“2017 was an exciting year for vinyl. I had been eagerly anticipating Sparks’ Hippopotamus release. So much so I submitted a video for their “Hippopotamus Spoken Word Fan Video.” I got in (along with my pirate puppet), and it still tickles me that I (along with other die-hard fans) am on Sparks’ official YouTube channel. I have even made friends thanks to that video.”
“Sparks’ fans are so interconnected it’s literally like a cult, but in a fun way—I never want to be deprogrammed! I cherish my vinyl copy of Hippopotamus along with my signed lyric sheet. I also thought their Black Friday Record Store Day release “Check Out Time 11am” was fantastic.
My other favorite band, The Chills, also had a stellar Record Store Day Release in 2017, with “Rocket Science/Lost in Space.” The Chills are so eclectic and cool. They manage to maintain what you love about them and keep you guessing at the same time. In my opinion I think Martin Phillipps has taken up Pete Seeger’s torch, and is incredibly articulate about income inequality and environmental issues. I eagerly await The Chills new material.
Both artists have shaped me artistically. Sparks have instilled in me a sense of irony and fun, and while the rest of the world is sepia toned, the Mael brothers are in technicolor. The Chills consistently wow me with their ability to write songs that are both epic and intimate, hopeful yet realistic, and full of beautiful metaphors.
—Jenny Andreotti
“My earliest memory of vinyl records is actually a story I shared with Jenny on our first date back in 2001.”
“In the mid-1990s I was in high school and working as a waiter at Denny’s. I was mostly listening to bands on Dischord records at the time, however, for some reason or another I found out about Crank! Records. They had this amazing mail order distro. I knew my parents would have been pissed if they found out that I was spending all of my school lunch money and my tips on records. (They still do not know about this.)
There is no way I could have records being mailed to my parents’ house, so I set up a PO box under my name at my local post office. From that point on I began ordering records every month from Crank! I could not wait to get home from school and skate down to the post office to see what came.
The record that totally changed my relationship with music was Blanket Warm (1996) by Lullaby for the Working Class. I had never heard of LFTWC but I took a chance ordering the LP only because I thought the band name was so cool. That record sounded so different from all of the punk records I had at the time and it totally led me into a whole new direction both in music taste and in songwriting.
I think that there is something magical about record collecting in that every record store, thrift store, yard sale, or in my case, mail order distro can have a record that you have never heard of, but that can totally change your life if only you take a chance.”
—Joseph Andreotti
Fawns of Love’s 7″ vinyl single, “Zine Days” b/w “Something Stupid” arrives in stores on March 2, 2018—with a 3D cover and accompanying 3D glasses. Pre-order it here.
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PHOTO: JOSEPH ANDREOTTI
