Record Stores: Park Avenue Compact Discs

Park Ave. used to be located on South Park Avenue (surprised?) in Winter Park. They moved to a new location around the corner from Stardust Video & Coffee a few years ago. They've been in business for about twenty-five years selling new and used CDs, DVDs, and vinyl LPs. I find the prices are a little too high but it is another option to Rock & Roll Heaven. In addition to finding out about upcoming shows, via flyers and posters, Park Ave. holds instore events. Past performers have included Jason Mraz, Jimmy Eat World, Frank Black, From Autumn to Ashes, Little Brother, Stone Sour, Pelican, Angels and Airwaves, People Under the Stairs, Fall Out Boy, All-American Rejects, and many more. I actually saw Living Colour perform there for free yesterday.

Upcoming Shows

Here are a few upcoming shows through November. They are at The Black Box Collective and Uncle Lou's. Check them out if they interest you.

Record Stores: Rock & Roll Heaven

Record stores are few and far between in Orlando. However, one such store is Rock & Roll Heaven. Rock & Roll Heaven is located in beautiful College Park, mere minutes from downtown. It is also within walking distance from Ethos Vegan Kitchen and a short five minute drive from Uncle Lou's and Will's Pub. They claim to be Orlando's "best" record store and carry everything from hardcore/punk and hip hop to reggae and gospel. I believe this place will be your best bet if you're looking for an affordable record (whether 7" or 12") in Orlando. Check it out the next time you are in the area.

Saturday, September 12th, 2009

Great Friend of Mine is playing an apartment show in Oviedo near the University of Central Florida this Saturday. The apartment is located in the Tivoli complex and there are a few metalcore bands playing as well. Great Friend of Mine used to be known as Aim at the Kid. The members are the same but the sound has progressed tremendously. Come check them out if you are in the area. Think. Create. Teach. Repeat.

Show Tonight

Sorry for the late notice but this was the first I heard of it. The show is actually in Kissimmee (a bit south of Orlando). I'm not familiar with the venue or most of the bands. Advent is on tour from North Carolina.

Vegetarian/Vegan Spot: Stardust Video & Coffee

Stardust Video & Coffee is also located in the hipster mecca of Winter Park. It is conveniently located across the street from Park Ave. CDs. Stardust tends to offer a more Bohemian ambiance than Austin's Coffee and the selection isn't as good. However, Stardust prides itself in its massive indie film collection. When I was in high school I used to come here to find rare films. They had an impressive collection of B-Movies, Foreign, Indie, Documentary and Cult films (except someone never returned the VHS copy of The Holy Mountain). The entire collection was easily organized by genre and even director. So if one wanted to view the entire Todd Solondz catalog it was organized in such a way. That was then. On a recent trip to Stardust I found quite the surprise. There is an empty space where the movie collection used to stand. It seems the space is now used for lounging and listening to pretentious music. The collection now hangs on one wall; an amalgamation of no more than fifty films.

Vegetarian/Vegan Spot: Austin's Coffee

This entry will begin a series of restaurants/coffee shops in the Orlando area that have vegetarian/vegan options. I will begin with Austin's Coffee since it was the most recent place I visited. Austin's is located in Winter Park near Rollins College and Park Avenue. They have a variety of vegan sandwiches and soups available for both lunch and dinner. Also worth noting are the selection of vegan desserts such as chocolate cake (my selection). An independent company called The Fat Vegan runs their line of vegan donuts out of Austin's as well. If you like coffee I suppose this is the place for you. Austin's has "organic fairtrade beans" that are roasted right in the shop. This shop also plays host to a variety of events such as Open Mic Hip Hop, Comedy, Music, etc. I believe Baroness played a show here once. Check out their site for more information: http://www.austinscoffee.comThe Fat Vegan (www.myspace.com/thefatvegan)

Saturday, September 5th, 2009...An Actual Show?

Yes, believe it or not there is a show taking place in Orlando this Saturday. It's a house show in East Orlando near the University of Central Florida. Here are the details:

"Coming home show for Protagonist after almost 4 long months on the road! Come hang out, drink some beers, and welcome us home! $5 bucks to get in and we'll be buying the first keg."

PROTAGONIST
TEEN HEAT
1 MORE TBA

2270 Corbett Road
Orlando, FL 32826

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=2270+corbett+road%2C+Orlando%2C+FL

http://www.myspace.com/protagonist