Interview w/ Joshua Burkett of Frozen Corn & Mystery Train Records

Joshua Burkett, banjo player of the Americana folk group “Frozen Corn'' or perhaps better known as the owner and the “man behind the counter” at Mystery Train Records downtown Amherst.

Mystery Train has been a local institution and Josh has been a key figure in Amherst’s music scene, bringing people and music together since 1996. So we felt it was fitting to have them in to help kick-off our Construction Sessions at The Drake.

Hello Josh, thanks for taking the time out for us, and also a huge thank you to Frozen Corn for coming in for our first Construction Session.

JB: Hi! It was our pleasure.

It's been over 25 years now that Mystery Train Record has been catering to the area. How have you seen the music scene change in Amherst over the years?

JB: Well this first question is a big one... woah.  Yea 25 years is a big chunk of time as far as any music scene goes... and this area has been so loaded with cool music for so long...! And.. then you add the pandemic to the mix (which has basically changed everything everywhere in an endlessly deep way.) But yea... when we moved out here there was still the lingering effects of the wild late 80s west mass music scene… bands like Supreme Dicks would still play, etc... And it seemed like there were good shows every day of the week back then with amazing new and old players... plus there was a big jazz community, with folks like Yusef Lateef living here...and The Flywheel was starting up too(they started in Amherst...) then Thurston from Sonic Youth moved out here around then too... and he mixes things up everywhere he goes in a great way..!

We [Mystery Train Records] started hosting shows at some point too... with lots of local bands...plus bigger ones too(like one of the first Lighting Bolt shows out of RI) so was such a unique combination of great/positive powers at work. And back then... everyone was buying lps and cds rather then streaming (pre-internet days were cooler i think)...and Amherst had 4 other record stores, which all had a different focus. So yea, If you fast forward to today... it's an entirely different thing.

For sure.

How have you learned to adapt to the fluctuating music scene and changes in technology over the years?

JB: We we try not to be the “grumpy old men” that we could be (it would be easy), but the magic in the valley is entirely different now for sure. There are as many musicians as ever though... and more record stores again.

It is cool that vinyl is more popular again... and some of the new collectors really do seem to listen and care. And the other new record stores have different focuses than us, so we can co-exist ok... and if you are into records there are a lot of cool ones to be found in the valley right now. There does seem to be more of the loud bragging record dude thing around now (we always liked to be a nice place for all sorts of folks).. but there was always some of that around... we try to balance things out by carrying more books etc ...including literature/poetry... I guess some out of town folks even come up and make a day of  driving around to all the new record spots. So that's cool.  And as far as the live show thing... that still happens for sure, and there are more house shows now...like the Cold Springs house shows.  Last year we started doing shows here again... on a stage outside the building... with a great  response, but a venue like The Drake would really add a lot to this area in all different kinds of ways. And hopefully pandemic stuff will mellow out finally, and we can all hang out inside together over there. 

So yea..! The past 25 years have been surreal for sure... but also amazing... and it's thankfully its been rewarding to have stuck things out through the harder times and now we are in this future zone where things are happening in good ways.  And it's good that MT [Mystery Train] can still be part of the way people get music (which still can be one of the most magic things ever... btw)

That takes me back to when Mystery Train was actually in the lower level of The Drake’s Building.

As a longtime resident, record store owner, and musician in Amherst, what excites you about the opening of The Drake?

JB: I'm glad that there will be more music in downtown Amherst again. There were endless days and nights of music magic in that building(an amazing diversity of all kinds...!) when we were up there... So it's great to think that all of that could possibly continue again... in a totally different way...and with a new kind of diversity! Seems like there is a real need for it.

How do you think having a dedicated performance space will affect Amherst and the broader community?

JB: Seems like it could only affect it in a good way....for the listeners and the players. This area has a long history of musicians playing here...and also there are a lot of us living around here too. So if you can tap into those two sources, it should work out great.there is a real need for it.

Any final thoughts you would like to leave with us as we try to help rebuild our greater community through performing arts in town and beyond?

JB: For me...when i moved out here it was a real revelation... the way people were so friendly and supportive, and creative stuff was always happening all around... we have tried to keep that kind of energy and niceness. Of course it's harder to keep that kind of thing going these days, when just stepping outside can be dangerous... but hopefully we will be looking at a much better future soon, and when that happens, it will be good to be prepared...Music can be just as important and air, water... or even more important! Here's to many years of music-magic at The Drake.

What is next for you and Frozen Corn anything new on the horizon?

JB: Thank you! Frozen corn has a page on Facebook where you can contact us. Last year we were pretty active... all things considered. Hopefully in 2022 we will finish out second full length album (our first one is still available through websites like Forced Exposure) This new one is somewhat based on the classic Doc Watson / Clarence Ashley albums released on the amazing Folkways  label in the early 60s (you should check out those albums if you haven't heard them btw...totally classic mind blasters as far as old-timey music goes..)

Thank you Josh for taking the time for us. I’m sure we’ll see you soon enough at Mystery Train.