Before Easy Street Records became a Seattle institution, it was just a kid trying to keep two sinking record shops from going under. In 1987, the indie-record landscape was a battlefield.
Chain stores were muscling in with deep pockets and cheaper CDs. Mom‑and‑pop shops were exhausted from surviving every format war the industry could throw at them: vinyl to 8‑track, 8‑track to cassette, cassette to CD, and if you were dabbling in video, you were juggling VHS and Laserdisc too. Every shift meant new bins, new layouts, new debt. Plenty of stores simply tapped out. Matt Vaughan, was working at two of them: Easy Street and Penny Lane.
He was a Seattle U freshman, a self‑described “slacker” in a year when the stock market had just crashed and job prospects were bleak. Both shops where he punched the clock were imploding for reasons that had nothing to do with music—Penny Lane’s owner was unraveling under the weight of a collapsing marriage. Penny Lane’s owner, Matt’s stepdad, was in rehab while his landlord padlocked the doors with all the inventory still inside. Both owners were desperate for an exit. Matt, barely out of high school, became the unlikely lifeline.
With 18 months left on the clock, Matt assumed the lease of Penny Lane, then negotiated with Easy Street’s landlord to clear out the locked store. In return, he inherited the remaining inventory of both shops… and the debt of both shops. Matt realized that if he kept one of the existing store names, he could avoid filing a new business license and keep the doors open through the transition. And so, in November 1987, the brand new Easy Street Records was born.
Eighteen months later, in August 1989, Matt moved the store half a block down the street to the corner where it still stands today on California Avenue, just as Seattle’s underground music scene was beginning to roar. And while Easy Street would go on to become a hub for live performances, crate‑diggers, and the city’s creative pulse, Matt’s connection to music has always extended beyond the listening experience emphasizing the importance of the visual language that shapes how we experience an album before the needle ever drops.
We sat down with him to talk about his favorite records and how the intersection of music and design influence both his personal life and how he runs his store.
When you think about the intersection of design and music, what does that mean to you personally?
Vinyl is final! You may not be able to judge a book by its cover, but more often than not, you can judge a record by its cover. How can we transform this material energy into emotional energy? There is a good amount of creativity that goes into the design of a record cover and jacket. What is the world that the band/artist is trying to convey through its record design? Blue Note Records were masters at this–Francis Wolff photography, Reid Miles typography and design…Sub Pop too! Involving graphic designers, photographers, and visual artists makes for a collaborative piece of art. An album is the most concrete expression of music in a physical art form.
How intentional are you about the visual experience customers have when they walk in?
Great album covers get priority, they make the store look pretty. Everyday we have new record covers to look at.
Matt Vaughan displays Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones and TOO FAST FOR LOVE by mÖtley crÜe at Easy Street Records in Seattle
Do you have a favorite album cover?
Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones and The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground, both designed by Andy Warhol. We recently purchased a 5,000 piece collection including these records. The owner was a well known art collector and dealer. He was drawn to record covers first and foremost because of the design, rather than the music itself. But, not surprisingly, the music is all still really great. From Blue Note to 4 AD…
“An album is the most concrete expression of music in a physical art form.”
Was there an album cover that first made you realize artwork can be just as impactful as the music—or even essential to telling the full story behind it?
As a kid, there was Destroyer by KISS. I was so drawn to these space age glammy demon comic book characters with music as their weapon of choice, all jumping into my life off the record jacket.
There’s also Who’s Next and The Who By Numbers by The Who which depicted friendship, non conformity, and basic ruffian nature.
Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder is a record that still stops me in my tracks. Especially when folded out, both sides. You feel like you are in the universe of Stevie Wonder, while also finding your own spirit. The colors are warm and comforting.
What are some of your favorite album artworks?
3 Feet High and Rising by De La Soul. A beautiful and positive record. The Daisy Age was on and the music was bringing us all together. The Easy Street bathroom is an homage to this record cover.
Walk Don’t Run by The Ventures. The original Guitar Gods! In 1959, this is what the Beatles were listening to. Many of the tracks were recorded in West Seattle, a mile away from Easy Street.
Ace of Spades by Motörhead. This is one of the greatest English hard rock/metal records ever, but the record design and cover photo appear as though they are in the desert of the American West. We were invited into this New Wave of British Heavy Metal.
Yesterday and Today by The Beatles (Butcher Cover Edition). The greatest allegory a band had ever thought of: Beatles protesting the Vietnam/American War in 1966. This specific cover was a US only release.
