“I grew up in a suburb of LA where, at the time, there were used bookstores and record shops sprinkled around town within walking distance from my house. Anytime I had any amount of money, I’d walk to one after school and spend everything I had.”
“When I got my driver’s license at 16 I drove immediately to Amoeba Records in Hollywood and spent all my money on vinyl and cassettes (they had really good cassette deals!) In high school, anytime I’d invite someone to my room, either friend or romantic interest, I’d put on vinyl according to the mood. My vinyl collection was a major source of pride for me during my teenage years. I used to put on The Velvet Underground & Nico as make out music and felt like the coolest person. The first track on that album is called “Sunday Morning” and I recall putting that on many Sundays.
When I moved to New York City at 18 I started getting into thrifting and buying old records from popularly unknown artists and obscure piano records–basically really random stuff. The more random, the better. I liked the idea that I was uncovering lost musical treasures throughout various record shops around lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. I used to have vinyl of someone reading the U.S. Constitution aloud. That one provided a funny mood for sure!
Vinyl has always been something very special to me and I’ve always been drawn to it over listening to music digitally. To me, it establishes a vibe that is special and timeless, and I always learn something new taking out a vinyl record. I’m grateful for all the technological advances that have been made in music, but I always enjoy coming back to vinyl. It’s fun to hold a little piece of history and enjoy the artwork, album credits, and the lovely sound of a record spinning.
I recently recorded and released my very first vinyl records. I went into the studio with a guitarist and a drummer to cut four of my new songs direct-to-vinyl with Leesta Vall Recordings in Brooklyn. It was a thrill to make my own live records on vinyl! Especially since they are one-of-a-kind vinyl records, it was a very special experience for me as a longtime vinyl fan.”
—Katie Costello
Katie Costello’s Twice the Love arrives in stores October 6, 2017.
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PHOTO: KADRI BENNETT
