Hoodlums Music and Movies

Over the years, Hoodlums has been fortunate enough to get a fair amount of coverage from local, and in some cases national, media.  In some cases, the coverage is a result of activity at the store, and in others it is due to our role as “activists” within our insane industry (our proudest moment is when the New York Times called us “low-price advocates”.

Below you will find links (for as long as they stay live) to various stories about Hoodlums, or in which a hoodlum is quoted, in various publications from Java and New Times to Forbes and United States Congressional Record.

Press about the New Store

Java Magazine

October 2008: Amy at Java takes a look at three different indie record stores in the Phoenix area, and interviews Steve to get his take on how to deal with the digital era.

State Press Magazine

October 2008: A little more in-depth look at the new store for our old gang down at ASU.  It’s nice to see that the kids still care.

AZCentral/Tempe Republic

October 2008: This article details how four of Tempe’s indie record stores are battling the chains, the economy, and all the other fun things that challenge us.

Arizona Republic

October 2008: A quick and insightful take from the Business Buzz.  You have to love that headline.

State Press

October 2008: Our friends at State Press give us some love on the first day of ASU.  We are happy about our new location, but that doesn’t mean we don’t miss the kids and staff and the campus itself.

New Times

September 2008: Five days after being open, we receive our first “Best of New Times” for “Best Addition to a Strip Center”.  Wow, that’s cool.

The Zonie Report

September 2008: One of our best customers wrote this fine blog about our upcoming return.  Richie, we thank you for the coverage!

Phoenix Magazine

September 2008: Even before we are open, we get mentioned as one of the reasons that our corner (Guadalupe and McClintock) is on “Neighborhood Watch” for the Lifestyle sections’ Things to Do area.  It helps to have  friends in powerful places… so thank you to Changing Hands.

Press from our various stories, rants, and events at our ASU Store

East Valley Tribune

January 2008: This is an article about the ASU Memorial Union opening without Hoodlums.

College Times

January 2008: Article about our decision to close the ASU store.

ASU Webdevil

June 2008: The online version of ASU’s newspaper covers the potential of our return on their online blog.  I responded when I found it.

Arizona Republic

August 2007: Kristian and Marla star in “Campus Record Store Keeps Music Playing for 10 Years”.  Unfortunately, I can’t find it online anywhere.

Get Out Magazine

August 2006: The ASU Guide says we are the best indie record store for students.  We’re pretty good with non-students too.

Mesa Tribune/RedOrbit.com

March 2006: Kristian explains that kids are smart enough to buy their share of classic music… and credits the iPod for helping spread the word.

ASU Webdevil/Planet Garth.com

September 2005: Kristian reassures the ASU paper that our store will indeed not suffer from Garth deciding to sell out.

Record Scout.com

September 2004: Steve comments on industry’s ridiculous prices and manipulative practices, again.

New York Times

July 2004: Steve is quoted in response to Universal’s Jump Start program.  For the record: We never did play by those rules, CDs still aren’t as cheap as they said they would be, and Universal has invented many, many new prices points since then.  We thought it was a stunt then… we think it is a stunt now.

Wired Magazine

March 2004: Coverage of a panel that Steve was on called “The Death of the Record Store”.  The comments are consistent with what we believe to this day.

Austin Chronicle

March 2004: More coverage of “Death of the Record Store” panel at SXSW.

Coalition of Independent Music Stores/U.S. Senate

September 2003: This is a copy of the letter we wrote to the U.S. Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations in response to their hearings on file-sharing and the music industry.  As the lead-in suggests… we didn’t view the digital revolution the same as the major labels, and many of our comrades.

Note: Here is the official document - if you want to see how to set up a subcommittee.

Album Network Magazine

January 2002: This is the Hoodlums profile for the Coalition of Independent Music Stores issue.

Federal Trade Commission

June 2000: This is a letter that we wrote to the Federal Trade Commission in regards to their “debate” about whether or not abolish the Minimum Advertised Price, which essentially prevented the corporations from loss-leading.  Hmmm…. big corporations versus small ones in a government decision…. wonder how that one went?  Oh well, we keep up the good fight.

Phoenix New Times

September 1998: This is the very first article written about Hoodlums.  We were very thankful that Gilbert did the article, it helped us turn the corner and start off with a bang.

Note: There are a bunch of articles missing, including the Forbes story (with Arnold the Guv on the cover).  Eventually, I will scan them in.  As it is, I assume no one actually reads any of this anyway.

We love to give our customers added value, and a chance to win unique contests.  Keep scrolling, and you will see what we mean.

Enter to Win at the Store

Enter to win contests are for the store only.  Hey, we want you to come down and visit us… what can we say?  Below are the current contests:

Drawing December 20th

1. Sony USB turntable/Vinyl Package

We’re pretty much giving away what every cool kid is going to want this Christmas… a new USB turntable and a stack of new records.  Which records?  These records:

Michael Jackson - Thriller (picture disc)

Peter, Bjorn, and John - Seaside Rock

Alkaline Trio -Agony and Irony

Annuals -Such Fun

Augustana - Can’t Love; Can’t Hurt

Billy Joel - The Stranger

Ting Tings - We Started Nothing

2. Queen catalog on LP

With a nod to our old partner Lloyd (who shall someday rule the world of record labels… and help save the industry), and the latest CD by Queen (with former Bad Company and Free leader Paul Rodgers) we give you a chance to win the recent Queen reissues.  Get down here now and register to win:

Queen - II

Queen - Night at the Opera

Queen -  Day at the Races

Queen - Sheer Heart Attack

Queen and Paul Rodgers - Cosmos Rock

* Deb… are you out there?  Freddie is calling you.

3.  Blue Note Reissues on Vinyl

We love Blue Note.  That was apparent on the Blue Note blog we wrote.  Now, we are going to spread the love to you.  Come in and register to win twelve of the greatest Blue Note titles in history… recently re-released on vinyl, with the CD included!  You can come to Hoodlums and buy ‘em - or you might just get lucky and win.

4. WEA Album Package

WEA stands for Warner, Elektra, Atlantic, three of the most recognizable names in record label history.  They have provided three incredibly sweet pieces of vinyl to help our celebrate our “Vinyl Month” in December. - and we are giving them away to some lucky Hoodlums’ customer.  Included are:

Wilco - Yankee Foxtrot Hotel

Metallica - Master of Puppets

R.E.M. - Accelerate

So get down to Hoodlums and register to win all of these vinyl-related prizes.

10% Off Hoodlums’ Top Five List

In honor of our recent showing of High Fidelity, the hoodlums at Hoodlums have posted our own Top Five Lists.  Check ‘em out… and if you are interested in buying any of the music or movies on our lists, from now until the end of December, we will give you an extra 10% off the regular price.

We’d love to see what your top five are as well.  Feel free to post your Top Five lists in the comment section of the blog.

Free With Purchase of the CD or DVD

Buy the new John Legend - Get a CD with the indie-exclusive bonus track, “Can’t Be My Lover”.

Buy the new Jenny Lewis CD or LP - Get a free vinyl single of “Next Messiah“.

Buy the new Q-Tip CD or LP - get an exclusive, limited black and white Q-Tip poster.

Buy the new Bob Dylan CD or LP -  Get a free. limited edition Dylan lithograph.

Buy the new Ben Folds - Free CD Single including 3 tracks, one available only at selected indie record stores.  New CD due September 30th.

*freebies and other value adds are while supplies last… so come quick.

Fill in the Groove Vinyl Art now showing at Hoodlums!

Come down to the store and check out our Fill in the Groove Vinyl Art Show.  The artists and the gang at SprayGraphic did a fantastic job of creating and displaying this phenomenal grouping of art.  Over 45 artists have contributed over 80 pieces of art, most of which are for sale right now.

This show will be up for another month at least.  However, if you want to get one of these cool works of art as a gift… I’d get down here quick.  We sold some of the pieces on Saturday (at the opening), and more are sure to go this weekend.  It’s very unique and very affordable.  Check out pictures of the art and the show on our Facebook page (while you are there… feel free to become a “fan” so we can send you updates).

Thanks to all of our friends and customers that showed up for the opening.  You guys are beautiful.

Still available between now and the end of the year… posters by Matt Spray the Inhalers

Art stars are the new rock stars?  Come on down to the new Hoodlums and check out some loud art from a few quiet artists.  Between now and the end of November, Hoodlums is showcasing the art talent of the Valley’s own Flab Four of Rock and Roll Poster Art.

Dude, like seriously, they have cranked the screen printing press to eleven!

Featured Artists: Mike Maas, Roy Wasson Valle, Matt Connelly, and David Quan - together as Matt Spray and the Inhalers (artist’s bio and links below).

Matt Spray and the Inhalers - Behind the Music:

Roy Wasson Valle
Artist’s Bio

Roy Wasson Valle was born in 1976 in Mexico City, Mexico.  He lived in Cuernavaca, Mexico until the age of 11 when his family moved to Prescott, AZ.  He attended high school and two years of community college.  In 1998 he moved to Karlsruhe, Germany where he concentrated on his sculptural work and dabbled in film.  Upon his return in 2000 he moved to the Phoenix Metro area to attend Arizona State University.  In 2003 he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture.  He has since had several one-man shows at 515 Arts Gallery of which he is a (former) member and has participated in several invitational group shows in several exhibition spaces including the Arizona Museum for Youth and the Mesa Arts Center.  He is currently working on a clothing label (Fuzzyballsapparel.com), which is based upon his printed designs and small sculptural toys.   He plans to continue gallery shows and expansion of his design label.  In 2007 he got married.

Visit Roy’s website.

David Quan
Artist’s Bio

David Quan, son of David Quan, was born January 17th, 1977 in Phoenix AZ at St. Joseph’s hospital. The first of 3 boys and 2 girls but younger than his half brother and 2 foster brothers from Vietnam. David went to Saguaro High in Scottsdale and later went on to the School of Visual Arts in New York for 2 years. After dropping out and moving back to Arizona, he worked such odd jobs as an amusement park ticket redemption counter clerk, a pool attendant, and a cookie decorator. It was not until he met Roy Wasson Vale that he got his start in the Art business. Together along with Roy’s lifelong companion Matt Connelly and others they experienced moderate success with the comic book inspired “Meanwhile” Show. Their follow up show “Illwill” was even less popular. It was not until 2006 when they were teamed up with illustration mainstay Mike Maas for the first “Cellmates” collaboration that the group’s dynamic was ultimately complete. They have been working together ever since creating mediocre art that will sometimes bring a smirk where there ought to be a laugh. David is survived by his wife Amber, and two children Lily and Lando Calrissian.

Visit Dave’s website.

Mike Maas
Artist’s Bio

It’s a combination of his twisted humor and a near life-long obsession with monsters that makes Mike Maas’ artwork the unique experience that it is. Mike studied, and the term must be used very loosely, art at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After graduation he started a promising graphic design career at the headquarters of a large national retail chain in downtown Chicago. The chain has since closed, financial analysts blamed their inability to keep up with market trends, but those who know Mike, know better.

Mike’s eclectic influences range from the horror punk music of The Cramps to the literary experiments of the great Kurt Vonnegut. If you throw in a dash of 60’s advertising, underground comic books, classic b-movies and crush it all together with a pop-culture hammer, then you have an idea of what Mike’s work is like.

A multi-media artist in the old school sense of the term, Mike uses several mediums to express his “special” vision. He’s fashioned custom resin kits, sculpted pieces using Super Sculpey and Magic-Sculpt, a two-part epoxy resin, multi-dimensional masonite paintings, and he’s even worked with such modern contrivances as computers to create. But however he does it; Mike Maas always manages to incorporate interesting detail and surprising symbolism into his unique brand of art.

By the way, Mike designed our new Hoodlums t-shirts that you see in the picture (available now at Hoodlums).

Visit Mike’s website.

Matt Connelly
Artist’s Bio

I was born in Connecticut in 1974. I lived in old Victorian house which was divided into cool and spooky apartments.  Growing up I spent a lot of time outside, and exploring my home town.  Music has always been in my blood, and there is always a soundtrack or two playing in my head. Telling stories and meeting people inspires my artwork greatly. Nine years ago my wife Sarah and I left Connecticut and have resided in Tempe Arizona where we are both active in the arts communities of the valley. Sarah is a ceramics artists, creating wonderful functional pieces of pottery, and my art is a mix of different mediums. Mostly drawing inspired, but my artwork has been translated into toys, prints, Treebeasts and other stories. I hope you enjoy what you see, and it was fun getting to create this artwork with my good friends Roy, Mike and Luster Kaboom.  Now stop reading, and start rocking!

In-stores and events.

The new Hoodlums is made for in-stores.  A brand-new stage.  Tons of foot traffic.  A bookstore neighbor famous for in-store events.  A powerful marketing machine.  An in-house PA.

Plus, we can have in-stores in the afternoon or evening… rather than being stuck to the noon hour like we were at ASU.

Most importantly, we run a mean in-store… and we take good care of your artists.  If you have worked with us in the past, you know that we will figure out a great promotional strategy, pay close attention to all of the details leading up to the show, and make sure everyone we know is aware of the event.

Call and we can start scheming today.

Click for pictures of our instores at ASU.

Motherlode Marketing Program

Hoodlums marketing philosophy is simple.  We make up one all-inclusive marketing program and try to fill it with the right titles for our store.

Includes:

• One month in a Hoodlums’ listening post. They need to hear it.
• One month on the Featured Music page of our new website. This page is also linked from our MySpace and Facebook pages.  Note: The Featured Music page is currently set-up with Hoodlums-like titles from our break; your artist’s area of the page will vary depending on whichever digital tools you provide.
• Featured Music page info included on one blast on our new bi-weekly Music Junkie Email List.  The first 3,500 people to join the list all filled out Hoodlums’ frequent-buyer punch card.  With the new site, anyone can sign up for it now… so the list is growing constantly.  With the get-to-the-inbox power of Constant Contact, we feel this is our most important customer marketing tool.
• One month sale pricing/face out. Hopefully the list price will be reasonable to start with, because no matter where the store is, fair price is always the first customer concern.

Price: $100/title or 10 cleans.

Hoodlums Ala Carte

If you want to do something out of the ordinary, or add to the options above, we can figure out just where to go based on the type of artist or event.  Based on your goals, we can use any of the the following media:

Channel 8 KAET/PBS. We do institutional advertising on this channel.  It is high quality - and it is produced right here in Tempe at ASU.  Excellent for that PBS artist, or someone on Austin City Limits, etc.

KJAZZ/NPR. We plan on spending institutional ad money here as well… specifically at night during the great jazz and blues programs.  We want to attract those CD and vinyl buying NPR listeners, especially since many of them frequent our center anyway.

Warner Wrangler.  This is our local “corridor” paper - and this is a good corridor demographically in terms of income, indie support, etc.  This is more than likely going to be where our institutional print money will go (it is the only paper that Changing Hands uses).  Bi-weekly.

State Press. If you need to go after the ASU kids, as we have said for ten years, the State Press is still the best way to reach ASU.  The WebDevil is their online site.  Daily.  M-F.

College Times. Our friends at College Times target the youth audience and young adults of Tempe very well.  They are very aggressive at events, etc.  Better for off-campus, show ads, etc.  Weekly.

Phoenix New Times.  Those of you that cover our area know New Times.  If we need to hit the whole Valley, this is probably our best bet.  They do have a Tempe zone as well.   The main place for concert ads, etc.  Weekly.

We encourage you to contact us if you want to make a plan.  We are very creative.  The list of ala carte options will probably grow…

Price: Depends on the media.  Call and ask us, please.

Thanks for supporting indie retail.

It’s hard to describe our customer service on one page… so we thought we would describe some of our customer services on this page.  Scroll down if you want to know about special orders, hard-to-find music and movie searches, consignment, our Music Junkie (TM) frequent buyer program, or any of the other little random things we do to keep you happy.

May we help you?  Kristian, Paolo Nutini, and Dom goof around after a free ASU show.

Special Orders

Everybody needs to do a special order once in a while.  You came to the right place.

You like to cover all ends of the spectrum - and we love  your challenging special orders.

We believe that we special order better than anybody in town.  We do orders every other day, so about 85% of our special orders show up a day or two after you order them. Special orders have no extra costs… and we love it when you do them.  We can’t stock everything - but getting you what you want free and faster than you could get it online is our goal.  Please put us to the test.

Soon there will be a little form to use for special orders, but for now - Click here to send us an email and include the following info:

Your info - Name, contact info

Music - Artist, Album title, configuration (CD/LP).  If you have the jacket number or barcode or record label, throw it in there.  Every little bit of info helps.

Movies - Movie title, main actors, configuration (DVD/Blu-Ray/Special Edition).  Just like with music - extra info never hurts.

We’ll check it out.  We will email you (or call you if you prefer… if so, include a phone number) with price.  If you want it; we will go after it immediately.  If you don’t want it; no problem.

There are a lot of movies and DVDs out there.  We special order the whole spectrum.

Hard-to-Find CDs, DVDs, and other things.

Looking for something… but not finding it?  Hoodlums will gladly do a little searchin’ for you.  If we can find it, we’ll call you and let you know how much it would cost to get it into your collectorful (yeah, I made that up) hands.  If you want it; we’ll get it.  If you don’t; no big deal.

Same deal as with special orders: Click here if you want us to find something for you.  Include the following information:

Your info - Name, contact info

Music - Artist, Album title, configuration (CD/LP).  If you have the jacket number or barcode or record label, throw it in there.  Every little bit of info helps.

Movies - Movie title, main actors, configuration (DVD/Blu-Ray/Special Edition).  Just like with music - extra info never hurts.

Frequent Buyers/Music Junkies

Over the past ten years, the number of people who completed our Music Junkie (TM) card grew to almost 4,000 members.  Although every customer is important to Hoodlums, these are the people who were the core of the store.  Every single one of our Official Music Junkies has been grandfathered in with their permanent discount (although the discount has been tweaked  for our new store… thanks to the prices being slightly lower overall.

If you are an Official Music Junkie… the holder of a black Music Junkie card, then you will still get an extra 10% off regular price on anything they buy over five dollars.

How can you be a Music Junkie?  I thought you’d never ask, but I you are going to have to wait a little longer.  We are reviewing the program, making the necessary adjustments to account for our even lower prices, and we will fire it up as soon as possible.  In the meantime, hang on to your receipts and we will honor your purchases.

Consignment

We consign CDs, DVDs, and Vinyl from local artists.  The product must have packaging, including jewel boxes on CDs and plastic cases on DVDs.  We cannot consign CD-Rs or any type of burned product.  Please bring two copies of your title to the store - and we will have you fill out a one-page forum with your info.  Then go tell all of your fans and buddies to go to Hoodlums to buy your CD or DVD.

If you have questions about anything else, please do not hesitate to contact us.

This page covers the music that we are featuring this month.  It features both new and old albums that we recommend or think our customers will love.

As you scroll, you will find the albums that we are featuring in listening posts, our staff picks, and key new releases.  If you want a huge, complete list of the new stuff, the upcoming releases, as well as reviews, etc., Hoodlums provides you links to the most fantastic guides on our New Release Info page.

Featured new albums

January 2009 features critical darlings from 2008… and some cool indie releases.

Seemingly every super market and toy store in town sells new releases.  Instead of worrying about every release, Hoodlums concentrates on stocking the right releases.  We consider it our job to help filter out the junk and help you find the great stuff.

Below are some of the new albums we are featuring at Hoodlums.  Hover over the album cover for artist and title information.  Come to Hoodlums to buy the release on CD or Record.

Remember: Although we will not order every release, every week… we will gladly get you ANY new release you want.  Just call us or email us ahead of street date and we will do everything possible to insure it is here for you to pick up by street date.

Listening Posts/January

Here is more of our featured music.  We try and load up our listening posts with new music, as well as classics from every genre and era.  January’s listening posts feature some of the Critics’ and Hoodlums” favorite albums from 2008.  You’ve read about them - now come down to Hoodlums and check them out for yourself.  They are all on sale, so feel free to take one home if it sounds good.

Some post titles will change during the month as new music is released.

New Music Listening Post

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
What Laura Says… - Thinks & Feels
Jeff Beck - Live at Ronnie Scott’s
Fleet Foxes - S/T
Fall Out Boy - Folie a Deaux
M83 - Saturdays=Youth
Neil Young - Sugar Mountain
Santogold - S/T
Squarepusher - Just a Souvenir
Deerhunter - Microcastle
She & Him - Volume One
Vampire Weekend - S/T
Ben Kweller - How Ya Lookin’ Southbound
Dave Matthews Band - Live At Miles High Music Festival
Clash - Live at Shea Stadium
Killers - Day & Age
Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak
Kinch - S/T
Lou Reed - Berlin: Live at St. Ann’s
Bloc Party - Intimacy

Listening Post #1

Bonnie Raitt - Give It Up
Nick Lowe - Jesus of Cool
Syd Barrett - Opel
Meat Puppets - Live in Montana
Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
My Bloody Valentine - Isn’t Anything
Los Lobos - How Will the Wolf Survive?
Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home
Love - Forever Changes
Tom Waits - Frank’s Wild Years
Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Jackie Wilson - Very Best of Jackie Wilson

Listening Post #2

Milt Jackson - Sunflower
Billy Cobham - Spectrum
Mccoy Tyner - Guitars
Nina Simone - Forever Young, Gifted & Black
T-Bone Walker - T-Bone Blues
Medeski, Martin & Wood - It’s a Jungle In Here
Lightnin’ Hopkins - Lightnin’
Fela Kuti - Expensive S**t/ He Miss Road
King Tubby - Meets the Aggrovators
Mississippi John Hurt - 1928 Okeh Recordings
Kronos Quartet - Plays Philip Glass
Julieta Venegas - Si

Hoodlums’ Staff Picks

Staff picks are always a favorite with customers.  They are trickier to collect and present than it might seem, especially if you ask the staff to write something. Nevertheless, we are willing to give it a try.

Here is how we do it: Each staff member picks one or two CDs per month.  I will put the album cover and titles on the site under their respective staff chooser’s name.  If the hoodlum in question wants to write something, I’ll put it in.  If they want to include extra picks, that’s great.  If not; no big deal.

Since it is January, it must be time for our Top Ten Picks of 2008.  These are the albums that our staff loved the best from last year:

This page is all about the DVDs we are featuring this month, as well as some of the more “exclusive” areas of our DVD section.  As you scroll down, you will find info about featured new releases, exclusive DVDs, Criterion Collection, and our staff picks for the month.

Featured New Release DVDs

Truckloads of DVDs come out each week.  We’ll try and show you the ones that we think matter… from the big releases to the TV shows, from the indie films to the re-releases.

This is just a few of our recent favorites.  If you want to look at a full list of releases, go to our New Release DVD and Movie page, which features links to the best sites and new release lists in the business.

Remember, we don’t carry every new release… but we will gladly order any DVD you need for no extra charge.  We love special orders.  Hover over the image for title (in case you can’t tell from the pic).

TV on DVD

TV on DVD has turned out better than we ever guessed.  You can always catch up.

Box Office Biggies

Drama, comedy, and suspense… we like a little of everything.  Just like our customers.

Live Music and Documentary

From Texas blues to Bluegrass, Music DVDs capture the world of music everywhere.

Re-Releases, Deluxe Packages, and Special Editions.

Re-released movies aplenty, my friend.  If you like special features, you’re a happy kid.

Blu Ray Note: Although we do show a few of the key Blu-Ray releases, please remember at this point that due to the formats’ generally higher price, the store doesn’t carry a deep stock of Blu Ray new.  Our used Blu Ray stock will grow quickly as the format gains steam, and we will gladly special order any new Blu Ray title we do not carry.

Hoodlums’ Staff Picks

Each month, we ask the hoodlums at Hoodlums to provide at least one pick in the world of film, TV, or music on DVD.  They have the option of writing a summary or not.

Steve’s PIck:Lucky Number Slevin.

This is another one of those movies, like Boondock Saints, that I was alerted to by the college guys buying a bunch.  It’s got a great cast, with Josh Hartnett, Lucy Liu, Morgan Freeman, and Ben Kingsley, some nice twists, and a nice mixture of humor and violence.

September pick: Frank Zappa - Baby Snakes.

Kristian’s pick: Black Orpheus

Available in our Criterion section

Joe’s pick: Sunshine

Justin’s pick: Straight Time

Wasef’s pick: Man Bites Dog

Andy’s pick: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Season 3

Maria’s pick: Last Unicorn

Criterion Collection

Hoodlums features Criterion Collection DVDs.  Serious film collectors know why we do.

The Criterion Collection bills itself as “a continuing series of important classic and contemporary films on DVD”.  We’ll add that the collection is very, very impressive.  There’s hundreds in the collection that we haven’t seen, so we don’t want to act like we are film snobs or anything, but we know that if we wanted to become truly knowledgeable about the art of  film making, this would be the place to start.

You can expect to pay more for these fantastic DVDs, but the minute you open them you will know why: Exquisite packaging, phenomenal special features, and of course, some of the all-time classic films from all over the world.

Just a few of the new Criterion Collection DVDs.  New titles are being added all the time.

DVD exclusives

From Radiohead to John Cage, our exclusives offer a little something for every DVD fan.

Just like on the CD side of Hoodlums, our friends at Think Indie are working hard to go out and find unusual exclusives that we can use to help battle the corporatocracy.  We haven’t been after exclusive DVDs that long, but the titles are starting to build up.  We’ve listed a few (click on the picture and you will get a full description).  The full list can be found on the Think Indie website.

This page is all about live music.  If you are ready to support live music in the Valley, we’re ready to help.

Tonight’s concert or club show might end up being one of the all-time classic live shows.

As you scroll down, you will also find information about tickets that we are selling, as well as info about Valley shows that we we want to represent, whether we have tickets or not.  You will find links to national and local websites and promoters to help you find the best live music wherever you are going.  Last but not least,we have provided links to most of Arizona’s relevant music and sports venues.

Tickets For Sale at Hoodlums

Below is a list of tickets that we currently have for sale.  Hoodlums only charges a one dollar service fee, the lowest in the business.  All tickets are cash only.  NO refunds on tickets unless show is canceled.

Date    Artist                Venue        Cost

8-Nov    Vic Chestnutt/Elf Power        Modified    $13
10-Nov    Electric Six/Local H        Clubhouse    $10
12-Nov    King Khan and BBQ Show        Rhythm Room    $13
13-Nov    Deerhoof            Clubhouse    $13
16-Nov    Torche                Phix Gallery    $11
16-Nov    Danielson/Cryptacize        Modified    $11
26-Nov    Yeasayer            Rhythm Room    $12
29-Nov    Deerhunter/Times New Viking    Modified    $15
9-Dec    Barcelona            Martini Ranch    $11
12-Dec    Limbeck             Chyro Arts    $13
12-Dec    Darker My Love            Rhythm Room    $9
4-Jan    Slackers            Clubhouse    $13

Links for Valley Concert Info

Even if we can’t sell you tickets, we can help you find live music from all the way from Tempe to Titusville.  Below you will find links to national and local concert promoters and ticket sellers to help you find out which artists are visiting the Phoenix area… or wherever you may be headed.

Promoter Sites

Let’s with the people that promote most of the concerts in the Valley.  The promoter sites will all have a list of upcoming shows, as well as info on how to buy.

Click on the logo to go to the website.

Ticket Seller Sites

Now let’s go national.  If you want to see what’s going on in the city that you are going to visit… or if you want to see the tour itinerary of a favorite band or sports team, these ticket sites cover a lot of ground.

Click on the logo to go to the website.

Valley of the Sun Venues

Ah yes, there’s nothing like live music.  Well, live sports are good too.  Either way, Hoodlums is here to help you find your way around the major Phoenix-area concert, sports, and entertainment venues.  We support our local venues, bands, and teams.

Click on the logo to go to the website.

Tucson and Flagstaff Venues

There are more than this, but these are the ones our customers are most likely to need.

Click on the logo to go to the website.

Live music on CD, DVD, and vinyl

We have a large selection of concert DVDs, along with music documentaries and other cool music vids.  If we don’t have something, we will special order it with blazing speed.  We also carry the all-time greatest live albums.  So if you don’t feel like going out, you can still kick back on the couch and jam.

With today’s TVs and stereo system, DVDs can almost make it feel like you are there.

Have a tremendous day.

Dom, Marla, and Justin give away free goodies at ASU Freshmen Orientation.

We love to get involved with our community. In the store, we have a flier rack and a posting area.  Bands, promoters, organizations, and lots of customers just love to put stuff up there.  This page is designed to serve the purpose on the website.

We can’t put everything up here, but if you want to submit an event that is related to the music, film, art, or insanity that we deal with - please submit it.  We’ll try to get a bunch of stuff up here, and we can always put a flier in our store.  There’s lots of possibilities. Please contact us and we can talk about it.

Scroll down if you wanna see what’s going on in our neighborhood:

1. Los Angeles musicians, local bands to raise money at Hard Rock Cafe bash

Great music and a great cause will join together Friday, December 5, at the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Phoenix.

Four bands — musicians include Guns ‘N Roses keyboardist Dizzy Reed and former Quiet Riot guitarist Alex Grossi — will provide music for the evening. Proceeds will benefit Ear Candy, a non profit that raises money to support music education for kids.

A silent auction and Fender car equipped with Rock Band will help add to the “First Friday’’ evening in downtown Phoenix. Ear Candy also is kicking off an instrument donation drive at the event.

The fund-raiser is the brainstorm of Chandler’s Christopher Kracht, who soon will turn 40. A cake and presents are nice, but he wanted to turn his birthday party into a reason to help others.

“When I was younger President Bush (senior) talked about a Thousand Points of Light with regard to supporting communities. At the time I thought he was full of it,’’ says Kracht, a commercial pilot. “Later in life I learned the government can’t be all things to all people. People need to step up to the plate and help each other out.’’

Doors open at the Hard Rock at 6 p.m. and the first band will start at about 6:20 p.m. The four bands playing that night are:

Random Karma, with its soulful melodic rock, has opened for Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers. www.randomkarma.com

The Preserve, original music with a heavy emphasis on a Cajun and New Orleans sound, will release its first CD in 2009. www.preservetheband.com or www.myspace.com/preservetheband

B/S, an AC/DC tribute band.

The ROWYCO All-Stars, which include Reed, Grossi and other L.A.-based musicians.

Sponsors of the evening include the Hard Rock Cafe, Fender, Ear Candy and Moses Anshell. Complete details and updates: http://www.rowycoparty.info

When you are a little joint like Hoodlums, you really have to make sure your employees are excellent.  We’ve been fortunate enough to have some great ones over the years, and we are going to make sure that the future hoodlums are equally great.  Below you will find info on our current and former hoods.

Diane and Amanda always dressed like the White Stripes.  I’m kidding… it’s Halloween.

The current hoodlums at Hoodlums:

Steve Wiley. Steve is one of the owners of Hoodlums Music. Steve has been in & out of music stores since his early days in the Great White North. No, not Canada, dammit, North Dakota. He is a graduate of the University of North Dakota in marketing and advertising. He is the only one at the store crazy enough to have a family at this point…a great wife and five kids to be exact. He spent the ten years prior to opening Hoodlums managing Arizona record/video stores from Tucson to Flagstaff. Yeah, that means he is the oldest one at the store (in a sea of pups with eighties birthdates), so ask him about “old” guys like Tom Petty, the Beatles, Aerosmith, and Van Halen.

Types of music Steve digs the most: rock, jazz, blues, jam bands, funk, classic rock, hard-bop, blues-rock, and hip hop that has a positive groove.

Steve also specializes in: Anything in the store….DVDs, vinyl, accessories, special orders, website, ad rates, history…you name it. If he can’t answer it, he can find someone who will.

Kristian Luce. Kristian is the other owner of Hoodlums. He has been running the streets of Tempe ever since they brought him in from small town Pennsylvania (did you notice the Steelers color scheme on our store signs?). He also has spent his life in and out of record stores. When he isn’t hanging out in Tempe, he likes to spend his time in Bisbee. He isn’t quite as old as Steve, but he aint no spring chick either, so ask him about “ancient” artists like Tom Waits, Apples in Stereo, Jane’s Addiction and The Clash.

Types of music that Kristian deems worthy: rock, jazz, blues, world, indie rock, jam bands, old country, hip hop, alt. country, bluegrass…he knows a bit about it all.

Kristian also specializes in: Anything in the store… vinyl, special orders, media relations, consignment, imports, in-store performances…you name it. Find him and you find an answer.

Note: Joe is coming back to the new Hoodlums!  I will re-edit his bio soon… but I wanted to leave it like this to let everyone see that we had intended to talk him into coming back… and in fact we had succeeded.  SW

Joe. Joe was another member of the original Hoodlums crew, he was our single longest employee (seven years), and a manager at the ASU store. Except for his excellent customer service, Joe is as close to a typical “record store guy” as typical can get. He lives and breathes entertainment. In fact, we can’t believe we haven’t been able to talk him into coming back to the new store (we haven’t entirely given up).

Joe is a walking source of cultural information, a king-size wise ass, and a true hoodlum. Even if he stays grown up forever, and never rejoins our warped little group, he will always be a part of this store.

Hoodlums’ Hall of Fame.

Like we said, we’ve had a ton of good employees.  If you look at the photo albums, or browse the website, you’ll see lots of them.  Every single one of them contributed, and we thank them all.

But let’s talk Hall of Fame.  The big timers.

Below are the key characters that allowed us to thrive in our first ten years. Most of them may look slightly different today… maybe.  We miss ‘em all, and would take each and every one of them back in a second (though it might be too tough on the payroll to do it all at once).

Each and every one of them shares our passion about music and movies and being a hoodlum. Each of them has our enduring love and appreciation.

Amanda. Amanda is one of the original hoodlums, and our very first store manager. We got her to stay as long as we could, but then she went off to do better things. Better than hanging out at an indie record store all day you say? How can that be? Well, she went off to teach underprivileged kids in one of the tougher areas of L.A… that’s why we say ‘better’.

Amanda, along with the other questionable characters below, will always be a hoodlum in our hearts, so we created the Hoodlums Hall of fame in her honor.

Vinny. Like Amanda and Joe, Vin (his real name is Chris) was one of the original crew and a former store manager. He is a crazy rascal like Kristian and I - passionate about music and movies and down on corporate joints. How “crazy like we are”? He started with the original crew… he left to get an MBA… then he came back.  He then left Hoodlums for good in the spring of 2005 to open his own store out east, where he grew up. That’s how crazy.

If you want to find Mr. Vin - just go to Rainbow Records in Delaware.  Tell ‘em we sent ya.

Heath. Heath was a loyal hoodlum for three years, but he has been a hoodlum his whole life (that’s why we hired him). He worked hard, sold a lot of stuff, and filled the hallowed halls of Hoodlums with his special form of Philly BS (the old site spelled out ‘BS’, but we’se all growed up now). Like the rest of us, the music was in his blood, so he learned how to be an engineer, and he moved to NYC to get in the thick of making it.

Hmm… I wonder who the other hoodlums will be calling on when they visit New York?

Marla (MZA). I still shake my head when I see the grumpy cartoon. She insisted on it. Not because she was really mean (she is actually very nice), but because she loves to be different (which is tough in a sea of rebellious record store geeks). Anyway, Marla was our final manager, and our resident activist.

She moved to Portland to take on the man up there (we’re so proud of her). We’re keeping tabs on her, and wishin’ she was still around to challenge us musically and politically.

Domenic. Dom was with us until the end of the ASU, but he has now ran off to Seattle (he’ll no doubt be visiting our friends at Easy Street Records). It’s a bummer, because we were hoping he was going to stay. That’s the trouble with good employees at record stores - eventually they have to go out and get real jobs.

Dom was a customer service king - and simply one of nicest guys around. In a store full of emotional goofs, his calming influence will be missed.

Justin. Like MZA, the Justin cartoon always kills me. That because he looked like a puppy when he first got here (and because the ‘mustache era’ for Justin represents one of many, many original looks). Justin hung around the ‘Hood for a long time, and his knowledge of music grew in direct proportion to his crazy behavior. He is a fearless believer in his music… and every other wild endeavor he takes on (he’s almost as much of a real hoodlum as the owners were at that age). It’ll be interesting to see what he is going to be when he grows up (for that matter, it will be interesting to see what I will be when I grow up).

Hall of Famers for which I have yet to draw a cartoon:

Lloyd. Lloyd was one of the three original Hoodlums’ owners. He was an integral part of our formative years, and he remains one of our closest friends and biggest supporters. No one could network, market, listen to cheese, or remember barcodes for hundreds of random titles like Lloyd, so we hated to see him go. However, when you are born a record label guy, and the record labels call, you must go. So a couple of years after we opened, Lloyd went to LaLa Land, where he is now he is a big shot for Universal’s indie (is that an oxymoron?) branch, Fontana.

Martin. Martin was our very first “non-owner” employee… back when Lloyd was still around. When I say that Marty could beat you in Trivial Pursuit, I mean it. He was like that kid at the beginning of HBO’s Dream On (like Trivial Pursuit didn’t date me enough) who was sat in front of the TV and absorbed everything… except he didn’t sleep much, so he watched like fifteen hours a day. As a result, he could answer customer questions that just blew us all away.

Unfortunately, we caught him near the end of his college career (year twelve was it, Marty?), so he had to move on shortly afterwards. He moved to Washington DC to infiltrate the government (so it doesn’t really matter who gets elected… we are in trouble).

It’s funny, but used buying and selling is my favorite part of shopping at a record store, and it is the funnest part of owning a store.  There is just something about getting a good deal… and it’s even better when you make it better by trading in the stuff you just aren’t watching anymore.  Here’s the scoop on selling used DVDs to Hoodlums.

Selling DVD to Hoodlums

• All buying is done at the store. If you have a very large collection, contact us and we will work with you to figure out a plan (if you live in the Valley… we may be able to pick them up).
• All DVDs must be in the original packaging with the original artwork. DVDs should be in good condition with no scratches (we do pay for some scratched CDs and DVDs, but we pay less).
• As a rule of thumb, Hoodlums pays approximately 50% of an item’s used price in credit; approximately 30% in cash. We say “approximately” because variations can apply based on title, condition, etc.  Due to a decreasing price structure on DVDs during their first year of release - this buying price fluctuation will be greater for DVDs.
• We buy all genres and types of DVDs. Old and new. Heavy and light. Popular and esoteric. Critically-acclaimed and loved by all.  Movies, documentaries, foreign films, TV shows, box sets… everything.

We buy, sell, trade, and talk movies and DVDs.  All genres.  All types.  All eras.

Buying Used DVD from Hoodlums

• Used product is generally priced at roughly 30 - 50% of the same titles’ price new.  As we mentioned above, it’s a little trickier with DVDs due to list price decreases.
• All used product is fully guaranteed.  Bring it back within two weeks, with receipt, for an exchange.
• Buy it, try it. All used product can be returned within two weeks (with receipt) for an exchange… even if the reason is that you just don’t like it. We reserve the right to suspend this privilege if you try to take advantage of us (that rarely happens though).

Somewhere else on this site (I’m not sure where… I’ve been doing online work for like 800 hours straight), I said “don’t get me started” about the music industry.  Too late… I’ve been on the industry’s case for ages.  If you’ve spent any time in the store yapping with me, or you are a label rep that works with us, you know how we feel: The Music Biz runs about as well as the government.

Music Biz benefit: Meeting a legend like the Robert Plant… I’m still excited about that.

With that said, did I mention that we are reopening a record store?  How about the fact we’ve been in this biz for twenty years?  So I guess in spite of our disdain for the some of the companies that are “stokin’ the star-maker machinery” (name that tune), the industry itself just keeps drawing us back.

Oops.  I’m supposed to babbling in the blog, and providing quick, useful information on the site.  OK, now we’ll do that now.  Below are the links that relate to the industry.  The companies, blogs, sites, and organizations in which we believe.

Music Biz Links

Coalition of Independent Music Stores. The CIMS stores are the some of the greatest independent record stores in the country.  Whenever we travel, we visit the store that’s listed for that particular city.  This summer, I was lucky enough to visit Twist and Shout in Denver and Looney Tunes on Long Island.

The Lefsetz Letter. Bob Lefsetz is an passionate and opinionated dude.  I’ve been on his email blog for years.  We don’t always agree with what he says - but he says a lot of things that other people in our industry won’t say - so usually we do agree with him.  Lefsetz covers most areas of the business, from retail to touring, but he is especially hard on the CEOs that refuse to acknowledge the digital revolution.  If you are interested in this business, this is a good blog.

Coolfer. I haven’t been on long, but this was recommended to me by a trusted source (thanks Eric), and since I have been checking it out, it really seems to reach deep into the web on different stories that relate to our wacky business.

Pitchfork Media. At our old store - Pitchfork ruled.  It was a trusted source for our ASU customer.  I have resisted for ages due to my rebellious nature (it’s a reverse thing, like “I’m not twenty, so I don’t need to do what all the twenty year olds do”), but I have come around recently.  Maybe that’s because Kristian, the guy who got a cell phone ten years after everyone else, says he checks it daily (he has joined the digital world a lot more lately, but don’t ask him where our Myspace is or anything).  He may not care about tech stuff, but he knows music, and that means Pitchfork is still is a trusted source.

We believe one of the keys to being a knowledgeable DVD collector is having excellent information about upcoming releases.  You gotta know what, when, and how many versions are on the way to know what to buy.

However, just like with CD, there are so many new releases every week, that it wouldn’t make sense for us to try and list them all.  Especially not when there are professionals that do it for us.

Hoodlums carries DVDs from all genres, all eras, all types… new and old too.  We also special order for free!  Bring in your old DVDs and trade for new ones.

These fine movie sites are the best in the business.  If you see something you like, give us a call.  If we have it, we can hold it for you.  If we don’t, we will gladly special order it for you for no extra charge.

The best sites for DVD and Movie information

VideoETA. This DVD new release page is awesome… and trust me, when you have to update a DVD NR board in the store for ten years, you learn.  It allows you to search forward or backward by release week, and it covers every type of genre: from the good little indie films to the over-hyped corporate baloney.

IMBD. The Internet Movie Data Base is great.  You probably knew that.  The DVD NR list isn’t as good as Video ETA, but the movie info is really fantastic.  The actor/director/gaffer directory is even better.

AllMovie. We use AllMusic a lot, so naturally we switch to the movie side quite a bit too.  Mainly I use it to answer “Who the the guy who played…” customer questions - and it almost never fails.

Video Detective. This site claims to have more movie trailers than anyone else.  I have been getting their email (although I am finding these RSS feeds pretty nifty these days) and it’s pretty amusing, but with three kids at home I don’t get much “trailer” time.  However, if you want a trailer of an upcoming DVD, these guys have a bunch.

We love new releases, but unlike some stores, we haven’t stopped carrying the classics.

Our love of great visual art is almost equal to our love of music, and that is saying a lot.  Over the last ten years, our DVD section has grown by leaps and bounds… both at the store and at our homes.

Don’t get me started on my favorite movies (a couple of them are above), or the subtleties of various actors, or God help you if I start doing lines from So I Married An Ax Murderer or The Outlaw Josey Wales.

Anyway, the Movie and DVD pages are just like our Music pages - they are here to inform you about our favorite new releases, relevant re-releases (cause those darn DVDs are always in and out of print), and of course, used DVDs, used Movies, and used TV shows.

Click on the link to go to the page you want.  If you scroll down on this page, we’ve listed a couple of excellent links to take you into the Phoenix film scene, along with a few basic theories that guide our decisions in our DVD section.

Movie and DVD New Release Info

Used DVDs and Movies

DVD Specialties

The DVD section is very important to us.  We buy, sell, trade, and talk movies and music.

The Phoenix Film Scene

Now that we are on the street, we are trying to learn more about the Phoenix film scene.  In the process of doing so, we have found some great resource tools online.  We’ve saved you the time, and provided a few links to the great information we have found.

Phoenix Film Foundation.  The Phoenix Film Foundation is the largest non-profit film organization in the state of Arizona. Its organizations include the Phoenix Film Festival, Independent Feature Project-Phoenix, Arizona Student Film Festival, International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival, and the Phoenix Film Society.  Like the site say, the opportunities to be part of film in Arizona are limitless all year long.

Hoodlums’ Basic Theories on DVDs

If you believe like we do - that great movies never get old - you gotta have the classics.

Even hoodlums have to have some sort of rules.  Let’s not call them rules, lets just say we have our standards.

A solid selection isn’t about new releases.

Sure, we bring in the new releases, but our real passion is making sure we have the classics.   We’ve noticed that your average DVD store carries ninety copies of every new release, and zero copies of Citizen Kane.  Our goal is to make sure we have a great selection of the classic movies, regardless of which era they were released.

Bonus Link: If you want to talk, think, study, or get lost in movies - it’s always a good idea to start at the American Film Institute.  The AFI link has got more discussions starters than you could cover in a month.  Just click on the logo and have some fun.

The lower the list price the better.

New release movies are too expensive.  However, just like with CDs, we don’t control the list prices on DVD.  Although the movie studios reduce the list prices much soo