“In the Americana genre, where close-harmony duos spring up like corn, The Lost Brothers have forged a singular path and their progress has been evolutionary…” – The Guardian.

 
 
We agree. Ireland’s premiere folk duo offer spine-tingling moments, on record and in-person, and intricate, ethereal songs of innocence and experience dominate their revelatory repertoire. Their recordings are made with such tender and loving care, that it goes without saying they are connoisseurs of vinyl. It should come as no surprise, then, that Lost Brother Mark McCausland trades not only as a recording artist, but as co-owner of a popular record shop. Located in Omagh in Ireland, Boneyard Records is an establishment with all the treasure and tales contained within that we expect from our favorite vinyl emporiums. So, we asked the renowned guitarist, singer and songwriter for a list of his six favourite places to go digging for vinyl gold…

1. HAIRY RECORDS / DIG VINYL (Liverpool)

At the start of the 2000s, walking to Bold Street in Liverpool used to be a daily pilgrimage for me before band practice. Back then it was to go to Hairy Records, where you’d get into a lengthy conversation with the owner, and he’d recommend some band from the sixties you’d never heard of! If you were buying a record, he would go into a spiel and tell you about the lesser known album by the same band. Or if you were buying a single, he would rant and rave about the B-side. This is probably where I was first introduced to stuff like ‘Forever Changes’ by Love , 13th Floor Elevators and Captain Beefhart etc. Sadly, Hairy Records is gone now (the owner still does the tour merch for The Coral), but luckily Liverpool now has Dig Vinyl on the same street. There’s always a great selection of second-hand vinyl across all genres and rummaging through their blues section recently, I found a Charlie Patton record I didn’t know I had been looking for…. It’s that kind of place.
Dig Vinyl Liverpool Record Shop

2. ROLLERCOASTER RECORDS (Kilkenny)

I’ve been going to Rollercoaster for years. This place isn’t only a great record shop, but it’s also a label that even has its own festival! Founded by the great Willie Meighan, and now run by Davey and Gary, it’s the absolute pulse of the town. When the guys aren’t in the shop, and when we’re not in the middle of a pandemic, they are busy putting on various gigs or booking the acts for the famous Rhythm and Roots Festival in Kilkenny. There’s always a party in Kilkenny and Rollercoaster are usually behind it! I can’t imagine what the town would be like without the shop… when I think of Kilkenny, I think of Rollercoaster.
Rollercoaster Records 

3. ELVIS SHAKESPEARE (Edinburgh)

This place is always my first stop when I get to Edinburgh. Proper old school, with books and records stacked on top of each other. You have to really dig deep. You might find a first pressing of ‘The White Album’ underneath a stack of Rod Stewart’s various greatest hits records. I did! I also found Patrick Sky’s first two records on Vanguard here. In fact, I’ve never found them anywhere else, before or since. Also check out their lucky dip bags: you buy a stack of 45s for a fiver and don’t find out what they are until you open the bag. Mine were all Roy Orbison! Online record and book shop, second hand records and rare books.
Elvis Shakespeare

4. WOODEN TOOTH (Tucson, Arizona)

This is such a great spot for picking up American pressings of your favourite albums. Everything is so cheap that you end up buying a truckload. The only problem is flying back home with it all! The place is run by Jake, who also does a DJ slot at the bar right next door, where he brings a crate of records that he sells as he spins. They also put on gigs and run their own small label releasing the music of local Tucson artists. Well worth a visit when we can get back over yonder direction.
Wooden Tooth Records

5. ECSTATIC PEACE LIBRARY (London)

This is a great spot on Church Street in Stoke Newington where I picked up an early pressing of a John Fahey record on my last visit. There’s a great £12 section of second-hand vinyl that is mostly USA imports, too, and the place is owned by ex-Sonic Youth hero Thurston Moore – who mans the shop when he isn’t busy being a bit of a legend…
Ecstatic Peace Library

6. HI FIDELITY (Krackow, Poland)

I was a bit apprehensive to go in here after reading online reviews: the owner has a reputation for being the cranky type, often throwing customers out of the shop simply because he doesn’t like the cut of their jib! . So, on our last visit, there was no way I could leave Krakow without seeing this enigma for myself. The place was finally open the fourth time I checked and records were stacked everywhere, in no particular order; you had to climb over heaps of vinyl to get to another stack. I was avoiding eye contact with the dreaded owner when I nervously went to pay for my selection. From those reviews online, I was fully expecting a punch. But I must have said the right thing, as he could not have been more friendly. We ended up getting into a lengthy chat about Ireland and how he fell in love with a woman there many years ago. His story was long and he was opening up to me like an old pal: he had a tear in his eye as he told me about his long-lost Irish love. I think he was drunk. Then it hit me… I was in too deep and it was impossible to leave now! There was no escape. He had flipped the vibe. The dreaded beast had become a friend. How did that happen?
High Fidelity

“All encounters of this kind are instinctively personal,” laughs Mark. “Record shops leave their mark in history and time. Boneyard is tucked away down an alley, a hub for like-minded music lovers.” Modesty forbids him from telling you it’s also the kind of magical store you stumble into to find an incredible selection of new, used and rare records, specialist to random, including cassettes. When things revert to normality, hopefully all these record shops will still be there for us all to immerse ourselves in…

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