“My first memory of vinyl is my Grandpa’s collection of old classical albums which I had no appreciation for at the time, but I remember being fascinated by how it all worked.”
“My Grandpa use to be quite unfriendly and intimidating when I was young, I was actually terrified of him. I knew he wouldn’t let me mess with the record player so I would always wait until he wasn’t around and then I’d try to figure it out. I got away with it a few times, but seeing as classical music wasn’t doing it for me at my young age, I eventually lost interest.
It wasn’t until my late teens that my love for vinyl truly began. I grew up in Florida which as everyone knows is full of old people. One good thing about that is the thrift stores are always full of vintage clothes and vinyl. I bought my first vinyl at a thrift store for something like 25 cents. Fly Like an Eagle by the Steve Miller Band. Pretty sure I listened to it on my roommate’s record player every morning for a year. There’s no better way to start off your day than sipping on some coffee and listening to a great album on vinyl.
I actually met the first girl I dated who was into vinyl at a small music store we both worked at called The Groove Tube. She was way cooler than me. She had a bigger and better collection and also had her own record player—I was just a poser always using my roommate’s. We spent lots of time sifting through hundreds of records at our local thrift stores in search of bands we love or just the craziest album covers we could find.
It’s really cool that vinyl has made such a great come back. There’s something special about listening to an album on vinyl over any other method. The sound quality and warm feeling you get while listening is one thing, but I also think the fact that it takes a bit more effort to play a record is another. Vinyl forces you to be present while listening which helps make it more of the experience the artist intended it to be.”
—Adam Winn
SWIMM’s “Beverly Hells” EP is available now in an extremely limited pressing of only 150 on orange vinyl via 24West Records—however we have an opportunity for you to win one right now.
Since this weekend is Record Store Day 2016, enter to win the “Beverly Hells” EP by simply citing your favorite record store in the comments below—and briefly why. We’ll choose one enthusiastic commenter on Monday, April 25, 2016.
