The last time I was here, there was an overturned truck blocking the 5 North freeway, and I hadn’t driven in LA traffic in years.
Not the easiest Roadtrip…
Hope you enjoyed the video!
Category: Blog Posts
Washington DC, The Blues, Go-Go, and Jim Croce (And why they go together)
It’s around 5:30, I had a pretty good day. Hopefully, you did too. While having a before dinner drink, I heard Otis calling me from the shelf. Asking me to let him sing out the day, and take my thoughts to the lovely sunset that was soon coming. I picked this album up for the second time about nine months ago, an RSD (Record Store Day) release with the album in stereo and mono, plus a 45.
In my teens, I would go to pawn shops and buy CDs with song titles and cover art that spoke to me. This method of shopping led to some pleasant digs, Billy Joel, Journey, Mint Condition, Santana, etc. I went to High School in Washington, DC. My high school had less than one white student, something that never actually crossed my mind during my time there, as my neighborhood was reflective of the same. Music doesn’t know such boundaries, though. I had my first taste of understanding that when Frazier O’Leary shared, Sympathy for The Devil with my AP Literature class. We were asked to interpret the lyrics.
DC has a unique genre of music, Go-Go. Similar to improv hip-hop, but unique with heavy African drums, Rototoms, and was typically covers of popular songs. Leaving DC for Blacksburg, VA was a shock in more ways than one. There weren’t any buildings, bustle, or blacks as the name might have suggested; there was music, though.
The first time I listened to the Blues was at Virgina Tech in 2002. My roommate loved Son House; the recordings were rough, and I couldn’t get past that. The Blues weren’t that famous in my mother’s house, though my grandfather had a deeper affinity. In Berringer Hall they became everything. It was the combination of being on my own, underage drinking, and being surrounded by woods. Perhaps the young love I was experiencing…whatever it was, Stevie Ray Vaughn, B.B King, and Muddy Waters found a heavy rotation with me. Odd for a teen from DC, huh?
I loved real instruments, probably has something to do with my love of Mint Condition.
I’ve been at this post for a while, now I’m listening to:
This album chokes me up, every time and on that note, I think I’m finished writing for the night.
As always, Keep spinning.
Aloha,
Tom
Expletives and Aloha – a trip to the California DMV
Only one word comes to mind when you arrive at the DMV, and the line is out the door before 8:30 AM…Fuck.
California Department of Motor Vehicles; not to be confused with what some people are calling the area surrounding and including DC. The two experiences couldn’t be any different unless you’re talking about the DC DMV in which case I can draw a parallax. It took me three hours to get an ID card in 1998. So…I’m at the actual DMV, updating the address on my license. I figure knowing my affinity for Southern California isn’t waning anytime soon…might as well go ahead and put a Hawaii address on my California license. Besides, I don’t want a rainbow on my ID; I’m not McLovin. Well not entirely.
he reception was awful inside, so record buying turned into blog writing. Most people don’t have their experience at the DMV turn into a pleasant one. Of course, you’re glad you got your documents, tags, or test completed. But how often do you have an engaging conversation about a topic that you’re passionate? Sandy (the clerk that updated my info) and I talked about records and wearing glasses.
When she told me she had a Crosley, I didn’t wince or cringe. I’m glad that people are getting involved with records at any level. I told her she’d be upgrading, but what was most meaningful was maximizing her enjoyment from her current setup. I asked did she have the quintessential record cleaning tools. Sadly, she did not. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, click here. I shared some tips and gave her a card. So if you’re reading this Sandy, Aloha!
Speaking of loving, I have thoroughly enjoyed the time spent in “America’s Finest City” which is also my favorite city. There has been great food, comedy, long walks, sunsets. I have checked most of my mandatory boxes, but I have not bought any records.
This is due to three reasons:
1. My new piece of luggage isn’t big enough – a week here took about as full of a suitcase as I would pack to avoid overcrowding. I have a sincere sense of loathing for ironing, steaming, and pressing. Not skills that were in the queue when it came time to choose life skills. I pack accordingly. Neatly folded and organized is how I like my luggage.
2. I like to carry on my records. Treating them like the precious cargo, they are getting strapped in on their way home from the record store; this is as close as I’ve gotten to caring for children. Their wellbeing is in my best interest. I haven’t seen anyone check their children; yet.
3. I haven’t visited Stereo Unlimited, which houses an excellent record room. I say “room” because they are not a record store. They are a Hi-fi shop that’s been serving San Diego for 33 years, and where I picked up more than a few components of my system.
Walk down a dimly lit hallway, as you pass by rooms full of top notch gear…and at the end of the hall on the right is what you see in the video above. You can find all of the contemporary audiophile pressings from nearly every label, and a good selection of classical, jazz, and rock. If you’re looking for hip-hop this isn’t your shop (they do special orders though).
Here are my digs:
So when you find yourself in “America’s Finest City”, stop by Stereo Unlimited and tell them Tom sent you; with Aloha.
If you enjoyed this post, please like our Facebook Page, follow us on Instagram @vinylforthepeople, and comment below.
As always, keep spinning.
–Tom
Robert Glasper Experiment – Black Radio 2 (Virgin Vinyl Sunday
Here we are again, a couple of days late. Sorry for the wait. Let me tell you a bit about why I’ve been behind.
In October of this year, I’m leaving Hawaii. Headed to beautiful San Diego, a place that I thought I would always call home. The birthplace of my love affair with Hi-Fi and home to the roads I learned to ride a motorcycle. All of that sounds great, but I have to prepare for my journey. There’s going to be some time spent without being able to listen to records. Gladly, I have a decent portable digital setup that I’ll talk about in another post.
In short, I haven’t focused on publishing the videos that I take so much time to record and for that I’m sorry. Now that is out of the way, onto the album.
Black Radio 2.
I love all the tracks on the album and find it in a good rotation on my systems (car, phone, record). It’s pretty hard to pick a favorite track on the album as it has so many great ones, but if I have to choose one, it’s Let It Ride featuring Norah Jones. “I’ve never been a gambler; I stay on the safe side…so I know I’m alright.” The first line spoke to me at a trying time. I was trying to be as free from baggage as possible. I hankered to be light. The rest of the song spoke to the lover of me, though; I longed for that kind of fear free love.
Pretty excited for the next release from the Experiment, they are taking their sound in a different direction. If you enjoyed this post, leave a comment. I love hearing your feedback. Until next time.
Keep Spinning.
–Tom
Living In Stereo Ep. 2 – Blue Note Hawaii
Hello, vinyl lover! In my recent post about Blue Note Hawaii, I talked about another article coming soon. I had the chance to sit down with Marco Olivari, General Manager of Blue Note Hawaii. We talked about a few thing…all of which you can see in the video below. Take a look!
Vinyl Roadtrip – Stereo Unlimited
My first vinyl road trip to a store from my first blog post, Stereo Unlimited in San Diego.
Top 5 Stylus and Record Care Products for Vinyl Lovers
(Records Anonymous meeting)
“Hi, I’m Tom and I collect records.”
“Hi Tom.”
I’ve been collecting for about four years, and I try to keep my records in the best condition possible. With used records I’ve picked up, there is most times an improvement in condition once they’re in my collection. There are a few tools I use to keep my collection sounding and looking it’s best and I want to share those with you.
- Carbon Fiber Record Cleaning Brush – these inexpensive brushes remove particles (spoken pops and clicks) from your records and they get trapped in the bristles, but…how you’re supposed to clean them? At $20 they aren’t the cheapest, but neither was that 1st pressing of Corinne Bailey Rae – Corinne Bailey Rae (I paid $130 for my copy). I get a new one every year or so and move the old one to wet record cleaning duty, where it does the same job on records being added to my collection (more on that later in the post).
4. Diskkeeper Audiophile Inner Sleeves – the sleeves that most of your albums come in are paper and put hairline scratches on your precious vinyl. A few companies make sleeves for record storage and I’ve tried two, Mofi (Mobile Fidelity) and Diskkeeper. If you have picked up a Mofi album, then you have seen their sleeves. I find the Disk Keeper Audiophile Sleeve to be sturdier than the Mofi. They are the same price for a 50 pack (which doesn’t go as far and I initially thought), so there is no “more $ is better”, it boils down to preference.
Am I right?
Are you ready to try these products out on some of your freshly cleaned records?
Take advantage of our introductory Record Cleaning Service special.
Includes:
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Six stage wet cleaning – dust removal, two passes of wet cleaning on my VPI 16.5, ultrasonic cleaning, vacuum drying, and static removal.
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Upgraded sleeves (all listed above) to include Audiophile Inner Sleeves, Resealable Outer Sleeves
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Return Shipping
Contact me for more information.
Happy Birthday, Vinyl for The People!
“Today is a special day, not just any day…”, I launched Vinyl for The People a year ago today.
Coincidentally, I also turned 33…which means I’m 6 years from retirement.
I’m very excited to be entering our second year and excited to be introducing our record cleaning service. Wet cleaning for your records utilizing a VPI 16.5 and an ultrasonic cleaner. Our inaugural cleaning package includes two stage cleaning, inner and outer protective sleeves, before and after pictures and return shipping. Excited is an understatement, because I can’t wait to clean all my new digs from my trip to California. I want you to hear what I hear from a freshly cleaned album. If you’re interested Contact me to learn more.
In addition to that I’m working on a project for release this fall…details to come.
To celebrate our first year, I made For The Love of Records:
You all have made me want to offer more for Vinyl for The People. I’m so glad for the opportunity to share something I’m so passionate about while helping the vinyl enthusiast community.
I would like to personally thank everyone that has supported Vinyl for The People. Specifically, I would like to thank the artists, record stores, and online vendors that have allowed my collection to grow, the interviewees that took time from their busy lives to share their experiences.
Lastly, I’d like to thank my friends and family for sharing the Vinyl for The People story, both online and in person.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Cheers to many more years of celebrating music.
As always, keep spinning.
-Tom
Blue Note Hawaii and why you need to visit a Supper Club
Last Saturday night was nostalgic of what used to be my favorite Supper Club, Anthology. Miriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines the word as a, “collection of literary passages or works, especially poems by various authors; a collection of works of art or music.”
I was afforded the opportunity to see so many talented artists on its stage, Lalah Hathaway, Goapele, Eric Roberson, Lee Ritenour, Leela James, Natalie Cole, Meshell N’degeocello…I could go on and on, but all I will ever have of Anthology are past memories. They closed their doors New Year’s Day 2014. It lived up to the definition, surely…and closed out its time in a dramatic fashion.
In it’s 6 months of operation Blue Note Hawaii has consistently hosted an all star line up. Kenny G performed for their Grand Opening, (you can pick up one of his autographed saxophones in their gift shop), Chaka Khan, The Wailers, Ravi Coltrane…my nostalgia now has reason to fade.
The first show I saw was Jose James and while I wasn’t familiar with his music, my love is a fervent fan. My head was bopping, to his witty lyrics, nostalgic love songs, and Hip Hop improv. The crowd and I were well engaged. After the show there was a meet and greet, we took pictures…and of course I asked was any of his music on vinyl, he replied “Yes, yes it is.” Cheers Mr. James.
The dining options are plentiful, but you can see Aloha in dishes like the Beef Short Ribs served with a polenta made from Kahuku corn (grown here on Oahu) served on a bed of collard greens.
As far as libations are concerned I’m not one to venture away from my usual Gin and Tonic, with cucumber…no lime. However, in the spirit of trying new things…I decided on an Old Fashion, prepared with Bullit bourbon.
This week I had the opportunity to sit down with Marco Olivari, General Manager of Blue Note Hawaii. We talked about everything from the history of the space the Blue Note is in, his record collection, and what brought him to the land of Aloha.
See what Marco had to say in a couple of weeks…
The original Blue Note opened its doors in Greenwich Village, New York, 1981. Pop ups from legends such as Stevie Wonder, Tony Bennet, and Liza Minelli aren’t uncommon. Currently there are 6 locations worldwide (Hawaii, New York, Milan, Beijing, Tokyo, and Nagoya), with a 7th opening soon in Napa Valley. Unlike my fateful love affair with Anthology, the Blue Note brand has established itself as a pillar in the global music community.
No longer melancholy for live musical experiences, I anxiously await my next trip to Blue Note. There are a few items on my calendar through the fall, such as Joan Osborne, The Manhattan Transfer, and Chick Chorea. I see now, much like the Vanessa Fernandez album I’m awaiting a repressing of…sometimes you have to be patient for the good stuff. I see a future between the two of us. I have a new favorite Supper Club.
In the next post, Robert Glasper Trio…
Until next time, keep spinning.
-Tom
As an aside, Anthology is now Music Box. So, if you’re in San Diego check them out.
“anthology.” Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2016. Web. 10 July 2016.
Thoughts from the Listening Room (Escape Reality)
“Hey, Siri. Set sunset.” My first words when getting home after dark. I normally say them before I get out of the car, and greet my love. I’m an Apple lover, it’s no secret. Smart lighting has changed my listening experience, and I added them throughout our old house. It however is not the topic of this post.
There are some ‘choice’ characters that I work with, and as much as I try not to bring them home…it happens. I also talk to my mother on my way home and she spoke of wanting a new flat screen, and laptop…Today was one of those days stowaways took root in my thoughts leaving me feeling cross.
After greeting my love, and exchanging a debriefing of our days…I got out of my gym clothes and hung out in the living room, doing a mundane task (checking e-mail). I knew I had a video project from this weekend to finish, so off to the Listening Room. Having already sequenced the video on my phone, so it was just a drag, drop, slice affair.
Corinne was calling. I knew there would be no real listening until we ate dinner, but seeing the album staring at me while I worked on video…was motivating.
With that out of the way…only one barrier between listening and I remained. Don’t get me wrong I love eating, but food wasn’t going to rid me of the thoughts stifling my joy.
After inhaling dinner, I retired to the Listening Room. At last. Sweet, sweet music. But instead of giving it my full attention I’m writing you. I want to help you get the joy I find when listening. Let me help you build your listening room. Sign up here, you’ll be glad you did. Until next time…keep spinning.
Tom