Five Years In, Rocket Number Nine Records is Soaring 

People ask Doug Wygal how he knew five years ago that Kingston was “about to happen” and could support Rocket Number Nine Records. Wygal says that Kingston was already happening.

Wygal, a drummer who’d spent 20 years at Sony Music Entertainment and 30 years on the New York City music scene says “we’d had a weekend place in Rosendale for eight years. This area has been coming up for a long time. BSP, O+ festival, and the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock have long been championing the local music and arts scene. There are a lot of interesting local bands playing original music as well as national touring acts coming in for gigs. This is a great scene to be part of."
The store could best be described as warm yet chill—intelligent, but without a whiff of snooty ‘tude.

“We specialize in rare records, lots of jazz and blues. But we’ve got classic rock like Journey and Foreigner," he says. "Our Inventory is very eclectic, David Grimaldi (the store's manager) is very knowledgeable and has his own personal taste as do I. We are from different generations with different perspectives that balance each other out. "

Rocket Number Nine has been anointed Best Record Store by Hudson Valley Magazine and is a scene in its own right.
"It's very rewarding to be part of the local community. Some people stop in the store every day to enjoy the conversation. Some are casual customers, but many are collectors checking in on the daily arrivals," he says. "We get a lot of kids, too. They are among my best customers. The next generation is falling in love with the Beatles and going to KISS reunions with their parents—so they come in and start exploring."

Rocket Number Nine will be hosting live performances during Uptown Kingston's Stockade Nights, taking place on the first Friday of every month. Coming up in October is guitar trio Bill Brovold, Peter Aaron, and Mark Ormerod, along with AWE. In November, the Schramm's will also be appearing.

Stop in anytime to listen to some music and hang. "We love it," says Wygal. "You will too."