The small Retro Records store at the back of the second floor at 195 South Main St. in Uxbridge features walls adorned in sherbet pink and green hues that mimic a ‘50s milkshake diner.
Hanging on the walls are old vinyl, pictures of family members and memorabilia of the up-and-coming singer and songwriter Alyssa Lincoln, 21, who goes by the stage name La Rocké.
Retro Records is an extension of Lincoln’s musical career, showcasing old-school jazz and rock tracks. The store, which is opening Saturday, Jan. 6, is a place for her to display and sell her growing vinyl, cassette and CD collection and will one day become a place to record her music, host jam sessions and promote her label under the same name as the store.
“I’ve always wanted to have my own collection,” said Lincoln. “I have my own turntable and all that. I’m super into older music that is on vinyl records. I play them all day, every day.”
The store is opening during a time of sky-high vinyl sales. In 2022, the revenue from vinyl records grew 17% to $1.2 billion – the 16th consecutive year of growth, according to the year-end Recording Industry Association of America revenue statistics report. For the first time since 1987, vinyl albums outsold CDs.
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Lincoln has also seen a rise in younger generations gravitating towards turntables and albums, listening to a whole body of work versus a hit single. Plus, she said, the sound quality on vinyl is better – with things one can’t hear on a streamed, digital version.
The store is above A Touch of Magick, owned by Lincoln’s mother, Deborah Kennedy. Lincoln began working on transforming the shop in the late summer, saying it was originally all black. She did repairs, painted and styled the room with second-hand furniture, adding, “I’ve been adding items ever since.”
Lincoln started Retro Records as a record label to release her work, including two originals and one by her father.
Her passion for music goes back as far as she can remember, saying she’s been writing songs since she was 6. Her bottom dresser drawer was filled with notebook papers and silly songs she wrote as a child. Her love for the craft evolved from there.
It took her some time to find what genre she was into most – landing on a mix between ‘50s style music, jazz and rock.
“It’s in her blood, is what it is,” said her father, whose show name is Peter Haze, a drummer and DJ. “My whole family was musicians for Boston Symphony Orchestra all the way to her.”
Haze joked that Lincoln was the one “who got the gene” for music. She is the second oldest of three brothers and an older half-sister.
Lincoln has sung for the band Los Yesterdays and recently performed live with them in New York a few weeks ago.
It all goes back to when Haze had a recording studio in his home basement. “It was like a clubhouse,” Haze said. The children would go on the stage with drums and kick all the adults out. Together, they would put on their own rock show.
Her father always knew Lincoln had talent.
“It comes from her head and your heart,” Haze said. “It’s either there or not; I could see it in her.”
About seven years ago, he had Lincoln come over to his house to record her. He gave her some honest feedback and asked her to judge herself as if she were Simon Cowell.
Despite her crying and saying she never wanted to pursue this career, Haze believed it was a pivotal point. “It was sink or swim.”
Ultimately, it “lit the fire underneath her, so she strived and became a musician.”
Lincoln’s ultimate fan, Haze, says she has some “big, very big things in the works.”
IF YOU GO
Where: Retro Records, 195 South Main St., Uxbridge, MA
When: Saturday, Jan. 6, beginning at 12 p.m.
More information: Retro Records Facebook & Instagram.
