After a few weeks of a cold and rainy January outlook in Houston, a hard freeze which canceled schools in the area for two days and a general demeanor that any multitude of broken New Years resolutions create; as the sun was slated to return I knew that the first real sight would do some good. So, set out on a Saturday, we made our way down I 45 to forecast any kind of accountability that a person can hold the clouds to.

The drive down was not without it’s own excitement. As we neared Nasa Road 1 heading southbound, bands of rain and with less than a mile of visibility from fog challenged all belief that the afternoon would actually provide the sunshine I so anxiously craved. The sky was a barren and hazy gray. What we realized as we safely made it to the Buc-ee’s in Texas City, was that the radar bands we experienced were the most intense around the Nasa Road area.

I am familiar with Galveston Seawall and what is pictured as “The Pleasure Pier” in the background. While the piers on Galveston are not new, the Ferris Wheel and carnival additions by the Landry’s Organization is a more recent (circa the last decade or so) staple in the coastline. Due to the planning of the shot that I was hoping for, I knew that I wanted to feature The Drifter’s “Under the Boardwalk”. I remember the song playing on the radio as I grew up to the smooth and iconic elongated vocals.

My efforts to locate the track on vinyl had been without any luck heading into the drive down to the coast. Arguably, the largest record shop in the City of Houston which I usually peruse didn’t have the track on a 33 nor a 45. So, I was going to have to use another track, I thought. But, since I like supporting local record shops even when I travel, I gave the internet a shot at locating the nearest island treasure. I wasn’t prepared for what I found.

A google search yielded The Vinyl Radio Skate Shop (525 22nd St., Galveston, TX 77550) and admittedly, I wasn’t that hopeful about the idea of real vinyl at a shop listed as selling sporting goods. However, when I stepped into the shop, meeting Chris, the owner and seeing his collection of varied records and quality components to play them on, my interest peaked. I let Chris know what we were looking for and talked a little bit of shop about the Internet Radio Station they host from the storefront location. Chris hopped into the hunt for the vinyl that had thus far eluded me. A few minutes later, emerging from a pile of 45’s was a copy of what I had spent weeks before looking for.

This find was a special one. I may have been quoted at the time with reciting a cl

ip from “Tommy Boy” about brothers and hugs. But most importantly, after the excitement of the find, Chris was kind enough to clean the 45 and protect it in a clear plastic sleeve.

As an added bonus, I asked Chris what his shop’s anthem would be. He replied “Alive & Kicking” by Simple Minds. Stay tuned for a special video on the IG account later this week, showcasing our video of the song and photo of the shop.

All in all, the sun came out that Saturday, we supported the Island’s restaurant week at The Spot, and captured an amazing shot down by the boardwalk. Thanks for being a part of the adventure!