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Manager, Ron Akiyama, outside Jersey City landmark, Supersounds record store.
I just found out that Supersounds, the local record store in my neighborhood has gone out of business. I’m not ashamed to say that I shed some tears today. Supersounds wasn’t a place that I went everyday, it wasn’t my high school hangout, I didn’t have my first kiss there and I never worked there. Though, I will say it wasn’t for lack of trying. I think the managers were annoyed after the first dozen times I came in asking if they could use some help with covering the cash register, taking out the garbage or just keeping all the records organized and clean.
Each time that I was there I would always stick around to listen in on the conversations among the staff, sometimes joining in with my own thoughts, or ask for recommendations from guys who I could tell loved the music just as much as I did. I was genuinely interested to see what new stuff they could refer to me. There was a sense of joy in discovery, when you almost literally picked something out of a hat and came home to find out that it was a great record. I can only speak for myself but, in 2012, places that make me feel those things are very rare. Places in which the energy makes you feel at home, even when it’s your first time there.
As I’ve stated here before, I grew up in a house full of old records thanks to my grandfather, whose hobby was collecting jukeboxes. I guess part of that is what made me want to start collecting vinyl recently and I bought some of my first records at Supersounds. I often went there on nice days when I just didn’t want to stay inside and it gave me the perfect excuse to walk down to the Hudson Mall and look at records, even when I didn’t have any money to actually buy anything. It was one of those places in the back of your mind that you knew would always be there when you needed someplace to go. Whether my girlfriend had dumped me or I just wanted to enjoy the weather, I knew I could always go to this store to lift my spirits.
I mentioned Supersounds in the song “West Side,” one of the singles from Bay Parkway, because it was a place that I felt connected to. When I first moved to Jersey City, that gave me comfort and helped me establish a bond between myself and the neighborhood that I lived in. I honestly used to dream that I would become a local hero when I got signed. I would come back and make the owner an offer he couldn’t refuse, which of course would be in the form of dramatically opening up a suitcase full of money like they do in the movies. It would be my way of giving back to my community, by keeping the music and, therefore, the soul, alive.
That’s what Jersey City lost on January 31st, 2012, a piece of it’s culture, it’s history and it’s soul. Being a person that consistently strives to make the best art possible, perhaps my perspective causes this to resonate with me on a more emotional level. When things like this happen, it makes me feel that society is continuing to put less and less importance on art, music and culture. It’s not just the fans either. Artists need to do more to support their local record shops. If you have a local following, why not do an EP with hard copy CD’s that are only available at your local retailer? If the store has a t-shirt, tell them you’ll rock it at your shows. If they don’t have a t-shirt, ask them if they’d allow you to make one that cross-promotes your brand with theirs.
Supersounds may be gone now but in its’ time I’m sure alot of customers enjoyed hanging out and talking music with the people that worked there, as I did. The last time I was there, I picked up a copy of “Let It Bleed” by The Rolling Stones and, if I remember correctly, “Pearl” by Janis Joplin. After participating in a conversation about “Best Rolling Stones Albums,” I walked back home feeling like I had just spent the afternoon with an old friend. I will definitely miss that sense of camaraderie, the fan-dom that causes complete strangers to bond over something as simple as liking the same band. Of course, there are still a good number of independent record stores out there but Supersounds belonged to my neighborhood and I’m glad that I got to spend some of my time there while living on the West Side of Jersey City.
Supersounds. Over 30 Years at 9 State Route 440 Jersey City, NJ.
-Photographs by Reena Sibayan for The Jersey Journal
#Support your local record store. #GVMG
-Vibes
