POP CULTURE OFTEN DEPICTS record store owners as a certain type: pretentious, aloof, and opinionated, often dismissive of mainstream tastes in favor of underground tracks. George Casey, owner of Lost Padre Records, in Santa Fe, defies such characterizations—except maybe that last part. The New Jersey native had a clear goal in mind when he settled in the City Different: to create a record shop purely dedicated to vinyl—mostly vintage, plenty new, and as much New Mexico–made music as he could find. “A record store should really reflect the place where it is,” he says. Since opening in 2018, the 1,000-square-foot store has become a hub for vinyl lovers, a champion of the local music scene, and one of the coolest shops in town, hosting intimate concerts by musicians like Willi Carlisle and receiving a recent visit from Robert Plant. In celebration of Record Store Day on April 12, Casey waxes poetic on the importance of independent record stores and offers advice for budding vinyl collectors.
My love of music started in high school. A friend of my older sister gave her like 85 mixtapes of just super-deep cuts and indie stuff.
She handed me one and said, “I don’t like this, but maybe you will.” It was Nirvana, Bleach.
I started buying vinyl as a poor college student in the ’90s. People were throwing their records away because they wanted CDs, so you could buy some of the greatest records of all time for a dollar.
Listening to an album that was recorded for vinyl on a digital format is kind of like watching a film made for widescreen on a square TV. There are technical reasons for that, but there’s also something kind of mystical about it.
My favorite record is Neil Young’s Harvest. If you ever find an original, rub the cover—it’s almost like velvet.
Lost Padre began in a skate shop on Catron Street. The guy who owned it was just like, “Hey, do you want to put some records in here?” So we started this thing.
Since moving near the Plaza, we get a lot more tourists.
They often ask what’s local. For them, it’s like buying turquoise—they want to take a piece of New Mexico home.
Our local section has newer bands like Lone Piñon, Esther Rose, and Valac, and older stuff like the Fireballs, Buddy Holly, and Roy Orbison, recorded by Norman Petty in Clovis.
A good record shop is part of the community.
I know my regulars, and we talk about all kinds of things beyond music—that’s never gonna happen with Amazon.
Supporting live music is important to us. We have a little stage in the back and sponsor shows on the Plaza and at the Railyard during the summer.
Charley Crockett was the craziest one.
Record Store Day is a one-day sale around the world, where limited-edition new releases and reissues are available only in independent stores. People will line up for hours because it’s all first come, first served. We also sell rare old records and ones autographed by the artist.
It’s grown from being something for hardcore collectors to a gateway for newcomers.
It’s a lot of young people’s first time in a record store. They’ll come for the new Taylor Swift 7-inch, but also walk out with something unexpected, like an old Beatles record.
That’s the power of browsing in an actual store.
My tips for collecting vinyl are: Start with something you already love, try out new stuff at our listening station, and don’t be afraid to buy a record just because you like the cover—it usually leads to cool things.
SEE FOR YOURSELF
Visit Lost Padre Records, in Santa Fe, for Record Store Day, April 12. Buy online at lostpadrerecords.com, and follow @lostpadrerecords on Instagram.