Wax On and On, Forever

In the tiny industrial town of Stockton-on-Tees, England, there is a refuge for lonely music lovers. Sound It Out Records, the only record shop left in the area, stands tall with an inventory of more than 70,000 actual recordings available for purchase that can be held, looked at and sniffed before buying. Still going strong after fifteen years in business, Sound It Out's owner, Tom, has no intention of giving up, no matter how disheartening it has been to watch other record-store comrades succumb to the digital wave and a crap economy. Sound It Out has adapted, he says, to the online demand for browsing and purchasing but remains an actual physical oasis for music lovers to flock. Filmmaker Jeanie Finlay spent eighteen months in the shop, documenting the idiosyncratic relationships of vinyl collectors and their isolated retailer. The resulting documentary, Sound It Out, screens at 7:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday (April 22 through 24) at Webster University's Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood Avenue; 314-968-7487 or www.webster.edu/filmseries). Finlay will be present for after-screening Q&As on Friday and Saturday. Admission is $5 to $6.
April 22-24, 2011