ear X-tacy

ear X-tacy was a Louisville, Kentucky "alternative record store," owned and operated by John Timmons. The store announced its closing on October 31, 2011, after 26 years in business.[1]

The ear X-tacy logo

History
Former ear-X-tacy storefront on Bardstown Road. Entrance to the building is at the far right of the photo; both windows were part of ear X-tacy.
Previous ear-X-tacy storefront on Bardstown Road (2001–2010). Now occupied by a Panera Bread location.

ear X-tacy first opened in 1985 in a 500 ft² (46 m²) building stocked with John Timmons' personal records "and a cash advance on his MasterCard."[2] The store name came from the band XTC, of which owner John Timmons is a fan. As the store grew, it changed location three times over a period of sixteen years; it then remained in the same location, in a former bathroom fixtures showroom on Bardstown Road just south of Eastern Parkway in The Highlands, until late July 2010.[3] It then moved to the Douglass Loop, a former streetcar turnaround point on Bardstown Road about 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of its previous location but still in The Highlands.[4]

ear X-tacy carried a wide variety of CDs, cassettes, and vinyl records, and also carried a large stock of DVDs, including many hard-to-find items. In 1995, Timmons launched the ear X-tacy record label, which released records by Louisville-based musicians such as Tim Krekel.[5]

The building that the store occupied before its final move had two stories and 10,000 ft² (930 m²) of floor space. The first floor was dedicated to CDs, DVDs, T-shirts, toys, etc. It also included a stage for live performances and a large selection of small and large stickers mocking current U.S. events or promoting Louisville. The second floor was dedicated to new & used vinyl records. The final store was on one floor, with comparable floor space. Like the previous location, it included a stage.

Due to financial issues, ear X-tacy moved for the final time to a smaller location in 2010, just south of where their previous location was on Bardstown Road. However, the financial issues continued and ear X-tacy owner John Timmons made the decision to permanently close. ear X-tacy officially closed on October 31, 2011, but due to the amount of unsold inventory still remaining after the close, the store held a liquidation sale in December 2011 before officially closing for good.[1]

ear X-tacy also operated a second location in the Eastgate Shopping Center in Middletown from 1992 through 1998.[6][7]

The store's signature white-on-black logo stickers spawned a local fad wherein people cut up and reassembled the distinctive letters to form other words or phrases, such as "racy aXe" or "area X."[4]

The insert of the Gin Blossoms' New Miserable Experience album features a photo of one of the band members with an ear X-tacy sticker in his mouth. An ear X-tacy sticker is also seen during a pan shot in the Cameron Crowe film "Elizabethtown."

A documentary on ear X-tacy was released in 2012 under the title Brick and Mortar and Love.[8]

In-store performances

ear X-tacy often had bands, many local, come and play during the day. One of the most memorable performances was on July 4, 2000, when the Foo Fighters played. The store was packed with 700 people inside and 200 people outside. They have had other performances by national acts such as Queens of the Stone Age, John Mayer, Sam Bush, Shooter Jennings, The Black Keys, Drive-By Truckers, Cage the Elephant, Josh Ritter, Tenacious D, and notable local acts like Skyscraper Stereo and The Villebillies, to name a few. Louisville natives My Morning Jacket performed to a sold-out crowd of 500 on June 10, 2008, the same day that the band's album Evil Urges was released, and a portion of their concert was included on their 2009 Record Store Day release, Celebración de la Ciudad Natal, on which James praised the store on an interlude titled "The Local Independent Shit." Local goth metal band The Revenants were the final band to ever perform at ear X-tacy.

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References
  1. "27 Nov 2011, Page B3 - The Courier-Journal at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-07-13.
  2. ear X-tacy History and Owner Profile Archived 2006-01-16 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "9 Jan 1934, Page 16 - The Courier-Journal at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-07-13.
  4. "Clipping from The Courier-Journal". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-07-13.
  5. "John Timmons has ear X-tacy -". www.louisvillemusicnews.net. Retrieved 2019-07-13.
  6. "Clipping from The Courier-Journal". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-07-13.
  7. Hill, Mary Ellen (Jun 7, 1999). "Independent music store operator has his Ears to the ground in the competitive national market". Louisville Business First.
  8. "Ear X-tacy documentary 'Brick & Mortar & Love' to screen at the Dreamland Film Center on Sunday [Movies]". Louisville.com. 2012-07-20. Retrieved 2019-07-13.

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