Eric Levin, co-founder of Record Store Day, the worldwide celebration of all things musically waxy, may be forced to close his own record store by November if things don’t improve soon. In an article on The Atlanta Journal Constitution’s website, Levin stated that Criminal Records had “been underwater since the economy became distressed. […] We’ve been on a rescue mission for three years. I’m done paying for it by myself.” A fledgling economy wasn’t the only reason for the store’s hardship though; a move to a larger, 6,000-square-foot space had tripled the store’s expenses. Combined with the cost of hosting weekly free concerts, the impact of legal downloads and a “miserable” holiday season all seem to portend the demise of the beloved Atlanta institution’s 20-year run. Despite the odds, Criminal Records will not go gently into that good night, as a Sept. 7 tweet from the store’s account attests: “Thanks for the support & encouragement. It means A LOT. To reiterate, we’re definitely trying to #SaveCriminalRecords. We are not giving up.”
If you think it’s good now, wait till you hear the end!
In a medieval church in Halberstadt, Germany, American avant-garde composer John Cage’s music project for organ “Organ2/ASLSP As SLow aS Possible” held its 10-year anniversary last week. Though a decade may seem like a milestone worth celebrating, the anniversary elicited little fanfare, and for good reason: it still has 629 years to go before being completed. The composition, which started playing on what would’ve been Cage’s 89th birthday, Sept. 5, 2001, at St. Burchardi Church, is set to go on until the last notes are played in the far off year of 2640, so long as the funding for it remains stable until then. The next big landmark for the piece will be in 60 years, when the first of the composition’s eight parts will be completed. For more info and a second-by-second countdown, check out  www.john-cage.halberstadt.de.
My tart will go on
Canadian diva Celine Dion was the victim of a home invasion/pastry theft last week after a man reportedly broke into her Laval home, ran himself a bath and chowed down on some pastries he’d found in the fridge. The suspect, 36-year-old Daniel Bedard, allegedly stole the house key form inside Dion’s husband’s car and used it to break into her home, tripping the house alarm in the process. According to Laval police spokesman Franco Di Genova, when police arrived “The suspect was coming down the big staircase and was asking: ‘Hey guys, what are you doing here?’“ Bedard, who allegedly claimed to be a family friend, has been charged with breaking and entering, auto theft, and causing property damage.
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