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New shops + new haul video

Posted on June 8, 2016 by vinylhysteria

Here’s the deal: I’m supposed to be saving money for my upcoming trip to the Pacific Northwest, which is rife with record stores and thrift shops. I have about twenty on my list so far, and I’m sure I’ll be ducking into some that didn’t make the first cut. Plus I have a 32-page list of records I’m seeking. So I need to save some cash for that vacation, but you know me — I can’t resist vinyl! While visiting with family in upstate New York over Memorial Day weekend, I stopped in at Thrifted, a great thrift store with clothes, retro housewares, and lots of records. Most of the records were 70s and 80s, which was fine with me. I picked up four records for $10 and was a happy camper.

That was supposed to be my last purchase until vacation, but this past weekend, my better half wanted to go check out the vintage denim selection at the Kiam Records Shop in Nyack, NY, so we made a late-afternoon impromptu car trip down towards the city. I was trying to talk myself into only buying one or two used records, but right away I started spotting stuff I’d been looking for, and I couldn’t resist. I’ve been wanting to check out Kiam since I’m a fan of the label and its founder, Jennifer O’Connor. Plus they’re always posting photos of records I’d want. I’m really glad we made the trip, because it’s a great shop. Not only do they have a solid selection of new and used vinyl, but they also sell turntables, books, vintage clothes, pins, and other assorted goodies. I came away with some pieces I’d been wanting to add to my collection for a while.

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You can check out my finds in the haul video below. This will be my last one for a few weeks since I’m leaving for the good ol’ PNW soon, and when I come back, I have a Quasi show in New Jersey. I’m sure I’ll have a TON of records to show you guys when I’m finally home and recovered from my travels. Keep up with me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to catch a few glimpses of the stores I visit and the records I find.

It’s a Quasi Party!

Posted on May 26, 2016 by vinylhysteria

I could write pages on my love for the band Quasi, but anyone who follows my blog or my videos knows about my Quasi devotion. So I’ll just say this much — I have been excited about the Up Records reissues for months, and I was wowed and impressed by what arrived on my doorstep. This vinyl is incredibly gorgeous, and I could not be happier.

Wanna watch me geek out over it? Check it out below.

Brooklyn Flea Record Fair + a new haul video!

Posted on May 24, 2016 by vinylhysteria

A couple of weeks ago, I visited the Brooklyn Flea Record Fair in Williamsburg. The weather forecast was iffy, so I was on the fence about making the trek before seeing Land of Talk and Little Scream at Baby’s All Right. But at the last minute, we decided to head on down and see if we could get a little browsing in before the rain.

We arrived around 4:00, so I didn’t expect there to be much left in the bins, but it was still hopping. I was saving my cash for Land of Talk merch, so I wasn’t looking to drop a lot of money on records, but I figured I’d pick up a couple items. In the end, I only purchased one record: a sky blue pressing of the new Frankie Cosmos album, “Next Thing.” Yes, I already have the clear w/ white splatter pressing, but when the label rep told me they were designed so laying the clear and white over the blue would create a clouds-in-the-sky effect, I was sold. Plus, as you all know, I’m a completist, and I like having every pressing of any record I like.

There were quite a few women at the fair, which was nice to see. But as usual with these shows, I had a lot of dude elbows in my way as I flipped through bins. I watch the body language of women, and I see them all tucking their elbows in so that the person next to them can flip through without issue. But every time I was next to a guy, I had his elbow completely covering the bin I was attempting to peruse. I know there’s no malice behind the act, but it irritates me anyway. I don’t think that women should be having their elbows over the bins either, but what bothers me is that women (not all, but most that I witnessed) seem to automatically adopt the position that they shouldn’t take up any more space than they need to, and men just take up as much space as they damn well please — whether it gets in the way of others or not. Not all men, by any means. But I looked through maybe five bins, and I had dude elbows covering four of them. Also discouraging was the guy who told his daughter to stay away from the records, even though she was just looking and not causing any trouble or damage. Dude, don’t discourage her! That is precisely what worries me about young girls who might want to get into record collecting. If it’s presented as a boys’ club, then what happens to those girls who are interested? They’ll just move on to something else. It shouldn’t be that way.

I really need to devote an entire post to the ways in which women are so marginalized in the vinyl community (again, not by all, but by a good majority), BUT I do have a bunch of new records to show everyone. I stopped at Redscroll Records in CT over the weekend and found a good group of gems, plus I got a new record in the mail. Check out my haul below — it even has a small cameo by my cat, Cubby, at the very end.

Introducing Robin!

Posted on May 17, 2016 by vinylhysteria

Continuing my quest to find and highlight all the female record collectors out there, I interviewed my friend Robin (Girl + Records) about her collection.

Who wants to be next? Are you a woman who loves vinyl? Hit me up!

Name, location, blog.

Robin. East Coaster. Blog: Girl + Records.

When did you get into vinyl?

I got into vinyl when my parents started buying me records at the young age of 3. I started off with Sesame Street, Cabbage Patch Kids, and Alvin and the Chipmunks. Then it turned into Cyndi Lauper, Duran Duran, and Madonna.

What was your first vinyl record, and how was it acquired? Was it a gift or did you purchase it?

It was the single for Madonna’s “Lucky Star.” My parents bought it for me. I had to be around 4 years old.

What attracts you to vinyl as a medium?

There’s a special connection with vinyl that doesn’t come across with a CD. It’s taking the record out of the sleeve, spinning it, and really listening to all of the tracks thoroughly. I’m drawn to the artwork on the cover and on the back, as well.

How many records do you have in your collection?

I own 284 records. If you are counting 7″ records into the mix, then I total about 308.

What is your stereo setup like?

Kind of embarrassed, but these are temporary … I own two Crosleys. One is the old-fashioned brown make from Target, but I keep it because it plays cassette tapes (I cannot part with my best friends mix tapes from college). The other one is from Urban Outfitters. I plan on investing in a U-Turn, probably in the fall or winter, along with some killer speakers.

How do you store and/or display your records?

In the past, I had wire crates from Target that made it easy to flip through the albums, but they were jarring the edges of the vinyl. All of my vinyl now is in an IKEA record holder called a Kallax. I own two, since the one was overflowing with vinyl!

Where do you shop for your vinyl? Stores? Online? Yard sales?

In my early 20s, vinyl wasn’t en vogue, so most of the albums I found were from flea markets or yard sales. In my late 20s and early 30s, I would take trips to New York to visit my friend. Bleecker Street Records was one of my favorite record stores. I’d go nuts in there.

Now that I’ve been to New York so many times, I like Generation Records, as well as Rough Trade. There’s a good handful of record stores in southern NJ that are great: Innergroove, The Record Collector, Man Cave. In Philadelphia, there are Repo Records, Long in the Tooth, and Sit and Spin. I like to collect old and new.

What is your favorite record store and why?

I actually love Rough Trade. I collect a lot of new vinyl, so that’s my place to go if I’m in Brooklyn. I also love that it’s a venue, and they sell books as well.

What genres of music make up your vinyl collection?

My collection is pretty much split 50/50 between male and female artists, although I prefer female artists. I have everything from pop, rock, classic rock, rap, R&B, blues, punk, alternative, riot grrrl, etc.

What is your current favorite record on vinyl?

Cate Le Bon – “Crab Day.” I recently saw her in concert, and she was phenomenal live. Her album is good for putting a smile on your face; it’s a bit quirky, but the songs are catchy.

What is your most prized record?

The Slits – “Cut.” That album was a major influence on Kathleen Hanna and Carrie Brownstein. To own something like that is special to me. Plus, who doesn’t love Ari Up?

What white whales are you still looking for?

Mostly PJ Harvey’s earlier albums. They are extremely hard to find, anything before the “To Bring You My Love” era. Extremely expensive on ebay. I’m hoping to find “Is This Desire” at a reasonable price one of these days!

What is your favorite album cover art in your collection?

Probably the cover of Duran Duran’s “Rio,” because it’s so ’80s and fondly reminds me of the decade.

Do you have a favorite record label? If so, what is it and why?

I do like Sub Pop, but currently Hardly Art because of The Julie Ruin and Tacocat.

How do you connect with other vinyl enthusiasts?

A lot of my internet friends in college influenced my musical tastes and preferences. Without them, I wouldn’t have discovered so many great bands. I still keep in touch and meet up with them today! A lot of people I’ve met through the Sleater-Kinney fandom have similar tastes and go to a lot of shows, so I chat with them about bands/artists. One of my new best friends keeps me posted on all the upcoming bands from magazines who are touring our way. There’s so much out there, it can be hard to keep up!

Do you know a lot of other women who collect vinyl?

To be honest, not very many. Maybe a small handful of my friends.

Do you have any advice for women or girls who are interested in starting a vinyl collection?

My advice would be to get what you like. Sure, your taste might change over time, but having music or something great to listen to is what gets you through hard times, especially during teenage years. It’s hard to articulate what you may be going through, but that’s what music does. It makes you feel less alone.

Another Haul

Posted on May 11, 2016 by vinylhysteria

It’s time again! This one’s a good one, kids. Lots of great finds, including some cassettes, even though I do not collect cassettes. I don’t. I can’t. But some of those bands I love don’t release on any other medium, so I have to take what I can get.

What have you been picking up these days?

Hysterical for Sleater-Kinney (and colored vinyl)

Posted on April 29, 2016 by vinylhysteria

Okay, so, if you follow my blog and videos, then you know I’m a total geek for Sleater-Kinney. I’m always on the lookout for those harder-to-find S-K pressings, and I’m pretty much always over the moon when I manage to snag one. I’ve been to their shows, and I’ve gained a huge group of friends through this fandom — wonderful people I wouldn’t have met had it not been for our mutual love of this band.

So it seemed kind of ridiculous that I still hadn’t gotten my hands on a Start Together box set. Back when the band members started teasing photos of that gorgeous colored vinyl, I was drooling, and I hadn’t even fully immersed myself in their glory yet. It seemed like a big investment to make in a band I didn’t know all that well, so I let the opportunity slide on by. But soon after, I started listening in earnest, and then I was beating myself up for not having gotten the colored vinyl box set. Sure, I could have easily gotten a set with the black vinyl, but I’d already started buying up the single Sub Pop reissues, so it didn’t make much sense to go that route. Instead, I scoured online resources, considering cost and condition each time one of the colored vinyl sets popped up. I wanted it to be as close to mint as possible, and I so wanted the bonus 7″ to be a signed copy (500 were randomly inserted into the 3000 sets made). Nothing ever worked out just right, and then there was the cost. People wanted 2 or 3 times the original price, and that’s a big chunk of change to drop all at once. So I waited, and right when I got a bonus at work, two box sets showed up online for the same price. One was sealed, and one was opened, played once, and had the coveted signed 7″ record. I went back and forth, trying to decide what I wanted more. And in the end, I decided that I wanted to be sure I would get the signed 7″ and went with the already-opened NM set. Then I promptly told a good friend about the sealed one, and she snatched it up.

It’s a thing of beauty. It’s probably one of my most treasured pieces (behind that sealed Weeping Tile record and my signed Wild Flag). And because I already have all the albums on other pressings, I’ll probably keep this one as more of a collector’s piece instead of spinning it. Or maybe I’ll spin it once, just to see that gorgeous colored vinyl in action.

If you want to see the beautiful vinyl in this lovely box set, or you just want to watch me gush over it, check out the unboxing below.

K Records Unboxing

Posted on April 19, 2016 by vinylhysteria

When you order a big box of goodies from K Records, it’s always fun to show everyone what you got. Enjoy!

By the way, friends, someone please tell me how to properly pronounce Lois Maffeo’s last name. I always assumed it was Mah-FAY-oh, but I’m thinking that’s probably wrong. Someone enlighten me! I love her work, and it seems absolutely crazy that I don’t know the proper way to pronounce her last name.

#RSD16

Posted on April 17, 2016 by vinylhysteria

This morning, my alarm went off at 3:15 a.m. so I could be ready to leave the house at 4:30. We got off to a tiny bit of a late start, but arrived at Joe’s Albums in Worcester, MA around 6:30 and secured our spot in line. The doors opened at 8:00 a.m. sharp, and by 8:05, I’d already made my purchases and was headed out the door. I got everything I wanted, plus some. Couldn’t be happier with how RSD16 went down. Check out my trip and my recap below.

Record Store Day 2016

Posted on April 15, 2016 by vinylhysteria

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Record Store Day can be a touchy subject for vinyl enthusiasts. Some love it, some hate it. Many feel that the processing of all these special releases bogs down the already-limited pressing factories, and that is true. Many hate the rules and regulations, the chaos of having to elbow your way through crowds just for the chance to find one of those limited releases. Some feel it’s just a gimmick, and they hate spending large amounts of cash on a reissue that can be purchased in its original form and release for less. Some record stores love it, and some report huge losses on RSD from purchasing an overabundance of expensive records that their clientele don’t seem to like or want.

I get that it’s become more about the releases and less about celebrating and patronizing the record stores, and it is a little sad that the day has taken that kind of turn. But I still participate. And the reason I do is because I’m a total sucker for something that’s cool-looking or limited. That being said, I don’t buy records that I don’t care about. There are tons that have been the talk of vinyl sites for months now, but I’m not really into the big sellers. I’m out for some of the smaller releases, the ones flying completely under the radar. Also, I really do like to support my favorite record stores, and RSD just gives me an excuse to go and spend more money at said shops.

I do have to say, though — Record Store Day is freaking stressful. It requires a lot of research on my part. I live in an area with only one record shop in a 30-mile radius, and they don’t participate. All of my favorite record shops are at minimum 90 minutes away from me. So first I go through the list of releases and decide what I want. Then I start looking at the 30 or so shops within a three-hour drive and stalk their social media and websites until they start releasing details about their RSD plans. Usually by the time Thursday rolls around, I’ve narrowed it down to a couple of stores, and then Friday I make my final decision. But that’s only the beginning of the stress, because then I have to try and guess when people will start to line up at the shop, and plan my travels so I get there before or around that time. I’ve been going to the same record shop for RSD for the last three years. Yup, they came through again and that’s where I’m heading tomorrow. But I still don’t know what time I should line up. My first year, we ended up getting there about an hour AFTER opening, and I was still able to grab the release I wanted most (and found the other at another shop down the street). Last year, we arrived about 45 minutes early, and there were 20-30 people in line already. AND I only found two of the releases I wanted, and had to go to two other stores to get the remainder. That has me worried for this year. I’m almost planning on lining up two hours in advance so I can avoid the chase, though my record guy mixes all his RSD releases together so that it’s not in any kind of order, and that means the person ten people behind me could find the records I want before I do.

See what I mean about stress?

I’m mostly kidding. If I don’t get the releases I want, it won’t be the end of the world. But I have to say, I’m just dying to get my hands on that Weepies release. “Say I Am You” is one of my favorite albums from them, and it’s being released on vinyl for the first time. Plus it comes with a signed poster. That’s on the top of my list. The rest is just icing on the cake.

What about you guys? What do you think of Record Store Day, and will you be participating? Any releases you’re particularly excited to get?

Quasi Quasi Quasi (and a new haul video!)

Posted on April 14, 2016 by vinylhysteria

I love Quasi. Love them. In fact, I’m listening to “The Poisoned Well” as I write this. But for all my days of record collecting, and the many shops I’ve visited, I had never been able to find any Quasi vinyl in person. Only online. I was so flummoxed by the sheer absence of Quasi in stores that it became kind of a running joke, and then an obsession. Sure, I could buy any Quasi album I wanted online, but I refused. I wanted to find it “in the wild.” With every record store I visited, I’d wonder, Is this it? Will today be the day? But we remained ships in the night, me and Quasi vinyl…

…until Friday, March 25, when I stepped foot inside Rough Trade for the first time. And there, behind the Q divider, I pulled out a copy of Quasi’s “Mole City.” It was a moment of pure joy. Achievement. I may have even done a fist pump. I was sad that my partner in crime was not there to witness the moment, but my good friend Girl + Records was, and she documented the event for me. I finally found Quasi IN THE WILD. And now that I have, I’m free to spend unlimited amounts of money on Quasi from the interwebz! Kidding. But not really.

I talk about my Quasi find and many others in my new haul video below. Check it out and watch me wrangle my cat who insisted upon doing his best to knock my camera over.

And after you’ve watched my video, go listen to some Quasi. You won’t be sorry.