Music Memories

When we moved to Chicago, I had six big boxes of CD's. I packed them with care so that they wouldn't get damaged. And when we got here, they remained in the boxes to be forgotten. Most of my music is on my computer or my ipod. Now that we've begun the process of packing for the move, I just rediscovered all my CD's. I'm not quite sure why I still have them. I guess they're just a way for me to keep a physical reminder of my memories.

Growing up, I lived in an apartment complex that was mixed with families and senior citizens. My friends and I were around 7 or 8 years old and we would go door to door to help out the seniors in exchange for a couple of dollars. Carole would need her trash taken out every day; that was $0.25 a bag. Mrs. Jones would need her dog walked; that was $1.00 a day. After a month, if I didn't spend all my earnings on the ice cream truck or jaw breakers, I could save up enough money to walk down to Music Plus and get a cassette tape. Afterwards, I'd run home to play the tape 10 times over, memorizing the lyrics and reading all the liner notes imagining one day I'd be among the list of names. I'd put on 10 black bracelets, a pair of fingerless lacey gloves, a skirt over my leggings and dance till my mom would come yelling at me for using all her black eyeliner.  I still have some of those cassette tapes: Madonna, The Cure, Duran Duran. They were tokens of when I first fell in love with music. When I look at these cassettes, they take me back in time and a part of me doesn't want to let go of those memories. As if throwing them away meant that my memories would be lost forever. Or, it could be that I'm a pack rat and I'm just rationalizing why I need to keep these things. Truth be told, I don't even have a cassette player to play any of these cassettes. I'm actually listening to these tracks on Spotify as I type this blog.

So, nostalgia aside, I guess it's time to move on and make more room for new memories. One of the cool things about our neighborhood is that there are no less than six record stores within a half mile radius of our apartment. They buy and sell used vinyl, cd's, dvd's, and books. I figure selling my CD's to them will give them more inventory for their store and in turn, help them stay afloat in this economy. So in the end, all those memories I've been holding on to will go towards a greater good. I'll be able to help a local store and create new memories for people I will never meet.

The music itself will always be the source of my memories. When I hear a song, it will always take me back to where I was when I first heard it or how it made me feel. Not only that, but I'll always have the people in my life to remind me of the times we shared and the music that was playing in the background.

Support your local record store!

Reckless Records
3126 N. Broadway Street, Chicago

Gramophone Records
2843 N. Clark Street, Chicago

Discus CD Exchange
2935 N. Broadway Street, Chicago

Amoeba Music
The Grandaddy of them all with stores in Hollywood, San Francisco, and Berkeley.

Record Store Day
A celebration of local record stores nationwide every April.


SPIN Magazine's Top 15 Indie Record Stores