My Record Player

About three months ago I decided to take the next step in music nerdiness and buy a record player. I had been thinking about getting one for a while, mostly for the sake of having one; I consider myself an avid music fan/collector, and it only seemed sensible to have a record player. On top of that, there's something very nostalgic about record players that is calming and makes me want to sip brandy in an apartment that smells of rich mahogany. But I digress.

The opportunity to get a record player arose when my friend Tom decided to sell his turntables before he moved to Chicago. I jumped at the chance because for $225 I got two record players, a mixer, and about 100 records - a really good deal despite the fact that the tables are about 20 years old (but honestly, how many new record players do you see anymore?).

So I collected the equipment from Tom in Columbus and introduced my room to a brand-new space-filler. With Ben's help I set up the two players, with the mixer in between, and hooked them up to a couple of old but reliable speakers. It all rested on top of an old shelf I bought from New to You (which, the creepy salesman enthusiastically told me, has a growers' lamp on the underside - no worries, I stashed my records there) and set up at the foot of my bed.

At first I tried my hand at the whole turntable idea; included in the 100 records were several hip-hop and electronic vinyls, so I attempted 'mixing' and 'scratching' them. Turns out this is in fact very hard - and I am very white. It would take a lot of work to master that art, work that I, quite frankly, am not really motivated to accomplish.

So I closeted one of the record players, giving up my future as DJ Mixmaster Sam. I then raided my mom's old record collection, which had been stashed in our family barn for about 15 years. I didn't really think any of them would work anymore - that many years of humidity, dust, and frost surely warped the vinyl - but I figured it would be worth a shot to dust a few off and give them a spin.

And not only do they still work, but there are some real gems in the bunch - like, for instance, the entire Beatles catalog (oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh). And Simon and Garfunkel, Fleetwood Mac, Wings, James Taylor...the list goes on. Who knew my mom had a cool taste in music? I mean, I grew up with the Beatles, but there were like 100 (mostly) cool vinyls in her collection.

So here I am, with an extensive record collection and a record player in pretty good shape. My next move was to browse Haffa's (my home away from home, the record store in Athens) for records, something I had never done before but made me feel like I'd finally risen to a 'music elite' status (watch 'High Fidelity' and you'll understand). Of course, here is the dangerous aspect of my new hobby - I spend enough money on CDs as it is; what will records do to my bank account?

To this day I've only spent about $75 on records; thankfully I've been able to monitor my purchases. New records I've bought include Elliott Smith's 'New Moon,' Arcade Fire's 'Funeral,' Explosions in the Sky's 'All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone,' and Andrew Bird's 'Armchair Apocrypha.' I'd kill to have some Sufjan and Sigur Ros records, and I'm sure that day will come, but until then I'm fasting from buying vinyl - I hope.

When I bought the new records from Haffa's, I though I was pretty cool as I pulled out the vinyl, rested it on the deck and placed the needle carefully on top as the record started spinning. This is how much of a music nerd I am.

But for a while, the records just didn't do it for me. I'd listen more and more to my iTunes and let my record player and vinyls just be a collection stashed in the corner. I didn't value it for the sound quality or anything like that - I valued it for the sake of simply owning it. I think this makes me a music snob.

Lately, though, I've been giving my record player another chance. I don't know why, maybe it's the cold weather and the fact that there's something very comforting about the thought of curling up under my covers, listening to records and drinking tea (haha ok I'm pushing the line of pansiness...sorry).

And I've had an epipahany - damn does that record player sound good. It was what I had known to be true all along but had arrogantly disregarded: records truly have superior quality to digital music. I discovered the truth as I listened to Explosions in the Sky. There was such ferocity in the low end and such clarity in the treble, such that I was hearing little things I hadn't caught on the digital version. It was a joy to experience.

Then last night Katie and I were chilling in my room listening to Elliott Smith. It was so calming, so relaxing, as if Elliott were sitting right there serenading us. It was a musical experience I don't often have while listening to my iPod or iTunes.

The truth is that I'm not going to stop buying CDs or collecting digital music - that will still be my main avenue for music. It's too easy and too cheap. But I'm excited to say that I can't wait to pursue this newfound record collection because it's given me such a new appreciation for the finer aspects of music.

Because it doesn't matter how many plays are racked up on Last.fm or how quick it is to double-click on any song or artist you want; what matters with music is how complex, detailed and beautiful every second of it is. And my records help me catch every little bit of it.

3 of the best shows I've ever seen (in just 10 days)

I don't have a lot of time to see good concerts. Living an hour and a half away from a metropolitan and committing as much time as I do to school and such, trips to see my favorite musicians play are few and far between. Honestly, before college, the biggest show I had ever been to was Creed. I don't tell a lot of people that. Not something to brag about.

Since I came to college, though, I've been to a ton of great shows - they just don't happen often. Obviously I go to local shows every week, but I'm not talking about those kind of shows (though they can be just as fun.) I'm talking about national artists, the kinds of shows that are 2 hours long and are not just a performance, but an event. You know, the kinds of shows where you can say, "I actually saw (band name) play live!" to all your friends and some day your kids.

The first such concert I attended like this was Green Day, whom I saw in Dayton in the fall of 2005. The show was the last on their 'American Idiot' tour, and I had secured a press pass so I could review the show for the Insider - which was actually my first story for them. So here I am with my simple digital camera and a pass that puts me in the photo pit with guys who have cameras three feet long. It was kind of intimidating, but when the band came out and Billie Joe Armstrong stood on top of the amp I was crouching beneath (I could have literally touched him), it was like everything was suddenly right with my world. The band went on to put on a 2-and-a-half hour party of a performance. Great stuff.

I've seen several great shows since - especially now that a ton of great bands are actually stopping in Athens - but the stretch between October 5th and October 15th of this year may prove to be the most amazing, definitive week for me my infantile, concert-going habit.
It started with my attendance of the Arcade Fire concert in Columbus on Oct. 5. LCD Soundsystem opened, and were surprisingly amazing - good enough to have me dancing by the end of their set. Then Arcade Fire played, and, as advertised, they were absolutely breathtaking. Their performance was impeccable and entertaining - about as perfect a show as they come. I really don't know how else to describe it. Seriously.

Four days later, Athens was treated with a performance by up-and-coming rock (?) band Man Man. I'd heard some of their stuff - it's rock, but with a sort of circus-music edge. I kind of liked what I had heard, but I knew that their live show was supposed to be a blast. And that was no lie. Though the crowd sucked - drunken, belligerent idiots pushed to the front, I ended up in the back - Man Man didn't just put on a show, they put on a production. Seriously, their music, which includes a ton of percussion and other fun instruments, was precise as hell, as if they've practiced the set a million times. It was an intense show, but was so much fun I bragged about it for days.

My 10-day concert foray ended on Oct. 15 with the Andrew Bird show (which I had mentioned before because I interviewed Mr. Bird a couple of days before his performance.) Bird played at Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville, which I had never been too but which really blew me away with how clean and nostalgic it is (not to mention the acoustics are phenomenal.) I literally sat frozen for the whole show; Bird played it solo, but he might as well have had a 20-person orchestra. He looped his violin to create such a huge, intimate sound that I was speechless after the show. It was absolutely gorgeous.

Now here is the thing about all of these shows, the reason why they were the best shows I've seen. Including local shows, I've been to a ton of concerts in my day, but never have I seen such sheer talent as I did in these 10 days. It started with Arcade Fire; the band would rotate instruments between songs, so that most band members played 3 or 4 instruments total - and played them perfectly. Then with the Man Man show, the members did the same - everyone played multiple instruments, and played them to a T. Finally, with Andrew Bird, he only played a couple of instruments - violin, guitar, xylophone, whistling - but arranged them so beautifully you have to wonder how one man can seriously do that while standing in front of you.
I don't know how these folks are so talented, but I was honestly jealous after seeing these shows. I'm a musician (drummer, learning guitar) but I can't even conceive being able to do all of the things these musicians did, not to mention do it all so well. I don't think I could even be this good at such an array of musical instruments if I dropped out of school and focused solely on practicing.

To be completely honest with you, these shows made me feel kind of hopeless, because I wondered if I'd ever have a chance at making it big if I couldn't do the things they were doing.
But that's neither here nor there. I'll get over it. They have their talents, I have mine. And I was lucky enough to witness their talents first-hand. I just hope all of the aforementioned artists believe in God, because they should recognize their God-given skill.