The doctor is in Ventura
Legendary Santa Barbara record store American Pie relocates
By Chris Jay 02/28/2008
The compact disc is dead. It doesn’t take an expert to realize MP3s are the new format of choice for music consumers, and in the next five to 10 years, CDs will have gone the way of the eight-track and the cassette. The past decade has seen the nation’s music stores experience a near-holocaust, which makes it that much more bizarre that Ventura, has become one of the premiere cities for record stores in the state.
Leading the pack is the pride and joy of mom-and-pop shops, Salzer’s Records. Arguably the finest single independent record store in the entire country, from service to selection to longevity, Salzer’s is a landmark that gets better and better. Downtown, Buffalo Records caters to the indie set and should be applauded for the sheer amount of in-store performances from artists that — pun intended — aren’t really in stores. Then there is Grady’s Record Refugee in Midtown Ventura, which has a great variety of vinyl and provides a much-needed turntable repair service.
But before Ventura’s record store boom, one shop in Santa Barbara quietly became the stuff of legend with its vinyl-only policy. Collectors from all over the state would make pilgrimages, and even major artists appearing at the Santa Barbara Bowl would take a stroll down Milpas Avenue to American Pie Records, named, fittingly, after the Don McLean classic.
After 28 years in Santa Barbara, American Pie has relocated to Ventura, joining our already stellar group of record stores. The setting may be different, but one thing that hasn’t changed is its outspoken owner and operator, Dennis Hartman, better known to his customers and fellow vinyl aficionados as Dr. D.
“This is a record store!” says Hartman on a recent afternoon at his new location nestled in the industrial area behind Target. “CDs, next to my first ex-wife and Vietnam, are the worst things to ever hit the planet Earth. This is the only actual record store in the tri-counties. Now, there are stores that have vinyl in Ventura. Grady’s is a great store; I’m sure Buffalo is, too. Salzer’s has some vinyl, but it’s more punk- and metal-oriented. So I think that there’s room here for a store that sells vinyl and vinyl only.”
One has to visit American Pie to truly get an understanding of how unique the store is. It is a near-shrine devoted to the music of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. The walls are covered with autographs, shirts, posters, displays and newspaper articles, not to mention thousands of records jammed into bins and stacked high in boxes. From collectible rarities of Beatles test pressings to bargain bins stocked with one-hit wonders from the ’70s, the selection is mind-boggling.
Just like vinyl records, American Pie isn’t for everyone, though. Hartman, a Vietnam veteran, makes no bones about it: “I don’t carry any punk, heavy metal or crap — which is what I call rap!”
Suffice it to say, shopping at American Pie is more of an experience. Upon entering you are hurled into the Doctor’s world, which can gravitate in minutes from one-liners on ex-wives (he has had more than one), educated lectures on the war in Iraq (his son serves in the military) and soliloquies on the importance of the late Happy Chapin and John Stewart, two artists who Hartman actually sang onstage with (there are pictures and autographs to prove it). He is friendly, funny and admittedly profane at times, but his passion for vinyl and the music he loves is infectious. It shows in his store, which harkens back to a not-so-distant time when music was a little more magical and its fans, like the Doctor, were a little more fanatical.
So if you’re a music nerd, record junkie or just a curious collector, no record store run is complete without a stop at American Pie Records and a checkup from the good doctor of rock’n’roll.
American Pie Records is located at 1412 Tower Square #2, Ventura, off Callens and Market streets. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday, but it is advised to call ahead at 477-0083, as the Doctor admits, “After 28 years, I’ve earned the right to show up when I want to show up.” American Pie can also be found online at www.americanpierecords.com
DIGG | del.icio.us | REDDIT
Isn't it odd how you forgot to mention that Wild Planet in downtown Ventura has vinyl as well? A lot of rare, hard to get, punk and dance 12"s.
So I take it you are very well traveled in your music endeavors? Have you ever been to Manhattan, New York?