Our new Waterloo Records partnership: Boots, flops & records
Music is inseparable from Austin. It’s part of the city. Like swimming in Barton Springs in the summer, posting up on patios in the winter, or hitting up 3 different Tex Mex spots in one evening to sample all the finest Mexican Martinis. We always knew we wanted to make music a part of Alvies, too. That’s why I’m excited to announce our new partnership with Waterloo Records.
Waterloo will be selling a small collection of vinyl in the Alvies store. We worked with their staff of music geniuses to curate a collection that focuses on artists with an Austin/Texas connection — one that paired well with boots, flops and the general Alvies vibe. Waterloo has been slanging albums, music advice and in-store live shows since 1982, making them the OG of the Austin record store scene. We’re honored to help power more online sales for them while spreading some of the music we love.
We’ll be updating the collection regularly to feature music that we’re really into throughout the year. Here are the first 10 albums.
TOWNES VAN ZANDT - LIVE AT THE OLD QUARTER, HOUSTON, TEXAS
One of the best albums from one of the greatest singer-songwriters to have ever lived. We couldn’t curate a list of music we love without featuring Townes Van Zandt.
WILLIE NELSON - RED HEADED STRANGER
Featuring Willie was also mandatory. He’s Austin’s patron saint, poet laureate, spiritual guru and pharmaceutical advisor. Read Headed Stranger is some of his best work.
BLACK PUMAS - BLACK PUMAS
Adrian Quesada is a veteran on the Austin music scene, with a Grammy in his pocket (the guy has huge pockets) and stints in bands like Grupo Fantasma. Eric Burton only came to Austin in 2015 after busking his way across the country from LA (an unbeatable musician origin story). Together they created one hell of a debut album. You should also check out their cover of Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car.
STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN - THE SKY IS CRYING
If SRV couldn’t do it on a guitar, it probably wasn’t worth doing. This posthumous album of previously unreleased songs showcases both his guitar sorcery and his blues and rock influences.
SPOON - TRANSFERENCE
Austinites still think of Spoon as our hometown band, even though you can now hear them pretty regularly on movie and television soundtracks. It was tough picking just one of their albums for the collection, but our buddies at Waterloo helped us narrow in on their seventh studio recording.
ST. VINCENT - MASSEDUCTION
This was one of those albums you played on a loop for days after it first came out. It can be big and brash on one track and then quiet and intimate on the next. Annie Clark is so cool and rocks so hard that she always leaves you wanting more.
JORDAN MOSER - LONG NIGHT
Jordan Moser is one of those multi-talented creative types that seem to thrive in Austin. As his first label release proves, he’s a talented singer-songwriter with a unique sound and great lyrics. But he’s also a professional dancer with Austin Ballet, a choreographer and a filmmaker.
NIKKI LANE - HIGHWAY QUEEN
With a sound that mixes Outlaw Country, Americana, blues and rock, Nikki Lane has drawn comparisons to everyone from Loretta Lynn and Lana Del Rey to Johnny Cash. But Highway Queen — an album featuring rolicking road songs mixed with heartfelt ballads — proves she’s a unique artist who should be appreciated in her own right.
CHARLEY CROCKETT - WELCOME TO HARD TIMES
As a cowboy boot company for non-cowboys, we were pretty picky when trying about which country music artists we’d highlight in the store. But this Charley Crockett album was an easy one. He wanted to challenge the ideas of what country music is, and the result is a more eclectic record, like the country albums of the 50s and 60s.
LEON BRIDGES - COMING HOME
Leon Bridges’ debut album brought his singular voice and 60s throwback sound to the world. And it has a great story, too: he was discovered by members of Austin indie band White Denim while playing open mics in Fort Worth. Less than a year later they had cut a record together that blew up at SXSW and launched his successful career.