rock, Gospel, Soul and Ethiopian music (wait...where are you going?). Misfits from all corners of the world pilgrimage to this humble little shop every day seeking relics from their back-catalog and occasionally you'll even find a killer metal gem tucked behind the Joseph Spence and Sun Ra records. The label recently changed its name to (appropriately) Mississippi/Change and I was honored to do some artwork for the inaugural release under the new moniker. The release itself is a very special 7" that I will announce in due time but for now I've provided a glimpse above. Anyway, Mississippi/Change has just launched a membership club called Community Supported Records (CSR). The concept is very simple: you pay what you want between $68-$300 to receive direct mailings of limited releases that generally sell out the same month they're released. The catch is that they're only accepting 300 members and I want my "open minded" readers to have an opportunity to join. Keep in mind, THIS IS NOT A METAL LABEL. Re-read the genres above and go back to the NWN! message board if the idea of listening to folky Americana and International recordings makes you cringe. However, if you're receptive to hearing some unusual sounds this is a great way to get your hands on limited pressings and an interesting experiment to see if vinyl nerds still wish to remain engaged with music in a tactile format that directly supports independent creativity. You can learn more about the CSR program and become a member here. We now return to your regular broadcast.