“There is something more real about vinyl. Maybe it’s the way it feels in your hands, or the way it scratches in anticipation when you drop the needle – vinyl is an experience, the beating heart of an artist.”
“I grew up in the 90s in the Silicon Valley during the tech boom. Vinyl was a symbol of the past and in the age of “always looking forward” we thrived on finding the newest bigger, better, and more efficient thing. That being said, CDs were the s***. They were the newest and coolest way to listen to music.
When I was younger I’d rock out with my oversized CD/cassette player to the likes of Alvin and the Chipmunks, Vitamin C, Edison Lighthouse, Peter, Paul, and Mary, and some show tunes (I was a closet musical theatre kid). I vividly remember sitting in front of my mirror performing every song I’d listen to (so I guess it was inevitable that I would end up becoming an artist). I remember my singing teacher used to force me to bring cassette tapes to record my lessons. I’d bring in the cassette and go home after thinking, “Am I the only person on earth still buying cassettes?”
Then came the iPod, I remember getting it for Christmas and my first concern was, “Ok how do I get all of my CDs on this?” Luckily the magic of iTunes and the genius of Mr. Jobs made it simple for me. And thus started a long and tumultuous relationship with Mp3s. The digital age made music more accessible then it had ever been – “shuffle” on my iPod would range from the Beatles to Van Morrison to Backstreet Boys to Joan Jett to Sheryl Crow to Fleetwood Mac. The possibilities were endless, access to all genres from any era was at my fingertips. While the iPod represented endless possibilities, something about my listening experience still seemed out-of-wack.
My love affair with vinyl didn’t begin until I became an artist. While writing my EP, “Do Me Wrong,” I wanted it to sound real above all else – real people playing real instruments displaying real emotion. So I suppose it was the natural progression of “real” that led me to pressing a limited edition vinyl pressing of my record.
My Grandma on my Mom’s side always had this old 1960s record player in her basement. It was one of those big GE console record players that looked more like a coffee table then a music player. While I never touched it for fear it would shatter into a million pieces, I always admired it and longed to hear the sounds it produced.
On a recent trip back east to visit my Grandma I needed to touch that record player. Upon arrival, my first stop was the basement. The record player sat as I had always remembered it, and when I lifted the top it was filled with old vinyl – I had struck gold. When I went back upstairs to tell my Grandma about my exciting discovery she told me I could have them all. Jaw-dropped and eyes-wide I humbly accepted the gift. Donna Summer, Elton John, Jackson 5, The Commodores, The Supremes, Frank Sinatra, and a ZILLION more – that box of vinyl was the greatest gift I could have received.
When I listened to that vinyl for the first time everything stopped. I heard feeling.”
—Jordan Corey
