Featured Essay: Record Stores on the Road

by Ceej Wolf

Being on the road with Perennial means I’m constantly visiting record stores. Every new city we play, every town we bring the sound to… we’re always finding a record shop on the way or near the venue to crate dig for hours. It’s routine at this point. Here’s a few of my favorite record shops we’ve visited, what records I bought there and some stories from each (in no order in particular).

Waterloo Records - Austin, TX 

Records:

“Deep Entries: Gay Electronic Excursions 1980-1985” - Various Artists, new 12” compilation LP

Waterloo Records is nothing short of magical. This is a HUGE store, possibly the largest I’ve been to so far. They’ve got more CDs than you could ever dream of, a full blu-ray selection that has the vibe of an old Blockbuster. I passed on Gang of Four’s “Entertainment!”… I could always grab it later. The record I ended up grabbing was “Deep Entries: Gay Electronic Excursions 1980-1985”. This is a compilation from Dark Entries Records and features ten queer electronic music artists/producers such as Boytronic, Polar Praxis, Nightmoves and Patrick Cowley. Dark Entries is a label I’ve got two eyes on at all times since they’re dedicated to preserving recordings from gay musicians from the late 70’s/early 80’s, so to find a compilation like this is wonderful. 

Breakaway Records - Austin, TX 

“Afternooners” - Patrick Cowley, new 12” compilation 2xLP

“Tremble Under Boom Lights” - Jonathan Fire*Eater, new 12” EP reissue

No, they might not have had Liquid Liquid when I asked. Sure, I passed on “Sound Affects” by The Jam. However, Breakaway Records blessed me with a white-whale: a compilation of Patrick Cowley’s gay porn soundtracks from when he was scoring for Fox Video. “Afternooners” by Patrick Cowley is total electronic perfection, from the textures created with the help of a Roland RE-201 to the CR-78 drum beats blended with 808’s- this is an extremely important record to me. Living as a queer/trans individual 2025 is terrifying, news headlines frighten me every single day. Friends and partners talk about “worst case scenarios” or stockpiling HRT. Something that gives me hope is listening to records like this, crafted in a similar time of unease yet still available to this day through the meticulous archiving of labels like Dark Entries. Archiving queer music history is vital, it’s everything. Whenever I throw on “Afternooners” or any release from Dark Entries I feel so connected to my culture and history. Most importantly, it gives me hope. Thank you Breakaway Records for stocking this release. I’m forever in your debt (I know I will be in debt if I ever go back, too). Long live Patrick Cowley.

I also picked up the Third Man Records reissue “Tremble Under Boom Lights” by Jonathan Fire*Eater. I recently finished the wonderful book “Meet Me in the Bathroom” by Lizzy Goodman where Jonathan Fire*Eater is talked about extensively. This EP rules. Distorted organ, freaky drum chops, panicked vocals- this is peak “Ceej-core”.

Princeton Record Exchange - Princeton, NJ

Records:

“Blonde on Blonde” - Bob Dylan, used 12” LP

“Autoamerican” - Blondie, used 12” LP

“Eaten Alive (Hot Extended Dance Mix)” - Diana Ross, used 12” single

“Someone Like You” - Sylvester, used 12” single

“Bellhead / Optimo” - Liquid Liquid, new 12” single

Princeton Record Exchange (“Prex” for short) is my favorite record store on the East Coast. Prex’s used selection is unparalleled and my finds reflect that. I bought “Blonde on Blonde” by Bob Dylan and “Autoamerican” by Blondie during the same visit, both used and both sound superb. “Autoamerican” in particular was a great find since it launched me into the realm of disco with new wave sensibilities. The song “Do the Dark” in particular is so killer. Simple bassline that evolves into a monster by the chorus, only a few guitar chords and infectious four-on-the-floor. Speaking of disco, I’ve been crate digging random used cheap 12” dance singles. I picked up “Someone Like You” by Sylvester, mesmerized by the beautiful cover art by the one-and-only Keith Haring. Diana Ross’ single “Eaten Alive” is another fun addition to my disco dance mix collection, and how could I pass up the “Bellhead / Optimo” single. If you ever visit Prex, check out their used disco/electronic sections. You won’t be disappointed.

Rainbow Records - Newark, DE

Records:

“DFA Records Compilation #2” - Various Artists, new compilation boxset 12”

“Blue” - Joni Mitchell, used 12” LP

“Switched On Bach Vol. II” - Wendy Carlos, used 12” LP

Perennial actually performed here back in April. They host shows in the back. Huge shoutout to Melissa, she’s awesome and was playing Viagra Boys as the house music between sets (my favorite band). I took advantage of the playing-in-a-band discount on one of my most sought-after releases, the “DFA Records Compilation #2” boxset. LCD Soundsystem, Liquid Liquid, The Rapture, Black Dice, The Juan McLean, Pixeltan- oh my! Two hours of some incredible dance punk/electronic music from the most pretentious label on the face of the earth. Shoutout to Kez from Everender who got me this as an early birthday present. I also bought “Blue” by Joni Mitchell (which was also the soundtrack back to Connecticut after the show”) and “Switched On Bach, Vol. II” by Wendy Carlos. The latter was one of those random dollar-bin finds that made me gasp audibly out loud. I share records with my girlfriend and the first edition of “Switched On Bach” is a staple of our collection, finding the second volume was a blessing. If you live in Newark, please go to a show at Rainbow Records or visit them. Such a sick joint, true definition of a hidden gem. 

Ceej Wolf is a queer musician from Boston. They are the percussionist for Perennial and also perform solo as wolfears. You can find their solo music at wolfears.net