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Press and Journal
9 hours ago
- Business
- Press and Journal
Union Vinyl no more: Haven for Inverness music lovers closes its doors
Union Vinyl owner Nigel Graham has never been one for the easy option. Even when struggling to keep his Inverness business afloat amodt costing of living rises he has been loathe to sell some of the biggest albums around. Taylor Swift, he explains, won't be found on any of his shelves. 'It's not really what we do,' he told The Press and Journal. 'They can go to HMV for that.' Nigel quietly closed the doors of the Market Brae record store on Saturday for the last time. The business celebrated its 11th birthday just a few weeks ago, but rising costs meant it couldn't continue. It has been a must-visit destination for music lovers from the city and further afield, and will be missed by its many regulars. His musical journey will, however, continue at Union Vinyl's sister shop in Nairn. Nigel told The Press and Journal: 'The cost of living has proved too much. 'Unfortunately, it was just not sustainable to keep the shop going. 'I had been looking to have someone take it over, but no one could get it over the line. 'It takes a special kind of person to do this job. 'It's a passion project. It's not for the money'. Union Vinyl was born because of Nigel's long-time love of collecting records. He began at just 10 years old and would travel around the country as a teenager to find Bowie recordings. When money was tight, he decided to sell a few of his prized records and discovered that he could turn his passion into a business. Initially opening as a pop-up on Union Street, the record store went from strength-to-strength, moving first to Academy Street and later to Market Brae Steps. How an obsession for collecting records cued up a business opportunity in Inverness Nigel also opened a second premises, Vinyl 2 Vintage, in his hometown of Nairn in 2021. Vinyl 2 Vintage will remain open and Nigel plans to move much of Union Vinyl's existing stock to the shop on Nairn High Street. There will, however, be a final chance to visit Union Vinyl and maybe pick up a bargain. A closing down sale is to take place on June 6 and 7. Although Nigel has no desire to stock many of today's more popular artists, plenty of his records were still flying off the shelves. Blondie's Parallel Lines, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and Fleetwood Mac's 1977 album Rumours 'never last more than a couple of days' before selling out, he revealed. He was also always keen to recommend any album by his idol David Bowie. On the shop's last day, Nigel's employee Robert Ross played Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust one last time before closing the doors. The last song on the album is Rock 'n' Roll suicide, which Nigel described as 'quite apt'. Nigel said: 'The overheads are not as high for our shop in Nairn, but in Inverness we were paying a lot more and it just got too much. 'We just weren't getting the customers. 'They say there is this big vinyl resurgence but I don't think there is – we have never really seen the impact of that. 'Big businesses and corporate companies do kill the independent shops.' He added: 'We do have a certain type of customer though. 'If they are into Taylor Swift or whatever, they can quite happily go to HMV for that. 'It's not really what we do. 'I was also stretched between the two shops. That was a factor. 'The shop in Nairn is bigger and better and I will have more time to devote to it now. 'I hope some people will want to cross the divide to Nairn to come look at some vinyl. 'I like to think some of my regular customers will come over.' Despite looking forward to devoting more time to his Nairn shop, Nigel said he was sad to close his Inverness shop. It sits just yards from where he used to hunt for records in his younger years. He said: 'I do feel it's a shame. 'There has been a record shop on Market Brae steps since the 1970s. I think it's a loss of a tradition. 'I would love someone to take it on.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
$1.9 billion CHIPS grant denied for Kansas
COFFEY COUNTY (KSNT) – Coffey County Commissioners were told that their application for $1.9 billion in Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) grant funds was denied; throwing the construction of a proposed Burlington computer chip factory into question. On May 19, commissioners heard from County Counselor Wade Bowie, II, about CHIPS funding. According to Bowie, the transition between the Biden and Trump administration likely resulted in the denial. In February 2023, Governor Laura Kelly announced that EMP Shield had plans to build a computer chip manufacturing facility in Burlington thanks to funding through the CHIPS Act. The governor said that the facility would create more than 1,200 jobs averaging $66,000 annually. Following the news, commissioners heard that decisions would need to be made regarding the future of the property at the location. According to the minutes from the meeting, the location is ideal for an industrial park with I-35 and Highway 75 near Kansas City and other locations. Economic Development Director Jenny Tatman showed commissioners a concept map of the proposed industrial park. He discussed a possible manufacturing facility built by a solar panel company. Bowie told commissioners that there will be an update on the potential future of the CHIPS grants at the next regular meeting on June 2. What will happen to the old JCPenney space at West Ridge Mall? As of August 2024, the CHIPS and Science Act had provided $30 billion in support for 23 projects in 15 states that would add 115,000 manufacturing and construction jobs, according to the Commerce Department. That funding helped to draw in private capital and would enable the U.S. to produce 30% of the world's most advanced computer chips, up from 0% when the Biden-Harris administration succeeded Trump's first term. The CHIPS Act called for every aspect of computer chip production to be brought back to the United States – specifically into rural areas of the Midwest, along with stipulations including private-public partnerships as well as the involvement of higher education institutions. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. The Associated Press contributed to this article. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Benicio del Toro treasures his signed copy of David Bowie film The Man Who Fell To Earth
Benicio del Toro says a signed copy of David Bowie's film 'The Man Who Fell To Earth' is one of his most treasured possessions. The 58-year-old actor is a Bowie super-fan and he was once lucky enough to work with the late rock legend on the 1996 film 'Basquiat', which is about the life of American postmodernist/neo expressionist artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Benicio owned the 1976 science-fiction film 'The Man Who Fell To Earth' - which stars Bowie as alien Thomas Jerome Newton who is on a mission to transport water back to his drought-suffering home planet - and had to get his musical hero to add his signature to his copy. Appearing on the 'Soundtracking with Edith Bowman' podcast, he said: "My introduction to Bowie was 'Let's Dance' and on the other album that had 'Blue Jean', the follow-up, but I've always admired him. "But I do remember, you know, I had a laser disc of 'The Man Who Fell to Earth', I love that movie. Well, he did sign the laser disc for me. And I, I really treasure that, you know? It was like, I don't know, I had this thing of going, like, 'Hey, you gotta sign this.' And it was just very gentle. 'I just love that album 'Live Santa Monica '72' and 'Station to Station', 'Low'. "He had a lot of, like, you know crowd rock with Brian Eno. They had a lot of stuff going on." When working on 'Basquiat' with Bowie - who played pop artist Andy Warhol in the movie - Benicio admits it was a surreal moment being face-to-face with his idol. In a previous interview with UPROXX, Benicio - who can be seen in Wes Anderson's new film 'The Phoenician Scheme' - said: "I remember walking into the makeup trailer, and there he was. And he just sat right next to me. He was very normal. Very normal, very polite. I was just like beside myself sitting there looking at myself and going like, 'Can you believe it?' Looking at myself in the mirror, I'm sitting right next to David Bowie. But you know, he signed some things for me."
Edinburgh Reporter
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
Rosalie Cunningham @ The Hive ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
If Queen had recorded a Bond Theme in 1972 between Diamonds Are Forever and Live and Let Die, then it would probably have sounded a lot like Rosalie Cunningham's opening number To Shoot Another Day. This closing night of the tour in Edinburgh, supporting her current album of the same name begins with an explosion of colour from the Clockwork Orange-style backdrop which matches the bass player's Fireglow Rickenbacker. Claudia Gonzalez Diaz plays the instrument as if it's part of her being. There's a stage-craft and chemistry at work that pulls the threads of cult cinema, glam rock in the spirit of Bowie and songwriting packed with infectious melodies and earworms. Timothy Martin's Finishing School is a playful comment on JD Wetherspoon's weekend booze culture reminiscent of Pepper era Beatles or Bowie's 1967 self-titled Deram album. The likes of this and Home draw upon a similar rich well of English eccentrics and uncanny characters. Dias locks into a jazz-flavoured and punchy groove with Aaron B. Thompson on keys while Cunningham looks every inch the rock star reminiscent of Hammer Horror siren Ingrid Pitt. As she leans forward her eyes widen as if about to sink her fangs into a fan down the front but instead she waves her balloon sleeve high in the air to strike another electrifying chord on a Gibson SG. Cunningham's jumpsuit could perhaps only have been worn by the most idiosyncratic member of Kiss – Ace Frehley back in 1974. The band is a well-oiled machine, and each member brings a unique and dynamic presence to the stage. During Spook Racket Cunningham stomps her glittery platform boots, claps her hands, shakes her long, raven-black hair, and shares lead guitar with Rosco Wilson, who, underneath a 70s footballer haircut and moustache, builds the riff. Diaz swirls her mop of auburn hair as the riff echoes around the room. During the end coda, there's a mystical nod to Jethro Tull with the bass player now on flute. Wilson takes over lead vocals for the swampy blues rock thrust of Rabbit Foot. By this stage, the audience is ecstatic, the sheer sense of joy in the moment doesn't escape anyone as the band's epic musicianship leaves most of us in awe. They thrash through a variety of tempos and memorable stage moves; flared trouser legs kick out, guitars are raised high and screaming space rock solos nearly take the roof off but we always return to the safety of the groove. Recent single Return of the Ellington delivers yet another energetic riff suggestive of a souped-up James and the Cold Gun by Kate Bush. The set closes with the fuzz-driven psychedelia of Ride On My Bike but the crowd want more, nobody is thinking about the last bus home or a bedtime cup of tea. The band returns for a final encore of the dramatic carnivalesque Dethroning of the Party Queen. Cunningham is a gifted performer and a velvet-voiced vocalist who uses her voice as much as her guitar. As if that's not enough she's a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who writes in the tradition of the best but is very much a vital artist in the here and now. PHOTO Richard Purden PHOTO Richard Purden PHOTO Richard Purden Like this: Like Related
Scotsman
5 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Hibs bag SWPL title winner Bowie in long-term contract extension
Former Celtic winger challenged to cement place in Scotland squad after huge season Sign up to our Hibs football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... SWPL title winner Tegan Bowie has been rewarded with a two-year contract extension, as Hibs back Grant Scott's ambition to build on their first championship triumph since 2007. Flying winger Bowie will now be a Hibernian Women player until 2027. And Hibs boss Scott has challenged the 21-year-old to earn a regular place in new Scotland gaffer Melissa Andreatta's national team set-up. Youth international Bowie, who scored five times and bagged six assists in 26 starts for Hibs last season, has previously been called up by Scotland – but is yet to win a senior cap. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scott, who led his team to one of the most surprising title triumphs in the history of Scottish women's football, despite working on a fraction of the budget available to rival clubs, said: 'We're delighted to secure Tegan for another two years. She's an exciting player who brings real attacking flair and freedom to our squad, the exact kind of player I like in my teams. 'I'd challenge her for more goals and assists but her long-term aim should be the Scotland 'A' Squad, that's how good she is. Despite being around for ages, she's still one of the best young talents in Scotland, so it's brilliant that she's staying here at Hibs.' A Hibs Academy talent who moved to Celtic as professionalism prompted a shift in power across the women's game, Bowie helped the Hoops to finish second in season 2020-21. But she was Scott's fourth signing of his second stint at Hibs when he swooped to take Bowie back to Hibs in the summer of 2023. Bowie, who has made 65 appearances across two seasons for the Hibees, said: 'I'm delighted. It was never in doubt that I was going to sign. I'm just very happy. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We have a good group of staff here that drive us to be better every day. It helps massively.' Grant Scott hoping for backing to support Champions League campaign With a crack at the Champions League to come, Scott is hopeful that Hibs – ranked fifth of the SWPL's five full-time teams when it comes to overall budget – can find resources to enable his team to compete on two fronts next season, telling our Hibs Hub podcast: 'Yeah, I think at this point there's a lot of conversations yet to be had. We've been given a budget for next year for a playing squad. 'I'm across, you know, some of the budget for other costs that it takes to put the team on the pitch as well. So, you know, we've got a bit of control over that, and we've been given those figures. 'I think, you know, without going with the begging bowl, I think I've got to go and ask the questions now if there's additional support available. Because I feel European qualification probably means we have to add in a couple of bits of different dynamic. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Whether that's quality, whether it's character, whether it's a bit of both, whether it's just players that we might suit the European ties better or just players that would come in and contest a starting spot on the team. Thankfully, we've retained most of what we have. There'll naturally be some departures. 'But I think those conversations will have to happen and we can only ask the question because that will dictate a lot how we set up next season, what the playing style and squad will be like. And yeah, I think it's fair questions to ask.'
