I often hear from bands, “We love vinyl but we don’t have vinyl just yet...” which is understandable. Enter the little internet wonder that is Kickstarter, and bands can pass the virtual hat and make that goal a reality.
Our friends in The Caribbean are doing just that in tandem with Scioto Records who have spearheaded a Kickstarter campaign to fund the pressing of a new 7″ single. The band’s Michael Kentoff opines a bit on just why:
“Slow on the uptake, it took me a while to realize there was a debate in our midst over the relative virtues of cds vs. vinyl. What probably did it was the sometimes strident (and loud) rhetoric coming from one side or another. That was a jolt; the “debate” (it always seemed to me) should be a nuanced disagreement between comrades, people who jointly love recorded sound, but enjoy the gentle sparring over this record vs. that, solid state vs. tubes, lava lamps vs. Quaaludes, cds vs. vinyl. A position pro need not judge the con. And yet, the debate is heated and, to me, weird.
I have always treasured the ease, portability, and sheer stackability of cds. I like that you can play them in a car. They also seem far less subject to variability of material used in manufacture or quality of stereo than vinyl. I made the leap early and, had the need arisen, would have defended the move with my life. That said, I missed the size and grandeur of vinyl – the heaviness, the gatefolds, the color, the pageantry. I was willing to give all of it up because I believed that cds simply sounded better.
Then I discovered needle-drops.
Needle-drops are bootlegged cds of high-quality vinyl records duplicated digitally from boss stereo systems and de-clicked (if necessary) by special software programs. I located some dude named Dr. Ebbetts who’s like the Daddy of Needle-drops, having made needle drops of, among other things, the entire Beatles catalogue. Before the recent Beatles remasters, these were the only option for people who wanted Beatles cds that didn’t slice your ears off with their thin, two-dimensional, poorly mastered sound. I compared an Ebbetts needle-drop of a German LP of Magical Mystery Tour against my cd copy and was agog. The needle-drop was three-dimensional, lush, detailed, and majestic. The cd required bandages. The new Beatles remasters are very nice, but some of them even fall short in comparison with many of Dr. E’s needle-drops.
So, there goes that argument. I slowly crept back into the vinyl universe and welcomed back into my life a new tactile world. Whether LP or 7”, the packaging and grooved shellacque of vinyl records have no analogue (no pun) in the digital world – even with the improved, non-jewel box cd trappings.
When Keith Hanlon of Scioto Records (Columbus, Ohio) approached us about doing a vinyl single for his label a few months ago, we were all like “Yeah?” When he told us the packaging would be a simple, elegant letter-press sleeve, we . . . said the same thing. The idea of The Caribbean playing a part in the story of experimental, new music coming out on a 120-year old delivery system is irresistible. Keith opened up a Kickstarter campaign to fund the record (if you’re interested in participating.) Keith’s a sweet guy, an ace drummer, a musician of impeccable taste who loves vinyl and cd alike, and a true sonic adventurer. And we’re pretty good, too. The two new songs: deluxe.
Ultimately, Keith embodies what I hope we represent: a love of art and an openness to all forms and all delivery methods. To get hung up on vinyl vs. cd vs. mp3 vs. mp4a vs. flac takes a lot of energy away from getting out into the world and discovering new sounds, new voices, and new energy. I’ll take new energy in any form: liquid, pill, intravenous, cd, mp3, or vinyl. Just make sure it’s the good stuff.”
—Michael Kentoff, Singer for The Caribbean
(Photo top: Dakota Fine | Photo middle: Nick Helderman)
