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Ok, let’s see here — current weather in Tampa, Florida: 65 degrees, and sunny. Current weather in certain pockets of the East Coast: 23 degrees, with a chance of flurries. Hmm, where would you rather be? Looks like Tampa may win that bet, not just in terms of the weather, but also because the Florida International Audio Expo — a.k.a. FLAX — has officially gotten underway there today, February 21, 2025, and runs through Sunday, February 23, 2025. Some early, direct-from-FLAX notes follow forthwith. . .

The answer, my friends, is blowin’ in the grooves. Today (December 12, 2024), Julien’s Auctions announced an exclusive partnership with T Bone Burnett’s NeoFidelity, Inc., and their forthcoming Ionic Original releases. The Ionic Original is described as a “one-of-one, handmade, collector’s edition master recording, specifically arranged and performed for each individual recorded disc by the artist.” Read on to see what we currently know about what constitutes an Ionic Original, and what the plan is for what comes next. . .

Maybe we were once too damn cool to buy the 8-track tape, but we’re more than happy to pony up for the upcoming limited-edition Intervention Records 140g yellow-vinyl 1LP edition of Everclear’s July 2000 album Songs From an American Movie Vol One: Learning How to Smile. Set for release on September 13, 2024, it’s the first time this platinum-selling album will be on vinyl. Read on to see how the Intervention team is making sure SFAAM Vol One is going to be one worthwhile analog-centric spin. . .

We do love it when a pressing vinyl matter comes to fruition — or, in this case, the actual pressing of vinyl. Back in Q2 2022, we reported on the imminent opening of Fidelity Record Pressing in Oxnard, California, and we’re now happy to report that they’ve been up and running since January 2024. Read on to see how they’re doing what they do. . .

All I need is a cinema show — that, and the radio. Okay, so we slightly butchered the opening lyrics to “Turn It On Again” there, but if you’re a Genesis acolyte and you know (what I like), then you know what we mean. The reason for the above line adjustment is that Genesis is set to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their October 1999 Turn It On Again: The Hits compilation by way of two separate vinyl editions via Atlantic/Rhino on May 3, 2024 — marking the 18-song career-spanning collection’s vinyl debut. Read on to see which tracks are on it, and which specific cut is making its own LP debut. . .

Rhino High Fidelity (a.k.a. Rhino Hi-Fi) is tackling the first quarter of 2024 head on by serving up a half-dozen new AAA 180g 1LP offerings in their acclaimed series of limited-edition vinyl reissues. Read on to see which six albums — a combination of rock and jazz classics — made the 2024 Q1 AAA Hi-Fi cut. . .

Record Store Day just got a whole lot hipper — and that’s because The Tragically Hip, Canada’s favorite musical sons from Kingston, Ontario, a) have just been announced as the official Canadian Ambassadors for Record Store Day Canada 2024, b) will be releasing an exclusive standalone live album, Live at CBGB’s, on said Record Store Day on April 20, and c) it will be available in both the U.S. and Canada. Read on to find out what nine tracks are on the LP and how it all came together so fully, completely. . .