A new generation of New Zealand acts is making its way to New York City next week to participate in a special CMJ Showcase, and by way of a preview for that evening (and akin to our previous time down under) TVD will sound a lot like New Zealand this week.
We’ll meet the bands and chat a bit about our favorite topic around here—rekkids.
It’s Day #2 with—Princess Chelsea.
I began collecting vinyl when I was 17 years old and just starting to get excited about listening to music. I dropped out of high school and got a job at Marbecks Record Store in Auckland, New Zealand. At the time Marbecks was a specialty, family-owned business and it employed very few staff members, most of whom had been working there for a very long time and who were all extremely well schooled in their preferred genre of music. One staff member had over 20 YES t-shirts.
I remember fondly being given records by senior members of staff who took it upon themselves to school me up on Patsy Cline, Neil Young, and all their favorite obscure English bands from the mid eighties.
I continued to buy records from that point onwards and would shop at Real Groovy Records in Auckland where I could pick up Byrds, Beatles, and Beach Boys LPs for $5. I would mainly buy second hand and older titles as they were very inexpensive and this led to my exploring the history of pop, country, and rock n’ roll through the LP format.
Now that I am older I still enjoy listening to music but that excitement of discovering an artist like Neil Young for the first time is something really special and I think I associate this feeling in particular with LPs.
Princess Chelsea – The Cigarette Duet
I never would have thought back then that I would be releasing my own album on vinyl, but Lil’ Golden Book (my first album) is in the process of being pressed on gold vinyl and will be available on Lil’ Chief Records soon.
—Chelsea Nikkel
