Last Night 13,000 Norton Records Were Lovingly Washed and Saved By Adoring Fans of the Label
By Brett Koshkin
When Sandy came to town, she forced the frigid East River waters through Red Hook like a sieve, leaving a wake of waterlogged bedlam behind and destroying countless people's lives and livelihoods in the process. Purveyors of all things rockin', Norton Records suffered heavy casualties when their Van Brunt Street warehouse took more than four feet of water, destroying the majority of their countless, well-adored rockabilly and garage rock releases in the process.
See Also:
- Norton Records Warehouse Takes Massive Hit from Sandy
- Brooklyn's South Sound Studio Completely Destroyed By Sandy
Norton is a label that prides itself on finding and rereleasing the obscure and arcane. Their compilations of unreleased garage acetates and Sun Ra albums are more labors of love for music aficionados than they are commercial blockbusters. The label exists left of the dial and this is where it thrives unlike few others, unearthing the seldom-heard and giving it a chance to be loved, albeit by a limited but truly dedicated audience. Producing a chart-topping record has never been part of the plan.
Norton has found themselves in the rather painful race against the clock as they try to salvage what vinyl they can before mold and mildew do their dirty work, inhibiting Charlie Feathers albums from ever touching a turntable.
Last night, Norton held a call to arms, enlisting music fans and musicians alike to lend a hand at Brooklyn Bowl to salvage what still remains. A record cleaning party with some of the finest deejays the city has to offer including Jonathon Toubin, Phast Phreddie and a cast of WFMU jocks like Mr. Fine Wine, Debbie D, and Rex of the nuggets-laden Fool's Paradise program joined forces for the love of all things music.
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