Words by Cristina Byrne

Earlier this summer, Lana Del Rey made headlines with surprise appearances across North Alabama—most notably working a shift at a local Waffle House and recording at the legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studio.

Now, the wait is over. The Orion Amphitheater has officially announced that Del Rey will perform this fall, igniting a wave of excitement among her devoted fanbase.

Since Monday, fans have been camping out at the venue ahead of the highly anticipated concert on Thursday, September 21. The tip line lit up with reports of tents and lawn chairs forming a makeshift community outside the amphitheater.

“People are coming from all over the country,” said fan Elizabeth Dunlap. Attendees have traveled from as far as New York City, New Mexico, California, and Seattle to see Del Rey perform.

Camping out is just one of many ways fans are showing their devotion. Many proudly wear Lana-inspired tattoos as symbols of her music's meaning to them.

“She raised us and saved us,” said Jay Pruitt, showing off a tattoo of the singer inked on his arm.

When asked what draws them to Lana and her music, the answer was unanimous: connection.

“She romanticizes the mundane—trailer parks, gas stations—and makes a simple life feel glamorous,” said fan Hannah Wilson. “She expresses my emotions for me, so I don’t have to feel bad,” added Jay. “Small-town people can still feel special,” said Anna Pruitt.

Beyond their love for Lana, the group has built lasting friendships through their fandom. Ally Hunter, Hannah Wilson, Anna Pruitt, and Elizabeth Dunlap first met during a concert campout in Atlanta, while Jay recently joined their circle.

As the big night approached, the group had a heartfelt message for Lana Del Rey: “Lana, we love you—we’ve been waiting 11 years for this,” said Anna, speaking for them all.

Written and Photographed by Cristina Byrne

Sean Hale runs the newest record store in Huntsville Alabama called Black Rose Records. Its doors opened on Record Store Day, Saturday, April 22nd, 2023.

"I ran around weeks before trying to ensure I was open on Record Store Day," Hale told me when I stopped in. "I was working at another job full-time up until the week before we opened. My friend building the new fixtures for the store was working at that same job full-time while doing the build. Finding the time here and there to fit in working on the shop was a logistical juggling act.”

Located at Village Center on Memorial Parkway SouthWest, roughly 600 square feet in the same shopping center as Das Stahl Bierhaus and BigFoot Donuts, “I liked this location because there were already similar kinds of ‘collectible’ stores, with Lucky Dice and Bricks and Minifigs. I also don’t think it ever hurts to be steps away from a good bar or a place with good food and coffee.”

The name came from one of Hale's favorite albums, Black Rose by Thin Lizzy. "My parents were big classic and hard rock fans, and we certainly listened to plenty of Thin Lizzy when I was growing up. So, it makes me think of listening to music and watching wrestling on TV on the weekends," Hale reflected. “As I got older, my appreciation for their lyricism and songs grew as well. I just think they’re the coolest band ever.”

Vinyl is experiencing a major resurgence in mainstream music. While digital sales have dominated the marketplace, records outsold CDs in the US last year (2022) for the first time since 1987, selling 41 million units against 33 million for CDs, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

"More and more popular artists started pressing more of their albums as actual records," Hale explained. "I think part of the resurgence in popularity comes from the tangible quality of them. It’s something fairly large you can actually hold in your hands, and you can literally see the music on the record. Shopping is an in-person social experience as well.”

With over 2,000 records in stock, Hale is looking for records to be in good shape.

"The plan is to keep it lean so the quality level stays high. Also, I want people to be able to spend time here and be able to look through everything. Mostly, I just personally love a record store where I can look through everything in a single visit.”

The first record bought at Black Rose was a small stack of records, and one of them was a blues sampler called Alligator Tracks, ”Just a cool promotional record from a record label with a bunch of their artists, those are always a fun way to hear new things. That person also got an original copy of Velvet Underground and Nico’s album with the famous Andy Warhol-designed banana cover,” Hale tells me.

Some of the rarest vinyl you can find at Black Rose Record Store are some test presses of popular records such as Guns N’ Roses, Deadmau5, Leonard Cohen, Cypress Hill, and Nine Inch Nails. Mostly only pressed for the artists, pressing plant, and labels to verify quality and accuracy before mass production.

Prices currently range between $1 and $450, with the average cost of a record being about $10. Black Rose also buys all types of records directly from customers in order to keep their used stock replenished. Hale’s personal holy grail, that one record he is looking for to fill his personal collection, is the Smashing Pumpkins ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.

”Huntsville is a big place, and as far as I’m concerned, there can never be enough good record stores in a city,” says Hale. “Personally, I just love the digging and the excitement of finding something unexpected.”

Black Rose: A Record Store | BUY - SELL - TRADE
7914 Memorial Parkway SW Huntsville, AL 35802
Open 10-6 everyday
256-469-0707 | blackroserecordshsv@gmail.com