LILA MILLER, A&E EDITOR
Walking into Graveface Records is like walking into a swirling fog of decades of nostalgia and a world of strangeness. It smells like sweet, sweet, vinyl and an air of the occult.
On a typical day, customers can be seen perusing through the aisles of records and occasionally stopping to stare quizzically at a piece of taxidermy, or an embalmed beetle made into a keychain. But this was not a typical day.
On Sept. 6, Graveface opened their doors to the public for much more than just records. That evening, from 7-9 p.m., they held a listening party complete with coffee and classic cherry pie for the 16th anniversary of the release of the “Twin Peaks” soundtrack.
Death Waltz Records re-released the album, including new monochromatic cover art.
For those unacquainted with cult-favorite followings, “Twin Peaks” is a beloved television show from the nineties directed by the infamous David Lynch, as well as Mark Frost. The show is a serial drama using both darker humor as well as ethereal, surrealist imagery. The plot is composed of a mysterious death of homecoming queen, Laura Palmer, and FBI agent Dale Cooper’s assignment to ascertain the marked man.
Running parallel with the imagery, the soundtrack itself can best be described as dreamy pop. The original soundtrack was produced by American composer Angelo Badalamenti, under Warner Bros. Records on September 11, 1990. Keep in mind though, the remastered re-release under Death Waltz does not debase quality and Graveface’s soiree did not disappoint.
The store itself was decorated warmly with Christmas lights, a buffet of cherry pie and Perc Coffee’s special dark blend of coffee for Graveface aptly named “Midnight Offering.”
A projection screen in the rear provided continuously-running episodes of Twin Peaks while the packed crowd reveled in shared passion for the show and subsequent soundtrack.
One attendee, Will Kramer, remarked that he was “surprised, but happy to see so many people come out to support a local business.”
Another Graveface regular and avid record-collector, Jacob Tatom had a lot to say when asked about the event, saying, “’Fire walk with me.’ As a big David Lynch fan, this is a lot of fun for locals who share that love. I came in just to get the soundtrack and ended up buying two more records… And spent too much money.”
The coffee and pie listening party was free and open to the public, though the chance to meet and mingle with people holding similar interests was invaluable.
You will have to watch the show yourself to figure out who killed Laura Palmer, (it is on Netflix) but you can get the record at Graveface starting in October. Graveface Records plans to hold more events of similar nature in the future to bring the community together in vested interests.
Until then, you can visit them seven days a week and pick up a record or two. Monday-Saturday from 11a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 11a.m. to 6 p.m.
