Eastside from p 19 Martinez: You had this menagerie of interesting people coming in. Personalities, characters, street performers, and unhoused, and characters. William Wonderful, this street poet, was always in there. This guy Pepto would stick his head in and joke, “This is a robbery!” and every- body laughed. It was a place for the fringe, the alternative culture. People would cruise Mill, hang out at Java Road or Coffee Plantation, and hit Eastside. In November 2010, Eastside’s owners announced the store would shut its doors the following month. As Wood told New Times prior to the closure, it was largely because of Pawlicki’s decision to leave town in favor of opening a record store in another state. Eastside had weathered the financial upheaval the music industry endured in the 2000s, including reducing the size of the store in 2005 to cut costs, but it wore down the store’s owners. Wood (in 2010): We [survived] because we still had it in us, but the minute Mike said he was leaving, and wasn’t going to spend another summer here, it was like, “It’s time to go.” A lot of other circumstances led up to it, like the fact some months we’d break even and some months I’m paying a little bit of money to stay open. Our landlady also wanted me to sign a big lease with the store, which I wasn’t going to do. Pawlicki: When the music business kinda hit a pinnacle [in 2000] and went over a hump with all the downloading, it [was] a rougher game. Closing became a constant discussion. [We’d] come close a couple times, where for two or three weeks we didn’t know if we were going to stay open. Wood (in 2010): And it got to the point … that, yeah, we could stay open, but we’d have to sell a bunch of shit we don’t like. None were willing to do it. At a certain point ... it’s kind of like putting Old Yeller down. James Fella, musician and founder of Gilgongo Records: It was really sad. Everybody loved that place. Eastside’s original location wrapped up its run with two farewell shows in late Benmamin Leatherman December 2010. The first happened the night before Christmas Eve with sets by Grave Danger, Space Tourists, and Garage Shock. A second gig followed a week later with music from Fella’s band Soft Shoulder and other local acts. Daly: It’s terrible to lose a business like that, but that night was a blast. We just went off. To me, it was hallowed ground because so many people had played there. Fella: The night that final show happened, we shot a video and at the end of our set, the camera pans around and you see this bare walls and all these people crammed inside watching. Everyone suspected Michael was going to make something else happen at another location. We just didn’t know when. Turns out, it was only a year. In December 2011, Pawlicki launched a pop-up called The Ghost of Eastside Records inside a backroom at Tempe’s Danelle Plaza. It was meant to last six months or less where he’d sell off leftover stock from the original Eastside, as well as a hoard of vinyl he’d accumulated since its closing. True to his word, the pop-up closed the following spring when Pawlicki’s wanderlust and the Arizona heat returned. He spent summer 2012 looking for retail space out in L.A. When his hunt proved fruitless, Ghost of Eastside Records began haunting a new pop-up location on Forest Avenue near Arizona State University’s main campus in Tempe. Fella: The first [pop-up] did feel small and a little temporary, as did the one up by ASU. They didn’t seem as concrete as the original location or where he wound up going next. By fall 2013, the Ghost of Eastside Records found a permanent home when Pawlicki joined up with other indie artists and record stores and to create the Double Nickels Collective, a co-op retail space at Danelle Plaza. It’s remained there ever since. Pawlicki (in 2013): I’d seen it in other cities and wanted to try something different. Almost like an antique mall but geared toward younger people of that culture. Just throw all sorts of crazy stuff into one place Vinyl rarities for sale at the original Eastside Records. and see how it flies. Fella: Wherever Mike goes, the store and the vibe goes with him. He’s an eccen- tric person. He loves what he does. He invests himself probably more than anybody should and I think the store’s a reflection of him. It’s wild, it’s a little out of control, it’s messy. Holman: When I come back to town, I always see Michael, because it’s such a spiri- tual experience to hang out like old times. You walk in, there’s death metal or punk playing and Michael’s just carrying on a conversation about politics. It’s beautiful. I always go home with like 20-30 records. Pawlicki: I don’t know if I’d say I’m living the dream, but I’ve had a lot of fun. You don’t make a lot of money. As capital- ists go, I’m really shoddy. I pay more than anyone in town and I sell for less. That’s not a great business model, but I’ve enjoyed doing this and still do to this day. Editor’s note: Some quotes have been condensed for brevity and clarity. 20 JULY 28TH–AUG 3RD, 2022 PHOENIX NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | NEWS | OPINION | FEEDBACK | CONTENTS | phoenixnewtimes.com
