Vinyl Emergency

Despite vinyl's comeback, selling it online as a small, independent label is an uphill battle; Now imagine doing so door-to-door. As former Director of Operations for G.E.D. Soul Records, there were times when Nashville native David Guy would do just that: visit record stores across the country unannounced, selling funky 45's and adding to his own vast record collection along the way. Currently, D...

2017 marks a big vinyl year for veteran singer/songwriter Rosanne Cash: Written primarily about the lives and deaths of her mother, father and step-mother (Vivian Liberto, Johnny Cash and June Carter-Cash, respectively), her 2006 record Black Cadillac was just pressed for the first time by Capitol as part of their 75th anniversary, and a 30th anniversary reissue of King's Record Shop -- the first...

Texas native John Congleton's production, engineering and mixing résumé is as diverse as they come, spanning projects with everyone from Blondie to The Roots & Erykah Badu to Angel Olsen to Talking Heads' David Byrne to gospel legend Kirk Franklin. A Grammy-winner for his work on St. Vincent's 2014 self-titled album, Congleton also fronted The Paper Chase for over a decade, crafting some of the mo...

Despite dubbing themselves a "baby band" when comparing their short history in the music business to those that have championed their work, Muscle Shoals, Alabama siblings Lydia and Laura Rogers have a strong connection to the history and romanticism of vinyl records. From putting on mini-concerts for each other on their parents' waterbed -- in sync with Highway 101 and Linda Ronstadt albums -- to...

Grammy-winning Atlanta hip-hop collective Arrested Development exploded in the early 90's with hits like "Tennessee," "People Everyday" and "Mr. Wendal," as the band's debut LP -- 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of... -- would quickly be certified 4x platinum. 25 years since that first record, and with a limited orange vinyl repress newly released by Universal Music, Arrested Development...

Seattle-area native Ed Brooks has engineered, mastered or lent a hand on some of the biggest indie records of the last two decades, such as Death Cab for Cutie's Transatlanticism, the self-titled Fleet Foxes debut and dozens of releases from Minus the Bear, Cursive, the Decemberists, Mastodon and more. His résumé also extends to albums for R.E.M., Heart, the B-52's and an astounding 70+ projects a...

Milwaukee isn't necessarily known worldwide for musical diversity, but it's safe to say that Milwaukee-area bands of all genres often share members, stages and a mutual respect for one another vs. a divisive, competitive mentality that might take place in a larger city. Andy Menchal is just one of the many versatile MKE musicians who has played in an array of acts over the years, from The Goodboy...

As an award-winning composer, Dave Porter communicates mystery, tension, levity and everything in between with riveting instrumental music for film and television. Whether through Breaking Bad's hauntingly iconic theme or a percussion-heavy backdrop that emphasizes panic on Better Call Saul, Walter White himself Bryan Cranston has called Dave's work "evocative, meaningful and an essential part of...

Since launching in 2011, Dig Me Out has been essential podcast listening for music fans, as Tim Minneci and his co-host Jason Dziak dive head-first into classic albums, one-hit wonders, specific music scenes and more -- all within the alt-rock/indie universe -- often accompanied with an intriguing artist interview or a roundtable of journalists, musicians or fellow podcast hosts chiming in. Today,...

As a longtime employee of Razor and Tie -- known for their  compilation and reissue work in the 90's -- Mark Piro is living the dream that any record collector would want: Founding your own imprint and putting out high-quality represses of classic albums that haven't seen the light of day on vinyl in ages. Inspired by the work of Mobile Fidelity, Analogue Productions and ORG, Mark heads Analog Spa...

Not only has record subscription service Vinyl Me, Please been supplying record lovers with exclusive album presses each month -- whether they be well-known classics, brand new releases or long-buried gems -- since early 2013, but they've also amped up their written content substantially since hiring on  Oshkosh, WI native  Andrew Winistorfer as their Senior Editor. The written portion of the site...

If you're a vinyl collector, a film buff or both, you likely know Waxwork Records' attention to detail, as they've pressed horror movie and cult classic scores and soundtracks on lushly-colored vinyl accompanied with extensive liner notes and mind-blowing packaging since 2013. Today, Waxwork CEO and co-founder Kevin Bergeron discusses his favorite New Orleans record stores, the process in selectin...

Timothy Showalter -- the voice and mind behind Strand of Oaks -- describes himself as a "smiling, sweaty, straight-out-of-a-river wild man" this week, and the vibrant album cover of this year's "Hard Love" encapsulates his aura so well, it nearly jumps off the shelf. His infatuation with vinyl and music in general is contagious and vast, expressing his adoration in this episode for anyone from "We...

Previous guest Levi Seitz of Seattle's Black Belt Mastering has an impressive résumé, including work with Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie, Macklemore collaborator Wanz and doing vinyl cutting for last year's Pearl Jam Vault Series release and Mother Love Bone reissues. This past December, another previous guest Rocky Votolato recorded three nights of performances at Levi's home, which has now b...

Last week, we hit our 50th episode of the show, and as a thank you for your support, it's time for an episode devoted entirely to vinyl giveaways! Tune in this week to hear some great new tunes and learn how to win free, limited-pressing LP's from instrumental jazz/folk guitarist Ross Hammond (Sacramento, CA), traditional pop vocalist/songwriter Lincoln Barr (Seattle, WA) and indie-rockers La Hist...

Whether performing solo or fronting the power-trio Noah's Arcade, Noah  Gabriel 's songs are powerful dissections of characters in desperate times, often taking even more desperate measures. B ased just north of Aurora IL, Noah has  opened for the likes of the Old 97's and Robert Randolph, crafting his own blend of Americana by pulling equally from the  fiery blues of Stevie Ray Vaughn as well as...

Kansas City, MO quartet Shiner are seen as giants of the indefinable mathy/space-rock scene, having built a rabid cult following while touring with acts like Jawbox, Hum and more during the mid-90's/early-00's. For the last five years, the band has done sporadic reunion shows in support of pressing their albums to vinyl for the first time, beginning with 2001's "The Egg," followed by "Starless" (2...

From highly-influential albums like 2001's "The Tyranny of Distance" and 2003's "Hearts of Oak" to his collaboration with Aimee Mann in The Both to the charming, seemingly effortless covers he's laid down in salute to Tears For Fears, The Pogues, Split Enz and more, it's abundantly clear that Ted Leo loves the art of songwriting. Through his kinetic guitar work and a voice that reaches for the raf...

Singer/songwriter Austin Lucas' unique, lush voice and DIY ethics have earned him tours with a vast array of artists -- ranging from Frank Turner to Willie Nelson -- and rave reviews from well-known music publications like Q Magazine and No Depression. Today, Austin chats about the influence of fellow Indiana native John Mellencamp, his early attraction to "We Are The World" and the La Bamba sound...

Recorded in front of a live audience at Pinwheel Records in Chicago, we celebrate Vinyl Emergency's first birthday with vocalists/guitarists Chris Broach and Bob Nanna of influential emo quartet Braid! On top of performing three rare acoustic songs, the guys also chat about working with J. Robbins on Braid's iconic 1997 album "Frame & Canvas," what they currently have been purchasing on vinyl, hil...

If you've read an album review, music article or artist interview in print or online in the last fifteen years or so, chances are you've read Steven Hyden's work. Aside from freelancing for Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Slate and more, he's also been a staff writer for both The AV Club and Grantland, and joined UPROXX as their culture critic last summer. He's also host of the Celebration Rock podcast...

A longtime employee of indie record store chain Bull Moose in the US Northeast, Chris Brown is credited with having the original idea for Record Store Day, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this April. Also known for his detailed YouTube videos for RSD fans -- often showcasing the physical releases for the first time each year -- Chris discusses the history of RSD and his annually anticipated...

A seminal power-trio of early-to-mid 90's alternative-rock, Buffalo Tom are fresh off the funding of a brand new album via PledgeMusic, and plotting tour dates this year around the upcoming 25th anniversary reissue of their influential third album, Let Me Come Over. Today, singer/guitarist Bill Janovitz discusses the feeling of having his music on vinyl for the first time, discovering tons of clas...

Instead of a typical Best Of recap episode at year's end, I thought it'd be fun for Cameron Schaefer -- partner and head of music at Vinyl Me, Please -- to return to the show to look back at each of VMP's 12 albums of the month for 2016 and talk about why each record was chosen, the reactions to each release from subscribers and other vinyl fanatics, and what challenges or unexpected awesome surpr...

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...