Walking into No Longer Emtpy‘s newest transformation “Never Can Say Goodbye” – located in the defunct Tower Records space on the corner of 4th and Broadway in New York City – youthful memories of my time as a record store manager trampled my brain and I couldn’t do anything but smile at all the records, in-store photos, mock LP’s and bins. It was a little fucking eerie, friends. I worked at a record store for the first six years of my life’s employment experience and now my earlier vocation has become a nostalgic trip to a past when people actually purchased physical objects containing music by a store clerk receiving a paycheck to provide a service. From NLE’s site:

Never Can Say Goodbye illuminates the economic and social changes caused by the emergence of the Internet as the dominant means of music distribution. In its heyday, Tower Records was sales central for indie and contemporary music, as well as a gathering place for musicians and music lovers. Today, in its place, is a virtual landscape without architecture, sales staff, and community traffic. Freely downloading selected songs have created an empty space where a music store once thrived.

Although my own past is now an era we eerily long for, the exhibit is eclectic, vibrant and sincere. One wall showcased setups for “in-stores” – small concerts with relatively well-known acts that places like Amoeba still have. Posters aligning overhead walls reminded me of every single Sony Rep I’d try to charm so I could score free “Gorillaz” posters and tickets to their shows. And then the bins! Have you ever tried organizing an entire row of Rock CD’s in alphabetical order after a Saturday sale? Hell, people. $6.75 an hour hell. But I love that time in my life and I appreciate this exhibits tenacity. It was nice taking a walk down memory lane for an afternoon.

The exhibit runs from Jan 16th to Feb 13: Wed – Sun 12pm- 7pm. Located on the corner of 4th & Broadway in Manhattan.