Indie culture has had a surge in popularity in the last few years. In the wake of a world culture that feels like it’s trying to fit everything and everyone into a box or slap a label onto everything – as well as the contemporary entertainment industry that manufactures pop stars or churns out movies just to squeeze every dollar out of its audience – the feeling of creativity and artistry that once embodied music, movies and video games is feeling more and more trendy and formulaic. This has sparked a yearning for raw and authentic content that has led to a new advent of independent creation outside the scope of the mainstream, from indie games to YouTube ARGs. Such is the story of a small, independently-owned store here in Springfield continuing the trend in the style of independent and local music, Dumb Records.
Dumb Records, located at 418 Monroe Street in downtown Springfield, is a small independent record store/arcade/music venue situated in downtown Springfield. The shop sells a variety of music in the form of vinyl records, cassette tapes, and CDs – as well as the devices needed to play them. The venue also sells a few nostalgic toys and fixtures and its own merchandise, a favorite being the T-shirt of their cat, Pepperoni, who is often found prowling the store. Along with a passion for keeping the physical and timeless mediums of music, the establishment hosts a variety of live performances by local and touring bands as well as a myriad of other passionate independent musicians on their own. In addition, while the store does get many of its items from distributors, they are also willing to buy them from patrons. So, if you have any old vinyl records, cassettes, or CDs lying around that you don’t need or which are taking up space, think about stopping by and letting them find their way into new hands while getting a bit of cash for them.
The establishment is also home to a small arcade with several vintage pinball machines and classic arcade cabinets available to patrons for $5 or with a purchase of $10 from the main store. One of the co-owners, Jeff, even recounted a fun story about a small tournament they hosted with local businesses and Mayor Jim Langfelder, during which the Mayor jokingly declared an emergency for more time to play.
Of course, while the store mainly caters to music fans and those interested in a more retro culture, the owners and team at Dumb Records espouse their support and curation of a local community made up of people passionate about their love of music and self-expression of any kind.
The shop is owned and operated by co-proprietors Brain Galecki and Jeff Black. The store, and by proxy, many other venues mentioned, started as a non-profit venture simply aimed at curating a space for people to express their passion for the live and local music scene. In fact, the name is derived from a once-annual music festival that took place in town. Originally, Dumb Records worked in conjunction with the Black Sheep Cafe, another music venue that closed in 2018. Jeff joined the team at Dumb Records after an eight-year run of his own DIY music venue, The Radon lounge, which had its final show in December 2019. Ever since then, the team at Dumb Records has made it very clear that their main goal is to give the local community a space to express themselves, their passion for music, or just hang out and have fun.
The owners and operators of Dumb Records welcome any and all interested in their craft. Whether you’re there for the vinyl, cassettes, live shows, pinball, Street Fighter, or just want to check out the cat and get a t-shirt of it, Dumb Records welcomes you to check out the store any time between 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily or check out one of their shows. Just look for the big green elephant parked outside!
