Thanks to a drunk driver jumping the curb on Sunset Blvd. in Echo Park, yesterday Sea Level Records lost its front window and sustained some damage to the shared wall with a store next door. Thankfully no one was badly hurt and the idiot responsible was taken away in handcuffs.

I’d like to urge any Angelenos reading (hello!), to stop by and offer your patronage to this great little store.

I’m not sure what their overall plans are in the wake of the crash, but even as they were sweeping up broken glass yesterday they were still ringing up sales. (After helping a little with the sweeping, I picked up the Amy Winehouse, a disc by I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness and the new Apples In Stereo, which is ELO-tastic and sounds like an album of the year to me on a cursory listen.)

To underline: These folks are the little guys. They’re all totally great, friendly people who completely lack the usual music-store-clerk snark. They’ve been immensely supportive of independent music in general and local art in particular.

I know that nowadays folks prefer the iTunes music store, this or that P2P service or bittorrent. I know that brick-and-mortar sales favor Amoeba or worse Best Buy, etc. But let’s get archaic, let’s get grassroots. These folks deserve yr business, especially now that it can help them during a tough time. Let’s take advantage of capitalism’s upside and vote with our dollars.

Sea Level Records
1716 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(213) 989-0146
IRL coordinates
official site
myspace