By Michael Swanger michael@dmcityview.com

Named after a Willie Dixon song made famous by Howlin' Wolf, it's no surprise Red Rooster Records caters to the vintage music lover by selling mostly used vinyl. The store's co-owner, 22-year-old Matt Storms, says it's a growing trend among Des Moines music fans, young and old.

"We've been relatively successful up until this point," he says. "We sell a lot of '60s and '70s rock as well as blues, punk and '80s metal."

If anyone knows what people want when it comes to vinyl, Storms says, it's him and his business partner, 48-year-old Steve Moberg. The two men are neighbors and found a common bond in collecting records. After teaming up to sell their wares at record shows for six years they decided to open the shop in October.

"We had some experience and knew what we were doing," says Storms, who studies graphic design at Grand View College. "We try to have a wide variety of stuff because you never know who will walk in and we want to have lots of options for people."

Nestled in the heart of the Euclid Avenue shopping district, Red Rooster Records' walls are adorned with old posters. There you'll find LPs by Snooks Eaglin, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed and Motorhead on one side of the store and 45s by Charlie Christian, Duane Eddy, U2 and Kidd Death on the other. In between are crates of albums from a variety of genres, including healthy supplies of rock, jazz, blues, R&B, punk, rap and "hot babe covers." Red Rooster also has a large inventory of $1 albums and 45s that sell for 50 cents, as well as turntables and old stereo equipment and a small, but growing stock of used CDs that sell from $5 to $7.

"We want to emphasize vinyl, but we intend to bring in more CDs and band T-shirts," Storms says.

Red Rooster Records, located at 509 Euclid Ave., is open Monday through Friday from 3 to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 8 p.m. Call 288-1193.
Strait to Wells Fargo
Country music star George Strait, who has sold more than 67 million albums and has a record number 51 top country hits, plays live in the round at Wells Fargo Arena on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 7:30 p.m. Tracy Lawrence and Miranda Lambert open. Tickets, $49.50 and $59.50, go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. through the Wells Fargo Arena Box office and Dahl's Foods.

Cityview's new digs

A reminder to promoters, club owners and bands, Cityview has moved its offices. To continue sending us press kits, CDs, cash and contraband, you need to do so at our new address - 414 61st St., Des Moines, Iowa, 50312. If you have music news, contact Cityview Entertainment Editor Michael Swanger at michael@dmcityview.com or by calling 953-4822, Ext. 308.

Scene notes

A review of Dr. John's concert can be found online at www.dmcityview.com... BeJae Fleming, who recently released "Destination Unimportant" for Trailer Records, plays the Ritual Cafè Friday at 8:30 p.m. Admission is free... Local rockers Violent Impact will host a CD release party Friday at Hairy Mary's with two shows. The first, an all-ages affair, will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. with Burn the Broken and Fell Far Behind. A 21-and-over show with Realitys Flaw and Two Words follows at 9:30 p.m. Admission to each show is $5... Iowa City bluegrass duo Mike and Amy Finders play Westminster Presbyterian Church's Anchor Coffee House, 4114 Allison Avenue, on Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. Call 274-1534... Chris Cagle plays the Val Air Ballroom Dec. 17. Advance tickets, $20, are on sale now through Ticketmaster and the box office... Bo Ramsey tells us he has completed his latest solo album, a collection of blues tunes, and is in the process of shopping it to record labels. The singer-guitarist-producer continues to tour with Pieta Brown. They play the Mill in Iowa City on Saturday at 9 p.m. Admission is $10. CV

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