Vinyl Emergency

Latest Episodes:

Episode 41: Jimmy Pardo Dec 16, 2016

Show notes

Pioneer of podcasting and stand-up comedy veteran Jimmy Pardo joins me this week to discuss his memories of vinyl growing up, working in Chicago record stores, his sales career with MCA Records in the mid-80's, warming up audiences for The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien and TBS' Conan, and possibly his shortest comedy gig ever, "opening" for Elton John! As host of the incredibly popular Never Not Funny podcast, Jimmy also talks about the fantastic work the show has done for cleft palate charity Smile Train during their yearly Pardcastathon, having raised almost $800,000 since 2009. Jimmy's 2005 album Pompous Clown is now available for the first time on vinyl from astrecords.bigcartel.com, and Pardcastathon 2017 takes place this coming March! Subscribe to Never Not Funny however you listen to podcasts, and follow @jimmypardo and @nevernotfunny on Twitter!

Episode 40: Jim McDermott of How To Fix The Music Business Dec 09, 2016

Show notes

After a long break, it's the big 4-0 today, and I'm thrilled to have music industry guru Jim McDermott joining us for our fortieth episode! From Warner to PolyGram to Island to Universal to Sony, Jim's three decades of experience in marketing have seen him at the helm of album campaigns for the likes of David Bowie, New Order, Sheryl Crow, U2, Depeche Mode, Guns N' Roses, The Replacements and more. In July of this year, he began his own podcast -- How To Fix The Music Business -- where he chats with insiders and musicians to find out how the industry can survive and still fuel artists both creatively and financially. In this chat, Jim drops lots of great industry knowledge and we also discuss how ditching his vinyl in the CD era actually led to his career in music, his early and current vinyl obsessions, a funny backstage meeting with The Cure's Robert Smith and why sending fake dog poop in the mail can sometimes work wonders! Check out How To Fix The Music Business however you listen to podcasts or at HowToFixTheMusicBusiness.com, and follow Jim on Twitter @thetrickness. SPONSORS: Pinwheel Records, 1722 W. 18th St. in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood; Vinyl For A Cause, promoting charitable good, one record sale at a time; Table-Turned, a new vinyl subscription service giving you your choice of genre for as low as about $12/album. If you like what you hear on Vinyl Emergency, send us a screenshot of your iTunes review of the show or donate to keep us up and running (either by December 10th) and you'll be entered into the Mint Condition Coalition, giving you entry into a gigantic giveaway at the end of 2016 for records and swag from Vinyl Me Please, Warner Bros., Topshelf, Wax Mage, Hey Mercedes and much more. Visit vinylemergency.com and click 'donate' for more info! Follow @VinylEmergency on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Show questions and feedback are always welcomed at vinylemergency@gmail.com.

November Mini-Episode! Nov 18, 2016

Show notes

While we're still taking a break from the regular weekly schedule between now and the end of 2016, you can get up to speed on some upcoming guests, our confirmed date for the LIVE first anniversary episode of Vinyl Emergency and more by checking out this mini-episode! If you like what you hear on Vinyl Emergency, send us a screenshot of your iTunes review of the show or donate to keep us up and running and you'll be entered into the Mint Condition Coalition, giving you entry into a gigantic giveaway at the end of 2016 for records and swag from Vinyl Me Please, Warner Bros., Topshelf, Wax Mage, Hey Mercedes and much more. Visit vinylemergency.com and click 'donate' for more info! Follow @VinylEmergency on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Show questions and feedback are always welcomed at vinylemergency@gmail.com.

Episode 39: Derek Jones and Gene Priest of Sharing Needles With Friends RETURN Nov 04, 2016

Show notes

Derek Jones and Gene Priest -- hosts of the Sharing Needles With Friends podcast -- return to the show to help me go through this year's list of exclusive releases for the Black Friday edition of Record Store Day, happening November 25th. On top of discussing our own relationships with RSDBF and which releases seem worthwhile this year, we also talk about live albums, jazz favorites, whether additional LP's of demos on classic album reissues are worth the extra cost, the recent excitement around the Stranger Things soundtrack, an upcoming Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers box set and more! Visit Gene and Derek at SNWFRecords.com, subscribe to the Sharing Needles With Friends podcast, join their Facebook group, follow them on Instagram @sharingneedleswithfriends and check out their NEW radio show at mixcloud.com/snwf!

Episode 38: Pearl Jam's Yield with The Great Albums Podcast Oct 28, 2016

Show notes

Here's something a little different this week! I recently guested for the second time on The Great Albums podcast -- a fantastic show hosted by Bill Lambusta and Brian Erickson -- that dissects classic records track-by-track, defining what makes them so special. I was ecstatic that they invited me back to talk about 1998's "Yield," recently reissued on vinyl and the fifth album from one of my favorite bands: Pearl Jam. So instead of me hosting this week and asking the questions, I thought you'd enjoy hearing the entire Great Albums "Yield" episode, as a gesture of solidarity and cross-promotion in music podcasting, and giving Bill and Brian exposure to the Vinyl Emergency audience, just as they've been kind enough to do for us. In this spirited round-table discussion, we get into deep Pearl Jam lore, nerd out on the various amps and guitars used on the album, PJ's relationship with vinyl and so much more! Be sure to subscribe to The Great Albums however you listen to podcasts, visit them at TheGreatAlbums.com and follow them on Twitter and Facebook @thegreatalbums.

Episode 37: Collector's Club with Trevor Ingerson (Record Nerdz Podcast) Oct 21, 2016

Show notes

It's time for another Collector's Club episode, where we discuss the shopping habits, preferred record stores and unique experiences of your everyday vinyl collector! This time, it's Las Vegas native and current Brooklyn resident Trevor Ingerson from the Record Nerdz Podcast, which you should be subscribing to if you don't already. Today, Trevor talks about how hometown sports began his quest for vinyl, memories of the Las Vegas punk scene, recent digging experiences in Liverpool, that weird time Bob Dylan was on Pawn Stars, Trevor's career in literature and whether there's a link between music streaming and digital books, plus some thoughts on Hum, Mark Kozelek and The Promise Ring! Follow Trevor and the Record Nerdz crew on Twitter and Instagram @tingerson and @recordnerdz respectively, and find the Record Nerdz podcast on Soundcloud, iTunes or however you listen to podcasts.

Episode 36: Benmont Tench of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Oct 14, 2016

Show notes

Benmont Tench, founding member of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, has played on nearly every Petty album over the years -- even the ones not credited to the Heartbreakers, such as Full Moon Fever and Wildflowers. His trademark keys are all over classic songs like "Refugee," "The Waiting," "Don't Do Me Like That" and so many more, which you can hear on the recently-reissued Greatest Hits 2LP set, now back on vinyl for the first time in over 20 years, with an alternate cover to boot! Tench is also a member of Mudcrutch with Petty and Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell (a group that pre-dates the Heartbreakers, who released and toured on their second album earlier this year) and has performed/recorded with a staggering list of music's elite, including Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Aretha Franklin, Emmylou Harris, Ryan Adams and Fiona Apple. Today, Benmont gives us one of the most passionate arguments for vinyl that we've been lucky enough to share on the podcast. There's plenty of Petty talk here, but Ben's strident defense of musicians getting their due, his concern about America's current "war on beauty," and his humility in having worked with some of the best songwriters in the business make this a must-hear episode. Ben's music can be found at benmonttench.com or tompetty.com. Follow Ben on Twitter @benchten and Instagram @benmonttench.

Episode 35: Gordon Withers (Office Of Future Plans) Oct 07, 2016

Show notes

Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, rock cellist Gordon Withers became fixated with the Washington, DC music scene early on, making pilgrimages to cities with killer record stores just to pick up new releases from influential bands like Jawbox. Fast forward to 2016, where Withers is now bandmates with Jawbox frontman J. Robbins in Office Of Future Plans -- not to mention a collaborator with BELLS≥, We All Inherit The Moon and The Pauses, among others. He's also known for releasing solo cover albums where the likes of Jawbox, The Joy Formidable and even Pink Floyd's iconic "The Dark Side of the Moon" are done entirely by cello, adding depth and new dynamics to the work he so greatly admires. Today, Gordon chats about being one of the first clients Gotta Groove Records ever had, some advice for those wanting to do Kickstarter campaigns for vinyl pressings, making his own Radio Shack catalogs as a kid, the influence of King Missile, an upcoming Jawbreaker project he's a part of, adventures in licensing when releasing an album worth of covers both digitally and physically, and much more. Visit gordonwithers.bandcamp.com to hear/purchase his solo work and officeoffutureplans.bandcamp.com to get acquainted with Office Of Future Plans!

Episode 34: Levi Seitz of Black Belt Mastering Sep 30, 2016

Show notes

If you heard my recent chat with Rocky Votolato, you may remember us discussing a new 7" he appears on as part of the Live On Lacquer series, where artists cover each other's work and do so without any overdubs or tweaking -- all sounds are directly recorded onto acetate as a lathe machine cuts the record's information in real time, before it's sent off for duplication. Today, Levi Seitz from Live On Lacquer as well as Black Belt Mastering joins me to discuss the 7" series, his iconic Scully Lathe, the art of mastering for both digital and vinyl releases, whether there's truth to some of vinyl's biggest buzz words and much more! Levi's résumé includes work with Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla, Macklemore collaborator Wanz and even vinyl cutting for upcoming reissues of Mother Love Bone's first two releases as well as a forthcoming live Pearl Jam 3LP set, so this is a great chat for anyone interested in how sound is cut directly to vinyl. Visit blackbeltmastering.com to learn more about Levi's work, and make sure to enter our contest this week where you and a friend could both win the Rocky Votolato / Noah Gundersen Live On Lacquer 7", graciously provided by Levi for our listeners! SPONSORS: Pinwheel Records, 1722 W. 18th St. in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood; KeepersRecordClub.com, where you can save 10% on all subscriptions with promo code VINYLEMERGENCY at check out. If you like the show, leave us an iTunes review or donate to keep us up and running and you'll be entered into the Mint Condition Coalition, giving you entry into a gigantic giveaway at the end of 2016 for records and swag from Vinyl Me Please, Warner Bros., Topshelf, Wax Mage, Hey Mercedes and much more. Visit vinylemergency.com and click 'donate' for more info! Follow @VinylEmergency on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Show questions and feedback are welcomed at vinylemergency@gmail.com.

Episode 33: Rocky Votolato Sep 16, 2016

Show notes

When Seattle-based singer/songwriter Rocky Votolato began releasing solo albums in the late 90's -- at a time when vinyl was all but out of the mainstream consciousness -- it was important to him that every single release of his was pressed to wax. Fast forward to 2016, and he's now celebrating the 10th anniversary reissue of "Makers" on Barsuk Records -- his favorite in his discography, and viewed as his crowning achievement among his fans -- with a tour fronting a talented band that gives new thrilling dynamics to that album's intimacy. Downstairs at Chicago's famed Schubas Tavern, Rocky and I chat about his DIY aesthetic, the idea that music isn't truly real until it's on vinyl, sharing records with his brother and Waxing bandmate Cody (who later went on to form The Blood Brothers), motorcycle movie soundtracks, raising his kids on Neutral Milk Hotel, recording a recent seven-inch live directly to lacquer, recording stories with Chris Walla and Casey Foubert, bouncing around between some of indie-rock's most prolific labels, the differences between himself now and the Rocky who wrote and recorded "Makers," and much more! Visit RockyVotolato.com for all his music, social media and current tour dates. SPONSORS: Pinwheel Records, 1722 W. 18th St. in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood; KeepersRecordClub.com, where you can save 10% on all subscriptions with promo code VINYLEMERGENCY at check out. If you like the show, leave us an iTunes review or donate to keep us up and running and you'll be entered into the Mint Condition Coalition, giving you entry into a gigantic giveaway at the end of 2016 for records and swag from Vinyl Me Please, Warner Bros., Topshelf, Wax Mage, Hey Mercedes and much more. Visit vinylemergency.com and click 'donate' for more info! Follow @VinylEmergency on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Show questions and feedback are welcomed at vinylemergency@gmail.com.

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