“Getting my first car was a huge deal for me. A truck actually, a 2001 Toyota Tundra. We did not have a lot of money but after my grandfather passed away he left each of my brothers some money and I bought that truck, used of course. A truck meant ultimate freedom, work opportunities, infinite trips to Guitar Center to try out guitars I couldn’t afford, and of course, going to every yard sale in my town to pick for vinyl.”
“This was taking place around the time when piracy was popular through Napster and Limewire, but streaming services like Spotify were years away. Exploring an artist’s catalog that you recently discovered was not as easy it is now. I didn’t have the money to pay for a new CD of one of Donovan’s albums and I had heard horror stories about people being prosecuted for music piracy. The great thing about picking for vinyl was that you could probably get a great condition copy of one of his records at a yard sale for a dollar.
I remember an older woman who saw me picking through vinyl at a yard sale saying “people still buy those?” We got to talking and she said her late husband had an entire basement full just collecting dust. I drove the truck over to her place and picked through her collection the entire day. By the time I left my hands were black, and lungs full of dust but it was worth it. I had acquired about 50+ classic Motown records for a bargain. One of the best ones was a B.B. King live album where the girls were screaming so hard it’s unbelievable.
I just checked Spotify for that B.B. King album and it’s nowhere to be found. They say you can find anything on the internet but one of the coolest things about vinyl is that there are some songs I can only listen to because I own them on vinyl. I have a rare pressing of a Leo Kottke best of record that has a song I’ve never been able to find online. So whenever I want to hear it, I have to turn on my speakers, find the record amongst my 300 + collection, guess where’s a good place to drop the needle and enjoy.
It feels good to work every once in a while to listen to a piece of music. The idea of listening to an entire album front to back is fading for a lot of music fans and artists. We are becoming a singles culture. It’s hard to dedicate your time to an entire album when there are a million more, available for free, at your fingertips.
It’s great to put on some vinyl and take yourself back to a time when music had to be sought out, when you had to go to the record store and hum out the song for the employees, when you couldn’t wait to get home to listen to the record you just bought, and when after doing all that, you realize the bands second record fucking sucks compared to the first and you wasted $12. I guess there are some benefits to the internet.
Oh, and 10 years later the truck is now the band’s touring vehicle. It’s been all over and it’s seen some serious shit, but it still runs like the champion that it is.”
—Mike McFadden
Animal Years’ full length, deluxe edition of Sun Will Rise is on store shelves now. Animal Years plays the Brooklyn Bowl on July 31.
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PHOTO: SHERVIN LAINEZ
