Welcome to Sonic Sherpa

Sonic Sherpa is an Australian record store that’s been brightening the Brisbane suburb of Stones Corner since 2015 (although the team has over a decade’s shared music retail experience from owning/running Skinnys in the Brisbane CBD back in the day).

We have a large and eclectic range of new and pre-loved vinyl on hand, as well as stocking turntables, CDs, books, DVDs and music-related t-shirts and paraphernalia. Sonic Sherpa also curates ranges for the region’s larger music festivals such as Splendour In The Grass, Falls Festival (Byron Bay), CMC Rocks, Gympie Muster, Tamworth Country Music Festival and many more such gatherings.

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sonic_sherpa

Indie record store in Stones Corner, Brisbane. Specialising in music'n'stuff.

CATCH O’ THE DAY! As is their wont the deluxe ve

CATCH O’ THE DAY!
As is their wont the deluxe version of new ninth studio album ‘Everything Was Beautiful’ by UK space rock icons @officialspzd has a perforated part of the cover that folds out into a medicine box, ‘cos everyone loves prescription drugs. I remember interviewing the band’s founder and frontman Jason Pierce (aka J Spaceman) for a reissue of their 1997 classic ‘Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space’ and he genuinely didn’t remember being in the studio while making it, still an interesting yarn but. Hopefully he remembers this one because people are going mad for it - such as Under The Radar’s 4 1/2 star review which posited “if it turns out that Everything Was Beautiful is the last Spiritualised project we ever get, it is an unexpected gift that lives up to the best of Jason Pierce’s storied career” - and the deluxe version is also pressed onto pretty pink vinyl, fill your memory banks with Spiritualized today!
#catchotheday #spiritualized #everythingwasbeautiful #sohesbeentold #jspaceman #spacerockexplorer #spacecadet #limitededition #deluxeversion #pinkvinyl #sonicsherpa

TUESDAY DREAMING… The billboard on the side of t

TUESDAY DREAMING…
The billboard on the side of the shop has some very colourful posters at the moment lending some aesthetic gravitas to our little corner of the 4120, everyone needs some beauty in life so seek it where you can…
#gigposters #culturalvibrancy #wallofcolour #brightnessinthe4120 #ourstonescorner #sonicsherpa

CATCH O’ THE DAY! Seems bizarre that it’s been

CATCH O’ THE DAY!
Seems bizarre that it’s been over 25 years since beloved Melbourne instrumental trio Dirty Three released their killer third album ‘Horse Stories’ on their own Anchor & Hope label as well as revered US indie @touchandgorecords, but it came out in 1996 and I crunched the numbers and it all checks out, dang. It’s great that it’s still resonating all these years later - AllMusic’s 4 1/2 star review offered, “It is fitting that Horse Stories helped Dirty Three reach a wider audience than they had with their earlier efforts, as it was an album that saw them reach new heights in creativity” - and this new reissue is on limited edition 2-LP yellow vinyl, deep dive into these impossibly emotive instrumental soundscapes it’s good for the soul!
#catchotheday #dirtythree #horsestories #hopeandanchor #touchandgo #instrumentalrock #2022reissue #limitededition #2lp #yellowvinyl #sogood #sonicsherpa

CATCH O’ THE DAY! Perth psych freaks @psychedeli

CATCH O’ THE DAY!
Perth psych freaks @psychedelicprncrumpets seem hell-bent on out-weirding their band name with their album titles - last year’s debut ‘SHYGA! The Sunlight Mound’ now followed by the more succinct but equally oddball ‘Night Gnomes’ - but they’re still delivering with their idiosyncratic take on proggy space rock! It’s getting great reviews from all over the shop, UK conglomerate Louder Sound gushing that the “Australian space cadets are back with their best album yet” and “much like the third-eye experience that informs their name, the western Australian quintet process an incredible amount of information and influences that have included space rock, punk, prog and yes, psychedelia, to create a dense and frequently intense yet pleasurable experience. But while there’s no change on that score, Night Gnomes proves to be their most cohesive and finest statement to date”, and to seal the deal we have copies on limited edition marbled green vinyl! Get freaky!
#catchotheday #psychedelicporncrumpets #nightgnomes #whatrealityrecords #secondalbum #limitededition #greenmarbledvinyl #spacecadets #getfreaky #sonicsherpa

CATCH O’ THE DAY! The new third album by much-lo

CATCH O’ THE DAY!
The new third album by much-loved Dublin post-punks @fontainesband is called ‘Skinty Fia’, which if my 15 years studying foreign language at uni (or the quick Google search I just did) are correct is Irish for “damnation of the deer”, referencing an extinct giant deer which used to be found in Ireland (and beyond). Now that we’ve got that all sorted the album is a cracker, NME giving it 5 stars and announcing that “the fight for a better Ireland deserves songs that mirror the depth of the crisis, and in its endlessly captivating glory, ‘Skinty Fia’ rises triumphantly to the task”, plus we have copies on limited edition red vinyl so get amongst it!
#catchotheday #fontainesdc #skintyfia #damnationofthedeer #irishpostpunk #limitededition #redvinyl #checkit #sonicsherpa

MO’ BROADY BLUES! We’re set up down on the Gol

MO’ BROADY BLUES!
We’re set up down on the Gold Coast for the 21st annual @bluesonbroadbeach festival, the wonderful free bash which runs from now through to Sunday! People come from all around the country (and beyond) to meet the bearded one in the middle of Broadbeach Mall, and while there most take the opportunity to catch some of the awesome blues-related acts playing non-stop on 12 stages and venues through the entire weekend! It’s a whole ton of fun and there’s plenty of chances to meet the stars and get stuff signed, come on down and get some free blues into your life!

#bluesonbroadbeach #musicfestival #goldcoast #19to22may2022 #completelyfree #12stages #bluesbluesblues #signings #merch #music #queenslandrules #comesaygday #onsiteretail

CATCH O’ THE DAY! I’ve been absolutely loving

CATCH O’ THE DAY!
I’ve been absolutely loving the new album ‘This Is A Photograph’ by US singer-songwriter @kevinmorby (out through @deadoceans), a gorgeous collection of tracks reflecting on the passing of time as well as a couple of mash notes to his partner Katie Crutchfield (aka Waxahatchee). You don’t have to just take my word on how great it is - check NME whose 5 star review reckoned that it’s “epic in sound and vision, its sprawling Americana and gritty rock’n’roll taking in the big themes” or AllMusic who called it “one of the best chapters in an already impressive catalog; one that finds a new artistic depth as it faces some of life's eternal concerns” - but do believe me when I say we have a couple of copies left on limited edition gold nugget vinyl, my word is my bond (or summin’)!
#catchotheday #kevinmorby #thisisaphotograph #deadoceans #sogood #limitededition #goldnuggetvinyl #sonicsherpa

CATCH O’ THE DAY! After three acclaimed EPs and

CATCH O’ THE DAY!
After three acclaimed EPs and a swag of singles rising Brisbane-born star @lilmallrat is finally releasing her debut album ‘Butterfly Blue’ (through local label @dewprocess)! I remember hearing her interviewed on 4ZZZ when she was just starting out and she oozed charisma - confirmed when she did a signing in the shop for her 2018 second EP ‘In The Sky’ and was such a legend to her fans - and critics are raving about her first LP (naturally pressed on blue vinyl), with NME gushing “Much of the Australian alt-pop artist’s debut screams potential hit – these compelling compositions are still perfect for bedrooms, but could captivate festival stages, too”, Backseat Mafia calling it “a perfect collection of pure pop jewels, fused with indie rock and rap, that glitters and glows” and even UK mag DIY getting amongst the action with the elegant appraisal, “Just as butterflies can retain some memories of life as a caterpillar while their brains and bodies undergo a total rewiring, ‘Butterfly Blue’ sees Mallrat emerge as somewhat of a transformed entity, one that is fully-grown and glimmering”! It’s so cool to see Brisbane artists kicking goals!!
#catchotheday #mallrat #butterflyblue #dewprocess #debutalbum #bluevinyl #fullygrownandglimmering #thinklocal #sonicsherpa

CATCH O’ THE DAY! The fifth album ‘Dance Fever

CATCH O’ THE DAY!
The fifth album ‘Dance Fever’ by beloved UK songstress @florenceandthemachine has arrived and many are heralding it as a panacea to the last couple of horrible years, such as The Telegraph who said that “[Florence]’s self-mythologising is extravagant, her poetic language overloaded, yet her lush music binds it all into something magical on songs that exploit explicitly female archetypes to examine her own psyche” or Consequence Of Sound who called it “an explosive expression of unity in the face of strife and an exuberant expression of hope” or NME who described it as “a joyous, slowly unfurling epiphany”. Check it out for yourself, we have copies in limited edition, indie exclusive 2-LP (including an etched side) grey vinyl, dig out your dancing boots it’s time for ‘Dance Fever’!
#catchotheday #florenceandthemachine #dancefever #albumfive #2lp #limitededition #indieexclusive #greatvinyl #igotthefever #sonicsherpa

ORDER IN THE COURTS! Brooklyn-based indie rock ove

ORDER IN THE COURTS!
Brooklyn-based indie rock overlords @parquetcourts have long liked to release their more experimental creations as standalone 12” singles and the extended version of ‘Plant Life’ (from last year’s excellent ‘Sympathy For Life’ album) is no exception! There’s three different versions (an extended version plus a couple of remixes) and only 2000 copies worldwide, one for the believers…
#parquetcourts #plantlife #twelveinch #sympathyforlife #extendedversion #remixes #gimmeindierock #sonicsherpa

SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW… New vinyl finding

SONIC MASALA FEST IS BACK! The best day of the Bri

SONIC MASALA FEST IS BACK!
The best day of the Brisbane music scene's annual calendar @sonicmasalafest returns to @thetriffid on Saturday 13 August with an awesome array of local and interstate talent, and we're once more proudly sponsoring the bash alongside our besties in @4zzzradio, @younghenrys and @zangrecordsau! Some of the bands playing the two-stage extravaganza include Infinity Broke, Mess Esque, the great Tom Lyngcoln, Dumb Things, Spirit Bunny, Mr. Maps, People Mover and many more equally rad outfits and if you pre-purchase a ticket you go into the draw for a $100 gift voucher at the niftiest little indie record store in Stones Corner, us! It's a killer day and this year it's back in full flight (ie. sans COVID restrictions) for the first time in years, so grab a ticket and dust of those drinking/dancing boots!
#sonicmasalafest2022 #smf22 #saturday13august #thetriffid #presentingpartner #4zzz #younghenrys #zangrecords #killerlineup #ozrockunderground #brisbanerules #prepurchase #giftvoucher #toomuchfun #sonicsherpa

CATCH O’ THE DAY! Any true self-respecting TISM

CATCH O’ THE DAY!
Any true self-respecting TISM fan needs to acquaint themselves with the epic project ‘Only The Shit You Love’ by that band’s founding frontman and creative lynchpin @damiancowelldc and his current dance-tastic project Damian Cowell’s Disco Machine! The ambitious project not only roped in guests the caliber of Judith Lucy, Patience Hodgson, Aunty Donna, Shaun Micallef, Geraldine Quinn, Matt Stewart and Liz Stringer, but it entailed the production of a 19-part animated graphic novel web series and an an accompanying 19-part podcast (as a TISM fanatic this is the jewel in the crown, not only providing a fascinating account of DC’s pre-TISM musical journeys (spoiler alert: ouch) but also acting as a wonderful snapshot of late-‘70s/early-‘80s suburban Melbourne, even dipping a toe into the inner-city bohemian circles TISM so loved to desecrate), all of which culminates in this 2-LP opus! The musical bed is far different these days (we can thank New Order for enticing DC into the dance realms apparently) but the lyrics are full of the same wry, existential ruminations and picking apart of society’s abundant foibles that you’ve come to know and love, and there were only 500 copies pressed so why are you still reading this?
#catchotheday #damiancowellsdiscomachine #onlytheshityoulove #doublealbum #daniancowell #tismfounder #humphreybflaubert #animatedgraphicnovel #podcast #sogood #usemanybuylots #sonicsherpa

FREE DIRT RETURNS! It’s been over 30 years since

FREE DIRT RETURNS!
It’s been over 30 years since the iconic 1986 debut ‘Free Dirt’ by pioneering Sydney (via Brisbane) rockers @thediedpretty has been available on wax, originally released by Oz rock HQ Citadel Records but now being reissued by Sorcerer Records on 3 June! The label say that ‘Free Dirt’ “remains a highlight of post-Birdman Sydney rock & roll, mixing Stooges/Velvets-style garage-rock grunt with post-punk sounds gleaned from the likes of Pere Ubu and the Laughing Clowns” while US mag Trouser Press wrote that “"The highly recommended album — which contains glimmers of the ’60s, Dylan, Gram Parsons, folk-rock and neo-psychedelic — uses guest contributions of mandolin, violin, pedal steel and sax to magnify the band’s own essential variety”, and there are only 500 copies being made so pre-order today to ensure your stroll down the memory lane of underground Oz guitar rock with this gem!
#preorder #diedpretty #freedirt #1986debut #citadelrecorfs #reissue #friday3june #sorcererrecords #ozrockclassic #brisbaneroots #sonicsherpa

CATCH O’ THE DAY! This killer 2-LP compilation o

CATCH O’ THE DAY!
This killer 2-LP compilation of the great US poet-singer-songwriter @thisispattismith not only came out on @rsdaustralia but was curated by RSD themselves (with assistance from the staff at US indie record stores)! It’s got all of Smith’s amazing hits, with Flood Magazine reckoning that “the mistress of post-Beat poetry and Substack storytelling gets her palms read and her bests (from 1974 to 1996) selected by those who love her most - the staffs of indie record stores across the country - with the results being predictable but still gloriously rocking”, it’s vaguely incredible we still have copies left so immerse yourself in the High Priestess Of Punk today!
#catchotheday #pattismith #curatedbyrecordstoreday #rsd222 #highpriestessofpunk #beatpoetry #legend #sonicsherpa

HUMP DAY WAX Had some random new vinyl titles (som

HUMP DAY WAX
Had some random new vinyl titles (something old, something new etc etc) hit the crates on this rainy Wednesday, beautiful art to take your mind off the miserable elements…
#humpdaywax #newvinyl #letseatgrandma #madness #themonkees #toroymoi #bauhaus #sager #fuckedup #scarey #thepopgroup #incite #dirtythree #yumizouma #clinic #skullfist #bacaorhythmandsteelband #beachhouse #heapsmore #sonicsherpa

CATCH O’ THE DAY! LA-based singer-songwriter Sha

CATCH O’ THE DAY!
LA-based singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten (@sharonvanhalen around these parts) is back with her sixth LP, the perhaps presciently-titled ‘We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong’ (out through US indie @jagjaguwar)! It’s been getting typically killer reviews - Consequence Of Sound said that it’s “unmistakably the sound of an artist in their prime, hitting at all the conceptual points that they set out to reflect while remaining true to their strengths… certainly her strongest, boldest experiment as a songwriter yet”, while Paste gushed that “the combination of her voice, her ever-deepening talent as a songwriter and musical arrangements that are well thought out but not fussed over makes ‘We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong’ a potent addition to Van Etten’s catalog. Whatever else the album title refers to, she’s been going about her music exactly right” - and we have copies left on limited edition clear smoke vinyl, don’t delay to avoid the dreaded FOMO SVE variant!
#catchotheday #sharonvanetten #wevebeengoingaboutthisallwrong #jagjaguwar #albumsix #limitededition #clearsmokevinyl #fomosve #sonicsherpa

CATCH O’ THE DAY! Over the last few years it’s

AHOY, THAR BE DANGER(MEN)! Thanks heaps to local l

AHOY, THAR BE DANGER(MEN)!
Thanks heaps to local legend Sean from the great Brisbane rock institution @swashbucklinghobo for bringing in the new 7” ‘Wrong Train Home’ by local garage mainstays The Dangermen (for whom he also slings the axe)! It’s an entirely relatable local parable about partaking too much and ending up on the wrong train line at the end of the night, and you can no doubt hear them belt it out in full flight when they open for Oz rock veterans the Psychotic Turnbuckles at @thezoo.bne on election night (Sat 21 May)! Vote one for Brisbane rawk!
#newsingle #thedangermen #wrongtrainhome #swashbucklinghobo #brisbanegarage #qldrawk #drrock #thankssean #sonicsherpa

WEEKEND WAX! After a month of long weekends it’s

WEEKEND WAX!
After a month of long weekends it’s nice to be back to normal, and to celebrate this cruisy Saturday we’ve added a veritable shitload of new vinyl to the crates, mainly new titles but a few cool re-ups as well! Come have a gander!
#newvinyl #pinkmountaintops #placebo #pretenders #planet #warpaint #sunflowerbean #neilyoung #sukiwaterhouse #rhcp #spiritualuzed #sharonvanetten #kinghannah #alisonwonderland #kylie #hatchie #belleandsebastian #oldcrowmedicineshow #brmc #broods #drapht #chillinit #blocparty #themarsvolta #empath #basiabulat #heapsmore #sonicsherpa

CATCH O’ THE DAY! We sadly lost Oz rock legend B

CATCH O’ THE DAY!
We sadly lost Oz rock legend Brian Hooper back in 2018 - the bassist best known for his work with Beasts Of Bourbon but also playing alongside Kim Salmon and the Surrealists, Rowland S. Howard, Penny Ikinger, Spencer P. Jones, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds and many more - but he also built a strong solo canon over the journey, which Spanish label Bang! Records added to a couple of years ago with the posthumous release of ‘I Won’t Bend For You’. It’s a killer album that he recorded in Melbourne with a band featuring Mick Harvey (who also co-produced with Hooper’s wife Nineveh), J.P. Shilo and Dan Tucceri, and also a typically star-studded array of guests including Kim Salmon, Spencer P. Jones, MJ Halloran and many others. It’s rocking and funny and bittersweet and the perfect memento of a much-missed rocker, well worth a listen for those into the Aussie rock’n’roll underground.
#catchotheday #brianhenryhooper #iwontbendforyou #bangrecords #ozrockicon #posthumousrelease #riphoops #sonicsherpa

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