“Nothing beats listening to my favorite albums on wax. I’ve always been an album guy, and vinyl records, for me, facilitate the necessary conditions for proper enjoyment of an album. The couch, the stereo system, the atmosphere, the lighting; everything bends to the will of the record once the needle drops.”
“Growing up in the ’90s, I experienced firsthand the minimizing and accessorization of the art and packaging (and ultimately the vibe) that was the unintended result of music going entirely digital by the early 2000s, and after going from cassettes, to CDs, to minidisks, back to CDs, onto to mp3s, and now streaming, it became clear that so much of the original context of people’s work gets lost in the details.
When all people have is a little track on their phone at the end of the day, something is missing. Records, to me, are the best way of retaining all of the integrity of an album and delivering the emotive experience to the listener as originally intended.
My record collection, while nothing to write home about, has become my little greatest hits of all my favorite bands. If I fall in love with an album, I feel compelled to add it to the shelf. Right now I’m really excited about my recent pick up of an original UK mono edition of Rubber Soul, and Nick is lending me a live Can record from France, circa ’75, which has some pretty insane stuff on it too. I also tend to keep Stereolab’s Mars Audiac Quintet next to the player as my go-to record these days for general life-living.
When I think of record stores, Everybody’s Records in Cincinnati is probably my favorite. It was the go-to shop growing up, and I even have posters from the walls of the store itself hanging in my apartment! Marvelous Records in West Philly was my jam several years back, and I’d never have gotten into Can if it hadn’t been for one of the guys there insisting I take Tago Mago home with me one day, introducing me to Krautrock and forever broadening my horizons. Lately I’ve been hitting up 1-2-3-4 Go! Records here in Oakland to satisfy my vinyl needs; they have a really killer selection.”
—Matt Stein, Lead Vocals, Guitar
“I got into collecting records when I was in middle school living in Cincinnati, Ohio. My music teacher was a great jazz musician and had this wall of records in his basement where he gave lessons. He was showing me all this great music that I couldn’t really find in the CD stores. We would joke about how you could tell a records history just by smelling it! Whether it came form an old church, grandparents basement, a nightclub, new car smell, etc…”
“Listening to music on vinyl was a more complete experience and I learned about a lot of great players by checking the liner notes. I was hooked and started buying records even though I didn’t have a turntable yet!
In High School I was playing in garage bands but started getting more into groups like Slum Village, Madlib,The Pharcyde, D’Angelo, and Pete Rock because I was recognizing some of the samples. These groups were vinyl-centric and really inspired me to keep digging for the next cut. I started picking up records anywhere I could sometimes driving to Detroit just to buy 45s, or go visit Matt in Philadelphia in search of some Ahmad Jamal cuts. When I moved to California I started frequenting Soul Jazz Records in San Francisco.
My favorite of all time is a little store in Cincinnati called Everybody’s Records. That was the spot! I found an original pressing of Milestones there, Fresh Out by Eddie Russ, Lloyd McNeill’s Elegia, discovered the Atlantics’ material on a label sampler, Yusef Lateef, Herbie Mann, Edu Lobo, Azimuth, Freddie Hubbard’s Backlash (the track “On the Que Tee” is my jam!), Krautrock outfit Amon Duul II, and many other favorites from my stash.
Recently I’ve been digging for some Kebnekaise, Marcos Valle, or any of Jack Dejohnette’s piano records. But hey, the dollar bins win me over EVERY time.”
—Nick Stein, Drums
“As a child I remember fondly playing my father’s jazz and my mothers folk-rock albums. My parents had all the great records: Joni Mitchell, Miles Davis, Neil Young, John Coltrane, and so on. I feel quite lucky to have been introduced to such great music at a young age. I’m sure that’s why I became a musician in the first place.”
“My favorite local music shop growing up was Salzer’s Records in Ventura California. I would save all my money and beg my parents for more to buy as many albums as I could each visit. Bringing all this new music home was like Christmas each time. Putting the needle on the wax and hearing the crackle felt like a comforting warm fireplace during the holidays.
As I’ve grown older I find myself listening to a lot more digital media via iPhone. I’m definitely guilty of succumbing to the single-happy, ADHD, internet music phenomenon. However, when I go see a band play live, I’m much more likely to buy their record or tape instead of a CD or digital download. I feel you just can’t beat the sound and satisfaction of listening to a fully analog album in a dim room with your favorite beverage.”
—Ron Doré, Bass
“Day Trader” and “Wavebreaker” are from Psychic Mind’s debut, self-titled EP which arrives in stores on November 17, 2016.
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PHOTOS: STEVE FORBES
