We hope you can join us on Friday, Sepetember 27th at 5:00 PM as we come together to celebrate the release of Styrofoam Wino’s new album, their second full length, Real Time! The band will be playing a short set in the shop and then signing albums for attendees. When they released their debut, self-titled album, the band performed alone in the record store because at the time we were not hosting in-person events. (You can watch their 2021 instore set on Sophomore Lounge’s YouTube page here. ) Now that we have the chance to have them back, we’re thrilled to be able to watch their song-craft magic unfold in the shop with all of you. You can preorder Real Time now on vinyl and CD in the shop and on our store here. All who preorder for local, instore pickup will receive a signing wristband for our event. Wristbands are required for the signing for all 13+ and guarantee entrance to our event. (Additional copies of the album will be available for purchase in the shop on release day for this event.)
On Real Time,, you imagine - and firmly believe - that the Styrofoam Winos’ relationship extends beyond studios and stages. You believe they not only play music together, but eat meals together, live down the street from one another, practice three days a week because it's fun, read the same books, and that they've agreed in some wordless, musical bond that this is who they are. As a listener, and inevitable fan, you wonder if they found each other by a stroke of luck or the hand of destiny. You believe that they can probably read each other's minds and that their music is as joyous to them as it is to you. After all, this is what we love about early R.E.M. records, the brainier grooves of Pavement, and the discographies of Yo La Tengo and The Breeders.
The Springwater Supper Club and Lounge in Nashville has been a dive bar since before a dive bar was a brand; a place where, in the early 2000's, everyone would wonder if David and Dave (Berman and Cloud) would be sitting at the bar and a write-up in a weekly paper could fill the room. It seemed like everyone that bought you a beer was either in Lambchop or The Cherry Blossoms. This wasn't a world that wanted to keep great music a secret. This was a world where great music was born and championed, when a community didn't have metrics or boardrooms. The members of Styrofoam Winos were in elementary school back then, but they carry on this scene's shaggy-dog torch that deserves a bigger audience.
Real Time was cut live to tape in Nashville at The Bomb Shelter studio by Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, The Ettes, Margo Price) with few overdubs and over just 5 days, whenever the band had enough money to record. The members - Lou Turner, Trevor Nikrant, Joe Kenkel - all make wonderful solo albums on labels like Dear Life, Earth Libraries, and SPINSTER, as well as excellent self-releases. But unlike most bands where members compose alone before bringing a song to the table, the Winos write the music and lyrics together. Their van life, which has included tours with MJ Lenderman, has solidified this chemistry. They switch instruments in the studio, too, and allow the friend who found the seed of the song to sing the lead. Between the 3 of them (and a couple visits from pedal steel buddy, Will Elis Johnson), Styrofoam Winos trade off on guitars, drums, bass, synths, vibraphone, percussion, and all the lovely vocals, like they're on a cross-country road trip, taking turns behind the wheel, and singing along with each other because they all know the words. And Real Time is just that: a celebration of the present-tense and its ever-shifting moments of living. They're going down the road, not feeling bad, but feeling.
Join us in the record store on Friday, September 27th and soak in some of this Music City Magic! It’s gonna be a great time and you won’t want to miss out. Score your signing wristband and lock in your copy of Real Time in the shop or on our site here. See you soon, Nashville!
Styrofoam Winos’ Real Time vinyl