“I’ve been devising a plan for how to steal my great-grandfather’s record player back from my brother for a minute now. It’s an old Webcor that came with a handful of his jazz records. Once I found a baby opossum clinging to the leg of it, but I’ll try to stay on track here.”
“I never actually met my great-grandfather, but having his record player helped me paint a picture in my head of his life, of what I came from. I envision this small statured Sicilian, a professional boxer living in New Orleans, swaying back and forth to Louis Armstrong after a fight. Maybe with my great grandma in his arms…maybe alone, just to unwind. I think that’s the magic of vinyl. It takes us back and allows us to romanticize a more connected, personal relationship with the music and with the people we attach to it.
Anytime I travel, I’ve found my favorite thing to do is to stroll the streets for old book stores and record stores. There’s something about being surrounded by the thoughts and voices of all these people that brings an intimacy and warmth to an unfamiliar place. It’s like a nostalgia for experiences I’ve never even had, people I might not have ever met. It’s a special feeling.
I’m looking forward to having a collection of my own one day. When I think about my dream home, there’s two things I always circle back to: a badass kitchen and a relaxed lounge area where I can write and have a record player with all of the records that have stirred something in me over the years.
Also, a giant dog house…but this probably isn’t the place to elaborate.”
—Merci Raines
Merci Raines’ self-titled EP is in stores now.
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