"Damn The Man! Save The Empire!" Happy Rex Manning Day!

Damn the man! Save the empire!

Holy hell!  I honestly started off reposting last year with every intention of regular updates once again.  Clearly, I didn't uphold my end of the deal.  To be honest, life happened.  I know it's not an excuse, but, I also know that I am not exactly an internet destination spot for music and culture.  It's always been about the music and the vinyl.  It still is.  Since my last update back in June, I have increased my vinyl collection by about 1/3.  I mean, you can only work for so much.  It would be silly to believe that I wasn't out in all of my favorite record stores and attending all of the shows from Maine to Long Island over the past 10 months not collecting. The fact that I keep hitting that wonky IRStoGO app daily waiting for my tax return so I can buy what I'm considering my holy grail of records speaks volumes of my commitment.

I really wanted to update a lot.  Literally every time I bought a new record home. Then the prospect of deciding which one to listen to and write up first hit.  Then the superficial issues like lighting for pictures, the exhausting time it takes to get my draft(s) back from my friend the editor and so on.  As if that wasn't enough, and it wasn't, the sheer will to commit the time after pulling a 10-15+ plus day in a job I wasn't terribly fond of didn't leave me with a lot of creativity to write about much.  What it did leave me with was a lot of alone time to listen to all of my music.  Over the past 10 months, I had a spot where it was just me, my system, hundreds of records with a bunch of new ones in queue, in my Poang, with a dimly lit diffused purple smart bulb on and that's it.  (Ok, sometimes a drink.)

Over the past 10 months, I've picked up everything from an original Pink Floyd Dark Side of The Moon, (Sounds too fucking incredible), to a Japanese pressing of Klaus Nomi's masterpiece.  I've stumbled on ridiculously undervalued gems such as Zappa's Joe's Garage Acts 1-3, and music I've overpaid for but needed like Disintegration from the Cure.  (How have I knot owned that!?)  Now, all that and more is neatly cataloged and shelved just waiting for me to show it off to whoever is willing to sit there and listen to them or to me obsess over them.  I can't wait to talk about a lot of them right here.

At some point, I will.  This weekend may be a perfect time. It's Record Store Day Weekend!  Frankly, it doesn't mean much to me, not anymore.   My personal bias aside, it is a great day for those that appreciate the sounds of analog.  It gives me a great excuse to get out and support a local record store or two, (or 3 or 4!).  I don't need a special day though to go out and shop.  It may be fun to watch people go insane over some over the top repress of something no one asked for though.  (I'm still waiting for Cake to reissue Fashion Nugget, guys WTAF already!?)

All that said, I'm going to get back into this fully committed.  While I may not guarantee Vinyl "Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", and so on...  I will promise more entries.  It may be once a week, or once a month.  Hell in my mind I can think of at least 3 entries I can write between now and Saturday!  I really don't know how professional bloggers do it daily.  Oh, wait...  It's their job.

This is truly a site born of my hobby.  I don't get paid for it, nor do I want to.  Ok, there are ad's on this page, and I suppose that means it's monetized.  It's not.  With the amount of volume I generate, minus the ad-blockers, and the fact that people don't click on them, I don't get anything, so let's ignore that, but please tell me if they get annoying. I'm simply doing this because no one will listen to me IRL about my records or the music I like, so I'll just leave it here and perhaps someone will.  You're not getting Rolling Stone or Pitchfork quality here, but, I sincerely thank all of you who do read this.  I'm glad that someone enjoys the musings of a guy with a lot of wax on his mind.

Happy Rex Manning Day!

Word Up! New From Eric Clapton, Mari And Other News.

I had tweeted this earlier, but it's worth noting and even adding a little more to it.  Eric Clapton was profiled in the Wall Street Journal for a new single that he kinda released ahead of his 23rd studio album due out later this month.  The crazy thing about this single, Spiral, he improvised the whole damn thing.  Check it out when you can.  It's the WORD!  Obviously, I'll be buying the hell out of this album when it hits the street Friday, May 20th.

Listen to Eric Clapton's 'Spontaneous' new song 'Spiral' (exclusive) https://t.co/q1sDkqVwmq via @WSJ

—  (@WMVCulture) May 3, 2016

In other news, I just wanted to post another apology for the lack of updates.  Simply put, I've been really preoccupied with everything except enjoying my free time.  You should know however, that what little free time I do have, I've been spending it inside of a bunch of record stores.  Since my RJD2 post back on April 9th, I've managed to increase my vinyl collection by about 33%.  I bought a new Pioneer turntable from the awesome folks at In Your Ear Records.  I acquired new speakers from a good buddy and augmented them this past weekend.  Why I have a 7.1 surround sound system in a room that's roughly 150/sq is anybody's guess, but damn.  It's fantastic!   Try listening to Tame Impala's Currents on a 7.1 surround system and tell me that doesn't make you hot.  All of that has contributed to me settling into a newer space and getting more comfortable with my surroundings which are things I haven't been able to do since the holidays.  

Over the next few weeks up through late June:

• I have a lot coming up and going on.  I'll be traveling in, around, through, and back and fourth about CT for a while, so look out, I'm going to Red Scroll Records to do some damage!  I'll also be in and out of Exile On Main Street to soak up something new.  
• My birthday is coming up and there's no better way to celebrate than buying myself that new Clapton record.  
• I have a few concerts in June down in NYC and my long awaited vacation whereupon I'll definitely get some writing going on. 

All that said, this time last year it looked as if I would be blowing through all of the vinyl that I owned posting once a week, now, if I actually were to stop collecting, I could run this blog weekly for another 2 years and you'll never see the same record twice!  


Of course, I missed a lot by not posting, and that's not because I couldn't, it's because I made a conscious decision not to.  I purposefully didn't post for Record Store day because the original post that I made, I did so out of anger.  I actually condemned RSD because of its effects on music, record stores, indie artists, and the lack of quality releases.  I still have a draft of it, and perhaps I'll revisit it, until then I choose to stay positive.  Besides, I did end up supporting a few local record stores, and that's what's really important.

I also didn't post regarding the death of Prince mainly because what I had written devolved into an angry post about vinyl flippers and how they were seizing the moment and profiting off of the genius that was Prince.  Frankly, owning 2 of the greatest albums that he ever made, (IMHO), knowing that I'll never sell them nor be tempted to makes me happy.  I think that there are quite a few people out there that just don't give a fuck about music and too many fucks about money to appreciate music and vinyl.  So to that end, when I clean up that post, if I clean up that post,  and make it 98% about the artist and his music, I'll post it.  

I also had 2 other posts that I had started and subsequently shelved because I wasn't happy with the pictures that I took!  Needless to say now that I have a better sound system in place, with really bad lighting, I'll do a little more work and get those posts in the cannon over the next few weeks.

Finally, I do need to answer one of the comments that I had received over the past few months.  Someone had messaged me glowing over the success of my RJD2 post.  Which again, thank you all for the love.  It was by far the biggest post in this blog's history.  The indictment was that I spend too much time focusing on bands that nobody's heard of hence why those other posts don't get anywhere near the views and reactions that this one did.  Ouch.

In response, that's kinda the point.  I would get on my own nerves if I wrote about music that everybody's heard on the radio or a passing car.  There's a trove of outstanding music out there that many have never heard of.  it just happens to sound great on vinyl, and that's why I'm here.  The whole point of what I'm doing is in celebration vinyl culture.  Which in itself is an indie hobby.  If I didn't love indie music and bands that weren't widely known, I wouldn't be doing this.  So to all the indie groups, and those following me on Twitter, play on !  Let me know about your vinyl drops and I'll keep spinning.  That said, when you get some time, check out Mari who's released a flurry of music and remixes recently.  If you are a fan of Mozez, and by extension Zero 7, and yes, even Sia, you may enjoy Mari immensely. 

Mari - Free

Lastly, this post unofficially begins the countdown to #100.  The 100th post needs to be something special while I have an idea or two in the works, you just need to know that it'll be something kinda cool.  Like the 50th post, it'll also usher in a format change.  I'll be jumping to Wordpress and refreshing things a bit.  That project begins today.

That's all for now.  I'll be back Wednesday, where I'm going to get my immolation on.

Still Spinning - Black Friday is Upon Us

Fear not great readers of the interwebs!  Rumors of my demise have been fairly assumed and as such are categorically wrong.

I've been on the move from one state to another.

Collecting all kinds of vinyl...

From the fairly obscure and eclectic...

To the guilty pleasures...

To the albums that defined my life...

To the must owns...

To the not so uncommon...

To the uncommonly good...

To the life defining and rare...

Once I settle in to the new place, perhaps get the new turntable up and spinning, and finally get back to enjoying what I love, I'll be back with all of these and then some.  (I've been to some awesome shops over the past 3 weeks.)  Obviously with Black Friday coming there's even more coming down the pipe.  I'll be posting the stuff I'm willing to get in line for.  In the meantime.  Shop local, shop often and by GOD shop for your vinyl!