“I guess my love affair with the sounds of the late 1950s through the 1960s began basically at birth with some great radio stations coupled with many a long car ride. If there was ever a time to say “I liked it before it was a cool indie hipster fad”…it would be now, but I’m secure enough to not play that card…please believe me!”
“And at about age six the process was sped up by the mysterious appearance of a giant jukebox in our garage. I didn’t know where it came from or honestly where it went, so I was glad to find I didn’t make this entire memory up. Upon further inquiry I learned that sadly my parents had a difficult time finding parts for it in the 1990s, and with Craigslist far from creation, the dream was short-lived thanks to some woodland creatures that called our jukebox home and its wiring…some sort of chew toy…
But to back track a little, I grew up in Sussex County, NJ—it’s the northwest point of NJ, basically all you need to know is that it’s in the woods. And by “grew up” there I mean I moved out a year ago… But I distinctly remember that once I got a pair of roller blades as a gift, my older sister and I would scoot around the garage cranking these 45s…the wild times of 1996 indeed.
It wasn’t until years later that I found all these records in a pile and realized that I had been listening to my current idols with singles like: “Simon Says” by 1910 Fruitgum Company, “She’s Not There” by The Zombies, “I Only Want To Be With You” by Dusty Springfield….and there were even a handful of Beach Boys singles (I really should have started this article off by expressing my undying love for Brian Wilson.)
This stack included most notably a “Help Me Rhonda” single. The story behind that particular 45 was that in 1965 my grandpa was going on a business trip to Harrisburg, PA and asked my mom what she wanted as a souvenir. She in turn requested this single…and despite how random, he brought it back for her.
Growing up I didn’t really have access to record stores too often just based on distance, so thankfully the family collection was up for grabs…meaning that among a vast collection of 1960s greats—that I will spare you an extensive list of—I got pretty much every Beatles record due to my mom being an active part of the Beatlemannia ….though she’s a Paul woman, I’m more of a John gal, my dad prefers to be a Rolling Stones man, and I was proud to get my sister into 1910 Fruitgum Company…and everyone in my family is a Brian Wilson fan, dammit!
And with that I stumbled upon great early Beach Boys records like “Surfer Girl” and “All Summer Long.” The interesting thing was that my parents weren’t even sure what they had and also appeared to have many doubles because after my dad’s time serving in Vietnam, one of his friends was hard-pressed for money and so my dad bought off some of his records so he could begin to afford to rebuild his life. Sounds like a pretty good guy to me. So finally with a growing collection of classics I started becoming kind of cool, with my pursuit of classical saxophone study in college, pop song writing on the side, and dedicating entire days to arranging songs off Pet Sounds for a 20 piece ensemble (well, I felt cool anyhow…)
I hope after listening to the songwriting style, melodies, arranging and analog production on the song “Wherever You Go,” it’s no secret that I am a die-hard 1960s fan in all genres from pop, bubblegum, soul, psych, rock, and country. So my appreciation for vinyl goes hand in hand with the music I love. It means a lot more to have the first Beatles record my mom bought with her saved allowance, and records my dad bought to help a friend after returning from the war, when he was no older than I am now.
The name Souvenir Stand also helps tie in all my sentiments about the nostalgia for music, the preferred recording and production style and the formatting of the music itself. Basically I’m a sucker for tacky souvenirs, if you see my bedroom it’s covered in random pennants, coasters, cups, tins, figurines, and even some cheesy vinyl from forgotten eras of theme parks, old Jersey shore knick-knacks, and just general household items from various states. To me they are simple yet they embody a memory—in this little object lives on the times I’ve shared with the people I love.
And that’s really all I want to do with the music of Souvenir Stand as well, preserve the memories of the sounds and the style I love while incorporating my own experiences and modern influence. I’m still working my way back in time format-wise with my release of the EP DAYS on cassette, but hopefully I’ll work my way back to a vinyl release soon enough.”
—Stephanie Cupo, Souvenir Stand
