According to the Queens-based public relations firm, Good Cop, a real tragedy for area music fans took place at the close of summer: the venerable Looney Tunes Records store in West Babylon was severely damaged in a fire on August 29.
Reportedly, the cause of the fire, according to arson investigators, was a faulty extension cord. The 4,000-square foot record store has popular among Long Island record lovers – particularly the younger set, who flocked to the store for special events and artist in-stores. In fact, Looney Tunes has been a rare success story Iin the currently weak retail climate.
“Looney Tunes has been the toast of not only its native Long Island, but also a national testimony to the perseverance of the independent music retailer,” stated the press release. “In an age when much ofthe general outlook seems bleak, Looney Tunes is 35 years standing. The family owned business, first opened by Karl Groeger in 1971, now run by his sons Karl, Jr and Jaime, has not only thrived over much of its years in business, but it has also boasted high profile in-store appearances such as Ice T, Ozzy Osbourne, and Staind, whose 2001 rooftop in-store performance attracted 7,500 fans to the store.”
According to the retailer, the outlook for the store is to rebuild it “as soon as possible.” According to Good Cop, the store lost “hundreds of thousands of dollars in merchandise and memorabilia, including 57 autographed guitars and countless Gold and Platinum records.”
“Keep us in your prayers, but have faith that we will be back stronger than ever,” said Karl Groeger in a press release.
Looney Tunes is a long time member of the Coalition of Independent MusicStores (CIMS), an organization that supports music stores throughout the country.
“Looney Tunes is one of music’s premier stores,” said CIMS president Don Van Cleave. “Their focus on serving the music fans of Long Island is legendary. We will miss their energy while they rebuild and look forward to the store being even better when it reopens.”
Two songs by Long Island singer-songwriter Stuart Markus will be featured in a nationally televised show on the ComCast SportsNet cable network. Seen locally as the SportsNet New York channel, the all-sports network reaches 35 million homes in major markets nationwide.
The program, EVP Tour volleyball, was shot at Nickerson Beach, just east of Long Beach, on Saturday August 4, and features professional beach volleyball players competing for thousands of dollars in prize money in an elimination tournament. The show is one of several EVP Tour specials, filmed in various cities across the United States.
The two songs are “Weather’s Fine, Wish You Were Here,” which Markus describes as a “Jimmy Buffet-meets Nashville kind of song,” and “In The Sand,” which was specially written for the show. The show’s producer, Paul Burack of Psyched About Sports productions, knew Markus from years back but became a fan while living for a time in Huntington. “Paul had initially expressed interest in ‘Weather’s Fine,’ but when he sent me a DVD of an earlier show, shot in Hawaii, using licensed music from a music library, I realized he needed something more energetic,” Markus said.
The show began screening in various cities around the U.S. on August 19, and will run at various times through mid-September. Visit
evptour.com under “media” for schedule updates. Digital downloads of
“In the Sand,” as well as many of Stuart’s other songs, are available
at podarama.com.
The veteran Long Island-based rap/hip hop act Northern State is back in action. Last week the trio – Guinea Love, DJ Sprout, and Hesta Prynn – released their first album in years, Can I Keep This Pen?, on the indie Ipecac Records.
The group – named after a certain pothole-infested parkway we’re all familiar with – burst onto the national scene in 2002 with Hip Hop You Haven’t Heard, a four-song EP which signaled a change in modern music and proved that quality hip hop can come from the suburbs as well as cities. The Northern State women collaborated with hip hop veterans Chuck Brody (Shitake Monkey) and Adrock from the Beastie Boys for this new CD. For more information on this resurgent group, log on to myspace.com/northernstate.
Lifelong Long Island resident Bryan Eich seems to be breaking big with his debut CD, Sleeping By A Wire, now available through CDBaby.com and iTunes. At the end of August, the album charted at as the #1 “Big Fish” on the American Idol Underground Chart, as well as receiving positive press on scads as well of indie music blogs as well as in Newsday.
Eich, who was born in Queens, is a singer/songwriter with a thoughtful, mellow sound. To hear and see more, log on to bryaneichmusic.com.
