Greetings from Mankato, Minnesota!
The city has a population just below 50k. It is situated about 75 miles southwest of Minneapolis.
I am here with son Hayden Michael. He has been invited to consider attending Minnesota State University (Mankato) next year for grad school and to work with their ESports program.
Now for some music.
The life of an indie music junkie is great fun and there is a constant quest for the next great music. On arrival here Friday, I decided to search and see whether there were any decent record stores. Little did I know how wise that decision would turn out.
The only store that popped up repeatedly on my search was called Tune Town. I decided to go.
My expectation was low. Boy was I wrong.
I have been to many record stores in smaller communities that are mostly musty repositories for old, tired records.
Tune Town was one of the most expansive record stores I have ever visited. It was the equivalent of 4 former retail stores, including a hardware store.
The photos don’t reflect the actual size of this behemoth.
More important than the square footage, was the fact that they had an excellent selection of indie vinyl and CDs.
I made a few ace purchases, including the record I will feature today.
On checkout I asked the clerk (Rob) if they sold cloth record bags as I love collecting them from cool stores.
Rob said he thought they had some out back from their 30th store anniversary in 2023. He checked without success. He then told me he had some extras at home and to come back Saturday.
I was first in the door at 10 am. [Ed. Note- Is anyone surprised?]
Rob was a few minutes late arriving. That gave me time to make a few additional “needed” purchases.
Here is Rob presenting me with the Anniversary bag!
Thanks Rob. Thanks Tune Town. A total class act all the way!
If you find yourself near Mankato in your travels I highly recommend you to owner Carl and staff member Rob.
For today’s track, an excellent find.
One of my go-to outfits is from Bristol. MASSIVE ATTACK 🇬🇧 are indie legends.
They have teamed with an even older legend – 75 year old TOM WAITS.
You might think it is a strange musical matchup, but on closer review it is a brilliant pairing. Both artists sing about the underbelly of life.
This April, 2026 protest song fits perfectly.
It is entitled “Boots On The Ground.”
Here it is- YouTube only. [Ed. Note- Disclosure – fair warning for strong language and content that might be disturbing to some and is not appropriate for young children.]
First – a longer version. Then a lyric video.
(SONG 1759)
Play Loud Or Perish
10/4/2026
Leave a Reply