Together at last: Vinyl records and Southern BBQ in the heart of Silver Lake

Territory BBQ & Records, 534 Hoover Street in Silver Lake

When I was in Memphis last fall, I realized that a delicious connection exists between Southern BBQ and great music. After all, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis, Isaac Hayes, Al Green and many, many more spent their days steeped in some of the best ribs, pulled pork, chicken and brisket known to mankind, and they created some of the most groundbreaking music of the 20th century. When I headed to the Memphis airport, my belly fluttering with memories of all that great, dripping meat, and my carry-on stuffed with Memphis wax, I was probably the happiest man on earth.

We shall see if such a feeling can be replicated here in the City of Angels when Territory BBQ and Records has its soft opening on May 14. Located at 534 Hoover Street in Silver Lake (where a taco joint used to be, if memory serves), Territory will be, in the words of its press material, "Part authentic southern food joint,  part specialty vinyl retail store, Territory, owned and operated by  former Tee Pee Records executive Tony Presedo and former Bad Wizard frontman Curtis Brown, is sure to quickly become one of the city's premiere hotspots for foodies and music lovers alike" During a visit to his parents in North Carolina last Thanksgiving, Brown "'realized there was nobody in Los Angeles doing  the kind of barbecue you can find down south, and we had to fix that.' His friend and former label boss Presedo was looking to open a record store, so Brown simply proposed they combine the two, and Territory was born. The restaurant boasts, as Brown explains, 'the best barbecue recipes from all parts of the country ­ we¹ve  got dishes from North Carolina, Memphis, Kansas City, and Texas, all  under one roof,' with a menu that includes Carolina-style pulled pork sandwiches served on Wonder Bread, Memphis-style sliced brisket, Texan ribs, fried chicken, fried catfish, homemade pies made from seasonal  fruit, special casseroles, and incredible sides such as candied yams, macaroni and cheese, collard greens and freshly-made biscuits."

The food sounds good, but what about the records? The press release elaborates: "The record store features a similarly diverse selection of rare and collectible vinyl, spanning selections of psych, garage and deep funk. 'Obviously, not everyone that comes to eat is going to buy a record. But hopefully everyone that buys a record will come to eat,' says Brown."

As for me, my one hope is that the record store and the restaurant are well-separated and well-ventilated. Sticky-sweet barbecue sauce and collectible vinyl do not, after all, make comfortable bedfellows.