An affectionate cinematic tribute that explores the history and last days of the San Francisco-based independent record shop Aquarius Records, which helped shape the tastes of Bay Area residents and beyond for nearly a half a century.
If you are a fan of any independently released music — indie rock, psychedelic, folk, krautrock, weirdo Finnish prog rock, Japanese noise, glitchy black metal, or anything that makes you feel like you’ve discovered a musical diamond in the rough — there’s a chance you directly or indirectly found out about it through Aquarius Records. The store influenced and enriched countless peoples’ musical tastes with their curated selections — but this film also shows the realities of an indie record store trying to survive in an increasingly difficult market of brick-and-mortar music shops, especially in the ever-changing and price-gouging Mission District of San Francisco, which ultimately saw the store close in 2016 after 47 years of championing underground and experimental sounds.
Over 60 interviews, conducted over six years, are included in this film: all of the store owners, other record store owners from around the world, musicians, label heads, music journalists, and INTENSE music collectors. A few of these folks include Matt Groening (The Simpsons), Wayne Coyne (Flaming Lips), Aaron Turner (Sumac, Isis), Ty Segall and Liz Harris (Grouper).