“At some point in my early 20s, I got obsessed with the idea of vinyl even though I didn’t have a turntable and didn’t really live in what you would call a vinyl-centric music community, or least it wasn’t then.”
“I think it might have been seeing High Fidelity that sparked that initial interest in records. I definitely identified with the music nerd archetype of the lead characters in the movie. After that I started buying records on eBay, the first of which was Tell Us the Truth by Sham 69. I figured if I was going to be a full-on music snob, my first LP should be a British punk record, even though at that time, I didn’t even listen to punk music.
The whole thing seems kind of bizarre now, but at the time, it made perfect sense. I probably had 50 or so albums before I ever had a turntable to play them on. I think my friends were worried about me.
Since that time, I have amassed a pretty good record collection, albeit an esoteric one. Some of my favorite records I’ve found over the years were ones I just picked up on a whim, based on either the cover or name of the album/band alone. Illinois Speed Press by Illinois Speed Press and Justa Duster by Duster Bennett are two of my favorite finds. I didn’t really have high expectations for either one and was kind of blown away when I got home and gave them a spin. And like a lot of people I’m sure, I like to seek out and collect local albums – the stranger and more obscure, the better.
I’ve been fortunate to meet other folks over the years who have helped shape my vinyl experience by directing to me to different record stores or shown me the best non-retail places to dig. And I’m also lucky to be in a band where vinyl isn’t just a novelty pursuit, but something that we all feel equally passionate about. But I also collect cassette tapes, so I’m not sure my opinions should hold much weight.
The A-side of our new 7”, “45 Revolutions Per Minute” is our attempt to celebrate vinyl culture a bit. This was our first 7” release, so referencing the actual speed at which the record is played in the lyrics seemed like a cool thing to do.
Maybe we’ll write about tape hiss for the next release.”
—Ryan Taylor, singer/guitarist
Oil Boom’s 7″ “45 Revolutions Per Minute” landed in stores on August 13th!
