the hum / By Bob Doran

Records Are In

Missing Link Records, plus Tone Bent, an HSU music onslaught and Blaxploitation-style Dadaist slang

(April 9, 2009)  Remember records? You know, those flat plastic discs that hold music in their grooves? You might think, in this digital age, that records are dead. And what with the rise of the iPod and cell phones that play music, with even CDs becoming a thing of the past, not to mention music sales moving online, you might figure that the record store is a relic, a dinosaur facing extinction.

It might not seem like an opportune time to open up a new record store, but that’s what Arcata residents Adam Pokorski and Matt Jackson have done. Missing Link Records, a hole-in-the-wall on J St. snuggled between the 3 Foods Café and Rita’s Mexican Market (behind the Co-op) officially opened for business Monday and will celebrate its grand opening Friday.

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“It’s pure stubbornness,” said Adam, when I visited MLR last week. “I’ll be damned if I’m going to watch record stores go under. I love them. I’m a music junkie. Every city I go to, record stores are the first places I hit.”

“You hear a lot about the death of the independent music store — that record stores are dying — but when you talk to people in the business, you find out there are indie record shops opening up all over,” said Matt, another self-professed record head. “It’s more that people are tired of the big guys.

“For us it’s a labor of love,” he continued. “A lot of the stock came from our own collections: LPS, CDs, 45s, all the posters. We’ve done a few orders with small-scale distros, ones who offer limited run things so we can have new stuff too. Where else in town are you going to find the new black-metal cassette from Xasthur?”

“What we love to do is drive around looking for records, spending hours digging through tons of musty old records to find two that are awesome,” said Adam. “I love turning people on to music they’ve never thought about before.”

Matt picked up his train of thought: “What we want is a place where music heads can come and just hang out and talk about music. I think there’s a niche for small stores where you can get things that are only pressed 500 or a thousand at a time, or records that are from Spain or Portugal, or Peruvian soul. They can be a little pricey because they’re small run, and most stores aren’t wiling to take the gamble, but people want them. I want them. I think there’s a market for that kind of thing in this town.”

If you’re into Peruvian soul or just curious, stop by Friday night during Arts! Arcata. Journal music reviewer Mike Mannix and his partner Sarah Spears will have their photography on display, and Mike promises, “There will be snacks.”

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