Not only is Wax Trax! Records being reborn as a label, but the famed Chicago record store will return next month, too — for one day only.

Julia Nash — daughter of label co-founder Jim Nash — is planning a one-day Wax Trax! pop-up shop inside Windy City music venue Metro on June 15 to mark the resurrected label’s first release.



The event comes a day after a release show by Cocksure, the new project featuring label mainstay Chris Connelly (Revolting Cocks, Ministry, etc.) and Acumen Nation’s Jason Novak. The new Wax Trax! is releasing a 12-inch from the group called “TKO Mindfuck.”

The pop-up store will follow the next day, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and will see Wax Trax! “unlock its vault of original label releases and collectibles, making them available in a retail setting for the first time since the store closed its Chicago doors in 1996.” The shop will be selling the new single, plus “original Wax Trax! pressings, subway posters, t-shirts and memorabilia from the label” and rarer items such as test pressings from Lead Into Gold, Front Line Assembly, Coil and more.

Nash, on the label’s website, writes:

This is an opportunity to remember the store and label’s history and celebrate the new release by doing something fun and memorable. As many of you can recall, the original Lincoln Ave. store atmosphere was incredibly vibrant and full of life. If we can capture even a fraction of that original energy and fire from my dad & Dannie, this will be wonderful event. As with the original store, we hope people will use the day to just hang out, meet up, see old friends have a drink and listen to some great music from that special era.

She also notes:

We’ve got a couple extra things up our sleeves to get the party stated. 1. The first 40 people will receive a special free Wax Trax! bag stuffed with goodies. We don’t mess around with our “free shit”, and we highly recommend getting there early. 2. We will be hiding one special “Golden Ticket” in one of the random shopping bags throughout the day. This ticket will allow the ticket holder into a special Wax Trax! event later in the year. We can’t give everything away, but trust us, this golden ticket would be a very, very good thing to have.

For more information, visit waxtraxchicago.com.

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