BY NADINE ARMSTRONG

The Hants Journal

NovaNewsNow.com

Nov. 1 is bound to be a happy day for music lovers who will finally be able to shop locally for CDs and albums.

Moe’s Place Music on Gerrish St., Windsor, has taken the plunge and will become the first TAZ Records outlet in the Valley.

Shelves at Moe’s were being stocked last week with a selection of over 400 new and used CDs of almost every genre including Rock, Jazz, Blues, Metal and Hip Hop. “If you want Hendrix, we got it; if you want George Jones, that’s here too,” said owners Willard Wood and Edgar Card. “If you want it, we’ll sell it.”

And if the music of choice isn’t in stock, Moe’s staff can custom order just about anything, including vintage vinyl. “The great thing about TAZ is they’re huge. They’ve got an enormous stock base and the contacts to find rare selections,” Wood said.

Music destination

TAZ Records had sold music in Halifax for a quarter-century and houses 100,000 LPs along with CDs and tapes. The shop has been a destination for music addicts from around the world and has sold to touring musicians such as the Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan and the legendary Van Morrison.

Current owners Bob Russell, Matthew Grimson and Robert Lawrence say they’re proud to be associated with Moe’s Music and to bring quality music to the Windsor and Annapolis Valley area.

The only other option for those looking to pick up a CD is further down the Valley or toward Halifax. “We’d like to give the people here the option to buy locally. We’ve had enough people inquiring that there was a basis to bring it in,” Card said.

Moe’s staff said the selection and new releases should encourage buyers of all age groups. And although many of the younger generation are turning toward downloading tunes onto their MP3 or iPod, service technician Pat Leonard says it’s no comparison to CD or vinyl.

No comparison

“MP3 is a compromised format,” he said. “They strip out a lot of the sound to make a small file size, to the point that the fidelity is missing.”

He’s a collector who says many artists are still putting out new albums. For instance, his first Green Day purchase was on LP.

“Over the years our ears are getting polluted with a lot of garbage. It’s a growing concern in the music business that people are accepting a lesser quality.”

He said vinyl is the physical representation of what’s actually being recorded. “It works the same way an ear does.”

Wood said there are still a lot of buyers looking for hard-to-find CDs or albums. “The longevity of artists’ products is much shorter than it used to be. Sometimes a CD is out of stock after only a year.”

Moe’s first TAZ sale took place before the shelves were uncovered and one satisfied customer left with a hard-to-find Keith Whitley CD.

Moe’s is well know for their stock of local CDs and they will continue to carry those as well. “We’ve already got a unique business here in Windsor,” Wood said, “and this is a great way to add to that. We’re trying to draw more attention to the downtown and our make our shop a destination. Give people a reason to come.”

TAZ owners will visit Moe’s Nov. 17 to celebrate the grand opening for the outlet. Everyone is welcome to stop in and join the festivities or just browse the new addition.