Turn it up: Sound Spectrum rocks back to life in Laguna Beach

Wave Baker chats with Sound Spectrum patrons. Photo courtesy of Brendon Crigler

A Laguna Beach landmark is humming again.

Neon lights glow inside the bustling 58-year-old record store, Laguna Beach’s only record store, Sound Spectrum–attracting visitors like moths to a musical flame. Bob Marley tunes dance along the now brightly painted walls that showcase music relics and legends that served as gods for many aspiring artists–Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Bob Dylan, among the obvious. Incense smoke trips on the ocean breeze, creeps through the open doors and transports visitors of all ages to Sound Spectrum’s original roots when founders Jim and Edith Otto opened the store in 1967.

Never mind the generation gaps, everyone’s united under one roof, rocking out to the same tunes and digging through freshly stocked records and paying nods and smiles to those legends that hang from posters on the wall and those working behind the counters.

 It’s music culture, it’s alive and it’s well in Laguna Beach once again.

“When I think about it…it’s like an old friend. Relationships change, but the friendship is forever,” said Wave Baker, longtime Sound Spectrum employee and friend of the Ottos. “It didn’t feel like the Sound Spectrum was over, like the Leonard Cohen song ‘Hey That’s No Way to Say Goodbye.’ It was their baby…Jimmy taught me everything I know about the retail business. I’m forever grateful to have been part of their family.”

The independent record store reopened its doors under new ownership after a brief closure last fall following the passing of longtime owner Jim Otto. Now, the iconic shop enters a new era, thanks to a young local sibling trio—Audrey, James and Sadie Wilcox—who are determined to preserve its legacy while infusing it with fresh creative energy.

“When I heard it had closed, I didn’t know the full story, but it felt like a gut punch,” said Audrey Wilcox. “It wasn’t just a business. Places like this are where people connect—it’s the kind of store that gives a town its soul.”

Audrey and her siblings grew up in Orange County. Though their backgrounds vary—Audrey in business and design, James in entrepreneurship and Sadie a rising singer-songwriter—their passion for music is shared. When they discovered Sound Spectrum was for sale over the holidays, they didn’t hesitate.

“It felt meant to be,” said Sadie Jean, who’s single WYD Now? went viral in 2021. “We’d already built something like a family business around my artist project. And with all of us living nearby, bringing music to the community just made perfect sense.”

The Wilcox siblings purchased the store shortly after Christmas and began working closely with Edith Otto, Jim’s widow and co-founder, to honor the past while preparing for the future.

“She’s been incredibly kind and supportive,” said Audrey. “She even replaced a cracked planter outside after we closed the deal, just because she wanted to help.”

Sound Spectrum’s interior may have changed, but the vibe remains the same as white walls now washed over with color–a deliberate nod to the store’s diverse musical spirit.

“It shouldn’t feel sterile,” Audrey said. “It’s a creative space—it should be inspiring, fun, even a little weird.”

The new owners brought back members of the original staff to keep the day-to-day operations running smoothly, while turning their focus to expanding what the store can be.

“We want Sound Spectrum to be more than a record store,” said Sadie. “Growing up, I didn’t know anyone else in Orange County doing music. I kept it to myself because I didn’t feel like there was a community for it. Now, I want this place to be that community for others.”

Plans are already underway for live events, artist meet-and-greets and open mic nights.

“We want to give up-and-coming musicians a place to try things out and connect with an audience,” said Audrey. “It’s not a huge venue, but that intimacy is part of the magic.”

Sadie, who lives in Los Angeles and tours internationally, says she’s eager to bring artist friends to perform and collaborate at the store.

“Everyone I know in LA is [into] music. And they’re excited about this,” said Sadie.  “I want Sound Spectrum to be their home base in Orange County—a place where ideas can grow.”

In addition to the classic rock vinyl staples that line the shelves, the trio is blending new releases and under-the-radar finds–digging hands be at their ready. The sibling group is also renewing their focus on Sound Spectrum merchandise, a tribute to the store’s enduring legacy and a creative outlet for the trio.

“People come in and they’re excited,” said Audrey. “There’s a lot of heaviness in the world right now, but music is a safe space. When someone walks in and lights up—that’s how we know we’re doing the right thing.”

Nearly 60 years later, the Sound Spectrum is still ringing through the eardrums of Laguna Beach locals, blending decades of classics that set the tone for the radically novel tunes of today. History may repeat itself and as Led Zeppelin would say, “The Song Remains the Same,” but it stands at the doorstep of a new generation of Laguna Beach music lovers who aim to keep music culture alive in the beach town and connect the community so the future can sound more colorful than ever before.

“This place has always been about more than records,” Sadie said. “It’s about connection. That’s what we’re here to keep going.”

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