Vinyl Picks and Local Sounds From The Live Music Capital of the World
Five years before South By Southwest started as a modest gathering of artists and music people, Waterloo Records opened its doors on South Lamar Blvd in 1982. The cityscape looked quite a bit different in the 80s, but the Austin music scene was just as vibrant then as it is now. Legends of all genres were playing Liberty Lunch, Continental Club and Antone’s. Scratch Acid (later, The Jesus Lizard), Lucinda Williams, Robert Earl Keen, and Charlie Sexton were all making noise. Willie Nelson, ever the patron saint of Austin, built his Pedernales recording studio and recorded his 28th album, Tougher Than Leather, there.
Waterloo’s original location on South Lamar. Photo courtesy the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.
Waterloo was then, and remains today, an integral part of Austin’s music scene. With thousands of vinyl records in its 6,400 sq ft space, just up the road from the original location, the store has the reputation of catering to music lovers with knowledgeable staff and a policy of no-questions-asked returns. An extensive selection and a special propensity for Texas artists firmly roots Waterloo as a destination for music not just in Austin, but for music lovers everywhere.
Waterloo Records now. 6,400 sq ft of music.
Waterloo sales associate and self professed Vinyl Hunter Guillermo Paleo found his place on the team after crossing paths with Waterloo’s marketing manager at the ACL Festival. “It was written in the stars,” he says of the experience, “and a year and a half later, here we are. I pinch myself everyday and think I work at one of the best places in the world.” Guillermo curates the store’s soundtrack and hip hop collections, and is a bona fide connoisseur of the local music scene. He describes Waterloo’s personality as offering abundant Southern hospitality. He says, “We love music and this is a music city. It’s the perfect marriage.”
Guillermo Paleo perusing the vinyl racks.
The welcoming environment and enthusiasm of the staff attracts a lot of musicians to the store to shop and also play live on Waterloo’s stage. The store has hosted hundreds of in-store performances in its 42 years, including The Stooges, Rosanne Cash and The Kills.
South By Southwest is a particularly busy time, with multiple performances each day of the festival. Guillermo elaborates, “We had in-stores with three bands per day, four days straight.” A few highlights from the week: Mint Field, a shoegaze band from Mexico, FIEH from Norway, Corridor from Toronto and a Waterloo employee’s band, haha Laughing. “I couldn’t believe that I work with such talented people,” he says.
Guillermo with FIEH’s In the Sun In the Rain album.
Guillermo shared some of the vinyl on his turntable at the moment.
Soundtracks
Austin-based label Mondo Music
Hip Hop
El-P and Killer Mike individually, and their collaboration Run the Jewels
Denzel Curry
Austin/Texas based bands
Nemegata
Como Las Movies
Teethe
Holy Wave
Black Pumas’ Adrian Quesada solo work
Harvest Thieves (Cory Reinisch, Waterloo’s marketing director, is the lead singer for this band)
Nemegata’s latest album Voces.
Anything Latin American Based
“There is so much great music from Mexico, Argentina and Chile right now,” he says.
Dorotheo, a psych band from Mexico
Él Mató A Un Policía Motorizado from Argentina
Soda Stereo, an Argentine band formed in Buenos Aires in 1982
Gustavo Cerati (lead singer for Soda Stereo)
Helado Negro
Other Faves
Beachhouse
Hammock
Holy Wave
Idles (specifically their latest record, Tangk)
Idles new album TANGK.
Guillermo offered some great advice for people who are just starting their record collection.
He says, “Collecting is like buying perfume. It’s a very personal thing. Buy a record that you’ll get the most out of - something that will provide the best memories.”
When we asked him, “why collect vinyl?” Guillermo explained, “An album is a love letter between the artist and their audience. You have to listen to it on vinyl. The wax and sound of the needle on the record transports you. It’s an intimate experience. At least once in your life you have to listen to a record from beginning to end.”
Guillermo checks out El Niño y el Sol (Original Soundtrack to the Motion Picture) by Adrian Quesada.