Vinyl Junkies Unite
We live in a digital world here at Rock of the Arts, but that doesn’t stop us from coming out of the closet as hardcore vinyl lovers on Record Store Day this Saturday. Madison is fortunate to have some of the best independent record stores in the Midwest.
With five local record stores participating in Saturday’s holy grail of vinyl and CD euphoria, we salute The Exclusive Company, Strictly Discs, B-Side Records, Sugar Shack Records and the MadCity Music Exchange for helping make Madison a true indie music city.
Please visit your favorite store or damn it, visit all five, for special deals and limited edition releases available only on Saturday. We were especially psyched about Strictly Discs’ DJ line-up on Saturday including Thomas Wincek from All Tiny Creatures, Julian Lynch and Aaron Coyes of Peaking Lights. Look for us hunting down some vintage David Bowie vinyl while listening to three of our favorite local artists spinning discs.
We asked Evan from Strictly Discs a few questions about Record Store Day:
Why do you think Record Store Day is so popular in Madison?
Madison is a unique city with a lot of civic pride; folks here are pretty passionate about supporting local businesses, and the stores here put a lot of love and care into what they do. We have a great relationship with a broad range of knowledgeable and curious patrons who get a lot of joy out of checking out new music.
Three artists that are at the top of our playlist; All Tiny Creatures, Julian Lynch and Peaking Lights all have DJ duties at Strictly Discs on Saturday. What was the inspiration behind the DJ line-up on Record Store Day?
All of the DJs performing are good friends of the store. The true essence of Record Store Day is about celebrating independent stores that support and nurture their local communities. We wanted our lineup to reflect the great sounds going on around town.
We definitely notice that there is a hardcore indie vinyl lover. What motivates people to become vinyl addicts?
Vinyl has an appeal that no other music format can seem to match. It’s something heavy you can hold, and the artwork and ephemera stuffed inside an LP gives you more to explore. We've seen a lot of folks coming through who seem a little burned out on the overwhelming amount of music that is available digitally; they want a more tangible, genuine experience with their music.
What would you say to someone that only buys from iTunes and has never been to Strictly Discs. Why should they check you out?
I would just stress that there are infinitely more artists and styles of music to explore once you shut off the computer and start digging for records. In our basement alone, there are thousands of albums you'll never find on iTunes. All it takes is a few needle drops and a couple of bucks. The digital age has certainly presented fascinating ways to discover music, but nothing really compares to pulling out a record you've never seen before and immediately falling in love with it!
