RTP-area local music and culture

[Bryk <chscene AT bryk.com>]

So I was all pumped to pick up that Pox 3 x 4 comp yesterday after  
falling in love with the Schooner track Ross played on his show last  
Sunday. I had to go to the Brewery anyways (that's another story  
entirely) so Schoolkids was finally in my path of travel.

I look around to see if it was racked and/or on sale. No such luck.

I look in the "Schooner" and "Sames" sections. No dice.

I look in the "Compilations" section. Nope.

I go to the counter and ask salesguy #1. Never heard of it. He starts  
to type it into the computer. I explain it's a local comp on Pox  
World Empire blah blah blah.  "Nope, can't find it."

Thinking maybe he's not super aware of new indie product, I look  
around in vain for a "Local" section. None to be found. (When did  
Schoolkids Raleigh lose its' local section? Am I confusing it with  
the Durham Schoolkids? Part of me feels such sections marginalize  
local acts, but part of me feels that every half-decent community- 
minded record store would have at least 2 copies of each notable*  
local release anyhow, with one of them resting under a header card  
with that artists' name on it.)

Hmm. I go back to the counter and ask salesguy #2 (politely, as I  
wait until #1 goes to the back of the store).  I volunteer the  
general info.

Tippity-tap-tap on the computer. No, sorry, don't know it.

Now, I know I can't expect every release to be carried in every  
single store, but there are only 4 or 5 stores in the triangle that  
specialize in indie product. And the only one I know of in Raleigh is  
Schoolkids.

Pox's website says "3x4 is Out!"  Out where, exactly?  I guess not at  
the only place in Raleigh I would expect to find it.

I'm not sure who's dropped the ball here, but I was annoyed enough  
that I put the ($16.98) Amadou & Mariam CD I had been carrying around  
the store for 10 minutes back in the section before I left. (I know  
it's probably WMG's artificially high lists for Nonesuch releases,  
but I would have bought that at Schoolkids. Now I'm going to probably  
end up buying that, the newish Amy Rigby CD and the recent Richard  
Swift album on Secretly Canadian from deepdiscountCD.com (Schoolkids  
Raleigh doesn't stock those either.)

I would have loved to have bought all those from Schoolkids yesterday.

Why does this suck? Am I being a big baby for not wanting to spend  
$10 on non-renewable resources, AND put superfluous miles on my car  
with a trip to Chapel Hill?

dB



* Notable = Nationally-reviewed record by artist/band that plays  
shows to at least 12 people locally, not necessarily every half-assed  
CD-R on consignment. Or hell. anything the store employees find to be  
of artistic merit or sales potential.