Vinyl Emergency

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 soundtrack, having an album rejected by his previous record label, how his background in opera and choir as a child helps him today, why women are too often the villain in country songs, the songwriting career and massive record collection of his father, and much more. You can help Austin fund the recording of his next album, Immortal Americans, by purchasing tickets to his house-show tour, which begins March 10th and goes through May. Those who purchase tickets can also get a download of the specific show they attended! All the details are at austinlucas.com.   SPONSORS: Pinwheel Records at 1722 W. 18th St. in Chicago'

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, hilarious tour stories, their first introduction to vinyl as kids, the differences in writing and releasing albums now versus during their original tenure in the 90's, their upcoming side projects, and so much more! Check out some photos from this special evening over at facebook.com/vinylemergency and keep up on Braid news on Twitter or Facebook, @BraidCentral. Also, visit our social media this week to enter to win a rare copy of "Frame & Canvas" on picture disc, limited to 330 copies, courtesy of Polyvinyl Records!   SPONSORS: Pinwheel Records at 1722 W. 18th St. in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood; Vinyl For A

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 and author of the fantastic 2016 book Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me, which breaks down the history of specific rivalries or beefs within pop music and explains their relation to our daily lives. Today, Steven and I discuss recent price hikes in vinyl, the thrill of riding your bike to and from record stores as a kid, the loneliness of being an author, the seemingly instinctual competitiveness between men, awkward moments with Ian MacKaye and Billy Corgan, and why his four-year-old son loves "Hotel California," but is scared of "Kashmir." Follow @steven_hyden on Twitter for links to his articles, Celebration Rock a

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 videos, his early love for classical vinyl, playing in bands and much more! Follow him on Twitter @RealChrisBrown, and shop BullMoose.com for your next record fix!   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.   Follow @VinylEmergency on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Show questions and feedback are always welcomed at vinylemergency@gmail.com. Sign up to be a part of our LIVE audience Sat., Jan. 14t

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 classic 45's that were left behind by his neighbors, the eclectic sounds of 70's AM radio, the democratic nature of Buffalo Tom choosing their album art and earning some cool points with his daughter for getting a song dedication from Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard. Plus we delve into his work as an author on two Rolling Stones books, a bit of history on the recording of Buffalo Tom's Sleepy Eyed album and the enigmatic persona of J. Mascis. Visit pledgemusic.com/projects/buffalotom for info on contributing towards the next BT album and follow @billjanovitz and @BuffaloTomBand on Twitter for other upcoming announceme

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 surprises awaited them during the process. From Nada Surf to Nina Simone, Big Bill Broonzy to Beck and everything in between, this is a great way to learn more about the how's and why's of the selection process for Vinyl Me, Please which continues to wow long-time collectors and first-time spinners year after year. If you'd like more info on VMP's back story and Cameron's own relationship with vinyl, don't forget to go back to episode 19 of Vinyl Emergency, when he made his first guest spot!    SPONSORS: Pinwheel Records, 1722 W. 18th St. in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood; Vinyl For A Cause, promoting charitable good, one

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! 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; Tab

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 HowToF

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.

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!  

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

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.  

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 stri

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 releas

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 mak

  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

Vinyl For A Cause is a Chicago-based record label based around music being a driver for charitable good. Every release features two bands covering each other on both sides of a limited-edition seven-inch record that'll never be repressed. Each band also chooses a charity of their choice, where a large portion of the record sales are donated to. Joining the show today are VFAC co-founder Adam Victorn and singer-songwriter Jesse W. Johnson, who appears on one of the VFAC's first releases -- a split 45 between himself and Coed Pagent -- expected to be out later this year. On this episode, we discuss the inspiration for Vinyl For A Cause and their partnership with the VH1 Save the Music Foundation, both Jesse and Adam's experiences getting their own records pressed for the first time, where they think the vinyl industry is headed, the age of crowdfunding and much more. Plus, Jesse plays "Stand to Smile" -- a new, unreleased song -- live and acoustic! Visit vinylforacause.com and jessewjohnson.com for more info

Brother O'Brother vocalist/guitarist and Romanus Records founder Chris Banta has been wowing vinyl collectors as of late with incredibly innovative pressings ranging from the world's first four-color, glow-in-the-dark, liquid-filled LP to a recent seven-inch on Fonoflo Records with customized Monopoly money inside. Based out of Indianapolis, the band's creativity when it comes to vinyl -- as well as their frenzied, retro sound -- have recently scored them gigs at Third Man Records' Nashville and Detroit locations, leading to Chris even using one of Jack White's amps during their set! You may have heard Heather and Sarah from Wax Mage Records sing his praises back on episode 17 of the show, and today he discusses Brother O'Brother's paint and confetti-fueled music video for "You Would," the rare hydra press he did for Third Man act The Greenhornes, how Third Man's Ben Blackwell purchased Chris' first glow-in-the-dark dinosaur bone record, his own pressings going for hundreds of dollars on Discogs, an upcoming

Visiting from England, one of my best pals Joe Goodbody stops by to discuss record shopping in the UK, the recent Brexit disaster, the Blur/Oasis feud and his dad's days booking bands for Socialist Workers Party benefit concerts in the 70's. As a stonemason at Westminster Abbey -- regarded as the Queen's church and the final resting place for some of Britain's most respected names  -- Joe also discusses what it's like to work daily with material that goes back thousands of years and how he's likely the only person alive to have touched Charles Dickens' skull! Follow @JoeGoodbody on Twitter and Instagram, and visit Westminster-Abbey.org for more information.    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.   Follow @VinylEmergency on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Show questions and feedback are welcomed at vinylemergency@gmail.com.  

This year marks the 30th anniversary of alternative guitar-pop hero Matthew Sweet's debut album. His stretch of critically-acclaimed classics from 1991 through 1997 -- Girlfriend, Altered Beast, 100% Fun and Blue Sky On Mars -- delivered some of the most memorable college-radio hits of that decade, mixing sonic ambitiousness with a knack for lovelorn nostalgia and pristine vocal harmonies. Before he hits the road in September for a series of Midwest and east coast tour dates, Matthew talks about his recent Kickstarter campaign to fund his next album Tomorrow Forever, his early memories of vinyl as a kid, his cameos in the Austin Powers trilogy, his days in the Athens, GA music scene and fighting with then record labels about not wanting to appear on the cover of his albums, which leads to the story of how the iconic Girlfriend album cover came to be. Visit MatthewSweet.com for tour dates and album news, and follow him on Twitter @IAmMatthewSweet.