Finding the music you want isn't always easy in Milwaukee, but for fans of any kind of music that's off the beaten path, things are even more difficult. Everything's out there on the Internet, of course, but what if you want to support a local business or what if you prefer to let your fingers do the walking through stacks of vinyl to find something you didn't even know you couldn't live without.
That's where shops like Riverwest's Lotus Land come in. Brothers Andy and Tommy Noble opened the shop, after much licensing hassles, in December 2000 and its been a beehive of activity ever since, drawing the city's most eclectic music fans and musicians to its racks of old jazz, reggae, soul, funk and other records.
But what would make a pair of local musicians decide to open something as financially unadvised as a vinyl record shop in Milwaukee.
"It was a natural extension of what we were doing," Andy Noble says, "acquiring insane amounts of vinyl and meeting more and more collectors and DJs that were looking for rare and exotic music but didn't have the time to go digging for it everyday in its natural element (houses, warehouse storage spaces, etc.). Also, the space kind of magically opened up in front of the apartment we were living in."
Since then Lotus Land has expanded its selection and launched a Web site that is kept up to date and draws vinyl junkies from across the globe.
"As of now, we are still usually making more in the shop," Andy Noble says. "It's swinging towards the Web site more everyday, though. The people who are buying stuff in here are buying really different stuff from the mail order business. Milwaukeans are still really into like, shiny new records and the Europeans are really into rare black music."
Lotus Land can be deceiving. From outside, it doesn't look like much and when you enter, you notice that the small space isn't crammed full of records. But that's because the Nobles know their music and they've got an eye for what like-minded collectors are looking for. They're also DJs, who spin regularly at The Social, Mad Planet, Mantra and the Jazz Estate. So, they've got their fingers on the pulse.
"Our regulars account for most of our business and we love them," Andy says. "It's a small group of really cool, knowledgable kids -- and I do mean kids, usually -- that just happen to be addicted to music. Some are DJs, some are producers, some are collectors and some are all of the above! "
"So, like the DJ kids are looking for cuts, you know, and the producers are looking for breaks and sounds and stuff. Some strings here, some bass there, a bit of dialogue or whatever. The collectors are looking for the original pressing of some Lee Perry record or a Sugar Hill 12" to complete there collection, you know. And then you just have your everyday traffic that wants a Devo record or a Tom Waits record or something."
But vinyl success in Milwaukee doesn't mean massive success financially, as one might expect. Although the money would help -- both personally and to help bolster the shop -- Andy Noble says money isn't the reason he and his brother opened Lotus Land.
"I think you realize pretty quick that you are never going to get rich off of something like this. Things have gone really well though, I think, and there are tons of non-monetary perks that come along with it. You meet really interesting people from out of town that you would never meet if you didn't have the shop.
"(But) it's all about funds, man. We have so many really cool distributors and stuff that we could grab so much cool stuff from, but the money and demand isn't there yet. Like I can grab all this great international stuff -- Brazilian club stuff, Ethiopian jazz, Japanese pop, etc. -- but the demand is not there yet. Milwaukeans still want their White Stripes, Strokes, flavor of the month white boy rock stuff. They'll hear this other stuff and be like, 'Whoa!' But they won't come in asking for it. Yet. I am optimistic!"
While they wait, Lotus Land continues to cater to its concrete customer base and to the wide-ranging and adventurous tastes of the Noble brothers.
"We do custom reggae orders weekly," says Andy. "We have the only really comprehensive selection of Brazilian and Latin vinyl in town. We have the only Old School Hip Hop section in town. I think for the soul, garage and reggae 45s we are one of the best, too. We will help you find something, too. You know sometimes the other places will just be like, 'Why do you want that?' We will at least attempt to find something for you -- vinyl, CD, tape, whatever. "
Lotus Land is located at 832 E. Clarke St., across from Bremen Street Cafe. Call them at (414) 372-8317 or visit the shop online at www.lotuslandrecords.com.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
