“Hey! My name is Ellen, I’m a 21-year-old college dropout from Connecticut currently living in Boston, MA. Actually as I write this right now, I’m on tour in Champaign, IL waiting to play a benefit for a queer homeless youth center. Myself and my band are gonna be on the road for the next two and a half weeks (we’re already a week in) supporting my first full length record, Dry Food.“
“It’s the first time I’ve ever had a really serious release, including a physical vinyl pressing and it’s been really remarkable to see the response from pre-existing/new fans to this development. On top of this, hearing my music in the warm vinyl format was a really dreamy experience, having never really heard my songs in that format in the past besides one 7” I had released last year.
To be honest, before I signed with Exploding In Sound Records back in 2013, vinyl wasn’t entirely on my radar. I had never bought a player (or at least a functioning one, I bought one online once and it came broken, which was super discouraging and put me out of $100 when I couldn’t return it). I was super into CDs all throughout high school, as my car only played CDs, so I developed a collection of those as opposed to vinyl starting at 16.
Upon signing to EIS, a very small indie label at the time, I became aware of the resurgence of cassette tapes and vinyl amongst the DIY scene. As I started going to DIY shows in New York City, I would pick up vinyl almost as souvenirs, really enchanted by the whole package/emphasis on the art. Since then, I try to buy vinyl of every DIY band I like, and am building a small but very personal collection. I hope to have them as souvenirs from this time in my life where I’m getting into playing music outside of my bedroom or a teen center. I wish I could say I’m a vinyl enthusiast but I never really had the opportunity until now to start building that hobby.
Besides friends’ bands/bands in the extended DIY scene, lately I’ve been super into current artists such as Courtney Barnett (I recently received her recent LP as a birthday present), and Alex G, who we toured with and traded records with. Now that I’m getting into building a vinyl collection, I’ve found myself going to record stores in search of formative albums for me by bands such as The Breeders, Pixies, Elliott Smith, and Pavement. Unfortunately vinyl can be expensive which makes it a little difficult to really stretch my collection.
This being said, usually the most exciting part of a trip to a record store for me is on the occasion that they’re playing something I’ve never heard before and love. Just now actually, I was in a record store and the guy was playing some amazing surf guitar instrumentals by what turned out to be Dick Dale. He didn’t have the record but now I have something else to search for/listen to in the van.
All in all, I’d say that putting out a vinyl of my own music has only peaked my interest in developing more of an understanding of and appreciation for vinyl as a way of listening to music. Hearing songs that I’d heard a million times as though through fresh ears really illustrated the superiority of vinyl as a format for listening.”
—Ellen Kempner
Palehound’s debut LP, Dry Food is in stores now. On vinyl.
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PHOTO: CHAD KAMENSHINE
