We’re delighted to announce that for the third year running, TVD will be taking SXSW. In tandem with our partners Audible Treats and Flüd Watches, we’re presenting Speakers Push Air, an official SXSW artist showcase this Friday night (3/15) at Austin’s Parish Underground. This week we’ll be introducing you to the evening’s line up and talking what else, but vinyl.
“Well, I was not offered the luxury of music or record players in my house. I was raised in an extremely fanatical Pentecostal household, anything resembling music that wasn’t Christian worship music was in fact of the devil. Unfortunately, I wasn’t fully introduced to vinyl until later in life, so fast forward past any childhood memories.”
“I do remember my first tape collection being thrown in the trash after being found, which I dug out of the trash and then rocked out to harder than ever. My first album I purchased was Jesus and the Mary Chain’s Psycho Candy. I remember trying to convince my parents that Jesus and the Mary Chain and U2 were Christian bands.
The first records I remember getting into was at my drummer’s house. I had joined my first band at 13 as a bassist with a bunch of high school guys while I was still in junior high. I didn’t even know how to play bass or own a bass guitar. Anyway, my drummer friend (Micah Norman) was way into Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne, and Anthrax, et al. I still remember while listening to those records that there was such a mystery to those bands and what they were all about just seemed bigger than life—it all seemed very untouchable.
Growing up in Dallas, south of the tracks, I would hop a bus with my skateboard and travel an hour north to Bills Record Store, which was and probably still is the coolest record store. I even remember seeing David J play an acoustic set there.
One of my first records I bought was Love and Rockets Earth, Sun, Moon—what a great album! However, I didn’t really get into collecting vinyl ’til college where I amassed hundreds of records, I got a little obsessed as we all tend to do with vinyl. It didn’t stop with the actual records though—I even had several turntables so that where ever I went in a house I could play records. One house I lived in we had at least 50 or so record players. I remember toting around the old school portable (elementary school style) record player to friends’ houses and parties.
I got so into record players and really rare vinyl stuff you would find in a library like whale songs, science experiments, and lectures. I started collecting odd records of collected sounds and would mix them and make weird tape collages. I even wrote a score once for a performance of 10 record players that I had performed in a theater. I was the super geek of experimental sound back then, way into Pierre Schaeffer, Steve Reich, Morton Feldman, La Monte Young and of course John Cage.
That’s when I discovered music that was non-music and using any/all sound to create music. I went on a whole quest to become an electro acoustic, sound scape composer all because of the vinyl format and record players. I definitely have an incredible relationship and soft spot for vinyl and the record player. They definitely, in many ways, changed and shaped my life.
One band I was in was a duo; I played drums then and also spun records at the same time, well samples. We made a 7-song record and I remember multi-tracking the samples then layering the beautiful sound of the crackle and hum of the vinyl. To get that sound though, back then, I had to actually pick up the needle and keep taking about a 10-20 second sample then loop it in post production.
Anyway, after a long stint as an experimental musician and composer I found myself back into rock music and starting this band Boy + Kite. I never thought I would play “normal” music again, but I guess I’ve come full circle.
Back to the records – there were so many great ones and influential ones, I went through all the usual love relationships that most do with vinyl but two records that stand out for me are Stereo Lab’s Mars Audiac Quintet and Emperor Tomato Ketchup. One of my best experiences listening to a record though was the Pixies Surfer Rosa. Well now I’m just reminiscing, those were the days, a lot of time on one’s hands, to shop for records and then to listen to them all the way through while just kicking back and getting really into the music. Those days are long gone on so many levels!”
—Darvin Jones, writer, singer, lead guitarist
Boy + Kite has just released the video for “Think In Stereo,” the popular single from its debut album Go Fly. The band’s follow-up EP “We Can Go Anywhere We Want,” will be released on March 19th.
