The last time I caught up with former Scowl guitarist Malachi Greene, he was introducing his current hardcore band, Skin Show. A few days ago, he hit me up to tell me about Hidden Sun Records, a new shop he's opening inside Hidden Sun Tattoo, where he also tattoos in Santa Cruz, California.
The concept is simple but fitting: combine records, local bands, and tattoo culture under one roof. For Greene, it's less about opening another retail space and more about creating a place where the people and interests that shaped his life naturally intersect.
"My friend Nic Yarbrough opened Hidden Sun Tattoo, and all of us there are into punk and hardcore, so it just kind of made sense," Greene tells No Echo. "I was there the first weekend it opened, and to kick things off, we had Drain play along with a sick lineup of local bands." When Greene eventually joined the shop full-time, the two started talking about what could become of the lobby. "He told me I'd always have a place to work there, and when I decided to come on full time, we had the idea to turn the lobby into a record store since so many of our friends were in bands and we all came from that world," he says. "We wanted a place where all our interests lived under one roof."
The project also taps into memories from Greene's own teenage years. "I always thought it'd be cool to be tattooing while friends stopped by to browse records while waiting to get tattooed, or just to see what was new," he says.
"I remember being younger and skating around town, hitting record stores to see what they had, then stopping by tattoo shops to say what's up to friends working there."
Greene says the project brings together the two worlds that have shaped his life for years. "Having my two favorite things—the things that have pretty much given me the life I have—in the same place is really special."
Like many lifelong record collectors, Greene has spent years visiting shops while on tour. Among the stores that left the biggest impression are Vinyl Conflict in Richmond, Randy's Records and Raunch Records in Salt Lake City, Streetlight Records in Santa Cruz, Amoeba, Programme in Orange County, Rough Trade, and Sub Pop.
Those experiences have helped shape the vision for Hidden Sun's inventory. "We're mainly going to carry hardcore, punk, Oi!, indie, and a lot of our friends' bands," Greene says. "I've already reached out to a bunch of local bands about bringing in their tapes, records, CDs, and merch."
Rather than filling every available inch of shelf space, Greene wants the shop to reflect the surrounding scene. "I want it to be a place where you walk in and immediately get a sense of the local music scene. I really want the shop to represent what's happening around here."
The shop won't stop at records, either. "Honestly, anything connected to the hardcore scene," Greene says. "If you've got a clothing brand and you're part of the scene, I'm going to try to get some of your stuff in."
That philosophy mirrors the relationship Greens has always seen between two cultures near and dear to his heart. "Tattooing and punk have always gone hand in hand for me," he says. "Some of my favorite tattooers came from punk and hardcore, and a lot of them have done album artwork for bands. It's always felt like a natural pairing."
Greene is quick to credit the people who've helped make Hidden Sun Records a reality. "My homie Nic, who owns Hidden Sun, has helped me a lot. I actually got my first tattoo machine from him when I started." He also points to his time at Lonely Hearts Tattoo in Salt Lake City as another major influence. "They taught me a lot about tattooing and really took me in. The owner, Troy, comes from hardcore, and all my coworkers go to shows and play in bands. It's the same vibe at Hidden Sun."
On the music side, Greene says Flatspot Records was the first label to immediately get behind the project. "The first label I reached out to was Flatspot, and they were immediately down to send us records," he says. "I really appreciate them for being the first people to jump on board. Ricky is the man and has always helped me out."
Hidden Sun Tattoo & Records will officially celebrate the launch of its record store with an opening event and flash tattoo day on August 23.
"We'll officially have it as Hidden Sun Tattoo & Records," Greene says. "Come through if you're in Santa Cruz and check it out!"
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Hidden Sun Tattoo
728 Water St
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Hidden Sun Tattoo on social media: Instagram
Tagged: hardcore owned businesses, scowl, skin show
