Casey Shea’s third album, In Your Head, hits store shelves today, (11/1) on Family Records. (Your chance to get your hands on a copy is after the jump.)
“My earliest memory of anything musical was a toy record player I had when I was about four. It played 45s, and my favorite thing to listen to was a record from Showbiz Pizza. I can’t remember what the B-side was, but the A-side was a remake of “Do You Love Me.” Of course the singing was done by make believe bears, but the music was glorious and made me want to move.
A handful of years later, I experienced my first CD. It felt so futuristic at the time; it was shiny, spun around incredibly fast, you could skip to any track you wanted to hear with the click of a button, and even used lasers to play!! However, as cool as this new technology seemed, I always felt a bit screwed when comparing the artwork to the LPs my parents had laying around.
I was definitely part of the compact disc generation, but in my early teens, I began receiving Beatles albums on vinyl as birthday presents and gifts from family and friends of my parents. I had become a bit of a Beatles freak, and everyone knew that anything that had to do with the Fab Four was going to be a big hit with me. It was the mid-90s, and people had pretty much accepted that vinyl was a thing of the past, so I ended up the lucky recipient of some cherished musical hand me downs.
Unfortunately the fact that my parent’s record player was no longer functioning, and CDs were so convenient and portable, I viewed the vinyl as more of a collector’s item. After a few years, I had quite a collection, and as the years went by, the collection continued to grow. I found myself sifting through used bins at record shops, garage sales, thrift stores, and anywhere else I could find them. It might take an hour, but there always seems to be a gem hidden somewhere.
The collection was getting a bit out of hand for someone who couldn’t actually listen to the records. I think my wife got to the point where she was either going to throw out the records or buy me a record player. Luckily for me, she chose the latter a few Christmases ago.
Casey Shea – Jennifer
Now I had a lot of catching up to do, and it was amazing. After years of ipod playlists, skipping tracks on CDs, and only hearing things I thought I wanted to hear, I was forced to listen to a side of a record at a time. And then, when that was finished, I’d have to stand up, walk over to the player, and drop the needle on the other side. It’s a great and amazingly interactive experience. On top of that, there is the sound. No sample rates for your mind to fill in the gaps, just infinite sound waves – it is real music. The crackles and pops are an added bonus.
I’d probably say the albums that have had the most play over the years is either Elton John’s Honky Chateau or Tom Petty’s Damn the Torpedoes. Both are classics and filled with great songs played with so much feel. They are good to sit and really listen to or just have as background music for a party. One of my latest acquisitions is Dark Side Of The Moon which was bought for me by a good friend. It’s arguably the greatest album of all time and one of my personal favorites. Hearing it on vinyl has given it a new life for me; it is so dynamic and really just amazing sounding. It will surely get a lot of airtime in the years to come.
Last year, I was thrilled when Family Records put out a 7” of “Love Is Here To Stay” and a previously unreleased track, “Miles.” I remember picking up the test print from the factory and racing home to play it on my player. Then bringing it over to my bassist’s system to hear it there. What a thrilling feeling! When the final product came in, I sat there with it in my hands, the bigger artwork, the paper sleeve inside that held the slick black vinyl. It felt so much more substantial than any other plastic disc my music has ever been on.
Fast forward one year, and we’ve taken the next step with my new album, In Your Head. Not only have we pressed a full length, but the vinyl is clear. The package as a whole is amazingly beautiful if I do say so myself. I’ve had a lot of people buy them at shows who don’t even own a record player. When I ask why they want it if they can’t listen, they say they like the bigger artwork and it feels more like a collectors item. I can relate! Though for their sake, I hope they get themselves a turntable someday so they get the full experience!”
—Casey Shea
Enter to win a copy of Casey’s In Your Head by letting us know what song is currently taking up space in your cranium—the one you were humming in the shower this morning or the tune churning in your head over the past few days. And be honest—we won’t laugh. (We’ll try not to, anyway.)
We’ll choose a winner a week from today (11/8) and said winner must have a North American mailing address.
