Nashville's Dead End Records specializes in metal, punk vinyl
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Inside Dead End Records vinyl record shop. Photo: Merina Novak/ courtesy of Dead End Records
A new record shop in the Germantown neighborhood is turning the volume up to 11 on Nashville's vinyl scene.
Why it matters: Dead End Records specializes in vinyl albums by metal, punk and loud rock bands. Nashville is a vinyl-enthused town with several successful shops, but Dead End is a rare niche shop that focuses on a specific genre.
- The shop sells bumper stickers that brag, "No, we don't carry Taylor Swift."
Driving the news: Ironically, the shop is located on Taylor Street in a collective of art galleries and retail shops near the Bearded Iris brewery.
- Dead End Records, which opened in July, is owned by Summer Daniels and Jake McKeel.
The intrigue: Daniels lists metal mainstays Coheed and Cambria, Mastodon and Baroness as some of her favorite bands.
- "I love metal and rock and alternative stuff," Daniels says. "But I always found it really hard to find that specific type of music."
Between the lines: Daniels tells Axios that opening a record store was a long-time goal, but the "demographic wasn't really there" for her specific metal-themed vision in her hometown of Panama City, Florida.
- Finding the small space inside the 100 Taylor collective was an 'aha' moment for Daniels and McKeel.
- With several of the city's popular record shops on the east side, Daniels thought their location in Germantown was perfect. The only question was if Nashville had enough metal fans to support Dead End's niche concept.
What she's saying: "I was really nervous going into it. It's something I've wanted to do for years, but with everyone learning about it, the response from the community has been amazing.
- "It gave us more fuel to keep going. There's been times we've been choked up because of the support we've received."
Zoom in: The critically acclaimed metal album "Sunbather" by Deafheaven was playing as two customers sifted through the racks at Dead End last week. But Dead End isn't just selling popular releases; it's also shining a light on Nashville's homegrown metal scene.
- A shelf at the center of the store sells vinyl albums from local bands. Daniels says she's been able to discover Nashville groups like Dead Runes since opening the shop.
- "We had about 50 bands reach out to us within the first week," she says, adding the bands were from thrash, metal, shoegaze and other sub-genres that lurk in the shadows of Nashville's music scene. "I knew there were some, but I didn't know how many there were."
What we found: Daniels and McKeel aren't just proprietors of vinyl records, they're also creators.
- They wrote and illustrated a children's book called "Mort's First Mosh," about a kid's first experience at a metal concert. The book is on sale at Dead End.
Stop by: Dead End is open Wednesday from 10:30am until 5pm, and from 10am until 6pm on Friday and Saturday.