Since the start of online music streaming in 2010, the convenience of finding and listening to a song has become unparalleled. Analog music has now taken a permanent backseat to the digital, though it's been a surprise to see that both worlds can very much co-exist. Nowhere is that harmony more apparent than at local record store Nob Hill Music, a music haven for all things physical and analog.
For more than six years Nob Hill Music has been a frequented destination for listeners and musicians alike, offering great deals on vinyls, CDs and cassette tapes.
Music enthusiast Steve Schroeder opened the store in 2009 after 40 years of collecting music. While working odd jobs and serving in the U.S. Navy in his younger years, Schroeder always kept a tenacious album collection going, at one point curating around 30,000 records.
He was inspired to open the store after acknowledging a re-surging interest in the physical copies of albums.
Before opening the business, Schroeder was a political consultant and developed databases and standardized voter files. Fittingly enough, his skill set translated fluently into the music field, and he began to file massive catalogs of albums for magazines.
“I used to send in corrections to music price guides, specifically one called Goldmine," Schroeder said. "Not about prices though, about archaeology, archaeological corrections for all these records. I kept track of all this data, there were all these mistakes and inconsistencies in the labels and printing. I know a thing or two about it.”
Schroeder sent so many jazz music corrections to Goldmine that the magazine recognized him as one of only two music historians in the world to have effectively indexed data to such an extent.
In keeping with his love of music, Schroeder also worked as Chairman of the Popular Entertainment Committee at UNM in the mid ‘70s. He brought concerts to the University, specifically to Popejoy, Johnson Gym and The Pit, and put
His first assignment, in 1974, was decidedly a big one: organizing a concert featuring Steve Miller, Boz Scaggs, Marshall Tucker, Lynyrd Skynyrd and The James Cotton Blues Band.
In what would become an engaging story to tell for decades, the UNM football field was tear gassed by local thugs, and thereafter the concert was ordered to be shut down by the University president.
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“Those were crazy times, to say the least,” Schroeder said
From all those past endeavors, it’s almost serendipitous how Schroeder expresses his passion now, through Nob Hill Music. The small store is filled to the brim with hidden gems, ranging from every decade and genre. Varied albums that span the musical spectrum are featured everyday in vinyl, CD and cassette form.
Recently, the store has opened up a local music section for artists looking to sell their albums. Bands like Sun Dog, You and Drink Me all parade the catalog and exemplify a certain unique,
The store also offers to buy, trade and sell records and musical equipment, to the point where Nob Hill Music has formed its own community of listeners that frequent the shop looking for deals.
Schroeder stated that running Nob Hill Music is a blast, and he enjoys running the store in an attempt to help people discover new music and revisit classic tunes.
“People come in, they’re happy to see me, and they find that record they want or like," Schroeder said. "What it comes down to is that, music is in every single culture. It may be sticks and stones, or flutes, or anything, but ultimately life comes down to a beat. And that’s what music is about. It’s that beat of your life. How can you not like music?”
Nob Hill Music is located at 3419 Central Ave. NE and is open from Wednesday to Sunday at 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Audrin Baghaie is a culture reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
