“Vinyl and record players have always been a revered thing for me, a distant but fantastic listening medium made especially so because my family never owned vinyl.”
“In my childhood our household subsisted on a peculiar amalgam of church and gospel, classical music, and NPR radio. However it was at my friends’ homes after school where I first experienced vinyl; sparking memories of humid Tennessee summers, hanging on the screen porch listening to “Tuesday’s Gone” from Lynyrd Skynyrd’s album (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd) on repeat. Often as well, the hum of Indigo Girls or Fleetwood Mac drifting from the Crosley in the den to the kitchen if I was invited to stay for dinner.
Despite not having much access to vinyl as a youth, I considered my infrequent experiences with records and record stores a rare treat. Among my first ever live shows, were JEFF (now known as JEFF the Brotherhood) and Spinto, two local bands breaking into the early 2000s Nashville indie rock scene. They appeared at Nashville’s Grimey’s record store, which hosts free in-store shows, featuring acts of all genres; not only an introductory venue for up-and-coming groups but also as a stop for touring bands looking to promote their Nashville gigs.
JEFF was particularly memorable as they were my first glimpse of post-punk rock. Their amp stacks were equipped to tear down a coliseum, much less an apartment-size record shop. Their song “Cancer Killer” from the album The Byzantine Empire was all at once an education and baptism by garage rock.
In the wake of iPods and online streaming, pundits have claimed that vinyl is making a comeback. But I believe that the mid 2000s surge of digitized music has not only made music more accessible but also fueled listeners’ appetites for a better music experience. Vinyl doesn’t need a renaissance, it’s just waiting for people to realize again that there is simply no replacement for the mode in which a vinyl player contributes to the listening experience. Few things are timeless, but vinyl is a classic that true music lovers will never be without.”
—Gabe Lee
“Eveline” is taken from Gabe Lee’s forthcoming album farmland which arrives in stores on March 22.
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PHOTO: BROOKE STEVENS
