“I’ve lived in Logan Square for about 20 years now,” says Marc Ruvolo, cofounder of long-running Chicago indie/punk label Johann’s Face. “There’s no record stores or bookstores around here, which is a pain.”
Ruvolo guesses vinyl will make up a third of the shop’s stock, and as with the books, the inventory will heavily reflect his own preferences—in this case indie rock, punk, and metal. “I’m hoping that being really specific will make it more of a destination for people,” he says. He’ll also be booking live entertainment—both readings and in-store concerts—and hosting a regular writer’s group.
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Carrot Top Records, like Johann’s Face, has put out music by a lot of local indie-rock bands, including Speck Mountain, the Bitter Tears, and of course the Coctails, whose albums were the first it released. But its distribution operation works with labels as far-flung as Ex Records, run by Dutch art-punk collective the Ex, and as varied as Illegal Art (best known for putting out Girl Talk’s records), Flingco Sound System (cofounded by former Kranky honcho Bruce Adams), and Okka Disk (instrumental to the early growth of the Chicago avant-jazz scene). Saki, the retail store Carrot Top is opening this Saturday at 3716 W. Fullerton, will have a stock that’s similarly broad—almost the opposite of Ruvolo’s approach with Bucket o’ Blood.
For its grand opening Saki is hosting bands and DJs starting at noon both Saturday and Sunday. White Mystery, the Poison Arrows, and Love of Everything play Saturday, and Daniel Knox and Jim Becker play Sunday. In-stores start Tuesday with Sadhu Sadhu and Hollows and continue next weekend with the Astronomer on Saturday and Jon Langford on Sunday. The shop will also display artwork by local artists and musicians, beginning with Steve Krakow, aka Plastic Crimewave, whose MCA exhibit of the Secret History of Chicago Music closes Sunday; he says he’ll be hanging “posters, original arts, album cover art and whatever I damn well please.”
