SU Student Correspondent: A Fresh(man) Perspective on the Music of Capitol Hill

I’m a mess. Seriously. I am the one who always has to call her other roommates because I lost my room key again, or who has to mooch off my friends for lunch because I lost my swipe card… again.

I don’t know what it is, but I always get mixed up in some sort of bizarre scheme or shenanigan. My latest disaster? As part of a get-rich-quick scheme, some friends and I recently agreed to put up 200 promotional band posters in stores around the Capitol Hill area for some extra concert money. Sounds easy enough, right?

Well, although we didn’t end up making nearly enough money for the hours we put in, the job forced us clueless, out-of-state freshmen to go into just about every store, restaurant and coffee shop within three miles of SU. I’m sure I’ll be able to talk more about all of the other cool stuff we found, but I’ll start with the staple for all music lovers; the record stores.

The first notable store we walked into is the one everybody probably knows. Everyday Music is an expansive warehouse style store with a fairly large and diverse selection, and as I found out one Sunday afternoon, hosts the occasional in-store performance. Follow their Twitter or check out the whiteboard they have in their front window to find out about some in-stores, or just stop in and hope you get lucky like we did.

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Down Broadway is Spin Cycle. Spin Cycle is a used/new record store that is your classic small scale, cluttered with albums and band posters (including the poster we put up there, only 199 to go!) kind of place. In addition to selling records, Spin Cycle also sells games and movies. Spin Cycle pumps whatever it’s playing at the moment into the street, so it’s pretty hard to miss.

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Next is Zions Gate. One of my favorites, Zions Gate is a strange place. It hosts a wide selection in metal/punk genres, but carries lots of other cool stuff too. What I love most about Zions Gate, however, is that the employees are extremely helpful. My friends and I have heard about some really cool shows and underground venues though their suggestions. I’ve been in there a few times now, and I swear, the employees are always going to more shows than there are venues in a single night.

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Last but not least is Wall of Sound. Wall of Sound is for you true music lovers. This store has some really cool stuff, and the owner takes the time to leave short Post-it note descriptions on notable albums around his store. While you won’t find any Taylor Swift vinyl here, you will find a bin labeled industrial/noise and experimental music among some other really great stuff you can’t find anywhere else. Don’t overlook this store; it’s mega clean and though it doesn’t fit that grimy old record store stereotype, it’s for sure worth a visit.

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So I’ll admit it, I spent every single dollar I earned putting up posters on CDs and band merch while doing this job, but in my book, 70 hours of walking around Capitol Hill putting up posters for $50 pay is way worse than 70 hours of walking around Capitol Hill for a new Sufjan Stevens CD and a sick Koo Koo Kanga Roo fanny pack.

Everyday Music: 1520 10th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122

Spin Cycle: 321 Broadway E, Seattle, WA 98102

Zions Gate: 1100 E Pike St, Seattle, WA 98122

Wall of Sound: 1205 E Pike St #1C, Seattle, WA 98122


JULIA OLSON | Still Broke AF | KXSU Reporter


1 Comment

  1. Matt Martin

    Really cool! Even though I live in Monterey, I think it’s really important for everyone to know where to find industrial noise in Seattle. I think the author of this piece is going places! These record stores sound like a really fun and chill time to go to. Very well written. If I ever go to Seattle I will be considering these places in order to fill my vinyl needs.

    Reply

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