TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

Recent Stories

1. SCOTT COX: Record stores among last links to great music

   By Scott Cox

   Wednesday, Apr 18 2012 04:54 PM

   Saturday is national Record Store Day. I only recently found this out, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn of its existence. See, for me, Record Store Day is pretty much a moot point, because I love record stores. Always have. I seek them out when I travel, and I'm glad that we have a couple of really great ones here at home.

   But I do recognize the importance of making sure other people remember record stores. Too many people have gotten into the habit of downloading music or -- much, much worse -- buying CDs at chain stores. Yes, if you want whatever the latest mass-marketed radio hits are, you can get those at Walmart. You don't need a record store.

   And, frankly, you don't deserve to be in one.

   Record stores are for real music fans, and part of their appeal is that you get to be around other real music fans. You get to have conversations with a guy buying a copy of an album by The Tubes about the time you saw them live at the Palladium in L.A., which leads to the realization that you were both there when Joe Ely opened for The Clash in '79. That's a powerful thing. You can't download that. It's a record store moment, and I've had lots of them.

   I'm lucky to live in a town with at least two excellent record stores, Going Underground Records on G Street and my favorite, World Records.

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2. SCOTT COX: Merle, Dwight talk that sound

   The Bakersfield Sound exhibit, now on display in Nashville, is a sprawling, detailed tribute to the artists who not only helped put Bakersfield on the map, but changed the direction of country music forever.
3. 

   SCOTT COX: A Buck Owens tribute band to remember

   Friday night's show at the Crystal Palace promises to be a night that will never be forgotten -- at least not by opening act Bakersfield. What will make this show special for these guys is being at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace at all. See, Bakersfield is a hard-working Buck Owens tribute band, and they're from Norway. That's right, Norway.

4. SCOTT COX: The next big thing? I'll be the judge of that

   I got a call from a friend of mine who's a huge wheel in the entertainment biz. He wanted me, with my vast wealth of musical knowledge, to be a judge in a reality show. And I can't stand reality shows. I've never watched a single episode of "American Idol," and I never will. But, after my friend explained that there was a paycheck involved, I decided to lower my standards. Of course any "standards" I have are only theoretical anyway, and I need some extra cash to finance my next Texas trip, so I signed right up. I figured making fun of some hapless tone-deaf hack for a couple of hours would be a hoot. So, if they wanted a low-rent Simon Cowell, I was their huckleberry.

5. SCOTT COX: Danny Lipco was 'one of the good guys'

   Anyone remotely connected to the Bakersfield entertainment scene is mourning the death of our friend Danny Lipco.
6. 

   SCOTT COX: Fishlips forever

   The war in Iraq started about the time that I became a regular at Fishlips - appropriate, really, considering that the owners and I would eventually raise thousands of dollars for the troops serving over there.