“Singing bye bye Miss American Pie, drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry…” When a legendary music store closes, that’s just the song that everyone thinks of. So is the case with Sundance Records & Tapes.
Sundance has been a San Marcos staple for over 30 years and it will close it’s doors for good on Sun., April 1.
I was on staff at the San Marcos Daily Record when had the opportunity to shoot a couple of assignments at Sundance. It’s a great place to shoot since all of it’s interior walls and ceilings are covered in posters, pictures and other music memorabilia. Then you add in the quirky staff and customers and the old-school vinyl music feel, and you end up with a completely authentic atmosphere.
I met owner Bobby Bernard when I was working on a project called 2 Minutes of Fame in 2009. It was a summer weekly series that featured stories, photos and audio slide shows about local San Marcos residents. I walked in to the store and asked if I could feature him. He said yes, but I’m not sure he knew what he was getting in to. I shot him working for a while and asked him a lot of questions, and by the end he was a little confused and a little annoyed, but I hope he was happy with what I came up with.
Click here to see the end result.
Then I visited the store again in March 2010 with Daily Record reporter Jeff Walker. We did a story about Bernard handing over the store’s management reigns to old friend Greg Ellis. Both Bernard and Ellis were very happy about the change and gladly gave an interview and posed for a few pictures.
Click here to read that story.
Last week I went back to the store, probably for the last time, to shoot a story for the Statesman about Sundance closing it’s doors. The atmosphere, though still authentic, was a bit different. Customers lingered a little longer, the staff was a little sadder, photographers streamed in to get a couple last shots of such a great visual environment. But through it all, Bernard seemed content. “It’s time,” he said.
Click here to read Ciara O’Rourke’s story about Sundance closing.
Here are some of the images from my most recent assignment at Sundance.
Owner Bobby Bernard
Manager Greg Ellis
Click here to see a full gallery of images.
Sundance’s inventory will be moved to Sig’s Lagoon, a record store in Houston. Sundance Records & Tapes will be missed.