Updated Tuesday, February 2, 2010

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Greetings from Grimey's!
Have you heard about My Morning Jacket's spring tour with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band? Well the PHJB has a fantastic new album out on Fat Tuesday, February 16, that features Jim James (ok, Yim Yames) as well as Tom Waits, Andrew Bird and tons of other great collaborations. Now the 'Jacket are taking them out on tour! Anyone who caught MMJ's epic Bonnaroo set a couple years ago know how awesome it is when they have horns so this should be an epic show of historical proportions (and what's sure to be unique set lists). The tour stops here in Nashville at Municipal Auditorium on April 21st. Tickets go on sale to the general public this Friday, Feb. 5 but I have a special pre-sale to offer to Grimey's newsletter subscribers. You can buy tickets in the pre-sale tomorrow, Wednesday Feb. 3 at 10am. Pre-sale tickets will be available (while they last) until 10pm, Feb. 4. Go here to buy tickets. Remember, this pre-sale goes live Wed. morning at 10am. Tickets will not be available at the link until that time. Good luck!

This week we add Laticia Wolf to the in-store calendar and we confirm Of Montreal's James Husband's in-store time this Saturday at 3PM. Details about these and our other in-stores directly below. Come out for our Kat Brock in-store tomorrow at 6PM and stay for William Tyler's Paper Hats and Brooklyn's Silent League, which begins downstairs in the Basement immediately after, at 7PM. More info on that show on the Nashville Cream blog.

What some are saying is the "album of the year" is out today with Midlake's The Courage Of Others, along with another classic from our own Glossary. Overall it's a light week for new releases but all the goodness we could find for you is detailed in the "Hitting The Racks" section.

Did you know Exene Cervenka from X is playing at The Basement this Thursday with Dexter Romweber Duo? I'll see you there.

Peace out,

~Doyle

Upcoming In-Store Events
In-stores are all free and all ages, always.  Come rock with us!

KAT BROCK - Wednesday, February 3rd @ 6PM
Remember Dixie Dirt? Whatever happened to Dixie Dirt? They were one of our fave bands there for a hot second. Kat Brock was one of the featured singers and guitarists in that much-missed Knoxville band and she's back with new material and new collaborators. Won't you join us as we catch up with an old friend?
Kat Brock myspace

JAMES HUSBAND - Saturday, February 6th @ 3PM
Have you heard A Parallax I? It's a sublime collection of pop songs with a '60s/70s bent, recorded over a decade-long span by Of Montreal member Jamey Huggins. It's really the record some long-time fans of his band have been wanting while Kevin Barnes works out his Prince fixation. "James" is coming to town, opening for Of Montreal (before playing with them), but we're showcasing him exclusively here at Grimey's earlier in the afternoon where he'll host our weekly beer:30 party. We're still working out the exact time around tour routing and soundcheck at Cannery Ballroom so stay tuned for that but go ahead and put this on your "to do" list, cuz it's gonna be all awesome and everything.
James Husband myspace

LETICIA WOLF - Monday, February 8th @ 6PM
Celebrating the release of her brand new album The Fire And The Flood, Leticia Wolf will offer a full-band performance here in the record store, with strings! Having grown up heavily influenced by punk and grunge, Wolf's songwriting jones eventually led her to the singer-songwriters of the '70s and The Beatles. She's fronted rock bands, punk bands and all-girl metal bands but was always ready to throw down with a solo acoustic show at a moment's notice. Of her new album she says, "The album is dark, but it's soft and delicate, even hopeful at times. The stories explore a meandering path that is green with acoustic guitar, piano, rhodes, organ, strings and even a few euphoniums. The production is dry, warm and at times playful, but never over-done."
Leticia Wolf myspace

SUZI RAGSDALE - Tuesday, February 9th @ 6PM
Acclaimed singer-songwriter (and daughter of country/comedy star Ray Stevens) Suzi Ragsdale been a songwriter and session singer for big-name country acts and a duet partner and accordionist for Pam Tillis, Randy Travis, Verlon Thompson, Guy Clark and Darrell Scott. And on her own she's released a couple of EPs that have the likes of Rodney Crowell acclaiming "'Best Regards' is just the right mix of wisdom, whimsy, and white wine. My advice is to listen in your kitchen. There's a lot of hers in the music." And that's too far off the mark as Suzi has run her own international market (Global Soup) and offers a recipe on every blog entry on her myspace. The Nashville Scene describes her music as "effortlessly funky, spiritually enlightened storytelling."
Suzi Ragsdale myspace

COAL TRAIN RAILROAD - Saturday, February 13th @ 4:30PM
If you've got kids and you shop at Grimey's, you absolutely MUST be here for this in-store where we'll inaugurate Juice:30! Heh heh. I'm not kidding. Coal Train Railroad are consummate musicians who have created a wonderfully cool "jazz for kids" project. This is one of those kids albums that parents will also fall in love with, produced by bassist Chris Donohue (Emmylou Harris, Buddy Miller, Gillian Welch, Collective Soul) and featuring the charming, playful voice of Katy Bowser. The songs are written from a child's perspective and cover such important topics as bellybuttons, juice, sharing, and snuggling, inspiring kids all over the world to dance, play, and use their voices to riff along with the musicians. It's fun stuff and very good. And we'll have juice! Check the wonderful testimonials here and please note the early start time.
Coal Train Railroad website

PEPI GINSBERG - Tuesday, February 16th @ 6PM
Brooklyn-based Pepi Ginsberg began putting her poems to songs while living in Philadelphia where she moved to study writing at Penn. While in Philly she crossed paths and formed a partnership with Dr.Dog frontman Scott McMicken, which resulted in her debut album, 2008's acclaimed RED, on the trusty Park The Van label (Dr. Dog, Spinto Band, Generationals). The release of her latest, East Is East, on Feb. 2 takes Pepi out on tour where she'll land in our neck of the woods on Tuesday, Feb. 16, which happens to coincide with Mardi Gras so what better excuse to P-A-R-T-Y! We'll have King Cake and everything!
Pepi Ginsberg myspace

SURFER BLOOD - Saturday, February 20th @ 5PM
Hailing from sunny Florida can certainly lend an uplifting feel to a band and Surfer Blood are no exception. They capture a vacation vibe with sunny harmonies, fuzzed-out guitars, reverb vocals, and catchy choruses, the boys make hook-filled indie rock with clever arrangements and superb harmonies. The songs contain a true feeling of skilled, but not overly polished songs, giving off a DIY esthetic. Their single "Swim" ranked as the #37 top song of the year on Pitchfork, which called it "2009's best piece of Weezer-esque power-pop". Their debut album, Astro Coast is our Jan. 19 and Surfer Blood will be in town one month later, with Turbo Fruits at The End, and we've got 'em to host our weekly beer:30 party with an in-store performance. It also happens to be my birthday (Doyle's) so join us won't you?
Surfer Blood myspace

WILL KIMBROUGH - Tuesday, February 23rd @ 6PM
Our good friend (and former bandmate of our own Grimey) Will Kimbrough returns to launch his latest album "Wings". He'll be here to showcase the new tunes live in our living room on the day it's released. "Wings" is his fifth solo offering, and delves into subject matter that most professional musicians deal with at one point or another: the conflict between family and career, love and work, parents and children. There are some damn fine and catchy songs too.
Will Kimbrough myspace

Free Stuff!
We've got some free tickets for you to win and a few nice things! Enter to win boxes for these give-aways are on the glass counter in the front room of the store.

Until The Light Takes Us, a documentary about Black Metal - This acclaimed doc about the European Black Metal scene opens at The Belcourt on Feb. 5th and you could win a pair of tickets to a screening on Sat. Feb. 6. What's Black Metal, you ask? Venture here and watch the trailer at your own peril.

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears - Free pair of tickets to see Black Joe Lewis with Cedric Burnside at the Basement on February 18th, PLUS you'll also win an autographed copy of the "Tell 'Em What Your Name Is" LP.

Silversun Pickups - Win a FREE pair of tickets to see the Silversun Pickups at the Nashville Arena, Sommet, or whatever they'll be calling it when the Pickups open for Muse on March 15th.

Tegan & Sara - Win a FREE pair of tickets to see Tegan & Sara at The Ryman on March 31st.

Vampire Weekend - Win a FREE pair of tickets to see VW at The Ryman on April 5th.

Somebody's gonna win this cool stuff. Why not you?! Come into the store to register for your chance to rock for free.

Hitting The Racks
Here's your weekly rundown of the new release goodness.

Midlake - Courage Of Others CD (Bella Union)
Existing outside the plane of trends and even time, Midlake has once again conjured a novel world, but one that seems to have existed forever. Looms of intricately textured keyboards, flute, guitars and voice are woven into broad cloaks of sound, all riding the wave of songwriter Tim Smith's sweeping vocals. Vinyl delayed.

Glossary - Feral Fire CD (Liberty And Lament)
The first release by Lucero's Liberty And Lament label (Glossary's Todd Beene also plays in Lucero these days) is marked by a testifying batch of R&B and country tinged rock songs that explore the band's dysfunctional relationship with time, religion, materialism, the universe and Southern ideals. Glossary have developed into one of the finest and fieriest bands on the indie scene.

Pierced Arrows - Descending Shadows CD/LP (VIce)
New from Portland-based trio comprised of legendary members Fred and Toody Cole of the seminal punk band Dead Moon.

The Brunettes - Paper Dolls CD (Lil' Chief)
The Brunettes have a meticulous craft in the studio. Writing pop songs, that most fickle of forms, requires a precision that comes naturally to the band, and their records ring perfection in every note. Their sense of fun firmly intact, The Brunettes inject their new batch of songs with a sense of modernity on Paper Dolls.

The Album Leaf - A Chorus Of Storytellers CD (Sub Pop)
For the first time in five albums, The Album Leaf recorded as a whole band. In the past, almost every instrument was performed by principal songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jimmy LaValle.
CD now -- double-vinyl available next week.

The Soft Pack - The Soft Pack CD/LP (Kemado)
A duo writing songs in California at the dawn of 2008 goes on to supporting The Breeders, Last Of The Shadow Puppets and Bloc Party as a quartet, and release two attention-grabbing singles that same year. They were the toast of CMJ in 2008 and South By Southwest in 2009, and then toured alongside Franz Ferdinand, Phoenix, White Lies and Black Lips in 2009.

Priestess - Prior To The Fire CD/2xLP (Tee Pee)
If you've ever seen Priestess in concert, you've probably noticed that the songs from the band's debut album Hello Master have a lot more energy live than on the actual record. In contrast, Prior To The Fire is rowdier sounding, with a more progressive and jamming atmosphere closer to the Priestess live experience.

Nneka - Concrete Jungle CD (Decon)
Nigerian-German Hip Hop/Soul singer/songwriter Nneka offers and album of love, hope and optimism dedicated to the people of Warri & the Niger Delta of Nigeria. Holding it all together is the emotional focus of her beautiful voice, located in a place somewhere between yearning and rage.

Bassekou Kouyate - Ba - I Speak Fela CD (Next Ambience)
Malian maestro is a virtuoso picker and musical visionary whose work blurs the lines between West African and American roots music. Bassekou's instrument, the ngoni, is a spike lute, an ancestor of the banjo.

Malachai - Ugly Side Of Love CD (Domino)
Ugly Side Of Love sounds like a Jamaican garage rock band. At other times it sounds like Merseybeat if the beats were supplied by RZA. Or like Dick Dale surfing the River Severn.

Toro Y Moi - Causers Of This CD (Carpark)
This multi-cultural juggernaut gathers up the best musical elements from around the globe: R&B, indie rock, electronic dance and psychedelia. Imagine Ulrich Schnauss meets Animal Collective on a mirror balled dancefloor.

Styles P & DJ Green Lantern - Green Ghost Project CD (Invasion Music)
New from NY rapper and founding member of The Lox and D-Block on DJ Green Lantern's label. Features guest appearances from fellow D-Block emcees Jadakiss, and Sheek Louch, plus M.O.P, N.O.R.E, Uncle Murda, Junior Reid.

Brown Vs Brown - Odd And Unevens CD (Cuneiform)
Brown Vs Brown is an intense and stunningly tight "rehearsal-intensive" avant-garde rock band from Amsterdam. Seemingly contrasting elements clash and recombine: meticulous composition vs. improvisation, complexity vs. raw energy and breakneck stumble rhythms vs. swing.

New York Art Quartet - Old Stuff CD (Cuneiform)
Formed in the summer of 1964, the New York Art Quartet existed for barely a year and a half, yet great interest still remains in their work. Consisting of John Tchicai (alto sax), who participated in John Coltrane's groundbreaking Ascension album and Roswell Rudd (trombone), considered to be the first free-jazz trombonist.

Salvador Santana - Keyboard City CD (Quannum)
Keyboard City marks Salvador's departure into solo territory but features a collaboration with studio wizard Money Mark (Beastie Boys) and for the first in a series of remixes, GZA of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan, rallied support around the album by featuring himself on remix of the title track.

Ceephax Acid Crew - United Acid Emirates CD/2xLP (Planet Mu)
New album from British acid house/drum 'n' bass musician Andy Jenkinson, brother of Tom Jenkinson (aka Squarepusher). An epic release with a strong '80s feel and a sound influenced by computer game music, Italo disco, synth pop, techno, and house -- all handmade on Jenkinson's ancient analog synths.

Skullflower - Strange Keys To Untune God's Firmament 2xCD (Neurot)
New release from the British industrial/experimental band evokes Wagnerian sonic bombast, a Nietzchean worldview, and a warlike cry of rebellion against the false, encased in a whirlwind both psychotropic and psychoacoustic.

Vedera - Stages CD (Epic)
A stunning collection of dreamy pop/rock melodies which address such themes as loss, devotion, betrayal and love.

Dave King - Indelicate CD (Sunnyside)
New from the Minneapolis-based drum wizard and founding member of the boundary pushing trios The Bad Plus and Happy Apple.

Joe Satriani - Live In Paris: I Just Wanna Rock 2xCD (Epic)
Double-disc live set from the veteran guitarist depicts Satriani's stirring May 2008 performance in Paris, France. Some of his most memorable songs, "Surfing With The Alien", "Flying in a Blue Dream", are matched with recent hits like "Super Colossal" and "I Just Wanna Rock."

Nick Jonas & The Administration - Who I Am CD (Hollywood)
Solo album from one third of the Jonas Brothers.

Lil Wayne - Rebirth CD (Cash Money)
Crossover rock album from the self-proclaimed "greatest rapper of all time." Features a guest appearance by Eminem. Also available as a deluxe edition which adds two bonus tracks.

Rob Zombie - Hellbilly Deluxe 2 CD/LP (Roadrunner)
Picks up where 1998's Hellbilly Deluxe left off.

Reissues...

Phil Miller/In Cahoots - All That CD (Cuneiform)
Supergroup of English jazz and rock players including Phil Miller (Delivery) and members from Soft Machine.

Vinyl...

Wanda Jackson - You Know I'm No Good v/w Shakin' All Over 7" (Third Man)
The highly anticipated Jack White-produced single by rock & roll and country singing legend.

Black Belles - What Can I Do b/w Lies 7" (Third Man)
They're from Nashville, have four members and like hats. Third Man categorizes the band's debut release as "a modern twist to a sound heavily rooted in the soul and garage rock of the '60s."

The Relatives - The Relatives LP (Heavy Light Records)
The Relatives' sound bridges the gap between traditional gospel, soul and psychedelia. Recorded from 1971-74, these powerful, genre-busting recordings stand up alongside the best soul and funk of the '70s and give praise to the Lord like you've never heard before. Fans of Numero's "Good God" series, this is your next purchase.

Spacemen 3 - Perfect Prescription LP (Fire)
Spacemen 3 - Performance LP (Fire)
Spacemen 3 - Sound Of Confusion LP (Fire)
HQ-180 vinyl reissues of quintessential space-rock.

Eat Skull - Jerusalem Mall 7" (Woodsist)
New track backed with two Sick To Death outtakes. Limited edition pressing.

Pepi Ginsberg - East Is East LP (Park The Van)
In East Is East, Pepi Ginsberg and her collaborators step into the golden hour of the day and embrace "The most ephemeral of seasons." A mood and a time where we "know that change is coming in the form of a cool wind; we hold on until we let go."

MV & EE - Home Comfort LP (Woodsist)
First ever all live LP of MV & EE material -- limited to 550 copies.

Kevin Barker - You & Me LP (Gnomonsong)
Vinyl version now available. Debut from favored collaborator and sideman for Vashti Bunyan, Devendra Banhart, Vetiver, and Antony & The Johnsons.

Dadfag - Scenic Abuse LP (Broken Rekids)
Recently released on CD -- now available on vinyl.

10% DISCOUNT on Preloved Merchandise EVERY Monday!
To paraphrase Booker T. & The MG's, Times Is Tight. We know. We're feeling it too. So to help you out and, hopefully, to help us out, we'd like to try a new concept - the weekly discount. We're going to start by offering a 10% discount on ALL PRELOVED MERCHANDISE (i.e. used stuff) every Monday from open to close. Come in on Mondays and everything in the store that's preloved (ahem, used) will be 10% OFF, every Monday (excluding dollar LPs and CDs under $5). If this works, we may apply the concept to other items on other days.

The Indie Underground Hour on WRLT w/ Doyle from Grimey's New & Preloved Music
Saturdays from 7-8pm CST on WRLT/Lightning 100, Nashville's Progressive Radio, www.lightning100.com

Big thanks to music lover, Grimey's regular and WRLT staffer Justin Hammel for stepping in and covering the show for me last week during the crazy winter storm lock-down. Much appreciated, Justin. Here's what went down on Hammel's watch:

playlist for Saturday, January 30th:

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes - Up From Below (Up From Below, Vagrant)
Local Natives - Airplanes (Gorilla Manor, Frenchkiss)
Lissie - Wedding Bells (Why You Runnin', Fat Possum)
Blind Pilot - One Read Thread (3 Rounds and a Sound, ATO)
Old Canes - Little Bird Courage (Feral Harmonic, Saddle Creek)
Caroline Smith & The Good Night Sleeps - Tying My Shoes (Backyard Tent Set)
Spoon - Written In Reverse (Transference, Merge)
Mirah - Nobody Has To Stay (Joyride: Remixes, K Records)
Akron/Family - River (Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free, Dead Oceans)
Horse Feathers - Rude To Rile (House With No Home, Kill Rock Stars)
Deer Tick - Smith Hill (Born On Flag Day, Partisan Records)
The Felice Brothers - Radio Song (The Felice Brothers, Team Love)
The Smart Brothers - Lullaby (The Smart Brothers)

Tickets, We Have Advance Tickets!
Grimey's offers advance tickets to shows. Ticket sales are CASH ONLY. Check the tickets list now online at the Grimey's website.

What's Happening This Week at The BASEMENT?
Check this week's schedule at the Basement's website.

MUSIC ON THE TV
What's rockin' on the toob this week? Check New Music Tip Sheet for more info. Shows marked with an asterisk (*) are re-runs. Also including some live radio appearances. Check listings below for details.

Tuesday February 2
Ben Harper & Relentless7 @ Letterman, CBS
Lady Antebellum @ Jimmy Kimmel, ABC
Motion City Soundtrack @ Jimmy Fallon, NBC
Neko Case @ Conan, NBC*
Crocodiles @ Carson Daly, NBC*
Switchfoot @ Craig Ferguson, CBS*
Wednesday February 3
Nneka @ Letterman, CBS
Harper Simon @ Jimmy Fallon, NBC
Nick Jonas @ Jimmy Kimmel, ABC
Metric @ Carson Daly, NBC*
Incubus @ Conan, NBC*
Thursday February 4
Hot Chip @ Jimmy Fallon, NBC
The Bravery @ Jimmy Kimmel, ABC
Robin Thicke @ Letterman, CBS
The Raveonettes @ Carson Daly, NBC*
Kate Voegele @ Conan, NBC*
Friday February 5
The Swell Season @ Letterman, CBS
Ozzy Osbourne @ Jimmy Kimmel, ABC
Jill Scott @ Craig Ferguson, CBS
Lisa Hannigan @ Carson Daly, NBC*
Diane Birch @ Conan, NBC*
Saturday February 6
Them Crooked Vultures @ SNL, NBC
Esperanza Spalding / Madeleine Peyroux @ Austin City Limits, PBS
Monday February 8
The Bravery @ Jimmy Kimmel, ABC*

Full Tilt Boogie! Features Of The Month
Each month we highlight five new releases in the store. All five of these titles are featured on a special Grimey's listening station where you can preview them in their entirety. Please drop by to sample these fine new releases.

Spoon*Transference (Merge)
Transference, Spoon's seventh album and first full length offering of new material since 2007's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, is already inspiring the likes of NPR to declare that it "may be Spoon's best record yet." Preceded by the infectious single "Written In Reverse" and featuring instant classics "The Mystery Zone," "Who Makes Your Money," "Is Love Forever?" and more, Transference is yet another essential release from the most critically acclaimed band of the last decade.

Midlake*The Courage of Others (Bella Union)
The Courage of Others is the lusted after follow-up to Midlake's 2006 cult classic The Trials of Van Occupanther. Existing outside the plane of trends and time, Midlake has conjured a novel world, but one that seems to have existed forever. Looms of intricately textured keyboards, flute, guitars and voice are woven into broad cloaks of sound, all riding the wave of songwriter Tim Smith's sweeping vocals. They blend early Brit folk influences with thick-throated guitars propelling new sounds and emotions. The Courage of Others is positioned to be the latest installment in the important and ever-evolving discography of one of modern music's most unique torchbearers.

Los Campesinos!*Romance Is Boring (Arts & Crafts)
Romance Is Boring is an ambitious record that's bigger, deeper, more complex and direct than anything Los Campesinos! have recorded. Produced by John Goodmanson (Sleater-Kinney, Bikini Kill, Wu-Tang Clan), it's filled with added brass, strings, drum machines and electronics, plus guesting from Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu, Zac Pennington of Parenthetical Girls and Jherek Bischoff of the Dead Science. Romance Is Boring feels like a band that's not so much grown up, but "fully realized."

Mayer Hawthorne*A Strange Arrangement (Stones Throw)
Mayer Hawthorne's debut of retro-soul gems is earning him fans like Justin Timberlake, Mark Ronson and John Mayer, who tweeted, "Record of the Year goes to Mayer Hawthorne". Hawthorne's self-produced tunes are an eerily accurate homage to the Motown hit machine - think Funk Brothers-style grooves, luxuriant harmonies, Holland-Dozier-Holland song-writing chops and sweetly naive vocals that recall Smokey Robinson and the Chi-Lites. - ROLLING STONE

Strong Arm Steady*In Search of Stoney Jackson (Stones Throw)
In Search of Stoney Jackson was produced entirely by Madlib. The album's conception owes a great deal to World Famous Beat Junkie, J.Rocc, who provided the trio with close to 200 of the prolific beatsmith's tracks to choose from. It's a hip-hop jam session, with the group acting as the rhythm section for an all-star cast of guest vocalists such as Talib Kweli, Planet Asia, Guilty Simpson, Evidence, Chase Infinite, and Phonte of Little Brother.

The CHART!
How about a top 26? With the winter weather severely cutting into traffic in the store, sales suffered significantly. Here are the 26 best selling albums of last week. Beyond these titles, it was all ones so no point in ranking those. Traffic is back up this week so we'll have a fully robust chart for you next week. Click here to see the chart

Grimey's Incredibly Fantastic Trade-in of Unwanted Presents
(or GIFT-UP) Program*
In case you didn't know, we do this goofy thing where we will trade you a happy Grimey's Gift Certificate for one of the crappy ones you got for whatever occasion from some unknowing, but well-meaning, relative or friend. We actually do this gift card exchange thing all through the year because we don't stop caring about you once December ends, but I only bring it up now because it's, you know, that time of year when people are in a gift-giving frenzy but are short on time/energy/ideas, etc. While Grimey's can't do anything about that sweater with reindeers on it or that smelly candle in the shape of an evergreen or those tins of stale nougat, we can help with those unwanted corporate gift cards*.

If you've received some corporate gift cards* that you don't want, stop by the store and we'll take them and turn them into something you can use -- a GRIMEY'S GIFT CERTIFICATE. (One of our awesome gift certs will be issued for an amount equal to the current value of the competitor's gift card upon verification.) Just bring your unwanted gift card to the front counter before you start shopping, and we'll have a Grimey's gift cert (or store credit) waiting for you when you're ready to check out.

* Yes, of course, there's a catch or three. (1a) The gift card must be from a chain competitor -- we don't trade on other indie stores' gift cards because we encourage you to support them too. (1b) Sorry, but we cannot accept gift cards from any retailer that has announced going out of business. Also, the chain competitor must at least sell recorded music in physical formats. So we won't except iTunes gift cards(seriously?). (2) The gift card's value must be verifiable via phone or the internet. That means that we can only accept a competitor's gift card if it has an 800-number or website where the value of the card can be confirmed -- see the back of your card if you're not sure. (3) The competitor's gift card must not expire for at least 6 months from the date of exchange. That's it.