Ben Blackwell works at Third Man Records, a multi-platform label, record store, venue, and studio in Nashville, Tennessee and he once claimed his business card listed his position as “psychedelic stooge.” Blackwell has also played drums in the Dirtbombs, he runs his own label, Cass Records, and is the official archivist for the White Stripes whose Jack White owns Third Man. As a label, Third Man has been doing some amazing work, releasing cool new records and going deep into history to reissue recordings by important artists and labels like Sun and Paramount Records. In this in-depth conversation, Blackwell and I cover the evolution of Third Man, its emphasis on vinyl and penchant for grand projects and releases, its interest and execution of documenting historically significant musical artefacts, The Rise and Fall of Paramount Records 1917-1932 wonder-cabinet, how sales for vinyl compare to those for CDs, the troubling vinyl shortage, the new Gories record, The Shaw Tapes: Live in Detroit 5/27/88, which Third Man is releasing in November, the song “Real Cool Time” and more.
Related links: thirdmanrecords.com cassrecords.com vishkhanna.com
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