Hero Worship: Trail of Dead's Jason Reece on Waterloo Records
As ...And You will Know Us By the Trail of Dead swing into Glasgow on Record Store Day, Jason Reece salutes his favourite shop
Waterloo Records in Austin, Texas is my jam... it's Trail of Dead's spot. This is an amazing place that has everything, and all the folks working there are great. We've had some fiery instore performances there too. When I was DJing a local bar every Saturday, I would drop by Waterloo to find the freshest new sounds on vinyl on the Friday. I would build my arsenal. I would spend my hard-earned cash. I would come to discover mind-blowing albums. I would get lost for hours in a daze, in a spaced-out mode, soaking it all up like a sponge. This was also a spot where the community would gather and socialize. It was a place to be seen or run in to some random friends.
One day I was in looking for a new vinyl player on a particularly hot day, when I heard an English accent – a guy asking about an obscure blues record. I turned around to see Robert Plant at the register hanging out as if he was just another local. Waterloo Records keeps the spirit of musical congregation alive and this is so vital in this day and age to have a gathering place. It is very sacred to me that the process of finding new music should bring people together – not this isolated, on a computer in the dark, all alone way that seems to be so status quo. Yes, Waterloo is one of best.