Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow: A Fond Farewell to Dr. Wax Records

As a teenaged girl walking around with parental funds burning a hole in my pocket it was not the call of the mall which lured me, but one rather unassuming spot in Hyde Park certainly did. Nestled into a little loft area in Harper Court once stood the perfect sanctuary for audiophiles throughout the city: Dr. Wax Records- Hyde Park. On Saturday, February 20th, after surviving 22 years of changes in music, the community and even the store’s physical location, Dr. Wax closed its doors for one last time. A moment of silence…please…
As an entity, Dr. Wax will forever hold a place in my heart for providing an open door and shelf space to independent artists seeking an inroad to get their sound from the studio to the streets with few complications. I can still recall the first time I went in to purchase music created by my own friends, Poetree Chicago. I was both proud and excited, as I had actually been present when some of those verses were written. Such was the magic of Dr. Wax; the store made no distinction between the main stream and independents, but instead showed love to any musician with a sound that could sell. Over the years the store became a sponsor for many of the independent shows that took place in spots like the Double Door, Subterranean and more recently, The Shrine-Chicago. These intimate events brought people out from all over the city, proving that the indie movement truly does have legs and an audience of radio weary listeners looking to see their favorites strut their stuff for a reasonable price.

Having said all of that about the store itself, I would be remiss if I didn’t say that it was not the bricks and mortar that kept me going back for half of my lifetime. Over the years I was fortunate enough to come to know and love the store’s knowledgeable and friendly manager, Duane “Mr. Dr. Wax” Powell. In the pop culture sense of things, Duane would be the Morpheus to my Neo, having personally provided me with the “red pill” that  expelled me from the matrix of often misogynistic mainstream radio music. Duane was the back bone of the store, responsible for keeping them stocked with the hottest, on the verge music from around the world. In a city where stepper’s music often reigns supreme, Duane is arguably the reason that the soul/indie movement even has a presence in Chicago. Personally befriending and promoting music from recent Grammy nominated performers The Foreign Exchange, Yahzarah St. James, Eric Roberson and Ledisi, the caliber of artists he chooses to support leaves no room to question his veracity. Duane often submerges himself into the cultural epicenters of other cities in order to bring us music hot off the presses! I am and will forever be grateful for the musical finds he has introduced to me, allowing me to create the soundtrack for many events in my life and befriend some exceptionally talented people, as well. I truly wish him well in his future endeavors, as I know he will be quite successful if he continues on his current path. Check out a sampling of his musical finds by following his Podcast at http://soundrotation.podomatic.com/.

In the end, it’s only right that a cultural icon known for showing such support of the indie movement would receive an appropriate send off from some the very artists around whom the store rallied. A farewell celebration for Dr. Wax will take place on Sunday, February 28, 2010 at the McCormick Auditorium, 3241 S. Federal. The concert features one of my fave UK artists, Julie Dexter with backing from Chicago’s own Zzaje, along with local performers Cherisse Scott, Innosphere, and a special tribute to recently retired local hip hop radio pioneer, JP Chill. I’m expecting the house to be JAM PACKED that night! An after party is also set for Shrine-Chicago, 2109 S. Wabash. In typical fashion for events related to Dr. Wax, this event is wallet friendly and a combo ticket for both events can be purchased for a mere $20 at http://afinalgoodbye.eventbrite.com/. Come out to show your appreciation and perhaps discover some still undiscovered talent before this gem and the shine it emanates are both gone for good.