NX35 announces opening of the Eight Track Museum

by PegNews wire

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The Eight Track Museum presents Metal Machine Music: 35 Years featuring rare tapes, promotional materials, and ephemera related to the popular history of the format.

DENTON — NX35 is proud to host the opening of The Eight Track Museum at 7 p.m. Friday, March 12, 2010. Fresh from his recent exhibition at Barry Whistler Gallery in Dallas, Earotica Music store owner and music producer Bucks Burnett brings his extensive and unusual eight track tape collection to Denton in coordination with the 2010 NX35 Music Conferette.

In conjunction with the exhibition opening, Burnett will curate a special exhibition entitled Metal Machine Music: 35 Years, focused on the 35th anniversary of the release of Lou Reed’s infamous 1975 double album, featuring eight tracks of many of Reed’s legendary projects and associates, including rare sealed tapes from the Velvet Underground, Nico, and more. Recently made aware of Burnett’s current tribute project, Reed sent a short note of appreciation, and explained that he has just remastered and reissued the album on vinyl and DVD, via his website.

The event will present rare tapes, promotional materials, and ephemera related to the popular history of the format. Materials of note within the museum collection include 500 sealed eight tracks by The Rutles (with the original shipping cartons), a three-pack eight track box set of recordings by The Beatles, and thirty sealed eight tracks by Elvis Presley (in their original RCA shipping carton). Also found in the permanent collection of the museum will be the complete eight track tape discographies of Led Zeppelin and Grand Funk, as well as partial collections of many more artists. In addition, rare and signed eight tracks will be on display, including a Led Zeppelin eight track signed by the three surviving members of the band, as well as tapes signed by legendary underground cartoonist Robert Crumb.

“2010 marks the 45th anniversary of the eight track, and I hope to present these tapes, for the first time in Denton, as historical pop culture artifacts,” says Burnett. “The eight track existed as a viable music format for twenty-four years (1965-1989), and deserves a worthy representation.”

NX35 is proud to help bring The Eight Track Museum to Denton, where Bucks Burnett’s ties to the music scene in the 1980s helped nurture (as well as challenge) the larger creative community. As owner of Fourteen Records on Fry Street (1988-91), Burnett opened the Museum of Bad Art, as well as the Tiny Tim Fan Club, helping bring the legendary eccentric to Denton to record his final album Girl (Rounder Records) with Grammy-winning musicians Brave Combo. As Bucks puts it: “I lived in Denton for 4 years which proved to be one of the best times in my life … Denton remains a top favorite locale. If you paved Denton, it would be interesting pavement.”

The opening event and subsequent programming will be filmed in HD for inclusion in Burnett’s seventeen year-old film project documenting the eight track format, “Spinal Tape.”

Entry to the museum is free for all visitors wearing a NX35 wristband. Entry cost to the museum is $2 without a wristband. The opening reception is on Friday, March 12 from 7-9 p.m., and features a very special and unusual performance by Denton’s own Brave Combo. In addition, Burnett will host a free short eight track lecture, tour of the museum, and the first ever lecture on Metal Machine Music at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 14.

During its brief residency in Denton after the conference, The Eight Track Museum will remain open temporarily to the public by appointment only. Burnett is actively seeking a permanent location for the museum, as well as accepting donations to this project of any kind, including unwanted eight tracks. To contact Burnett for an appointment, donations, or additional inquiries, call 469-867-4074 or email bucks1414[at]mac.com.

Source: NX35

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