((PKG)) VINYL

((TRT: 08:08))
((Topic Banner: Vinyl))
((Producer/Reporter: Marsha James))

((Camera: Philip Alexiou))
((Editors: Marsha James/Philip Alexiou))
((Map: Washington, DC))
((Main characters: 1 female; 1 male))
((Sub characters: 1 female; 3 male))

((NATS/MUSIC))
((Alisha Edmonson

Co-Owner, Byrdland Records))
Listening to vinyl is intentional. You walk over to your collection. You look at all your options. You pick one that meets your moods and then you listen to all of the songs. And then you get up and you flip it and there’s an intent, kind of a methodical process to it that we don’t get with digital music.

((Courtesy: “Love Surrounds Us Everywhere” McCoy Tyner/©ABC))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Joe Lapan
Co-Owner, Byrdland Records))

We’re here at Byrdland Records and we started this in October of 2020 as a outgrowth of Songbyrd Music House that was in Adams Morgan [D.C.] for six years. And Byrdland is a, you know, full-service record shop. We carry probably upwards of 6,000 titles.

((Courtesy: "Samba De Orpheus" Vince Guaraldi Trio / ©Concord Music Group, Inc.))

((NATS/MUSIC))
((Alex
Customer))

My friend told me that vinyls were cool and stuff. And I was like, you know, why not. And I don’t know when I listen to it on vinyl like, it’s just, I don’t know, it’s just not the same, you know. And it just has like a nostalgic sort of feel.

((NATS))
((Alisha Edmonson

Co-Owner, Byrdland Records))

One of the fun things is that we get music in every day. Sometimes it’s new and sometimes it’s actually people that bring in and we buy used records. So, you know, we never know what surprises we’re going to get of something that maybe we couldn’t get new. But we can get it used or new-used. It’s just fun. It’s fun to listen to. It’s fun to discover new music that we’ve never even heard of sometimes with the used stuff.

((Courtesy: "Manhã de Carnaval” Vince Guaraldi Trio / ©UMG))

((NATS/MUSIC))
((Daniel
Customer))

Yeah, you know, this is kind of may be showing my age but I didn’t really know what vinyls really were until like a couple of years ago. You know, I kind of grew up on CDs and then after that MP3s just took over the game. So, I never really had physical music up until like I had vinyls a couple of months ago. And yeah, a lot of people around my age group, they are starting to collect vinyls or they either have a record player or are listening to them on vinyls. Just kind of, again, the whole old school aesthetic of it. It’s like kind of, you know, how baggy jeans are making a comeback now, I kind of think similar with vinyls.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Daniel
Customer))
Kendrick but other album.

Yeah, I found that playing records is different than playing songs from my phone because on my phone I can just play whatever, right? Like I have all this music that I can play in any order. With records, I kind of like to listen to it, just the whole album as a playthrough.

((NATS/MUSIC))
((Courtesy: “Far West” Dean Frazer / ©King Jammy-Johnny Wonder))

((Joe Lapan
Co-Owner, Byrdland Records))

I would say, you know, I saw it happening at least a decade or more ago when it really started coming into the forefront, back into the mainstream as a format and it never went away.

((NATS/MUSIC))
((Courtesy: “Knock On Wood” Jackie Shane / ©Concord Music Group))

((Joe Lapan
Co-Owner, Byrdland Records))

This is kind of one that was a learning lesson for me and that’s kind of what vinyl can do. So, this came out for an anniversary. I never heard of Jackie Shane before. Listened to the album and loved it and then found out the amazing story behind Jackie Shane. So, Jackie Shane is a Canadian singer and really kind of never got radio play in the U.S. although big in the U.S. But Jackie Shane is also a Black transperson from the ‘60s and ‘70s. So, one of the things I love about vinyl is unlike other formats, you can get a story. So, for this, the Numero Uno group wanted to make sure everyone knew this story. And so, it just, they made this amazing book for the anniversary. And you can see the transformation of the artist and the story behind him and it just, I don’t know, I’m just at awe of Jackie Shane in a different way than I was before. And so, I love this album. I love getting people turned onto this album. I don’t know a single person that doesn’t love it once they hear it. And so, it’s just really special to me. This is like the epitome of what vinyl does for me, which is makes me have experiences in a way or for the first time with an artist.

((NATS/MUSIC))
((Edison
Customer))

My dad had a really nice turntable. So, I’m just restoring all that equipment and just trying to get back into it.

((NATS/MUSIC))
((Darlene
Customer))

I have a lot of vinyl records at home. And I was wondering, I was thinking about getting a record player because I wanted to play them. And so, record players, when I was a little girl, we got our first one, playing records. I guess, I was about six, maybe seven. So evidently, they’re not going anywhere and then the DJs use them, you know. Everything don’t have to go away because of the new stuff. We like the old stuff, you know.

((NATS/MUSIC))

((Courtesy: “My Sins” Time Is Fire / ©Electric Cowbell / Insect Fields 2020))

((Joe Lapan
Co-Owner, Byrdland Records))

Well, for example, this record right here is from a band called Time is Fire. It’s from a local label called Electric Cowbell, who’s a friend of ours, puts out a lot of cool and great local music but it’s influenced by world music and it’s influenced by some of the history of DC’s punk music and it’s some really interesting artists and songs that he puts out.

((NATS/MUSIC))
((Alisha Edmonson

Co-Owner, Byrdland Records))
It's a tangible thing and I think we live in a very, a world that has a lot of untangibles. So much of what we do and exists is in our phones. There’s an intent from the artist behind the vinyls. So, the record, the record sleeve, the book that’s inside of it. There’s usually a story. There’s usually all the lyrics are in there. It sounds better. So, when you’re experiencing vinyl, you can feel the base.

((NATS/MUSIC))

((Alisha Edmonson

Co-Owner, Byrdland Records))
You feel all the sounds. The full intent of the artist is in that vinyl.

((NATS/MUSIC))