[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbqFb1_kd7M]

Over the last year, I’ve had the chance to check out some legendary music stores, such as Amoeba Music in Hollywood and the Louisiana Music Factory in New Orleans. So I thought, in my usual procrastinating way, that some day soon, I’d run a string of posts on these places, but figured, if I did that, I’d want to start with Laser’s Edge, a small store in a Birmingham suburb. In the wider world, it may not be so well known, but among Taylor Hicks’ fans, Laser’s Edge was a sort of mecca: when Hicks hit the national stage, constrained by the tv contest format, Laser’s Edge was the only place to get Hicks’ pre-Idol music.

So, the news bouncing around the Hicks’ fan world today hit hard: Laser’s Edge is closing.

In thinking about these places a few months back, I googled the phrase “demise of the record store” and was struck by how many times that exact phrase hit. Shouldn’t have been a surprise, I suppose. I love, I mean LOVE, the experience of getting a new CD: drawing out the ultimate musical release with a ritual foreplay tease - fighting the thing out of its wrapping, taking in the album art and reading every word of the liner notes. Add to that what a good store brings: the pleasure of the chase with the advice of a knowledgable and friendly pusher. But it’s a Catch-22. As places close, buyers find it more and more difficult to make a physical hook-up, and so turn more to downloads, which puts further pressure on the stores.

I never got the chance to go to Laser’s Edge, but during my only brief visit to b’ham, I happened to run into its owner, Fred Osuna, while out listening to local music at Marty’s. He did what you’d expect a supporter of local music to do: he told me, a random stranger from out of town, what he liked about the band playing there that night (the Chad Fisher Group) and what he didn’t like about the band I was planning on catching at a place up the street. I’m sure that voice will be missed in the Birmingham scene. In the meantime, if you haven’t explored the Laser’s Edge site, you can still get Fred’s take on what to listen to.

There’s the best-of-last-year: “our picks”

..but even better, and perhaps a start for your holiday shopping: the Laser’s Edge Virtual Sampler

In any case, every Hicks fan has reason to be thankful that Laser’s Edge was there. Makes me think I need to try harder to find that store in my own area.

categories: music