“Honestly, I was late to the vinyl game. But as soon as I discovered it, I instantly fell in love.”
“One morning around Christmas two years ago, I was living alone in LA, and a package showed up at my doorstep. There was nothing indicating whom it was from, but I opened the box and it turned out there was a turntable inside. I’ve never owed one before, but had always been meaning to buy one. I was a bit shocked and pleasantly surprised that the gods one morning had just dropped one off at my door. So that’s how I got my first turntable; it literally fell upon my door.
I later found out that our record label Bright Antenna sent it to me as a Christmas gift, and that was the start of my vinyl story.
Although it’s not the first LP I ever purchased, when I signed my first record deal with Bright Antenna, I decided to get myself two splurge items: one was a pair of new boots, and the other was a first edition copy of Nick Drake’s Pink Moon for $300—which I bought from Wombleton Records in Highland. It’s the highlight of my wax collection.
I grew up in Santa Barbara, and there was only one record store around at the time, which was a major drag because one CD would cost upwards of $20. I would tend to either not buy music OR not take a chance on a CD because I usually couldn’t afford it, and honestly, there’s nothing worse then spending $20 on a CD and having it be shit. I would rather eat.
When I moved to LA, I discovered Amoeba. I used to go in there bi-weekly and spend hours getting lost, looking through the used CD and vinyl section. It’s the music mecca of LA, or maybe even California.
The best part about Amoeba is their massive used section where you can get a CD or record for anywhere from $3–$9. As a result of that, I was able to buy and take a chance on a lot of new music that I wouldn’t have normally listened to, or been exposed to. You can take a chance on a $3 used CD and if it’s terrible, so what, you’re not out a meal. So, because of Amoeba, my music vocabulary quadrupled in the course of a year, and I will always be thankful of that.
The thing about vinyl is that it’s an investment. With iPods and laptops, music has become background noise. But a turntable and vinyl record requires your attention and demands your active participation. I remember the first time I played a record; the difference was astoundingly clear and definitely noticeable.
Vinyl is immediate. It sounds like the vocalist is actually in your room singing—same with the other instruments. It sounds human. There’s no 1s and 0s or digital compression. With vinyl you hear the performances, and the details, and the separation between instruments that make it so special, and so human, and so defined, and sonically brilliant.”
—Kyle Nicolaides, lead vocals/guitars
Enter to win Beware of Darkness’ brand new debut LP, Orthodox by telling us in the comments below your most extravagant vinyl record purchase to date. Kyle dropped $300 on Pink Moon, and you’ve got that beat, right? We’ll choose one over the top lunatic with a North American mailing address a week from today, 6/13!
