Waterloo Records is an Austin gem. I love this independent record store and it's one of those spots in Austin that I return to again and again. I think I first started going to Waterloo when I was in high school and I've been a customer/supporter since then. Speaking of record stores, I wish Sound Exchange were still around, but I digress. My trip to Waterloo today was motivated by a listening party, a used CD, and a ticket to an upcoming show.
Waterloo is great about consistently scheduling events at the store and making it a very customer-friendly space. Where else can you listen to an entire album before buying it in order to decide whether or not you really want to take it home? The store also regularly has listening parties on New Release Tuesdays (i.e. today), which include free pizza! Although some of the listening parties have featured questionable albums in the past (think tween pop stars...), in general they feature pretty neat albums. Today's visit to Waterloo was new to me in the sense that I actually hadn't been to a listening party before despite being aware of which albums are being featured.
Throughout the year, the store also hosts musicians who are touring and stopping in Austin. This is a great opportunity to catch FREE, brief, and sometimes acoustic, sets by artists that you love. During SXSW the store gets packed but there's something about the environment that still makes it feel like an intimate performance. They've recently started to move the larger shows outside to accommodate for a larger audience, which makes it less cozy, but allows for more folks to get in on the free action.
I'll never be able to say enough great things about Waterloo. I love this place.
Waterloo Records & Video
600A. North Lamar Blvd.
Austin, Texas 78703
phone: (512) 474-2500
