This is no ordinary blog post! In fact, it is the text from an email we sent out. That's right! We at the laboratory have created a blog post from an email! Conservation of mass and energy being a key factor in this transformation, we have kept careful watch of the energy spent in creating that additional e-matter. Now on with the Paste Function:
Valentine's Day: Cupid Aims for our Price Tags
Valentine's Day is tomorrow. So The Laboratory is doing a little something for our sweethearts, the terrific customers who have made us what we are. We were going to give out little boxes of candy hearts, but we couldn't agree on the little phrases to be inscribed on those sugary tomes. Instead, we decided to offer a 10% discount off the marked price for anything we sell. This is good through tomorrow, the 14th. Nothing says "Kiss me" like a new harmonica. Or an Audio Technica PRO 24 stereo condenser mic, for the truly sentimental. XOXO!
The Guitar Medic Goes Bonkers
Joe the Guitar Medic has fallen on his head or something, and says he wants to do twice as much work. So we're offering a special on guitar set ups. Now brace yourselves - especially you hollow bodies out there: Get one guitar setup, get another half price. It doesn't even matter if it's your bassist's axe and yours. If you bring us two guitars to be set up, you get half off the second. We asked Joe how he thinks he can do this, and using an Aldis lamp he replied "Volume! Volume!"
The Great Lesson Enrollment Offer Thingamajig
One thing we love during February is lesson sign-ups. So, we're offering new sign ups one free lesson. Here's how it works: Sign up a new student for a month of lessons, and we'll pay for the first one for you. We're so sure that our excellent teachers will charm you with their outgoing personalities and outstanding grasp of their craft, that we want to make it easier to get hooked on learning how to play an instrument. There are still open time slots available, so call us or stop by to get enrolled.
New Stuff at The Laboratory
Oh, right. New stuff. I'm always like "they know we're always getting new stuff," but the others said I don't get a lunch break today if I don't mention the rock solid Orange amp we just got in. It has two things: Warm, creamy, lush, all tube tone...., and Orangeness.
Hmmm, let's see.... I want to make this totally thorough, because this is a comfy chair I'm sitting on.... Hmmmm.....
Oh yeah. We've got a bargain bin. It had to happen sooner or later, right? We've eyed up our shelves for stuff that's been passed over. And out the door they must go! There is too little space to waste some on stuff people aren't grabbing up. So at the front of the store is a bin full of perfectly good, new stuff. It's been marked down - in many cases below our cost - to make room for the zillions of other things we want to try putting out there for musicians to try. So come by and see if there's any overlooked gold in there - maybe this is your moment to replace that rusty multiclamp holding up your splash, or something even more thematically exciting!
So that's the story so far. That and the usual dedication to an expansive array of enticing musical whatnots from our inventory, and state of the art expertise and suaveness from our staff.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Big Music Conference and Bigger Laboratory
It's a particularly exciting week for us at the Laboratory. In addition to our increasingly imminent expansion to a larger space, we are seeing more and more steady traffic (this means you, shoppers!), both in retail, lessons, and repairs. Hmmm both means two. What's the both-like word for three? Bothrice? Tertiaryth? Bothrice in retail, lessons, and repairs, tertiaryth.
Anyway.
For a couple months now, we've been hosting at The Laboratory the services of The Guitar Medic. Whose real name is Joe Lauricella.
Joe is a luthier, and a seasoned player. His association has been a true boon to our store, since he is a patient and well learned teacher, as well a skilled luthier. His knowledge of all things guitar is rivaled only by his contagious and effervescent attitude about the craft. And it would seem the word is out - repairs are coming in with increasing volume and regularity, and being turned over quickly and by all accounts to the great satisfaction of their owners. Joe's reward for his dedication and promptness: An ever higher pile of work each day. Joe if you're reading this, get back to work. Nah I'm just kidding! As if we'd set up a computer for Joe.
Anyway.
We're presently finalizing our post-NAMM merch orders. NAMM (which stands for Nowadays, Aaron Mulches Meticulously) is the Big Music Conference in Aneheim each year. By day, all the manufacturers, vendors, and retailers get together, displaying and/or ogling all the year's new gear. It's a sea of MI (that's industry talk for Music Industry) people and gear. Two floors of giant convention center packed with a breathtaking variety of instruments and related tools. At night it's the usual beer-fuled road trip antics.
This year, we sent our intrepid field operative, Aaron, who brought various shoes for walking. Returned from the big show and laden with a host of exciting new gear ideas, Aaron's NAMM bolstered input is spearheading our newest buying sprees. Many guitars, amps, drums, and miscellaneous whatnots lie on the horizon, destined to take their place among the current selection as we make sure our more than doubled size is sufficiently filled with amazingly cool stuff.
Kind of a meandering post, but that is reflective of the volatile atmosphere around here at present. Big change is just around the corner. Is excitingly reminiscent of the pre-opening days from just a few months ago, when we were doing our best to remain flexible, while simultaneously trying to flesh out a concrete vision of what this store was actually going look like once we opened.
Stay tuned!
Also, we're featured in the paper today. You can view the article here.
Anyway.
For a couple months now, we've been hosting at The Laboratory the services of The Guitar Medic. Whose real name is Joe Lauricella.
Joe is a luthier, and a seasoned player. His association has been a true boon to our store, since he is a patient and well learned teacher, as well a skilled luthier. His knowledge of all things guitar is rivaled only by his contagious and effervescent attitude about the craft. And it would seem the word is out - repairs are coming in with increasing volume and regularity, and being turned over quickly and by all accounts to the great satisfaction of their owners. Joe's reward for his dedication and promptness: An ever higher pile of work each day. Joe if you're reading this, get back to work. Nah I'm just kidding! As if we'd set up a computer for Joe.
Anyway.
We're presently finalizing our post-NAMM merch orders. NAMM (which stands for Nowadays, Aaron Mulches Meticulously) is the Big Music Conference in Aneheim each year. By day, all the manufacturers, vendors, and retailers get together, displaying and/or ogling all the year's new gear. It's a sea of MI (that's industry talk for Music Industry) people and gear. Two floors of giant convention center packed with a breathtaking variety of instruments and related tools. At night it's the usual beer-fuled road trip antics.
This year, we sent our intrepid field operative, Aaron, who brought various shoes for walking. Returned from the big show and laden with a host of exciting new gear ideas, Aaron's NAMM bolstered input is spearheading our newest buying sprees. Many guitars, amps, drums, and miscellaneous whatnots lie on the horizon, destined to take their place among the current selection as we make sure our more than doubled size is sufficiently filled with amazingly cool stuff.
Kind of a meandering post, but that is reflective of the volatile atmosphere around here at present. Big change is just around the corner. Is excitingly reminiscent of the pre-opening days from just a few months ago, when we were doing our best to remain flexible, while simultaneously trying to flesh out a concrete vision of what this store was actually going look like once we opened.
Stay tuned!
Also, we're featured in the paper today. You can view the article here.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Tear Down The Wall
For months now, we've been quietly moving toward expanding into the space next door. What used to be an EBay store has closed its doors, which presented us with the excellent opportunity to claim the adjacent storefront for a bigger, less congested, better Laboratory. Now we seem to be mere weeks from that reality.
Being the drummer among the group here, I am particularly excited. We have lots of stuff for drummers, but most of it is stacked atop shelves, hidden in boxes, and just not set up for people to wade in and appreciate. Once remodeling next door is complete, that will become our new front door. When you first walk in you will be greeted by numerous drum sets. Out on the floor, set up to play, fleshed out with cymbals. Just like it ought to be. Beyond that, more stuff on display and then the lesson rooms, which flank a stage area.
To the right, step through the gaping maw which is slated to appear in our wall, and into the space that presently encloses all of our showroom. Inside that area will be the usual expanse of guitars, basses, amps, cases, and so forth, all spread a little more to allow a more relaxed flow through the selection.
The contractors are over there now. I hear banging, voices, and the occasional whine of some kind of saw. As proud as I am of how this store shaped up, I am doubly excited for the future look and feel of The Laboratory.
Being the drummer among the group here, I am particularly excited. We have lots of stuff for drummers, but most of it is stacked atop shelves, hidden in boxes, and just not set up for people to wade in and appreciate. Once remodeling next door is complete, that will become our new front door. When you first walk in you will be greeted by numerous drum sets. Out on the floor, set up to play, fleshed out with cymbals. Just like it ought to be. Beyond that, more stuff on display and then the lesson rooms, which flank a stage area.
To the right, step through the gaping maw which is slated to appear in our wall, and into the space that presently encloses all of our showroom. Inside that area will be the usual expanse of guitars, basses, amps, cases, and so forth, all spread a little more to allow a more relaxed flow through the selection.
The contractors are over there now. I hear banging, voices, and the occasional whine of some kind of saw. As proud as I am of how this store shaped up, I am doubly excited for the future look and feel of The Laboratory.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
The Gift
This Christmas I was very fortunate to be given a copy of "This Is Your Brain On Music" by my wife Beth. That is to say, the gift is from my wife. The book is by a musician/producer turned neuroscience Pd.D Daniel J. Levitin. It's a great read, and I recommend it for anybody with the ability to hear.
The book is about what music is, and what is known about what happens in our brain when we listen to and make music. It takes what could be mundane scientific minutia, or elitist academic terminology about music theory, and avoids both of those pitfalls. Did you know that some of the oldest found human artifacts are musical instruments? Flutes and drums are particularly common relics.
A few of the points Dr. Levitin stresses are very much in step with assumptions I've had about music. Talent for example. I personally think talent is completely overrated. All aspects of making music can be learned and practiced. Some people will pick parts of it up faster than others, and not everybody will show the same balance of strengths if exposed to the same influences. However, there is a path to follow for anybody who desires to make music. Talent is sometimes called a "gift." Discipline and persistence are not gifts; they are not shortcuts. They are sure bets, though. Talent or no talent - if you put the time in, you will improve. If you follow the right steps, you can play music.
Another topic the book spends time on is the gap between musicians and listeners. Many cultures throughout history experienced music as a communal practice. It wasn't left up to an elite few. I see people who want to try playing an instrument but are afraid they'll be no good at it. What's to fear? Of course you'll be no good at it. Not at first! The sooner you get cracking, the sooner you'll connect the dots and start making things happen on the instrument of your choice. The idea that one either "makes it" or is a failure seems unique to music. People don't go asking their favorite schoolteachers how come they never made it big. It's a curious anomaly, resulting from the recording industry's marketing might, which is a pretty recent thing in the big picture. Once I dreamed about being able to hold a guitar and make sense of it. Now I can play with some proficiency. I guess I've made it!
Quite candidly, if I have a gift, it's that I was signed up for lessons at an age when I didn't have much of an ego to bruise. Being a beginner drum student at ten years of age was not a humiliating experience, because I was a beginner at much of life. And since I didn't have a zillion other things going on, I had plenty of time to practice away. By the time I was in high school, it was a matter of pride to continue developing my craft.
I'm always pleased to see parents starting their kids on music. Over the last weeks we got to see many such instances, and I hope for each one of them it leads to a lifetime of making music their own. It's really not hard to do! As long as you practice...
The book is about what music is, and what is known about what happens in our brain when we listen to and make music. It takes what could be mundane scientific minutia, or elitist academic terminology about music theory, and avoids both of those pitfalls. Did you know that some of the oldest found human artifacts are musical instruments? Flutes and drums are particularly common relics.
A few of the points Dr. Levitin stresses are very much in step with assumptions I've had about music. Talent for example. I personally think talent is completely overrated. All aspects of making music can be learned and practiced. Some people will pick parts of it up faster than others, and not everybody will show the same balance of strengths if exposed to the same influences. However, there is a path to follow for anybody who desires to make music. Talent is sometimes called a "gift." Discipline and persistence are not gifts; they are not shortcuts. They are sure bets, though. Talent or no talent - if you put the time in, you will improve. If you follow the right steps, you can play music.
Another topic the book spends time on is the gap between musicians and listeners. Many cultures throughout history experienced music as a communal practice. It wasn't left up to an elite few. I see people who want to try playing an instrument but are afraid they'll be no good at it. What's to fear? Of course you'll be no good at it. Not at first! The sooner you get cracking, the sooner you'll connect the dots and start making things happen on the instrument of your choice. The idea that one either "makes it" or is a failure seems unique to music. People don't go asking their favorite schoolteachers how come they never made it big. It's a curious anomaly, resulting from the recording industry's marketing might, which is a pretty recent thing in the big picture. Once I dreamed about being able to hold a guitar and make sense of it. Now I can play with some proficiency. I guess I've made it!
Quite candidly, if I have a gift, it's that I was signed up for lessons at an age when I didn't have much of an ego to bruise. Being a beginner drum student at ten years of age was not a humiliating experience, because I was a beginner at much of life. And since I didn't have a zillion other things going on, I had plenty of time to practice away. By the time I was in high school, it was a matter of pride to continue developing my craft.
I'm always pleased to see parents starting their kids on music. Over the last weeks we got to see many such instances, and I hope for each one of them it leads to a lifetime of making music their own. It's really not hard to do! As long as you practice...
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
The Towel Snaps Incident
Amidst the bustle of holiday traffic and related inventory and sales activity, it is important not to lose track of the basics.
Like towels, for example. I assume some of you are Douglas Adams fans, and thus aware of the importance of towel proximity. Well, it so happens that we managed to let this key element of our supply manifest slip through the cracks, and found ourselves running dangerously low on c fold paper towels. I know! Unthinkable, as it seems, this dilemma befell us quite unexpectedly.
Immediately, I set into motion the means by which we would promptly rectify this catastrophe.
No sooner had I selected a vendor and from that vendor an economic solution, than my colleague Aaron asserted that the previous vendor we had used might be cheaper. And so they were. So I went back to the drawing board and composed an order from Aaron's preferred towel acquisition vector. Or so I thought...
It turns out I clicked on the wrong item, and ordered the fancy towels for twice the price. Something I heard about too many chefs and a broth has been nagging at my memory ever since. So our towel order cost us twice as many snaps as projected.
So today, with just a few of the previous stock between The Laboratory and an unthinkable towel-lessness, the fancy towels arrived. With the glee of a ten year old on Christmas morning I tore the box open, barely able to contain my inquisitiveness at why these towels were twice the cost.
I was underwhelmed.
Granted they are nicer, softer, patterned, and packed more delicately. But for half the money, I was plenty happy with the previous batch. Going from no towels to towels is a quantum leap. Going from OK towels to deluxe towels is not the kind of thing that would move one to song.
So, now that I can say without hyperbole that these towels represent the most significant improvement ever visited upon this humble commercial space, I'll urge all of my patient readers to come in to The Laboratory. Not just for the tremendous savings on excellent music gear and accessories, but also to wash your hands in our state of the art washroom, and to marvel at the delights that a truly superior towel can inspire. It will make me feel much better about goofing the order and costing the company additional expense.
Like towels, for example. I assume some of you are Douglas Adams fans, and thus aware of the importance of towel proximity. Well, it so happens that we managed to let this key element of our supply manifest slip through the cracks, and found ourselves running dangerously low on c fold paper towels. I know! Unthinkable, as it seems, this dilemma befell us quite unexpectedly.
Immediately, I set into motion the means by which we would promptly rectify this catastrophe.
No sooner had I selected a vendor and from that vendor an economic solution, than my colleague Aaron asserted that the previous vendor we had used might be cheaper. And so they were. So I went back to the drawing board and composed an order from Aaron's preferred towel acquisition vector. Or so I thought...
It turns out I clicked on the wrong item, and ordered the fancy towels for twice the price. Something I heard about too many chefs and a broth has been nagging at my memory ever since. So our towel order cost us twice as many snaps as projected.
So today, with just a few of the previous stock between The Laboratory and an unthinkable towel-lessness, the fancy towels arrived. With the glee of a ten year old on Christmas morning I tore the box open, barely able to contain my inquisitiveness at why these towels were twice the cost.
I was underwhelmed.
Granted they are nicer, softer, patterned, and packed more delicately. But for half the money, I was plenty happy with the previous batch. Going from no towels to towels is a quantum leap. Going from OK towels to deluxe towels is not the kind of thing that would move one to song.
The previous towel stock
Enjoying the superior comfort and quality
So, now that I can say without hyperbole that these towels represent the most significant improvement ever visited upon this humble commercial space, I'll urge all of my patient readers to come in to The Laboratory. Not just for the tremendous savings on excellent music gear and accessories, but also to wash your hands in our state of the art washroom, and to marvel at the delights that a truly superior towel can inspire. It will make me feel much better about goofing the order and costing the company additional expense.
www.laboratorymusic.com
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Korg Clinic
Come to The Laboratory and ogle in amazement as the wizards from Korg descend upon us this Tuesday. They will be demonstrating, showcasing, and generally kicking out the jams with the new Korg M3 workstation. This new workstation is a powerful sequencer/sampler/composer, loaded down with a dizzying array of great new sounds. The clinic will be an interactive showcase and learning event.
One lucky attendee with leave with a free Korg mini-KP Kaoss Pad in their hot little hands.
One night only- factory authorized specials on Korg keyboards. If you were thinking of upgrading your keyboard, this is your moment!
Tuesday October 23rd
7pm - 9pmat The Laboratory
1450 Clements Bridge Road (Pathmark Shopping Ctr)
Deptford, NJ 08906
(856) 384 - 2725
One lucky attendee with leave with a free Korg mini-KP Kaoss Pad in their hot little hands.
One night only- factory authorized specials on Korg keyboards. If you were thinking of upgrading your keyboard, this is your moment!
Tuesday October 23rd
7pm - 9pmat The Laboratory
1450 Clements Bridge Road (Pathmark Shopping Ctr)
Deptford, NJ 08906
(856) 384 - 2725
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Grand Opening Email
Thanks to all who stopped by at our grand opening last weekend. We had fun, met many new area musicians, and put instruments into the happy hands of both vets and new players. That is truly the best part of doing what we do.
If you attended and submitted for our prize give-away, now is a good moment to summon the sound of a drum roll. Here are the lucky grand prize winners:
Mapex Pro M Snare Drum:
Nate Ware of Woodbury
Applause AE128 Acoustic/Electric Guitar:
Brian Sheldon of Deptford
Yamaha FG700S Acoustic Guitar:
Greg Eller of Gloucester
Audio Technica Studio Microphone Pack:
Angela Ford of Collingswood
Hohner Rockwood Electric Guitar:
Meghan Kelhauer of Westville
Thanks to all who played! And, as your reward for reading this, bring a printout of this email to our store and save $5 on any purchase of $45 or more. Coupons are fun.
ROCK!
The Laboratory
1450 Clements Bridge Rd
(Pathmark Shopping Ctr)
Deptford, NJ 08096
856-384-2725
www.thelaboratory.info
www.myspace.com/laboratorymusicstore
If you attended and submitted for our prize give-away, now is a good moment to summon the sound of a drum roll. Here are the lucky grand prize winners:
Mapex Pro M Snare Drum:
Nate Ware of Woodbury
Applause AE128 Acoustic/Electric Guitar:
Brian Sheldon of Deptford
Yamaha FG700S Acoustic Guitar:
Greg Eller of Gloucester
Audio Technica Studio Microphone Pack:
Angela Ford of Collingswood
Hohner Rockwood Electric Guitar:
Meghan Kelhauer of Westville
Thanks to all who played! And, as your reward for reading this, bring a printout of this email to our store and save $5 on any purchase of $45 or more. Coupons are fun.
ROCK!
The Laboratory
1450 Clements Bridge Rd
(Pathmark Shopping Ctr)
Deptford, NJ 08096
856-384-2725
www.thelaboratory.info
www.myspace.com/laboratorymusicstore
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